In So Many Words

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists!

My Teaser

Right now I’m reading The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well by Paula LaRocque.

…the fact is there isn’t anything very intelligent about pretentious and abstract writing. To the contrary, one hallmark of intellect is the ability to simplify, to make the complex easy to understand. Anyone can be unclear.

What are you reading right now?

Check out Should Be Reading for more Teaser Tuesdays!

Ah, a blank page.

Sometimes a good thing, at other times not so good.

No matter how many times I think it doesn’t really matter if I write down all the thoughts swirling through my head, I just can’t let go of the idea that it is important to do it. Things I read spark connections and ideas that I want to delve into, but then I get sidetracked by daily life and forget about them.

This weekend I attended an open house for some friends who just moved into their first home. They are also very close to becoming foster parents, and it was wonderful to see how God has blessed them with a place of their own.

Anyway, being the bookworm that I am, I was looking through the bookshelf in their living room and found a few interesting-looking books about writing. I asked to borrow one with the intriguing title of The Right to Write by Julia Cameron.

All I have read so far is the introduction, and I’m already hooked. Read this paragraph answering the question “Why should we write?” and you will see why:

We should write because it is human nature to write. Writing claims our world. It makes it directly and specifically our own. We should write because humans are spiritual beings and writing is a powerful form of prayer and meditation, connecting us both to our own insights and to a higher and deeper level of inner guidance as well.

That just about leaves me speechless at the moment, so the swirling thoughts will have to wait until tomorrow and for the next blank page.

On an unrelated note, please offer a thought or prayer for my friend L, whose mother-in-law passed away yesterday.

Thanks to Super Mommy for introducing me to this fun meme created and hosted by BeccaGirl.

So, what’s “Give Me Five Monday”? Well, here’s BeccaGirl’s description:

The ‘Give Me Five’ Monday meme is designed to share fun information with each other in a simple short list! Here’s how it works. Each week, I will put out a random topic from my list of topics and you share 5 answers of your choice on the given topic and link back here! You can add photos, links or stories or just a simple list of your own of 5 things that relate to the topic as it pertains to you and your life experiences. It doesn’t have to be in any order of importance unless otherwise specified.

This week’s topic: Give Me five of your favorite ways to be crafty or creative.

Well, I don’t usually consider myself to be very crafty or creative, but I’ll give it a shot.

1. Stamping – I really like rubber stamping, especially making cards. You can totally copy off other people’s ideas and just tweak them to make them your own. People love getting something handmade, and they have no idea whether yours is as good as the original inspiration. Also, if you mess up, you’re only out a couple of sheets of paper!
2. Writing – I love the feeling of having written something that I think people will want to read, whether it’s a serious reflection on something or a funny thing that happened. Even at work, I have a sense of pride in the training documentation I have put together (although there’s not too much of that going on with the lessened hiring these days!)
3. Blogging – This may seem similar to number 2, but I do enjoy the fun of creating a blog and choosing a layout or updating the way it works to be more functional or accessible. I do have trouble with the design aspects of it, which is why my color palette is so plain at the moment, but I am hoping the inspiration will strike me at some point and I can bring it all together.
4. Cross Stitching – This one is a bit of a stretch since I haven’t done it in a long time. I liked it because I could create something pretty using my inclination towards specific rules and order. As long as I followed the pattern and counted everything correctly, it would come out right. I don’t tend to do well with free form expression.
5. Drawing for my son – I’m listing this one because even though I don’t consider myself good at art, I have had to go outside my comfort zone to draw many likenesses of super heroes and other items my son wanted. I do feel proud of myself for doing it just to please him and engage with him and have even gotten one or two compliments from my husband (who is very artistic).

I know a lot of you much more crafty and creative than I am, so tell me what your top ways to express it are. Also, visit BeccA’s Buzz to read more or join in.

Many of you know that I am a big fan of the parenting site Root & Sprout, and the related social network Grow Together. Over the last few months, Root & Sprout has experienced much growth and many changes, including hiring a core team of writers while still providing opportunities for both paid articles and voluntary submissions to the ezine.

Starting this month, articles will be published one or two per day instead of all on the first of the month. They will continue to range in category, covering ages from pregnancy to the teenage years and including other topics relevant to parenting. There will be giveaways each week, too, so subscribe to the feed today to stay informed!

Now that the site is using a blog platform (where you can also comment on the articles – hint, hint!), each post has its own permalink, which is great for referencing previous articles and sharing them with others. My newest article has just published today, and I have written two previous articles:

• Potty Training Your Special Needs Child – May 2009
• Using Play Dough as a Therapy Tool – February 2009
• How Did You Know? Early Signs of Autism – August 2008

I am hopeful that sharing our potty training experience will give some hope to other moms who aren’t sure it will ever happen, whether your child has special needs or is just not responding the way you think they should be. I’d love to hear what you think!

This is the first chance I’ve had to post all weekend, although I am hoping to have a bit more time going forward. I have been looking over all of my various commitments and responsibilities since the beginning of the year to see how I could make life a little more sane for myself, and I think I am making a bit of progress.

What I’ve Accomplished So Far:

• I got all but two writing commitments finished and off my plate. I am very happy with the results so far but am not planning on taking on any more in the near future.
• I have said no to several opportunities within the last couple of weeks, even though they were good things and seemed interesting. I forced myself not to think that, because they were in the future, they wouldn’t really be that time-consuming, and to realize that when the time came I would be feeling just as stressed out as I have been.
• Last week I stopped a volunteer activity I had started, realizing that there are too many other things calling on my time and that I just couldn’t do it, even for a friend.
• And, the biggest one for me, I cut back my contribution to 5 Minutes for Special Needs from twice a week to once a week. Since my passion for sharing ideas and resources with others is what intrigued me about joining the team in the first place, my focus going forward will be on the Try This Tuesday column/meme.

For my last regularly scheduled Friday post at 5MFSN, I decided to honor some of my loyal commenters as part of the new Say It Forward Carnival from 5 Minutes for Mom. Although I’m not locking myself into anything, I think it’s a pretty neat idea and will probably participate in it here in the future. And I love the banner they made for it:

I know I have been talking a lot about 5 Minutes for Special Needs since the launch last Thursday, and I greatly appreciate all of the encouragement and support I have received for this new adventure.  If you would like to help spread the word, please feel free to grab the code below and post the button on your blog or website.

<a href=”http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com”><img src=”http://i36.tinypic.com/68frjb.png” title=”Special Needs Blog” alt=”Special Needs Blog” /></a>

As I have mentioned before, there is an amazing group of people behind this website, and I wanted to introduce them to you (drumroll please): 

• Tammy @ Praying for Parker (our fearless leader)
• Michelle @ In the Life of a Child
• Melody @ Slurping Life
• Melinda @ Gluten-Free/Casein-Free Mama
• Kristie @ Slacker-Moms-R-Us
• Jennifer @ Pinwheels
• Deborah @ Pipecleaner Dreams
• Tom @ Narrow Ridge
• Kim @ Ramblings of the Bearded One
• Dave @ Chewing the Fat

I have learned so much from them already and am looking forward to 5MFSN being a great place for everyone to gain a greater understanding of special needs, whether you have a child with a disability or not.  After all, a child with special needs is, first and foremost, a child.

P.S.  We have just about caught up from our vacation and I am planning to be back to my regular postings on this blog very soon.  I have a bunch of great books to tell you about and some wonderful vacation photos to share as well.  Have a great day everybody!

Hop over and check out the weekly meme I will be hosting at 5 Minutes for Special Needs. The first “Try This” idea will be posted next Tuesday, and I hope all of you with special needs children will join in.

You can also grab the code for the button if you want to spread the word.  Have a great day, everybody!

My first post is up at 5 Minutes for Special Needs. I’d love to have you pop over and check it out (and I love comments even more)!

I also want to extend a special welcome to those of you who are visiting from the site. I am so honored to be part of that team and very glad that you stopped by. I hope that you will take a look around and say hello.

Here are a few highlights from my archives.

A bit about autism:

• Music Therapy and Autism: Our Experience
• IEP Goals and Related Services
• Autism Resources: Table of Contents

A bit about me:

• Where to start?
• 38 Things
• LIFE Is The Puzzle

If you would like to read more, please consider subscribing to my feed.

I am currently away on vacation with my husband’s family, but just had to take a few minutes to share some very exciting news (at least it is for me – I hope you will think so too)!

A few weeks ago, I was approached by Tammy @ Praying for Parker about participating in a new blog for parents of children with special needs. It would be one of several sister sites to 5 Minutes for Mom. Humbled and honored to be considered, I accepted the offer with fear and trepidation great excitement to be even a small part of this new venture.

As the planning has progressed, I have been amazed at the wonderful team that has come together to form 5 Minutes for Special Needs. I truly believe that this site will be a place where parents can come for support on our journey, insight into ourselves, our kids and the world around us, and inspiration to keep going even when life is difficult. So when you have a minute, or five, I want to invite you to take a look at the redesigned 5 Minutes for Mom and visit the new sister sites:

• 5 Minutes for Books
• 5 Minutes for Going Green
• 5 Minutes for Parenting
• 5 Minutes for Special Needs

My first post should be up tomorrow morning. I look forward to seeing you there!