The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Mother

  I have two wonderful, crazy, and messy dogs. They bring joy, cuddles, laughs, and, well, you guessed it, messes. I have shredded rugs, window sills gnawed on, shoes with teeth marks, bare patches of dirt in the backyard, and muddy paw prints everywhere.  Let's remember the people I live with, my teens and, the messiest in our family, my hubby. Not dirty messy, more like clutterbug. And I'm sure he's clutter-blind. Oh, he does his best with reminders, like when I remind him, "Don't forget, I like to eat at the kitchen table." Unfortunately, our breakfast room is on the way to the back door and patio, with a detached garage. John uses the table as a stopping point before putting things out in his garage. Yes, his garage. I stay out of there at all costs!  What's my point? I feel a weird guilt almost daily over the normal messes of life in my house. I make my bed every morning around tiny messes in the corners of the room, where bags of donations have been ...

  Today my students were writing letters to their future selves that they will open on February 29, 2028. They will be a freshman in high school. They were enjoying thinking of all the possibilities four years could provide them. As young people, a lot can change in that time. But what about at our adult age? How much can really change for me in four years? In 2028, the next Leap Year, I will potentially have an empty nest. My Boyen Bunch will be grown: Bailey will be 28, Savannah will be 25, Jonas will be 22 and my baby, Lorelei will be 20. I could be a mother-in-law, or even a grandma by then! I may have another two or even three more college graduates. Perhaps, that novel of mine will actually be written and published. Who knows...a lot can happen in just four years! Although I didn't quite follow through on last month's goal of getting started on my novel, I did do some major writing. I wrote three grants! One for myself, one with my ELA bestie for a Literacy Lounge, and on...

  And I am the author and main character.  It's a new year and my word of the year is novel . There are some obvious reasons an ELA teacher would select that word for my word of the year. I will be reading books, but that's not my new goal. What I need to do is write books. Having my word of the year be novel , I want to motivate myself to do more than just write in my journal and blog. Writing has a vulnerability that goes with it. As an author, you are sharing thoughts, dreams, worries, and wishes. I don't always feel confident enough that what I have to say is worth writing, and moreover, worth anyone reading. Not long ago, Savannah and Jandro spent a few hours reading aloud my journals from college. Savannah loved every bit of what she read. But was it because of my writing style and storytelling, or because she knew and already loved the main characters. I can't tell you how many times I've finished a book and said, "I could have written that!" I'...