Live where we are-right now!

 

By: Kristi Hartman

I struggled coming up with a topic today for MMW, and my mind keeps going back to the same thing:  living in the moment.  This has been a topic of discussion for my husband and I many times throughout our marriage, during many different seasons of our lives.  A lot of it has had to do with our homes, and learning to 'bloom where we are planted.' 
First there was the tiny, sliver of an apartment we rented after we got married, and after a few months to a year, we spent too many hours wishing it away for something bigger, newer and nicer.  Then came the next few years of life when kids started joining our family, and the apartment seemed to grow smaller and smaller each day.  (Funny how these small little humans in our homes take up so much space, isn't it?)
Anyway, after a few more moves into one town-home after another, we finally settled down into a bigger, newer, nicer, town-home that we bought on our own.  The first few years were filled with contentment, happy with the way we decorated, designed, and made our home together.  Soon, another kid came, and after a few years later, another.  After 2 years of failed attempts to sell the town-home due to the bad housing market, we felt stuck.  Stuck in our town-home, and feeling like we were going to be stuck there forever.  I spent so many hours looking at houses online, trying to make something work of our situation, and wishing and dreaming for something else.  We wanted a single family home so badly, yet felt like it was never going to happen for us.  I would look longingly at the pretty suburban neighborhoods as we would go for Sunday drives, wishing that we were driving home to one of those, instead of into our town-home neighborhood.  I wanted a garage for our cars, a backyard for our kids, and a place to finally settle down and live.
One night as I had had a particularly sad day of feeling sorry for myself and our situation, I was sitting at the kitchen table with my cute family eating dinner together.  I was struck with a thought that entered my mind peacefully, but as a strong reminder.  The thought I heard was, "Would your life really be any different if you were in a home?"
As I considered this question, I knew my answer was a resounding 'No.'  
My life wasn't going to finally start once we had a single family home.  It was, in fact, quite the opposite.  It was passing me by.  I had already spent too many hours and days wishing for something different in my life, when I should have just been enjoying where I was right then.  
After this realization came, I tried to re-focus my priorities.  I don't need certain things to make me feel happy or settled, or to give me permission to feel like I can 'finally' settle down and live.  
I'm sure you've all heard the infamous quote by John Lennon: 

Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans.

So true, but so hard to live by sometimes.  

And, if you're curious, we did finally sell our townhome last summer, and moved to CO, and are now living in a single family home.  It's definitely been great having a little more space and a yard for the kids, but the feeling I felt back at my dinner table still rings true.  Life doesn't really feel that much different. I am still the same Mom, my kids are the same kids, and we are still a happy family, no matter where we call home.

The Answer in a Dream

by Kasey Tross

image from lds.org

Can I just say that I love, love, LOVE how God answers prayers sometimes?

See, lately I’ve been praying quite a bit about finding the time for scripture study. I know, I know- it’s not about finding the time, it’s about making the time. Yes, but the problem is that when you can hardly hear yourself think during most of the day because you have a toddler/preschooler/8-year-old/9-year-old needing your attention RIGHTNOW, you can desire to make the time all you want- doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.

I was already going to bed an hour earlier and waking up a half an hour earlier (trying to get more sleep too) so that I could have a few minutes of quiet time to say my prayers in the mornings. (The “quiet” time still only happens when I turn off the baby monitor as soon as I get up because when I started to wake up 30 minutes earlier the toddler suddenly decided she should wake up 10 minutes earlier than that and I just can’t realistically get to bed any earlier). For me, I want my scripture study to have my whole attention. It’s not like facebook and blogging and other stuff I can do in snippets of time here and there while also cooking, helping with homework and kissing owies, and it’s not something I can do when I’m tired at night.

I just couldn’t figure out WHEN.

So, in my prayers I asked Heavenly Father to help me out. I told Him that somehow, some way, in this crazy life of mine I needed Him to help me find the time, because I WANTED to do it. I really, really did, and I felt like I was missing something big in my life without it.

So on Wednesday night I had a dream. In my dream I was in college and I suddenly realized I hadn’t been attending a class I was enrolled in. It was 3/4 of the way through the semester, but I knew I still had to try anyway. What time was the class? On Thursdays at 1:30pm.

(There were a lot more really amazing parts to the dream, but I won’t go into that here. But it was really cool how specific and detailed the messages were for me.)

After I woke up (on a Thursday morning) and I realized that the dream felt like much more than a dream, through some analysis I began to deduce that it had to do with my scripture study conundrum. And then I thought, “1:30...1:30...huh. That’s when I put my toddler down for her nap.” And then...”Wait a minute. When I put her down for her nap, I can go straight into my bedroom afterward (since I’m already upstairs) and take a few minutes to read my scriptures. My preschooler is usually already settled in the playroom downstairs doing something for her quiet time, so it’s perfect. 1:30!!” I had the place, I had the time, I had the peace and quiet I needed.

I started my scripture study that day, and I’ve done it everyday since, because if we are home at nap time (and we are about 99% of the time) then I put her down for her nap and it’s as simple as that. God gave me the perfect solution, one that had never crossed my mind. And he didn’t say 1:00 or 2:00- either one of those might have confused me. No, he gave me the exact time that I start thinking about putting her down for her nap each day. Now my scripture study is no longer something that I struggle to fit in- it is anchored to another routine part of my life and it has become a welcome break from my hectic daily grind. In short, it is exactly what I need, when I need it.

I share this with you because this experience reminded me that where there is a will and there is GOD, there is always a way. President Ezra Taft Benson said,

“Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He can deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their soals, and pour out peace.”

When we come to the Lord with our sincere righteous desires, and when we do our best to do what He has asked of us, then He will make up the difference. When we partner with Him, His strengths become our strengths. All we have to bring is our willing hearts, and He will take care of the rest. He will not only answer your prayers, but He will do it in a way that you will understand because He wants you to succeed. All you have to do is act, “with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ.” (Moroni 10:4) He did it for me, and He can (and will) do it for you.

What will you accomplish today with the Lord on your side?

The Best Things in Life are Free . . .

picture from www.writingforpeace.org

 

Wouldn’t it be great to do what we love for free? So many writers still have full time jobs, some outside of the home, while others are full time moms. We have to pay to take classes, pay to go to conferences, and pay for writing retreats.

Last Saturday I was making my social media rounds and came across two stories. The first is that Amtrack is starting a “Writers’ Residencies”. They will offer free rides on their trains to writers as long as they are writing while riding. What a brilliant idea. The article I found is HERE. They also said they will announce more information this coming week. I see writing retreats, and conferences and writing groups on board. I can’t wait to hear more.

The second story was called Write a House. They are taking vacant homes, fixing them up and donating them to struggling writers, to try to rebuild Detroit to make it a better place to live. If they stay for 24 months, they will be given the deed. You can read the story HERE. I think it is so amazing. We need more programs like this for people in the arts. There are so many struggling artists that don’t have the time or energy to put as much attention on their craft. I think we have all had late nights writing, wishing we had just a little more time or money to concentrate on our work.

Do you know of any other writing programs out there? What about free writing conferences? What are they? Let’s try to find more tools and opportunities to improve our writing.

I also just want to recognize that today March 2nd is Dr. Seuss' birthday. In my home we love books and love to celebrate an amazing, creative author. The kids each get a new book today, bookmark and we will be watching The Lorax. For dinner we are having Green deviled eggs and Ham and funeral potatoes. I am thankful for Dr. Seuss for bringing imagination to the world. You can read my article about Dr. Seuss and Genealogy on www.familystorytelling.com

What a World...What a World!

By Nikki Wilson

Yes, those are the famous words of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. Since she said them when she was melting away, they seem to have a negative connotation. But today, I mean them with a sense of wonder and awe. Because this is an amazing world we live in. And a really amazing community we belong to.

This past month has been busy for me, but I'm going to try to only focus on the writing part of my life for this post. This month was the ANWA Writer's Conference. It's been my favorite writer's conference for awhile now. But this year, it really out did itself. Leading up to the conference, I had a lot of things to do. I was pitching my romance book to a senior editor from Harlequin for their Heartwarming series. (A new line of clean romance books, because there's a market for that! Haha!)
I didn't want to pitch my book if  at least the first draft wasn't done. So I stayed up till 4:30 am one night finishing it. (I still had to wake up for work at 6:30am that morning!) But it was worth it to know I'd finally finished the story. Then I had to come up with a pitch. Plus I was trying to get the MMW book finished and ready to sell at the conference. I was also in charge of the Professional Development hours for teachers at the conference. So I had to get certificates made up for that.

The conference finally came and all the prep was worth it. I had so much fun and met the editor of Harlequin Heartwarming series and she requested my full manuscript! I got to see so many of my friends and meet lots of new ones. I even got to meet Jeanna Stay! The classes were awesome and the protagonist gala?? Oh my word! It was amazing. What other writer's conference would hire Tahitian Dancers for entertainment? It was off the hook! (I know no one says that anymore, but it always embarrasses my kids when I say stuff like that. It makes it worth it! LOL)

On Saturday, my 14 year old daughter and her friend came to the conference for the day. They are both new writers and it was awesome to watch them experience it for the first time. They introduced themselves to agents, editors, and authors. There was nothing shy about them. It was so fun to watch.

One of the best things about conference this year was that my friend Jenni James was there. She is a force of nature. Anyone who's ever met her will agree with me. Life is never dull with Jenni James. Only with Jenni could I spend the whole conference with the Editor from Harlequin who also happens to be Jenni's friend. Only with Jenni would we find a world champion ballroom dancer in the hotel lobby. Only with Jenni would said ballroom dancer (who also happened to be a cowboy) waltz with Jenni and the editor from Harlequin. Haha! Yes, life is good.

But even with all this awesome, amazing stuff going on, I found myself obsessing over the fact that the MMW book has a major mistake in it!  The Table of Contents is all wrong! None of the page numbers line up with the right stories. I was mortified! I can't believe I let something that big get past me. But even as I write this I realize that I shouldn't have let that one negative overshadow all the wonderful things that happened last weekend. And I tried not to, but sometimes the thought of those books being wrong would creep in. Why do we let one negative thing get in our way of all the positive things sometimes? Well, I'm not going to let it bring me down anymore. I apologize to all of you who may have bought it, and I will work on fixing the problem this weekend, but I'm not going to dwell on the negativeness of it anymore. In fact, any of you that bought the first copies will have the limit edition of Choose to Write! How awesome is that? LOL!

Ok, now that I've rambled on and on, the point I'm trying to make here is...what a world we live in. There are opportunities at every corner and disappointments too. But how exciting it is to experience both and to grow and learn. I thank God everyday for this world and my chance to experience it, and for all of you in the MMW community.

Finding Time to Write

Today we are excited to present a guest post by author Jolene Perry!

FINDING TIME TO WRITE

I think I can safely say that we all struggle to find time to balance and juggle all the things we want to do in our lives...

I have two elementary age kids, a husband with a demanding job, a busy calling at church and books to write, release, and edit..

It's HARD.

I find myself sitting down to write and feeling like - I might get interrupted... I don't have much time... I think this next part of my book is going to be tricky... I shouldn't jump in because it'll take too long... 

And then I end up on Facebook for a few minutes, reading blog posts for a few minutes, answering emails for a few minutes, and... no writing gets done. What's sad is that these are all things I can do in two minute intervals, which are a lot easier to find than real writing time.

What I've started to do is to set a timer.

Here's how it helps me:

I don't watch the clock. That problem has been taken care of for me. I know that I can totally immerse myself and that timer will tell me when I can/should/need to stand up and do something else.

I don't jump out of my MS to check emails/Facebook/twitter during the timer countdown. I don't answer my phone unless it's something I NEED to answer, and I never have my internet alerts on, so that's not a bother. If you like alerts, I'd turn them off for this ;-)

Normally I set my timer for 30 minutes. When my kids are home, I get them started on a show, or a game, or a snack and then I set my phone up where they can see it and set the timer. NO ONE IS ALLOWED to bother mom unless the timer is done, or they're bleeding ;-) Of course this only works b/c my kids are elementary age.

I tune out of everything but my book. My writing. I don't stop to research, just stop to make notes about things I might want to check later. The purpose is to GET WORDS DOWN.

When my kiddos aren't home, I generally find myself writing for ten extra minutes or so after my timer goes off. Then I get up. Step away. I think about what I want to write next, and then I do dishes or laundry or sweep or pay bills or make a few phone calls for church stuff... Anything to get me AWAY from my computer. Or anything I can do where I can still keep my mind on my characters without being at my computer.

Honestly, it's rare that I can do much more than 3-4 timed writing bits in a day because my brain turns to mush - especially when I'm totally immersed.

Of COURSE this would be different if I had an infant and a two year old. At the same time - it's amazing how much I can get done in 30 minutes when I use the whole 30, and even 30 minutes once a day when/if you have someone to help with little ones, is enough to write a novel. 10 minutes a day is enough - as long as you keep doing it.

Anything work for you to help get words down amidst the chaos of life??

I'm always looking for new ideas ;-)

~ Jolene

Jolene is the author of the newly released THE SUMMER I FOUND YOU (and isn't the cover GORGEOUS?).

All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction.

Kate had the perfect boyfriend - until he dumped her. It couldn't have come at a worse time: ever since she found out she has diabetes, she's been trying to cope. She just wants to feel normal again.

Aidan planned on being a lifer in the Army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's the guy with one arm and nothing is the same as it was before. He wishes he could forget.

When Kate and Aidan meet, things couldn't be more awkward. Neither wants to get attached, and they both could use some fun. But what if they need each other more than they realize?

www.jolenebperry.com

AMAZON

http://www.amazon.com/The-Summer-I-Found-You/dp/0807583693/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1392835288&sr=1-1

BARNES

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-summer-i-found-you-jolene-b-perry/1116819617?ean=9780807583692

-- 

YA author of Out of Play 

The Summer I Found You (March 1, 2014) 

Stronger Than You Know (September 1, 2014)

Love Blind (2015)

I Blog

I Tweet

I Facebook

I have an author Site

I Tumblr like a gymnast

Editing - harder than it looks

by Anna Jones Buttimore

I've recently started a little sideline as an editor. I needed a bit of extra cash (a tiny bit - I'm the cheapest editor ever) and figured that since I've worked with several professional in-house editors as my own books were prepared for publication, I'd have the right qualifications and know what I was doing.

How hard could it be?

VERY. That's how. Here are some of the things I have discovered which make editing someone else's work much harder than it looks.

• It's hard not to worry about upsetting the author. I try to tell them that lots of corrections are the sign of a good editor, not a bad writer, but I'm still ripping to shreds their treasured work and highlighting every single thing that's wrong with it.
• I don't always understand what the author is trying to say. Sometimes they will pick a word which they've misunderstood, or which doesn't convey what it should, and my job is to suggest the correct word. Often, though, I have no idea what that word should be.
• I need to know everything. I spend a lot of time on Dictionary.com and other reference sites checking and rechecking. Is it "piqued her interest" or "peaked her interest"? "Spitting image" or "splitting image"?
• Some books really aren't ready for publication, and there's nothing I can do, short of rewriting it, to help. It's tough, but in these cases I send the work back to the author with a gentle reminder that it needs to be the very best they can do, completely polished and checked, before it goes for editing. Writing is a skill, like any other, and we all need to learn it. Some people who send their work to me haven't yet reached the level where they should be putting out their work, and they may have unrealistic expectations of what an editor can do. (Naturally in these cases I don't charge.)
• Conversely, I'm currently editing a book which is so good that it looks as though I haven't done anything. With barely a correction per page, I'm sure the author will think I didn't put in much effort.
• If the writer hasn't quite got to grips with one little element of punctuation, like semi-colons (which can be fiendishly tricky little things) or using italics for reported thought, or commas around speech, then much of my editing time is going to be taken up correcting every single misuse of the same problem. It gets boring really fast.

So editing is proving to be harder than I expected, but I can't complain. Despite all these issues, I love editing. I get to read an advance copy of a book, and be part of the process of making it better. I get to work with some really interesting writers, and do what I love most - read books. I might even get a little mention in the acknowledgements, which is almost as exciting as having my name on the cover. Oh, and I even get paid!

You See What You Wanna See

The internet has been at each other's throats lately, particularly regarding two very popular works of art-as-pop-culture. The arguments have been passionate on all sides but have boiled down to this:

SIDE A: Really enjoyed this work, has listened to the criticisms of it, thinks they have some validity, but do not detract from the value of the work overall. It was fun to read/watch. They will own (or do own) a copy of it that they will return to often.

SIDE B: Sees nothing but the "negative" message in this work and will not stop telling everyone they see about it. Blog post reviewing the book/movie/show? MUST COMMENT. Tweet about how much it was enjoyed? MUST RESPOND PUBLICLY. Saw something on facebook that referenced the book/movie/show? MUST COMMENT AND RESPOND TO ALL OTHER COMMENTS WITH ANGER.

Now, with both of these things (one was a movie and another was a book series), I have to say that I genuinely see what critics are saying. Their views have merit, and they aren't wrong.

But they are 1. Blowing it out of proportion 2. Focusing on the minutiae instead of the overall message/tone/context.

That's part of what's wonderful about art, isn't it?

We all can read the same book, and we will all come away with different messages. We can watch the same movies and shows and take a different piece of it into ourselves. Great art - whether it's written or performed or captured in a frame - works on an infinite number of levels and speaks to an infinite number of situations.

TRUE STORY TIME:

In high school, I was obsessed with the musical Les Miserables. (I didn't read the novel until college) I remember talking with a friend of mine about it, and he said that he liked how this play reminded him that we needed to take care of the poor and the needy.

AND HE WAS SO WRONG I ALMOST STOP BEING FRIENDS WITH HIM.

Joking.

Sort of.

(Because, you see, I was fifteen and that's the sort of reaction you have to things when you are fifteen.)

But while he was totally and completely wrong (because Les Miserables is a parable of justice and mercy in action - duh!), he was also totally and completely right. 

There is no wrong way to interpret a work of art.

You have no right to tell other people how to interpret a work of art.

You have no right to tell other people that their personal interpretation of a work of art is wrong.

None.

Because that's the whole point of this writing gig - to put a story down on paper. To bleed and die a little on every page, and to hope that someone, somewhere sees something they identify with, too. In order for that to happen, though, there needs to be an infinite number of interpretations and applications.

I, for one, am grateful that we have the chance to even have this discussion. That an endless world of books sits before us, ready to be read and experienced and discussed.

A funny thing happened....

By Lacey Gunter

Earlier during the day I was on the phone with my hubby explaining the sizable skid mark in our lawn next to the driveway. He was a little worried and wanted to know what had happened. It was sort of a random story, nothing dramatically exciting. But at the end of the story my husband remarked in amazement "Seriously, Lacey, you have the oddest things happen to you." Then he proceeded to list several other incidents he found unusual, as evidence, and ended with a "Weird!"

I ruminated on the conversation for quite some time.  He is not the first person to voice such opinions.  And, in truth, the incidents he mentioned were very strange. One or two I would even have trouble believing had I not experienced them myself. But, don't strange things happen to everyone?

I unreservedly accept that I am a bit of an odd duck. However, I came to the conclusion that what he and others were really expressing is that I love a good story, especially the kind that actually happened.

 I love to hear other people's narratives and I enjoy telling people my own narratives. One of my favorite types of narratives to tell are the ones that are funny, strange or unusual.  I love to set the scene and sprinkle in all the quirky details. And that moment when they start to giggle or their jaw drops open in surprise is great. I guess I share them to help me process the experience and to try and decipher any hidden meanings or lessons learned.  I also share them to try and connect with people and make them laugh or get them thinking.

What about you?  Do you love to tell a good story?  Not just the made up kind, but your own intriguing or romantic narratives? What stories do you love to tell?

The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Defeat

by Mare Ball from ADVENTURES IN THE BALLPARK 

Women's Olympic ice skating finals were televised last night.  I have to say, I'm a lazy viewer when it comes to the winter Olympics.  The only thing I'm interested in is the ice skating.  I don't dismiss the work and talent of the speed skater and skiers, I just love the ice skating.  

I love the American ladies, of course, but I was rooting for the Italian, Carolina Kostner.  She was so lovely in the short program, and her outfit was swooshy and elegant.  I know they don't score costumes, but that's a factor in my mind.  I'm a romantic when it comes athletes swirling across the ice - the women should be sparkly and flowy and dewy. 

Carolina Kostner (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=carolina+kostner.com)

Anyhoo... Kostner took the bronze, which is great.  ANY medal in the Olympics should be celebrated.  The athletes probably don't share that exact sentiment, but I'm proud of bronze, silver, and gold winners alike.  To even GET to the Olympics - that feat is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  Gracie Gold, our best American hopeful, came in fourth.  I'm proud of her too.  They're all wonderful athletes.  It takes everything out of me just to get to the gym three times a week. 

I did catch the last ten minutes of the women's hockey final - U.S. vs. Canada.  The game went into overtime, and the Canadians won.  I don't begrudge them the gold, they played hard, but the faces of the U.S. players were heart-breaking.  The medal ceremony was long - they read the names of every player from all three medaling teams - and the cameras stayed with the U.S. team for much of the time.

These girls were crestfallen.  Their eyes were so sad, some were teary, although no one sobbed openly.  Every one of them was grieving.  I have never seen such bereft faces outside a funeral.  Once commenter remarked that hockey is the only winter event in which you have to lose to get the silver. 

Members of the US team after their loss
http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/tragic-faces-of-silver-women-s-u-s-hockey-1392931581

The Olympic games really do highlight the ups and downs of chasing a dream.  Gold medal winners are ecstatic; non-golders are crushed, at least temporarily. 

It's kind of like writing.  I've felt ecstatic and crushed more than once - often about the same piece of work.  I give my everything, sometimes for years, to something, and then...nobody wants it.  Back to the drawing board.  Or the computer.  Or the ice rink.  I think winning and losing must feel the same to every heart.

I felt a bit like a winner this week when Choose to Write was released and available for purchase.  When my copy arrived, and I saw my name in print, the very first story in the book...I was very humbled and grateful.  It so warms the heart to be recognized.  Thank you, MMW gals for giving me that opportunity.

I'm back to work this week on my book and my book proposal.  I hope there's another win around the corner, but I know I still have a lot of work to do.  It might be another four years before I see success (not unlike some of the 2014 Olympians.) 

The Olympic games are truly an inspiration for anyone who's working hard to fulfill a dream.  Be it on the world stage, or here in my little central Florida loft.  For every athlete who made it to Sochi, thank you.

Indecision

- a post by Jeanna Mason Stay*

Recently I was listing out all the writing tasks I needed to be working on right then. There were nine.

Nine tasks. Some were difficult and long, some were urgent and small, and some I just didn’t want to do at all. Now, you are probably fantastic at juggling your many tasks and deciding which to do first, which to put off, how much time to spend, etc. But not me. I sat and stared at the list and fluttered my hands and started freaking out. Egad! I was never going to get any of them done.

But after about ten minutes of freaking out, I finally chose one and started working on it. In the most inefficient manner possible. This was a task that should have taken three minutes to plan and fifteen minutes to complete. Twenty minutes later, I was still “planning.” Fortunately, my hubby got home just then. Saved! He would rescue me and help me focus. He’s very good at that. I organize the paperwork in our marriage, and he organizes the mental energies.

“Help me!” I pleaded. “I’m being a total spaz.” I explained my problem and told him my list of tasks. Three minutes later I had a prioritized list of what to do and where to start. Oh, also, something he said made me think of the perfect plan for the task I’d been “working” on. Magic. He’s like my muse.

Sadly, I don’t always have him around—since, you know, I like having a roof over my head and money to buy food. So I’ve grown to realize that I really need to get a grip on how I deal with tasks when I have too many of them (or tasks that I’m avoiding because they’re hard).

How do you do it? I asked him. Apparently he has two guiding principles:

1. Do the most important things first.

2. Start now.

And you really only have about three minutes to decide which are the “most important things.” Because after that, step 2 starts to apply. Even if you prioritized wrong, it’s better to do that and then start on things rather than spend all your time prioritizing.

I like the simplicity of this approach. It appeals to the logical, ordered part of me (I really do have one). I think I would add a step 3 too, though: Stop when it’s good enough, then move on. Because I sometimes spend waaaay too long trying to figure out “perfect” when “good enough” is actually a better choice at the time. Sure, a manuscript you’re sending off should be the very best it can be, but maybe the email you’re sending to your child’s teacher doesn’t need that fourth draft. Just a thought.

So those are the steps my husband and I suggest for overcoming hand-flapping, hyperventilating, and overall crazy-making indecision. What works for you?

* Today’s post is brought to you by last week’s snow day. Win!