Interesting and Thought Provoking? Not today.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is spring break for our school district here in Utah, so I'm taking this week off from blogging, and writing, and, well, from every day life, actually.

You'll probably notice that I do this every few months for a few days. I think it's because being creative (aka writing novels) while also running a household can be exhausting, and when my brain is too full and overwhelmed, the creativity just stops flowing. It severely hiders my ability to produce quality work--or any work at all sometimes.

So when I vacation, I leave my computer behind. (Or, more accurately, I leave it in my suitcase where I can get to it if I absolutely need it--let's be real, here.)

In lieu of an interesting / thought provoking post to read, please accept this as my contribution to livening your spirits.

Happy spring! 

*PS I'm participating in a blog tour on Monday where readers will have an opportunity to enter to win an Amazon gift card. Be sure to stop by!

Holiday Shopping: The Making of a Tradition (Part II)

Sleep was tough to find that night, as I dreamed fitfully of the possibility that the store would run out of my prized items before I could get my hands on them. When my alarm went off in the wee hours of morning, I dressed with shaking hands, bundling in easily removable layers, and prepared to do battle in an arena I had experienced once before—only this time, the stakes were much higher than socks.

My child’s Christmas joy was on the line. (Or so I believed.)

Armed with hot chocolate and hand warmers, we lined up outside, in a crowd that was already much bigger than I had anticipated, and my stomach sank a little lower. If only a handful of these people wanted the same item I was after, I might walk away empty handed. But we stood in line, laughing and joking with our fellow shoppers, and secretly plotting how we would maximize our time. When the doors opened, the crowed gushed forward, leaving me no choice but to flow with traffic, and before I knew it, I was inside and running for my designated section.

After hours of waiting in a line that had felt miles and miles long, I somehow managed to snag the FIRST of my most important item. Hugging it to my chest, I then zoomed around the store, loading up on other necessary (and a few unnecessary) holiday items, before meeting up with my co-shopper at the front of the store for more planning and to move on to the next stores.

The shopping high was better than any drug. Or, at least, I assume so. (I wouldn’t really know.)

Ever since then, Black Friday shopping has been a family tradition. These days, my kids are much older, and my daughters have caught the crazy-shopper bug. The truth is, my kids rarely remember the gifts they receive on Christmas morning. Instead, they remember our time spent together making traditions.

That chaos of shopping has long since ceased to be about things, or money, but has become about spending time together. And that’s a tradition I’m happy about.

What are some of your favorite traditions?

Holiday Shopping: Chaos and Glory (Part 1)

When I was a young newlywed, the women in my husband’s family convinced me to attempt a holiday shopping trip on Black Friday.* Being young and naïve, and having been raised by a woman who had worked way more than her share of retail holiday madness sales, this was not something I had ever done, nor had I desire to try. 

But I was new in the family, and it felt like an effort I needed to make, so I woke up in the middle of the night and bundled myself to stand in line in sub-zero temperatures. All in the name of socks (because, apparently, starting at the Fred Meyer 50% off sock sale was part of the tradition).

I will admit that first year, with the socks, I really didn’t see the point. I mean, yes, we were stone broke (which might have been part of my problem, come to think of it) but even then it didn’t seem worth the effort to save two or three dollars on socks.

Fast forward a few years. Money was tight, and I had little children who had high hopes that Santa would bring them special gifts they’d asked for—and one of those gifts felt nearly out of reach to me. It was our year to have Thanksgiving with my husband’s family, and after the dinner dishes were done and the food was put away, the women crowded around the table thumbing through the newspaper ads.

Not wanting to be anti-social, I joined them, and picked up an ad for a big chain store. Low and behold, there, on the front page of the ad, was the very-expensive-almost-unattainable gift my oldest son wanted so badly, offered at a much more manageable price than I ever expected to find it. In fact, it was about half the price I’d seen it on other days, making the unattainable gift seem somehow, maybe, possibly attainable.  

A small flame of possibility sparked inside me, fanned by the crazy women surrounding me (and I mean crazy in the most endearing way possible) and before we left that evening, my sister-in-law and I had made a plan. We would go to that store, and we would purchase that gift—and others.

To be continued…

*In case you don’t know what Black Friday is, it’s the day after Thanksgiving, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and the day business managers hope to sell enough merchandise to put those businesses in the black for the year.

Waving from Afar

Hello there!

Remember the spring break vacation I mentioned last week? Well, it's here, and I'm on it. By the time this posts, I'll be somewhere far in the Caribbean soaking up the sun and refilling my well of inspiration in order to write more books. And more books. And...you get it. Right?

Anyway, please accept this snapshot in place of a real blog post. I'll be back next Wednesday. Expect contests. And updates. And other fun posts.

Have a great week!

While I'm Away...

That's right. I'm leaving. Not forever, mind you. But for a while.

See, here's what happened.

My oldest son graduated. From high school. (Never mind telling me I'm not old enough to have an adult son—I already know.

And right before that.

My husband got his Master’s Degree.

Also.

My oldest daughter got her license to drive.
My younger daughter graduated from 8th grade.
My baby boy graduated from elementary school (which is 6th grade in our school district).

And I…well, I guess I raised them (including my husband).

*sniffles* I'm so proud!

All this is cause to celebrate in our family, so we’re taking a vacation, during which I will have zero internet access. Because of this, I will not be blogging for the last two weeks in June. (June 17-30.)

Please forgive me for my lack of new content and come back to read again in July.

In the meantime, here is something to inspire your creativity. (And yes, I did take this picture.) Have a happy June!

Tis the Season

Holy crap, it’s Christmas Eve! What are you doing reading blogs when you could be out celebrating and baking and shopping for last minute gifts? Not in the mood? Well, I am.

This is a day of great excitement in my family. So here’s a little carol, with phenomenal harmony, to get your Christmas spirit jumping and boiling. Okay? Okay.

Happy holidays, merry Christmas, and happy festivus to the rest of ya! Hooray for today.

My Grownup Christmas List

After Monday's post, I decided that this week I'm going to share with you some of the music that has most affected me during the holiday season. For me, music can make or break my mood, and this year, I can use a little mood music.

Plus, the kids are off school, so I'm spending the week doing fun things with my family. Don't worry, I LOVE Christmas music, so I'll be posting through the weekend as well. (But then I'm taking off the week after--you know, priorities.)

This next selection is another one I've loved for years, because it really hits home for me. (Yes, it's on the same CD as Monday's choice--coincidence? Uh, no.)



What can you do to give back this season?

Holiday Favorites, Part III

Tis the season of family togetherness. (Read: Fighting, bickering, arguing.) And I know there are a whole bunch of activities that will help bring the holiday spirit home. (And if that doesn’t work, there’s always duct tape.)

I think playing, eating, and even watching TV together can be a good thing, even if needed in small doses. But there’s nothing like a good holiday story to change the tone and restore peace among men (or children, as the case may be).

Today’s topic: Holiday Stories

1. The Nativity (Isn’t that a given?)
2. T’was the Night Before Christmas.

3. The Snow Tree (on my kids insistence—because the pages are texturized, I guess.)

4. You Are Special (not just a holiday story, but one we love, just the same.)

5. The Polar Express

And on my personal TBR list this season:

1. The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans

See that list up there? It’s woefully short. And yeah, I have plenty of books on my to be read list, but still. I want to know what other fabulous holiday books are out there. So spill. What’s your favorite holiday story?

Holiday Favorites, Part I

This week I’m in a holiday mood. I had dinner with some friends the other day, and we exchanged heart-felt gifts (the kind that wouldn’t mean nearly as much coming from anyone else) and it has left me feeling festive and happy. To me, time spent with the important people in our lives is what makes the holidays special.

In celebration of this feeling of festivity, I’m going to be talking about some of my family’s holiday favorites. And I’d love to hear yours. Maybe we’ve forgotten old favorites from the past, or haven’t found newer gems of joy. Either way, perhaps if we all share a little piece of holiday cheer, we can help each other catch the true spirit of what this season is really all about.

Today’s topic: Movies

1. Elf (EPIC. Best Christmas movie of all time, IMO.)

2. The Christmas Story (Only just barely trumped by Elf.)

3. The Santa Clause (Yes, it’s a series, but the first one is still the best by far.)

4. While You Were Sleeping (because, romance always makes me smile—plus that family is hilarious.)

5. Jingle All The Way (Because I think it’s all too accurate.)

6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. (Both the animated and the new version.)

7. Jack Frost (even though it makes me cry.)

**8. Home movies of Christmases past. My family loves to watch and remember. It brings us closer together and reminds us of all the best parts of our life together. If you have home movies of your family, I highly recommend you try this.

This is a small list. I know there are TONS of awesome holiday favorites out there. What are yours?

Bigger isn't Always Better

Oh my gosh you guys. The other day at the store, we found these marshmallows that are like, bigger than my whole hand. Seriously. The things are HUGE. Almost look like mini pillows. They’re called campfire marshmallows, and were on a s’mores display with chocolate bars and graham crackers.

Of course I had to buy them. I mean, who wouldn’t want to try roasting a giant marshmallow?

So we took those babies home and lit a fire in our backyard fire pit. Turns out, this was one of those cases in which bigger wasn’t better. The outsides cooked at about the same rate as that of regular sized marshmallows, but the insides took quite a bit longer, meaning that in order to cook them all the way through to s’mores perfection, either the outside was burned, or the inside was too solid.

Maybe it was just us. I’m certain that there are people in the world who will never go back to the regular sized marshmallows again. But I think we’re going to stick to our tried and true version so we’re able to cook them to exactly the right gooey crispness.

Because some things life are so good that trying to improve them will only make things messy. Don’t you agree?

A Post of Randomness (Not about love--for once)

1. Last weekend I was watching the SAG awards on TV. I was struck by how different every one of those actors looks. Yeah, I know. Life isn’t all about how people look, but in that profession, look actually matters. Okay, so my profession is totally different. But it made me think. Do I look like an author? Does anyone? For that matter, what do authors look like?

2. Also, I wonder why that statue guy they give out at the SAG’s doesn’t wear any clothes. Neither does the giant one they show in every segue. And why are they all male? Not that I’m complaining, but seriously, how about some clothing and a little equality? #Kthxbai. (Translation: Okay, thanks. Goodbye.)

3. Speaking of actors, my kids don’t know what a Smurf is. Or who is Rainbow Brite, or He-man or She-ra. I think they’ve actually heard of the Care Bears, but it’s been years. YEARS. They’re so spoiled with high-tech, fast-paced animations that they’d probably be completely bored by my old favorites. I sometimes wish their lives could be so innocent as those cartoons.

4. My family is newly addicted to The Game of Things. It’s like, the funnest board game I’ve played in years. Buy it, try it, love it. You’ll laugh your tail off, and your teens will want to stay home and play it instead of going out with their friends. It’s that fun. That is all.

5. My new favorite song is by Pink, and part of the title is Perfect. Great song. LOVE the clean version of it. But it begs to be asked. Why, why, why would she make an explicit version, that can never be played on the radio, or as a music video, or as a theme to any book, movie, or life and offer ONLY the bad version of it on the album? Also, why is the cleaner version not just titled Perfect? Why put the bleeped out bad word in the title? It doesn’t really make a statement, it just deters people from listening. Really. You can use the language if you want, but why cut down your fan base? Off my soapbox now.

Here's the clean version if you're curious:

P!nk - New Music - More Music Videos

That is all the randomness for today. Be sure to stop by on Monday to find out what’s on my mind next time.

Oh, Holiday Parties, You Do Rocketh

You know what else I love about December? Despite the massive amounts of extra housework that comes with putting up and taking down holiday decorations, and with having the kids home from school tracking mud and slush onto my floors, and leaving dishes all over the place, no one really complains about helping.

Maybe it’s because they figure Santa is coming so they should be good. Or maybe they just really want extra money so they can go to movies or out with friends. But mostly I think we’re all just in a better mood all the way around. And we spend time together.

And it isn’t just my little family. December brings with it a plethora of opportunities to visit extended family, coworkers, friends, and other people with whom we associate but don’t very often see socially. Even better, though, if we don’t have an invitation to visit someone, we have the opportunity to extend an invitation for others to come visit us.

In case you didn’t put those two things together, let me help you. Kids + housework= party with friends / family/ other misc people we like. And it’s usually not even a fight to put together.

Huh. Go figure.

Yet another thing I love about December. What possible gathering do you most look forward to this season? How do you know the people with whom you’ll socialize and when was the last time you saw them?

A Lifetime of Funny

Okay, so you know that road trip we went on last weekend? It required approximately twelve hours of driving. Six there, six back. I know a lot of adults who don’t like being in the car that long, let alone kids.

Before you ask, no, we don’t have a DVD player, portable XBox, Nintendo, or Playstation in our family vehicle. (I know—so archaic!) So what’s a family to do for that many hours? Well, we aren’t completely in living in the stone ages. We do have iPods. But you can only leave those little buds in your ears for so long. We hadn’t gone far before we were chatting, being silly and laughing.

During the drive, I remembered why I write for children. They’re infinitely funnier than most adults, much wiser, and far less jaded.

Take my nine-year old. We’re on the road, driving past lots of billboards. He looks up, sees an advertisement for a casino and, looking puzzled, says, “Two dollar craps? What the…”

He was so serious. So truly confused. I’m still laughing. And I won't even discuss with you the ensuing debate over whether it’s pay or be paid.

Not much later, we passed a sign. Watch for falling rock. My DH pipes up, “When I was a kid, my older brother told me Falling Rock is a lost Native American kid. I spent hours and hours of my life looking for that guy.”

We had a good chuckle over that, but it wasn’t hilarious until the next day. We passed a gray-haired Native American man hiking nearby, and one of the kids shouts, “Hey, I think I found Falling Rock!”

Yeah. We’re a strange bunch. But living life through the eyes of my children gives me a since of wonder and fulfillment that nothing else in my adult life ever could.

Besides, they’ll always keep me laughing.

Road Trips and Dam Family Time

Today I’m taking off for Las Vegas with my family. It’s spring break for my kids, and we could all use some wonderful sunshine—which is clearly not happening in Utah right now. But really, the point is spending some time together as a family. Because no matter what happens in life, our family relationships are the most important ones we’ll ever build.

And as I’ve learned all too quickly, children only stay young for a very short while.

This is a road trip, and the plan is to stop off along the way for some hiking and a picnic in gorgeous Southern Utah—since we wanted to go to Moab and didn’t make reservations in time—and then at some point to pay a visit to the Hoover dam. My daughter is hoping to find a dam hamburger (remind me to tell you about Bill, the king of all hamburgers, whom she met—and then ate—in Hawaii). My sons want to see about getting some dam T-shirts, and the rest of us want to take some spectacular dam pictures.

And whatever we do, we’ll make sure to follow the dam rules. Wish us luck with that! (Yes, Mom, I’ll be sure to hold on to my shoes this time. I bet the fish that ate my flip-flop when I was three is long gone.)

The downside of staying in Las Vegas is that practically the whole city is blocked from wireless internet access—even on my awesome iPhone. **frowns** So I won’t be replying to comments until after Thursday. But it isn’t because I don’t love you, my dear readers. It’s just because I’m shopping, and sunning, and seeing a magic show. But whatever I’m doing, it’ll be with my family. My favorite thing in life. And that makes me oh-so-happy.

Have a great week, and happy spring.

Family Fun Matters

By Nichole Giles

In case you’re wondering why I haven’t posted in over a week, I’ll put your worries to rest. (Yeah, I said worries. I just know you’ve been biting your nails about what terrible fate has befallen me—your most beloved author—and can I just say, eeew. Nail biting is a disgusting habit; you really ought to quit doing it.) I’ve been out of town visiting some family in Texas.

If you’ve never been to Texas, you might be wondering what there could possibly be to do there besides sing country music and say ya’ll a bunch of times. In fact, my neighbor asked me that very question (well, okay, minus the reference to music and language) when she heard we’d gone there. My first answer was, “My sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and new niece are there.” But my second answer was, “Oh my gosh, there’s so much to do we couldn’t possibly fit it all into one trip.”

This time, we chose to fly into San Antonio, where we stayed for a few days. First off, we met my sister and the kids and went straight to the Riverwalk—which is ripe with culture and ambiance and is just a downright cool place. We walked from one end to the other—detouring for a little while to visit the Alamo.

Also in the area, is Sea World—which as I discovered, is quite different from the California version, but equally as fun—and the world famous water park, Schliterbahn. My kids thought it was extremely cool that there are three separate sections to this park, which are each so large you have to get there by car or shuttle. And the slides and things are, in my daughter’s words, “coolio!” Just don’t lose someone in between like we did or you’ll end up searching fruitlessly for hours to find them.

There’s also a Six Flags in S.A., but we opted out of that one this time, and took a drive to Corpus Christi for a day and night at the beach. Granted, Gulf beaches aren’t the most gorgeous beaches, and the water is pretty murky, but it was the ocean, and to us, absolutely breathtaking. The sand was rough, and there were jellyfish everywhere, (perfect for “jellyfishing” as my nephew was apt to do) but the water was really warm, and the sight of the full moon over the sea that night was enough to steal a person’s focus for hours. Also in the area was a museum of a WWII battleship, the USS Lexington, complete with rows of real aircraft that was launched off the ship’s deck during the war. Very cool stuff.

Then it was another drive—this one a bit longer—through Austin into Temple, TX, to see my sister’s cute house, and her husband who wasn’t able to join us in our sightseeing earlier. It was so nice to spend some time there, and actually eat some home-cooked meals. We had an awesome time, and were so excited to be with family we don’t see nearly as often as we’d like.

The killer is, there is so much more we want to do and see while Jodi’s living in the Lone Star State. Six Flags in Fort Worth, the NASA museum near Houston, Galveston (which is crammed with beautiful architecture, nice beaches, and a cruise port) and bunches of other places we haven’t discovered yet.

So, in case you’re wondering, I was skipping out on work, blogs, writing, laundry, and everything else I could have been doing, in order to party with my family. It was a much needed, and yet exhausting, summer trip. And now I’m back. All is well, and I didn’t fall off the face of the earth, although thunderstorms and severe winds did their best to make our planes (four total) fall out of the sky. But we prevailed. Apparently, the powers that be upstairs have bigger things in mind for me.

Hi ho. Hi ho. It’s back to writing I go…