#81 - It's Hot to Not

My 4th grader came home with a CD today. It's part of a Utah State drug-free curriculum. We've listened to the CD a couple times now, and it's sparked some great conversation between my daughter and I.

Anyway, there's this song called "Hot to Not." My kids LOVE it, and, of course, the message is great.

You can go here to listen to a sample of the song, read the lyrics, and look at the other materials.

There is tons of information out there about how to talk to your kids about drugs, alcohol, smoking, et al, but this is one that I think is particularly helpful.

Whatever you do, though, get a conversation going, and don't make it a one-time sit-down-and-talk thing, either. One statistic says that kids who say they benefited from drug discussions with their parents are 50-percent less likely to use drugs. You can read an article about it here.

#80 - I'm in a Rut

And it's not just any rut. It's a doll-garn, dad-gum, heyday of a rut.

It's true that I've had a lot going on. My entire household suffered from a week-long stomach flu that burned the candle at both ends, if you know what I mean. My dear hubby is still sick, too. He can't quite kick it.

And then there was the whole bike accident incident thingy. I bit it up in the mountains and lost a lot of skin on my arm that I'd like to have back, thank you very much. On top of that, it got infected. That's always fun. It's been a week and I'm just starting to see signs of healing.

And then there was the whole kid jumping off the swing incident. My sweet little 6-year-old followed the example of her crazy big brother and jumped off the swing. She landed on her arm and was still complaining that it hurt two days later. So we took her in. It turns out her bone didn't actually break. The doc says sometimes with little kids, their bones bend like little willows in the breeze. So, her bone has a slight bend in the wrist, and she had blood in her elbow joint. So I in my bandage, and her in her sling, are quite a pair.

Oh, yeah, and my dog ate my manuscript, even!!!

So, as you can see, I have a lot of excuses. But the truth is, I just feel BLAH! If it wasn't for my critique group making me send out 10 pages twice a month, I wouldn't be writing at all right now.

Maybe I need to see my doctor about changing my medication. (I'm just joking of course . . . . Or am I?) LOL.

#79 - Did I Mention the LDS Storymakers Rock?

This time, I'm sure I got my plurals right. :-D

Here are a couple of hilarious things that you just have to see. It's a taste of the LDStorymakers Conference for those of you who couldn't make it.

First off, the Storymakers' take on "I Wanna Be a Rockstar." Read the words first because they're a little hard to understand in the video.

I Wanna Be a Bestseller

I'm through with submitting to agents who won't read my queries
It's the end of the world if I never get published
This novel hasn't turned out quite the way I want it to be
(Tell me what you want)

I want a two-book deal, for a hundred million bucks
And a bathroom I can use my laptop in
And a king-sized office big enought for my ego 'n me
(Tell me what you need)

I need a five-star listing from Kirkus Review
And a medal from the Newbury committee too
Gotta hit the New York Times list the first week my book is out
(Been there, done that)

I want a cabin full of Whitney Awards
And a top ten rating on Amazon
Somewhere between J.K. and Stephenie is fine for me
(So how you gonna do it?)

I'm gonna trade this book for fortune and fame
I'd even change the end and get a pen name

[Chorus]
'Cause we all just wanna be Big Best Sellers
And live in huge houses getting great big checks
the muse comes easy and the words come cheap
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we're too stressed to eat
And we'll hang out at the Book Expo
In the VIP with Stephenie Meyer
Every vampire writer's gonna wind up there
Every wanna-be author with their chapters to share

Hey, hey, I wanna be a Bestseller
Hey, hey, I wanna be a Bestseller

I wanna be great like Dan Brown without the angels
Hire three assistants to answer my emails
Take a two week tour and expense my signings for free
(See ya in Barnes and Noble, ha ha)

I'll bring bathrobes 'n slippers back into fashoin
Call my editor from my agent's mansion
Gonna date an actor who wants to star in my movie deals
(So how you gonna do it?)

[Chorus]
'Cause we all just wanna be Big Best Sellers
And live in huge houses getting great big checks
the muse comes easy and the words come cheap
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we're too stressed to eat
And we'll hang out at the Book Expo
In the VIP with Stephenie Meyer
Every vampire writer's gonna wind up there
Every wanna-be author with their chapters to share
I'll be too busy to check my reviews
Won't matter to me 'cause Paramount's on line two
I'll remember what it used to be like back when
My books got rejected by even my friends

Hey, hey, I wanna be a Bestseller
Hey, hey, I wanna be a Bestseller

Gonna sue anyone who has a similar story
Gonna act real surprised at all my glory
I'll get famous authors to endorse my book
Tell Oprah how I come up with my hook

'Cause we all just wanna be Big Best Sellers
And live in huge houses getting great big checks
the muse comes asy and the words come cheap
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we're too stressed to eat
And we'll hang out at the Book Expo
Gonna follow Stephenie Meyer around the show
Every vampire writer's gonna wind up there
Every wanna-be author with their chapters to share

Gonna sue anyone who has a similar story
Gonna act real surprised at all my glory
I'll get famous authors to endorse my book
Tell Oprah how I come up with my hook

Hey, hey, I wanna be a Bestseller
Hey, hey, I wanna be a Bestseller



Okay, here's another one. The story of Stella and Tedward. Not to be confused with the story of Bella and Edward. Although, you might find some scary similarities. :-D Don't worry, it didn't win the first chapter contest. It was disqualified. Read it straight from Tristi's website because I just don't want to copy the whole thing here. I'm lazy like that. :o)

Good times. Good times.