"Waking Up full of Awesome" - this blogger is onto something...

A Facebook friend linked to this August post on the Pigtail Pals blog, entitled "Waking Up Full of Awesome." If you're a mom of a little girl go read it now:
http://blog.pigtailpals.com/2011/08/waking-up-full-of-awesome/

I totally remember being young and thinking I was invincible.

The first person to tell me I wasn't was actually not a mean girl but a teacher. The mean girls soon followed suit, wearing down my self-confidence, and the media kept the erosion going. Middle school... high school... it's not all easy.

It's been a long road back to awesome, and there are still days I totally doubt myself. And other days where I feel confident and sometimes even a little - dare I say? - awesome. Really.

My own daughter just turned 11 at the end of last month. Most days, she is still convinced of her own awesomeness. Which is good. Hard for the mom, maybe, but a good thing for her. But sixth grade is a hard year to hold on to the "awesome." I think we all need to be aware and remember just how hard it can be to be that age. Or any age.

I want her to hold on to that awesome as long as possible. Or forever.

Oh, Wait! Is This the part where I'm supposed to Write?

Hi there! I'm ba-a-a-ack! Miss me?

Wait, that's not me - that's one of the kids enjoying his summer vacation. I'm the one sitting behind the wheel of the minivan, waiting to drive on to the next activity.

Whew. It's been a busy summer around here! Between all the different camps, sailing classes and regattas, people visiting us on the Cape, us visiting people elsewhere, etc., etc., etc., ...I barely had time to sit on the beach, let along think about writing. And blogging? Umm, yeah, sorry about being m.i.a. for so long...

...but we did get to visit Vermont, and see my sister's new farm and her own personal swimming hole... which probably looks a lot different now, post-Irene, but was pretty serene the day before the hurricane:
...and my eldest son participated in a few regattas with his sailing team both on Cape Cod and (gasp) over the bridge.
...and my middle child played a few summer concerts with his band, NonCompliant, pictured here at the Kids Day Concert at Barnstable High School in August. He also had an awesome time at summer camp in Rhode Island and had trouble transitioning back to boring old home life.

Well, thank goodness there's school to fill that void, right?

... and here they are headed out the door for their first day back to school. Today. Gone. The house is so unbelievably quiet I can barely stand it. I may have to turn on some music to fill the void. Or write.

Maybe I'll write.

What are you doing, now that summer vacation has come to an end?

Buy My Book.... Please?

Way back in the Spring, I received an invitation to take part in a series of book sales/signings this summer. I looked at the calendar and was only able to sign up for one of the dates.

Which is tomorrow.

Sunday, August 14th from 9 a.m. to noon.

So tomorrow morning, I'm headed to Brooks Park in Harwich, box of books in hand, to sign and sell books at a table with other authors as part of a local fair.

If you're on the Cape this weekend, please stop by Sunday morning to say hello, and make me feel loved. I won't make you buy anything, really. (but I won't stop you if you really really want a copy to take to the beach with you!)

I'm actually quite nervous, and almost feel like bagging out of the event - but I signed up and I'm going to show up. So there.

What are you doing this weekend?

Puppy Wears the Cone of Shame

Poor Puppy is indeed wearing the Cone Of Shame this weekend.

Late in the week, she found something delectable to roll in, and in the process she scratched her head. I washed her. She rolled again, and scratched her head more. I washed her again. As the scratch began to heal it became itchy, as scabs tend to do. She came in from her morning romp yesterday with her head covered in fresh blood.

I tried to explain, but she wouldn't listen to me.

Thus... the Cone of Shame.

Unfortunately, she's completely paranoid about the Cone, unable to function normally. She's afraid to get stuck, afraid to knock things over, afraid to lie down... who knew such a big dog could be such a big baby?!

Panting, drooling, almost hyperventilating... I just took it off for a little while and she fell right asleep. I'm thinking she was up all night worrying about it...

*Hopefully* the wound heals quickly and the Cone can go back into the closet. And Puppy can get back to being her normal, romping self. And *hopefully* she'll associate rolling in excrement with Getting the Cone... and won't do it again.