A KICK IN THE PANTS!

First order of business is to let everyone know that I just can't keep up with this blog, writing, the kids and my health issues as things stand now.  So I will be cutting this blog back to two days a week -- Monday and Thursday.  I know I've said that in the past, but this time, for the sake of my sanity, I just have to. It is getting to be way too much to do everything as it stands.  But change is good right?  It helps us grow as human beings. :) And I may occasionally do extra posts.  I think I might start posting reviews of books I read or hosting blogger interviews on occasion.

Well as of right now everyone is relatively healthy.  We have a few sniffles but I think that is more because of  Fall allergies than anything else.  Strep hasn't reared it's ugly head again, but then again I don't know what the incubation period is or if it can lay dormant for awhile and then strike again.  Sigh...School germs should be outlawed right???

You ever get to a point in life where there is just nothing going on.  At least nothing to talk about.  We have school and work and that's it.  Sure, the kids are all being buttheads (especially to each other) and I dread from like 6:30 - 9:00 every night because there is tons of fighting, screaming, crying and overall nastiness that I just can't seem to get a handle on yet.  The kids are still so fed up with each other from their summer together that when they are forced into the same room for homework and chores it just explodes.  As with every other year I expect things to ease off after they have been back in school for at least a month. (At least I sure as hell hope so.  That's the way it has been in the past. Except in the past they didn't usually get that bad with each other during the summer.) Ah crap I sure hope this isn't the new norm.  If it is, do any of you have room for a broken housewife/mom/writer? Because I'll need a place to go!!!

The Hubs is working, I'm writing/marketing/blogging/reading and reviewing and the kids are going to school. Everyone is relatively healthy, the kids are fighting, the weather is too damn hot still and life goes on.  I'm feeling a bit of boredom setting in. (NOTE TO THE HIGHER POWER: This post does not in anyway mean that I want a major illness, problem at school, or problem at work to spice things up!!! Although I could go for a best seller status, tons of popularity, excellent achievements in school for the kids, and a pay raise for The Hubs)  Speaking of which...

1. THIS WILL NOT JINX ME, THIS WILL NOT JINX ME, THIS WILL NOT JINX ME - The boy is doing wonderful in kindergarten.  I think he is having trouble making friends, but what do you expect when you spent five years with the most bossy female companions on the planet and the last two years with the most awful pain in the butt bad influences from across the street.  He has great behavior reports (He has been on Pink 3 times so far in the first two weeks (Pink is the best) and has never once dipped below the green.  I was so worried because he can be a whiney butt, meanie butt, bad boy when he is home but he loves school and knows he must behave for others. THIS WILL NOT JINX ME, THIS WILL NOT JINX ME, THIS WILL NOT JINX ME ;)

2. As soon as the department The Hubs works in now gets a doctor to supply exams to their customers he will get more hours and as soon as he finishes some training and does some testing he will get a pay raise!!! This is a statement of fact so I'm not worried about the whole Jinx factor...well not AS worried.

3. I might not be a NY times best seller, but when I had my free giveaway weekend I made it to #14 in romantic comedy on Amazon, I think that means I could be well on my way to that bestseller status.  And of course popularity will follow. ;)  I have also been getting some great reviews (and yes, I realize that not all of them will be great, but they sure do feel good to read and tell people about) Oh, and I had my best selling month yet!  We broke our previous record a couple of days ago!!! And I'm worried as hell about the jinx factor with this one but you know what?  You and I both are tired of me writing that whole ALL CAPS Jinx chant so just know that I'm thinking it as I write this. :)

Until Next Time...When life get's boring make Lemonade.  No, I'm serious, make some lemonade and enjoy a few quiet moments of joy (or tea, or coffee, or any other beverage you like). ENJOY THE BORING TIMES because sometimes when life gets a kick in the pants, it's not always a good thing!!!

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS -ER VISIT AND CAR REPAIR

Hey before we get started, could you hop on over to my friend's book blog and check out her review of book 1 in my series! It is an awesome review! (Warning her site can be adult only at times, but my review is NOT!  http://www.authorsajones.com/2013/08/review-virgin-voyage-by-jj-ellis.html

Now on with the show: Holy shizz monkeys!  The saying really is true, when it rains it pours -  and then it rains and pours some more. First off, my car broke down end of last week. It would try to start and then it would just putter out.  So we called the tow truck (79 dollars) and had it towed to our mechanic.  Tuesday we get a call from the mechanic saying it was ready and when I asked what was wrong he said: Fuel pump.  Well shizz all over again, that is an expensive repair and I knew that from previous experience.  So we go pick up my baby and the damage is.............640.22.  Crap!  Thank goodness for interest free for a year credit cards with a decent limit right???  But at least now my fuel pump should be okay for the rest of the vehicle's life (13 years old).  At least it darn site better be!!!!

And then on Friday I noticed Miss Crazy wasn't feeling top of the line and my son had a stuffy nose and so did Little Butt.  Well great, the first cold of the season brought home from school in the first week.  Lovely! Over the weekend Miss Crazy started talking about a sore throat and became a bit lethargic. Yep, she had a fever.  Oh fun!  I was thinking strep so I had plans to take her to the doctor first thing on Monday.  Her fever broke in a dramatic fashion on Sunday night and she woke up saying her throat was still sore but better and she felt fine. So, off to school with her.  When she arrived home, she was still fine but about two or three hours later, the fever was back and we started to see a rash spreading over her body.  Well, that's not good. A fever, sore throat and rash together can mean complications from strep.  So I was wondering how the HECK her fever had broken for almost 24 hours if she had strep.  So, off to the ER we went.

Now you understand I have five kids and they have all (except Little Butt) had strep at one time or another.  Never have they ever lost their fevers for even a moment and never have they ever broken out.  But the doctor in the ER told me that it isn't uncommon for that to happen.  Well shit!  I could have endangered my daughter because I didn't know... Yeah, the guilt lasted about five seconds because I truly didn't know.  Anywhoo, they offered her swallowable pills or liquid and she chose swallowable (I knew we would be changing to liquid at the pharmacy because I knew the pills would be too big but she felt like such a grown up that I couldn't say no)  but then the doctor turned back and asked if she would like one shot and she would be done.  Well as we all know, medicines can be tricky with little ones so yes, I convinced my child to get a big needle shoved in her hip.  I'm not ashamed.  They came in with two needles (oops).  They figured there would be too much medicine in one needle for her to tolerate so they broke it up. Okay cool.

She gets her shots and a popsicle and wanders the hall and stairs with daddy trying to walk off the pain and stiffness of the shot.  We head home and her fever is starting to break and the rash on her face is already looking better. She had to stay home from school for one day (I heard a lot of 'mommy my booty hurts' throughout the day) and is now back at school.  The rash on her face is gone, the rash on her trunk is barely visible and her throat isn't hurting at all anymore.  Phew!  Now we sit and wait...for the rest of the family to get it.  Poo Poo!

SIDE NOTE: My son's stuffy nose cleared up.  He brought a feather he found into the house and it seems he is allergic to feathers like his daddy is!

Until Next Time...There will always be moments when we learn something new and feel guilt because we didn't know it before but you can NOT Dwell on it! What's done is done and we can't change it, we can just
learn new things to carry us through to the next round of life!!!

BUSY WEEK/WEEKEND - RANDOM BITS AND PIECES :)

Well, today is the day!  Gwen starts college!!! I hardly believe I am old enough to have a college Freshman! But alas, there I was wishing her a good first day.  She was nervous but I know for sure she shouldn't be. She will do great!  School is her thing, she is good at it and she wants to spend her life being a teacher so I think she will be fine once she gets used to the freedom that college allows.  She is all set, she has her own car, her school, and her job. We couldn't be more proud.

We have had a sickie on our hands over the weekend. Miss Crazy had a high fever and a sore throat.  We were thinking strep, but the fever broke and she was running around and playing so we will sit tight for now and see if the fever comes back or if the sore throat persists. Don't you love school germs?  Especially when they come home the first week!!!! I am just glad that I don't have to send my sick kids to school and risk losing my job like some parents do.

Lil miss Little Butt is coming down with a cold but so far no fever thank goodness.  I'm just waiting though, waiting for it to spread through the house. :(

My car broke down the other day.  We aren't sure what happened to it yet, but I sure hope it isn't anything too expensive! On top of everything else, my wallet went missing.  I'm pretty sure I left it at the dentist's office on Thursday, but they say it isn't there.  I've checked everywhere else it could have been left. Now we have to tear the house apart to see if by some chance it isn't lost in the big bad world, but in our very own house.

I had my book release party the other day and it was really fun!  I hope some of you were able to join us.  We had contests and giveaways and sneak peeks at the next book.  I also had book 1 of the series set for free on amazon.  We had a great response and I even sold my first book overseas! I mean actually sold, not given away!!! And we actually had a bestseller rank to be proud of - click on the picture to see what it was!!! :)

I want to share a facebook post I made today because this means so much to me and kind of rejuvenated me after I had the depressing time after finishing my book. I hope you will check it out.

Have you ever had a review that made you cry? A review that reminded you why you became a writer? A review that let you know that you accomplished exactly what you set out to do with that particular story/book/article? This is one of those reviews. One that I will cherish forever! Could I please get some YES votes on it? Thanks!

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1QLHAP976O3E6/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00EP01L2W&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text

Until Next Time...Don't fret when your oldest starts college (or gets married or has kids) because if they are at that milestone it means that you have done something wonderful.  You got them to where they are and they are alive!!! ;)

NEW COVERS!!!

In honor of the release of STORMY SEAS today I am giving you all a look at the new covers for VIRGIN VOYAGE and ALASKAN AMBUSH. If you head on over to our facebook event, you will get a sneak peek at the cover for WILD WAVES later today.  so.....here is the event address /FACEBOOK RELEASE EVENT

NOW, HERE ARE THE NEW COVERS!  HOPE YOU LIKE THEM. :)

THE CUTE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU SMILE :D

I've got links for my books!!! They became available early! I'll post them at the bottom.

Did missing Sam and Abigail make me cry?

Today has been rough. My car broke down and we were out in the heat forever, which means I am now sick as heck.  Blah!!! Yesterday was rough too. I was having some sort of breakdown.  I am thinking it was based on writer's self doubt but I'm not sure.  You see, my book is done and available on Amazon early. So that means that this particular chapter (pun intended) of my life is over. I lived and breathed those characters for years and then especially over the last two months. It makes me sad :(  And then I found out that a 'friend' was lying about having read my books. Sigh...If you don't want to read them just say so, don't lead me on thinking that you are reading and enjoying them, right????

So I was in a horrible state yesterday. I was about ready to throw out the five or so chapters I already have written for Wild Waves and give up writing for good. I felt like I had been made a fool of and that I was a horrible writer etc. etc. etc. But I have a great group of online friends who supported me through it. Thanks ladies, you know who you are! I was still down all night, but one thing that could put a smile on my face was Little Butt.

You know how kids do the cutest damn things that just warm your heart?  Yeah, she does that a lot lately, but there was one instance yesterday that could actually almost make me laugh when I thought back on it after my meltdown.  We were at breakfast and there was a baby across the way from us (about 10 or 11 months old I would guess) Little Butt thinks all babies are hers. So she was sitting there yelling "hi baby, hi my baby" but she would not wave at the little girl.  She would turn red and look away. So what did she do?  She would pick up my hand and say she was waving at her baby. I have seen kids shy of waving and talking at all to strangers, but I haven't seen one that would be totally fine yakking away and then turn all shy when she was expected to wave. LOL. I spent breakfast waving at a stranger's baby and I'll tell you one thing, Little Butt is strong, my wrist still hurts!!!

It has been a rough couple of days but with the help of my sweet baby girl I have come through it just fine!

Until Next Time...Give little ones credit. Just because they are small and not worldly doesn't mean they can't totally enhance your life in a positive way when things are going wrong.

PAPERBACK OF STORMY SEAS BY JJ ELLIS: http://www.amazon.com/Stormy-Seas-Sunset-Destiny-Romance/dp/0615873111/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377288379&sr=1-11&keywords=Stormy+Seas

KINDLE OF STORMY SEAS BY JJ ELLIS: http://www.amazon.com/Stormy-Sunset-Destiny-Romance-ebook/dp/B00EP01L2W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377288477&sr=1-1&keywords=Stormy+Seas

SKIPPING A DAY!

Hey there, I'm swamped with the upcomign release of Stormy Seas so I'm taking a skip day.  I will be back Thursday or my regular day of friday.  Wish me luck, this is where it can get nasty!!! LOL

For your viewing pleasure, the full cover of Stormy Seas!

A HUG IS ALL I GET

First day of school for the boy!!! All I got was a hug.  I stopped him and his sister on the sidewalk outside the entry and asked if they were okay just going in and he said yeah and started to walk toward the doors.  "Um, can I get a hug," I asked.  "Oh yeah," he replied and they both hugged me and were gone to eat waffles for breakfast in the school lunchroom.  He is the one kid I figured would have a huge crying fit before I left him.  He is just so emotionally off since the episode with the Singulair and it may take years for him to get back to normal again. 

I wasn't sure how he would find his way to his classroom since on back to school night they went to a different classroom to meet the teachers (not sure which one he will get yet, won't know until end of the week).  I can only hope that either his sister was able to help him or the teachers would come to the playground (after breakfast) to pick the kids up. I didn't get a call saying that he was inconsolable from getting lost (school is so small, not sure if it is possible to get lost) so that is a good thing.  I leave here in about an hour and fifteen minutes to pick him up - early out day for Kindergarten today. I can't wait to see him and give him a big hug.  I miss him! And I realized that I had forgotten to warn his teachers about the whole singulair thing and ask them to watch for behavioral issues so we can know what needs to be corrected. So I guess I will be sending an email tonight and hope I get a good report. He is a good boy when he isn't around his siblings and I am hoping that he will be good at school and with other kids.  Because basically, his siblings are brats and he is overwhelmed by all of the estrogen.  Ah crap, now I wish there was a school in town with a male teacher...hmmm. He'll be okay right???

Right now, for the first time in years, it is just me and one of the kids.  I do not know what to do with myself!!!  Here is an example of our conversation after daddy left for work.

Conversation with Lily
Me: Hey Dee, do you want mommy to stop working and play a game with you?
Lily: No mama, me play by myself
Me: Are you sure, Mama wants to play.
Lily: No mama me play by myself.
Me: Want to rock a bye with me?
Lily: No mama, me do myself after I play school

Well, I know where I stand now don't I. My kids have always been independent so I might actually get work done during the day now.  Or maybe she will decided she wants to play after all.  Nah, I wouldn't count on it. ;)

After dropping the little's off at school, I took Gwen to get her drivers license.  Talk about nervous, it was crazy, nausea, shaking the whole nine yards.  That was me, not Gwen.  I was so damn nervous for her I could barely sit still.  But you know what?  She passed and now I have a licensed driver and a kindergartner in my hoard of kids.  Oh and a two year old who doesn't want to play with me.  Sigh...this parenting thing is so emotional. Can I cry yet?  Might not be a good idea until all the kids are tucked safely in their beds.  I hope I can wait that long!!!

Until Next Time...I've probably said this before, but enjoy those milestones no matter how much you want to cry, because someday they will be moving out and getting married and having kids of their own and you will wonder what happened to the years that just seem to slip away.