The old dead blog...

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I'm it!

Wow, I've been tagged! I don't normally do this kind of thing, but I'd do just about anything for Jolie, so here goes:

1. What are your nicknames?
One of my best friends called me Spoory Laur (since my maiden name was Laurie Spoor). I guess I’m not really a nickname kind of gal, though.

2. What was the first movie you bought in VHS or DVD?
Dirty Dancing. I still have it!

3. What is your favorite scent?
Pumpkin pie.

4. What one place have you visited that you can't forget and want to go back to?Whistler, B.C., my favorite (borrowed) "cabin" in the mountains. Thanks, dear friends, for all the wonderful mountain getaway trips!


5. Do you trust easily?
Yes, probably too easily.

6. Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think?
I think before I act, way too much. I just finished reading Chris Eboch’s Well of Sacrifice, and I think I need to take a lesson from Eveningstar: sometimes you need to act before you think, or the opportunity is lost.

7. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
Politics, negative ad campaigns, lies and manipulations of the truth, the deep divisions and disagreements in our society and around the world.

8. Do you have a good body image?
Good? No. Sufficient? Yes.

9. What is your favorite fruit?
Hmmm… tough call. Peaches or strawberries? (You decide; I hate making decisions.)

10. What websites do you visit daily?
My Google calendar, Google reader, Facebook (in that order).

11. What have you been seriously addicted to lately?
Coffee, the all-important productivity enhancer. Facebook, the fun but insidious productivity killer.

12. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Determined, modest, generous, glamorous, wonderful mother.

13. What's the last song that got stuck in your head?
The theme song from I Dream of Jeannie (no, I have no idea why it’s in there).

14. What's your favorite item of clothing?
Pajamas, the fuzzier the better.

15. Do you think Rice Krispies are yummy?
Yes, with or without butter and marshmallows. Snap, crackle, pop!

16. What would you do if you saw $100 lying on the ground?
Just lying there, with no one around and no idea who it belongs to? Well, in that case, I’d pick it up, silly!

17. What items could you not go without during the day?
Coffee. Hugs and “I love you”s from my family. (Okay, family comes first, but they don’t come anywhere near me until after I've had my coffee.)

18. What should you be doing right now?
Cleaning the car out for the drive down to the Second Annual Kidlit Blogging Conference!


Now, to tag eight more who haven't yet been tagged. I'm going to tag a few Facebook friends since they don't have active blogs that I know of, but hopefully they can post their answers on their wall or profile or something. :)

Bernie, Chris, Rob, Jim, Peggy, Kirby, Joni, and
Molly.

WooHoo!

I just got back from my first ever SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, and besides all of the:

• inspiration and information to be soaked up "like gravy on a biscuit,"
• wonderfully creative, talented, generous, and adorable people,
• frivolous fun with friends old and new. . .

the best part of the whole conference is that my teen nonfiction manuscript about how to save the world got nominated for the Sue Alexander award!

So, now I'm feeling this awesome pressure and responsibility to GET TO WORK! (Along with an irresistable urge to break into my happy dance.)

Busy, busy, busy...

I haven't posted any new articles for quite awhile now, so you're probably thinking I've been sitting at home all day eating bon-bons and watching Oprah. No way! I've actually been taking a conscious break from article writing to focus on a book... or two. What started out as an idea for one middle grade book has now become a picture book biography of Emmanuel Yeboah AND a teen how-to guide for Youth Venture! I'm not sure working on two so totally different books at the same time is a good idea, but they're slowly moving along.

I also joined the Advisory Committee of our regional SCBWI chapter last year, and was very busy helping to organize our 17th Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference. It was one of the most daunting, eye-opening and rewarding experiences of my life, and I truly can't wait to do it again!

And now, back to work…

Wheel-y cool!

What has more kid appeal than a gigantic truck that drives from town to town looking for tires to chomp? One that cleans up the environment at the same time! Here's one company's latest invention intended to help clean up waste tires in the U.S. and Canada.

Child specialists

No, not the specialists who know a lot about children. Rather, the children themselves who know a lot about their chosen specialty. Is it better for today's kids to be well-rounded generalists or hyper-focused elites? That is the question I examined over the summer. You can read all about it here.

The risks and rewards of ‘specializing’ early, LearningMap, October 2007

KONO Magazine -- Bones of Steel article

KONO is a brand-new martial arts magazine for kids ages 5-12. My article about nutrition tips for healthy bones, "Bones of Steel," appeared in their May 2007 premier issue!

WeeOnes -- Extreme Treasue Hunting

Extreme Treasure Hunting, which introduces kids to the fun of geocaching, was the first article I wrote for children. It was accepted way back in April 2006, but finally made its appearance in the May/June 2007 online issue of Wee Ones Children's Magazine for ages 4-10.

FACES Magazine -- Riders for Health article

FACES: People, Places, and Cultures is a Cobblestone Publication for kids ages 9-14. I profiled an organization called Riders for Health for their March 2007 global health issue. By using fairly simple machines, Riders for Health has solved a complex problem. They use motorcycles to deliver medical supplies and services to regions of Africa with little or no infrastructure. Simply elegant.

Put those kids to work

You certainly can't tell by looking, but our kids love to help clean the house. Unfortunately, this is one thing I'm sure they didn't learn by example. If I enjoyed it even half as much as they do, we could probably do something crazy like invite people over for dinner once in awhile. Maybe someday they'll be able to do it all by themselves, but until then, here are some helpful techniques.

Choosing age-appropriate chores, ParentMap, January 2007

KNOW Magazine -- Spot the spots

Scientists at ECOCEAN are using pattern-recognition software developed for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope program to recognize individual whale sharks, which are covered with small, white spots on a dark background similar to a starry night sky. I wrote a short news piece about it for the May/June 2007 issue of KNOW--The Science Magazine for Curious Kids.

Kids Making a Difference

This was a fun assignment -- find out what local elementary schools and teachers are doing to teach philanthropy and community to their students. There were some great ideas, and the enthusiam behind the projects was truly inspirational!

"Little kids can make a big difference," ParentMap, December 2006

Newborn screening tests

This short article, about newborn screening tests, was the second half of BabyMap's Decision Digest column for the Fall/Winter 2006 issue.

"Prenatal and newborn screening tests," BabyMap, Fall/Winter 2006

Prenatal testing decisions

This short article, about the pros and cons of various prenatal tests, was the first half of BabyMap's Decision Digest column for the Fall/Winter 2006 issue.

"Prenatal and newborn screening tests," BabyMap, Fall/Winter 2006

KNOW Magazine -- The Scoop on Poop

Despite the not-so-glamorous subject matter, my short news piece for kids about San Francisco's dog poop recycling looks great! You can check it out on page 5 of the Sept/Oct 2006 issue of KNOW--The Science Magazine for Curious Kids (published in Canada, for ages 6-9).

In over their heads?

Here's another somewhat controversial topic: should babies and young children take swimming lessons? The AAP says they're not ready, but many parents (including myself) believe there are big benefits to starting early.

"Should your baby swim?, ParentMap, July 2006

Hot topic - bed sharing

I enjoy doing these Decision Digest columns for BabyMap because I get to explore both sides of a controversial topic and then try to present an unbiased summary of all the pros and cons. So many of the questions we encounter as parents don't have a "right" answer. We gather all the (often conflicting) information we can, and then we have to just make the decision that feels like the best fit for us. I hope this article will help parents feel good about their choice and their reasons for making it, whatever they decide.

"Should you share a bed with your baby?", BabyMap, Spring/Summer 2006

Organized chaos

Writing this article inspired me to buy all kinds of bins, and some of them even have stuff in them now! Unfortunately, I've got a long way to go before our chaos gets organized.

"Help your preschooler control toy chaos", ParentMap, March 2006

Integrated preschools, for kids with and without disabilities

This was one of those topics that I definitely had an opinion on before I even started. Fortunately, that always makes me even more careful to research thoroughly. It's always fun to do an article where the research and interviews force me to completely change my previously uninformed opinions. This one will stand out in my mind for a long time, and I'm thankful I had the opportunity to write it.

"Integrated preschools provide benefits, lessons for all", EveryChild Special Supplement, Spring/Summer 2006

They're only baby teeth... Why bother?

Here's a topic I am all too familiar with. Despite my best attempts, which admittedly are neither thorough nor consistent, both my children had cavities by age three. I thought I'd done all the research, asked all the right questions, and made all the right decisions to prevent it from happening again, so I was sure I knew exactly what would go into this article. Research is my favorite part of writing, though, so I dug into it anyway. I found out there's always more to learn. That's what I love about research.

"Taking care of your preschooler's teeth", ParentMap, February 2006