I did it again!

I'm still working on my novel because even after more than 50,000 words there is still a lot I need to say, but I reached my goal, a whole week ahead of schedule. It feels wonderful!

Things my kids say that make me cry, laugh, or think (not in that order)

I always want to write down the things my kids say, and I never have pen and paper handy when they deliver their shiniest pearls. I often forget; the feeling of wonderment at their thinking skills, or sense of humor is all that is left at the end of the day. I've found myself telling Jeff, "I don't remember what Swan said, but she made me laugh," more times than I can remember. Do you notice a pattern here; I forget things.
Well, for some mysterious reason these following things are imprinted on my mind. Enjoy:

1. Me angry because he's banging on the table with a car: Cangri, 1, 2 ...  Cangri stops what he's doing.
Gorgeous looks up from homework and asks: Mom, what happens when you reach 3?
Me: *Silence*

2. Me: Chubbers, where's Dandi the dog?
Chubbers, lying in the bathtub surrounded by bubbles: Hmmm. In the drier... (that's after we looked for the dog all over the house. We could hear her bark, but we couldn't find her. Finally Jeff saw her in the drier. Imagine her little face peering through the glass, eyes full of hope we wouldn't turn the drier on. "
AAHHH! But that's not all.
Following the conversation is El Cangri. He hears Chubbers had put the dog in the drier, and he asks, eyes sparkling with malice (yes people, it was malice): Did it go fast????!!!!!! 

3. Me (in the driver's seat picking up the kids from school the day I got braces): Hi babes!
Babes: AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! You look like The Other Mother!!!! (from Coraline)
Me thinks: Yeah, I look great with braces.

4. Kids watched Snowwhite. (I don't know how to spell it!!!!! Too lazy to Google). They're singing the Hi Ho song while picking up stuffed animals in Cangri's room downstairs and taking them upstairs to Chubbers room. I assume the stuffed animals were the gems, I guess. Well, they sing the Hi Ho song, including the whistling! to the Jai Ho song from Slumdog Millionaire.

5. Swan to friend: Would you rather kiss a boy or die?
Friend thinks and says: Hmmmm, I guess "Kiss a boy." But ONLY on the cheek.
Swan: Yeaahhhhh. ONLY on the cheeks.

6. Swan: If you want to be a rockstar, you have to shave your pits.

7. Swan doing a puppet show. On the 15th minute of her monologue, she says: And they will continue tomorrow.
Jeff and I: Phewwwww!!!
Swan: Cock-a-doodle-doo. It's the next day!

8. Swan on the drive to ballet lessons. She was looking out the window and gazing at the sky: Sometimes I think we're God's toys. He plays with us like we play with dolls. And then he goes take a nap.
Me thinking about the little girl NC who was missing and then found dead: *nod* *nod* I know exactly how you feel.

9: Cangri at the school holiday bazaar waiting to get a picture with Santa: That's not Santa. That's Mr Wright (one of the teachers) Santa. I want to go talk to the other one with the glasses (He's talking about the guy at the mall where we get the kids' pictures with Santa).

10. Gorgeous closing his eyes tight for his birthday wish. (BTW, I can't believe I have a 9 year old): *whispers*
Later Jeff asked him what he had wished for and he said: For Chubbers and El Cangri to be easier for mom. 
Me: *can't speak. Too humbled that he'll "spend" his wish on me*. 

They make me crazy, and mad, but mostly, happy. I love these kids!        

Day three of NaNo

The characters have been my friends for almost two years. I wrote a short story, made up so many conversations in my mind, found awesome music to play along, but the characters are not coming out as I had thought they would. Are they better? Worse? Only time will tell. I just know that now the voice of the book is younger (have I been reading too much YA), and that might be because I'm exploring the first person, present POV (Point of View). I'm really excited because I've been able to write everyday, and my count is 7,500 words already. Not too bad for day 3, huh?
I have great hopes for this story. I don't know why, but I feel this one is closer to my heart than the other two. Could it be because it's set in Rosario, Argentina? That might have a lot to do with it. Why is it that even though I've been away for almost 12 years, my thoughts always drift to my childhood, the barrio, the sounds of my youth? Writing this book is like a therapy, and I'm glad to realize that all the feelings I had kept inside are producing happy scenes. But I need some conflict, and that won't take long to come. It just breaks my heart that my characters have to suffer, but I promise I have a great ending in sight. I hope the one I planned two years ago still fits them.

On another note, and as I had promised, here are some Halloween pictures. I hope you like'em.

Happy Halloween!

This will be a lightening post. We're a couple of hours from the great Halloween festivities. They will mainly involve massive amounts of candy, wild kids, uncontrollable crying when the sugar high subsides, and many high fructose induced nightmares. Other than that, It'll be fun!
I DVR'ed lots of shows. After last year fiasco with Saw V, I'm never renting out a horror movie. What a waste of money and desire to be scared!
I've been getting my dose of fright by reading "The Queen of the Damned," third book in the Vampire Trilogy. I love Lestat, Louis and Armand. My favorite vampires. But please you gorgeous guys (yes, you vampires) don't attempt any contact with me; I'm very happy just reading about you on Halloween.
El Cangri is wearing a Batman outfit that he got for his birthday; Swan is a mermaid, Chubbers is Snow-white (how do you spell it? Two "W's"?), and Gorgeous decided Thursday night, like 6 hours before his school party, that he wanted to be the ghost he saw in the Chasing Fireflies catalog. Since it was impossible for me to get the costume in such a short notice (he's clearly Jeff's and mine son, the procastinator), he agreed to wear long white underwear and a draped sheet. I powdered his exuberant curls, and painted his face. He did look like a ghost. I'll be an Autumn Fairy, and Jeff's still undecided, the procastinator. It's only 3 hours till trick-or-treating!
On Thursday we went to a Halloween store, and El Cangri totally freaked out. The older kids and I were bent over laughing (oh the meanness! But it was funny!) and Chubbers kept yelling, "Leave him alone!" to the many Halloween decorations and props. She extended her little arm, as if stopping the infernal fiends with her chubby little hands. And the voice she made! She sounded so tough. I finally had to give up trying to pay for the hair glitter spray, and I asked the guy dressed as a werewolf to move from the door so that I could leave. I wonder if people thought the store had pay me to have a shrieking child thrashing on the floor because he was so scared. It was funny for me and the older kids, but the little ones were terrified.
As soon as we get a picture with our costumes, I'll post it. For now, Happy Halloween! And be safe! And have fun!

Utah Children's Writers: NaNoWriMo by Yamile Mendez

I wrote a guest post about NaNoWriMo on the Utah Children's Writers Bog. Take a look!
Utah Children's Writers: NaNoWriMo by Yamile Mendez

Fall Leaves

Since I posted last time, I have finished my manuscript. It was September 30th, and even though I had to stay until 3 AM, I made myself write, and I finished on the deadline I had set myself.
I'm working hard on edits now. OK, maybe not as hard as I should, but I'm revising my first chapters, and I'm loving it.
I can't believe it's the end of October already. We've had some very cold weather already, but mostly sunny ones, and I love to see my kids playing with the leaves outside. When they run back inside, their little hands are so cold they look purple.
Last week the kids had Fall break, and we went to soccer parties, a pirate place, a pumpkin patch and a maze. We had an Argentine asado with friends we hadn't seen for years. Our kids played together, speaking a mixture of English and Spanish, kicking a soccer ball all over the place.
Having Jeff at home turns my world upside down. Our mornings are lazy, and our evenings a whirlwind of activities.

Since my October has been so relaxed (blog-wise) I know I'll make up for it in November. Both Gorgeous Boy and I are participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). His goal is to write between 3,000 to 6,000 words. That's a lot of words for an 8 year-old, but he's determined to do it. Get this: he's even writing an outline to be prepared come November 1st.

My little cubs are calling for my attention. The sky is blue, but the the air reminds me we're in Autumn. My favorite time of the year.

Just because Nathan is so cool

I copied him and created my own Wordle.
In essence, I copied and pasted my whole WIP into this website, and it generated a cloud with the words from my story. I wasn't surprised by what I saw. Take a look:



It looks a little iffy because I couldn't generate a code for it and had to scan it. But, I'll make this revelation: my MC's names are...
You guessed! Rosemary and Lucien!

Dream Agent has a contest going

Nathan, AKA dream agent, has an excellent contest going on. Go check it out:
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/10/3rd-sort-of-annual-stupendously.html
The first time I saw his post there were 840 entries. I read it on my phone, which is not my preferred medium to type, so I waited until I got home. That night there were 1300 entries. I thought, "Well, why would I ever enter? So many wonderful entries!"
The next day, when the entries had climbed to 2000, I thought, "I might as well throw my little grain of salt into the ocean. Who knows? I might get lucky. And since mine will be amongst the last entries, he might remember it easier."
Well, entries are over 2300, and even though the contest ends today, if you want to be daring, go ahead and enter your submission.
I have been so lazy blogging! But my good excuse is that I am deep into revisions for my manuscript which I finished on September 30th. It was the date/goal I had in mind when I started. Even though that night  I had to stay until 3 AM I finished it.
I read through it already, and I'm blown away at the amount of work still ahead of me, but I have hope. There are some little gems among those 86,000 words.
Also, I'm already plotting in my head the novel I will write during NaNoWriMo. It's a story that I have been so anxious to tell, that just thinking about it makes me smile.
Kids are in Fall break, and when I take a break from entertaining them,  I will sit down and write a proper post. Now, to get ready to go to the pumpkin patch!