Taking Time for Mom Thursdays

Here's the next new feature I'm starting for 2012. For busy moms, it seems like there are never enough hours in the day. If you're not at the office, taking care of the family, volunteering, or running errands, you're asleep. If you're lucky, you get five hours of rest before dragging yourself from your bed and starting the mad rush all over again. When is there time for you?

I got sick right before Thanksgiving and I couldn't shake it. I'm not talking an annoying sniffle. I spent almost two weeks in bed, and until two days before Christmas I didn't feel like my normal self. Not only had I allowed myself to get run down, I created a schedule that didn't allow for any "me" time.

I've decided that can't happen again. After numerous doctor visits, two rounds of antibiotics, steroids, and forced bed rest, I know I need to make a change. That's why I'm starting this column. Yes, I hope other busy moms can use these posts to inspire them to create their own "me" time, but I also need this to serve as a reminder to myself that I need to slow down and take a break at least once a week.

No matter how crazy my day has been, I start my getting ready for bed routine by turning on the hot water and filling the tub. Since I have sensitive skin it's usually just me and the water, but every once in a while I'll added sea salts or bubble bath. Scents like lavender and chamomile are very relaxing. When the Lil Diva was a baby, I would use Johnson's Baby Bedtime Bath, Lavender & Chamomile to soothe her. She always had a hard time settling down for bed, but this bath wash along with lotioning her up afterwards made a huge difference.

I usually read in the tub. Most times I find myself falling asleep mid-chapter. That's okay, a paperback can recover even if it looks a bit worse for wear after. I don't think it would be good to drop my Kindle in. I also find bath time to be the perfect time to give myself a manicure or pedicure since my cuticles are soft.

Do you taking relaxing baths before bed or is it a shower in the morning? Do you use bubble bath, scented oils or sea salts? What is your favorite scent?

WSJ Wednesdays - Ebook Readers

Today I am launching another new feature titled, WSJ Wednesdays. My husband calls The Wall Street Journal a grown-up's paper. Our local paper didn't provide the type of news he was looking for, so he turned in some of our credit card rewards for a free 39-week subscription. I didn't think I would read it much, but it often publishes articles on the book publishing industry--and of course it has that huge review section once a week.

I've been pulling out articles that caught my eye. I'll talk about these articles and hopefully you'll chime in with your thoughts too.

In the December 15th edition (Vol. CCLVIII No. 141) the front page had an article by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg titled, "E-Book Readers Face Sticker Shock." Trachtenberg's article discusses the soaring prices of e-books. He states in some cases, the price of top selling e-books is within a few dollars of or could even be more than the printed versions. The reason according to this article is a decision by the six biggest publishers to set their own "consumer e-book prices," which doesn't allow retailers to discount these books without their permission. Trachtenberg states that some industry executives believe this may be hurting e-book sales, and goes on to say that Lorraine Shanley, a publishing industry consultant says the higher price might encourage consumers to try self-published works.

I found Trachtenberg's article fascinating. As a writer, I have to admit I've considered self-publishing. While stories of writers making a big splash with self-published works that draw the attention of literary agents are few and far between, the appeal in getting a book to market faster and having greater control is encouraging. The higher royalty rates aren't too shabby either. That said, I've hesitated to move in that direction. There is great value in having an agent to represent your interests in a competitive market. I just received my second rejection from a literary agent in the past three months. It's an uphill battle, but I plan to continue.

As a reader, I tend to look at e-book version prices very closely. If I can get a printed copy of a book from a favorite author for a few dollars more, I'll opt for that instead of a Kindle version. The majority of books on my Kindle cost me under $5.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue. If an e-book is priced close to a printed version do you buy the printed one instead? How has the lower price point of self-published books impacted your buying decisions? Are you willing to give an unknown author a chance if his book is priced $2.99 or under? How about free e-books? Do you pick up a lot of those?

Thanks for sharing your opinions.


Note: You can find a video on the WSJ site where Trachtenberg discusses this issue by clicking here.

Product Review: NatureSmart Gummies

Have you ever fought with your kids over taking their vitamins? I've tried silly shapes, store brands, name brands, pretty much you name it, I tried it. When I found a free sample offer of NatureSmart Disney Gummies I knew I had to request one.

These delicious Princess shaped gummie vitamins will have your kids remembering to take their daily dose each day without the need to constantly nag them. With the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended daily dosage of Vitamin D, and other important vitamins like A, C, and B-12, Folic Acid and more, these vitamin and mineral supplements will help your kids get what they need to grow up healthy and strong.

Our local WalMart carries a 60 count bottle for under $5. They also have other Disney brands for boys. I've seen Cars and Nemo in the past. I've been using NatureSmart Gummies for a couple of months now. While our family still works on eating right and exercising, it's good to know that these supplements give the kids an extra boost when they need it.

I received no monetary compensation for this review.

Tunes Tuesday

Today I am starting a new feature called Tunes Tuesday. I'll be talking about some of my favorite tunes from growing up and current music hits. I hope you'll enjoy it and will provide me some feedback. If I can find videos to go with the music I'll add them.

Since I'm still in the Christmas mood, I thought I would start off with Trans-Siberian Orchestra. We see them in concert each year and they put on a wonderful show filled with music and light. If you ever have a chance to see them in concert, I highly recommend you do. The tickets are a bit pricey, but they are worth it. The first half of their Christmas concert is a story that speaks of an angel sent down to earth by God to find out the worth of everything His children had done since Christ was born. It's a moving story that travels the world finding love, peace, and kindness.

The footage from this concert, might be the one we attended, but it's not our video.



Have you ever seen TSO in concert? What do you think of this new feature?

Cafe of Dreams 365 Days of Great Authors and Giveaways!

My friend April over at Cafe of Dreams Book Reviews is running a full year of interviews and giveaways with great authors. You don't want to miss out on all the wonderful books up for grabs. Be sure to check out her blog and her constantly updated list of new guests. You'll find it at http://www.cafeofdreamsbookreviews.com/p/365-days-of-great-authors-and-giveaways.html A link to her blog is always in my sidebar too.

Good luck to all who enter these giveaways!

You've Got Mail Mondays!

This is a take on Mailbox Mondays, which was started by some smart and innovative blogger many moons ago--and I don't know who that was. My hope is that we'll be seeing a lot more products coming through than books (though I love books too). I'm also not going to just talk about books or products that come in the mail. I might mention catalogs or newspapers that might have articles of interest. I hope you'll give me feedback on this new feature, as I truly want this to be a place you enjoy visiting.

On the books front, I received:

• Promise of the Night by Michaela MacColl. This is a middle grade historical--a market I am writing for now--but I won't be reviewing this book. It is for a giveaway I am running at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection on January 26th.
• Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble. I ordered this one to review through the Amazon Vine program. I read Coble's The Lightkeeper's Daughter and have been hoping to read more from her. Though I'm not usually one for kidnapped baby stories, this one sounds fabulous, so I thought I would give it a whirl.
• Popular Clone by M.E. Castle. My oldest daughter (the Lil Diva) loves science. I tried to get this book through the Amazon Vine program, but they were out of stock. This copy was sent by Egmont USA unsolicited. I was thrilled, and the Lil Diva said it sounded like her kind of book.
• I also requested The Innkeeper by John Piper from the Amazon Vine program. Keeping in the Christmas spirit, this story celebrates Christ's birth and the power of His resurrection. Two weeks before His Crucifixion, Jesus visits the innkeeper who made a place for Mary and Joseph on the night of His miraculous birth. I can't wait to read this one!

Also in the mail this week came a late Christmas/birthday present for my daughter-in-law. Her birthday is the 28th, so we usually wrap up everything on Christmas day. With being sick I was running behind, and there was a short delay in getting this to us.

This is the Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip-On Light for her Kindle. Our son bought her a Kindle Touch for Christmas, so we thought she would enjoy this. I'll have to see how she likes it and report back on it. Personally, I'm thrilled reading at night is no longer an issue for me thanks to the Kindle Fire Santa brought.

The AAA Times arrived so that we can get started planning our 2012 vacation. This is the newspaper put out by AAA for its members. Not only does it talk about their vacation packages--which we took advantage of last summer for our Disney trip--but it also updates members on other AAA news and offers informative articles.

In this issue, it discusses how RMV services will now be available at their West Springfield branch. Thank God, because budget cuts have forced some of our full and express service RMV branches to close. I don't visit the RMV often, but when I do I don't want to wait in line forever. They now offer AAA driver education at Chicopee Comprehensive High School. There's a fabulous article titled, "5 Ways to Maintain Your Health and Save," an article on Philadelphia, a front page article titled, "Celebrate the Wonders of Winter," that highlights different winter festivals, and an article about the dangers of driving while drowsy.

On Thursdays, the mailman delivers our weekly copy of The Wilbraham-Hampden Times. This is our local paper published by Turley Publications.  The front page, as usual for the end of the year, published photos from the top stories. What tops the list this year? The June 1st tornado--the likes of which hasn't been seen in our area for around 50 years. Though it might seem hard to believe, some families are still picking up the pieces from that mess. Why is that you may ask? Well, it could be thanks to the next two top stories: the October storm that traveled up the Northeast coast, blanketing our area with over a foot of snow and leaving many without power for a week or more, and the July microburst from July 27th, that damaged some of the same areas hardest hit by the June tornado.

What was nice to see is that two of our neighbors made the news as well: one as a hometown hero and the other for leading our high school's football team to the playoffs.

Finally, this week brought my Spring/Summer 2012 children's, adults, and gifts catalogs from Chronicle Books. They are one of my favorite children's publishers. They were the first publisher I began working with when I started The Children's and Teens' Book Connection.

Hope you enjoyed my first of hopefully many You've Got Mail Mondays. Feel free to share something you received in your mailbox last week.


This is an unpaid, unsponsored post.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you a new year filled with health, happiness and prosperity. Thank you for your continued readership and support.

Cheryl