Sherry Ellis's Blog, page 58
May 6, 2014
Winners Announced, a Cover Reveal, and A-Z Reflections
Lots going on at my pad, today. First, the winners of my book giveaway: Mason Canyon and Robin from Your Daily Dose. Congratulations! I hope you enjoy the books!
Other news: My new blog friend, Stephanie Faris, has a cover reveal: 25 Roses. Isn't it lovely? Congratulations, Stephanie!
Here's a little blurb about the book:
Valentine's Day means one thing at Stanton Middle School: students will send each other chocolate roses. Each year, Mia Hartley watches while the same group of students gets roses and everyone else is left out. This year, she decides things will be different. As the student assigned to write names on the cards, Mia purchases 25 roses and writes her own cards, designating them to 25 people she's personally chosen. But she soon learns that playing matchmaker is much more complicated than she thought it would be.
Now for my A-Z Reflections Post:
This was my third year of doing the challenge. Really? You say. Yes, really. I did it on my other blog, Gone Gardening, for the past two years. This was the first time doing it on Mama Diaries, and I honestly didn't know how it would go, with my life being so random. But it worked. The key for me was to have planned posts for every letter in the alphabet, and then allow for some spontaneity if something happened to line up with the letter of the day. I think I achieved a decent balance of past stories and current stories, which made it kind of fun.
I also spent a lot of time blog hopping. I was a minion this year, which meant I had "pet blogs" to keep an eye on, to make sure they were legitimate and participating in the challenge. I visited probably over 100 new bloggers, which was a lot more than last year. It was fun to see their posts and make new friends. I only wish a lot of the bloggers I had visited, had reciprocated and joined my site, or visited me. (Thanks to all my new friends who did!) I did get new followers (especially on Google), which I am very happy about.
Will I do it next year? Probably. I'm not sure if it will be on this blog, or the other. Either way, it's definitely worth doing. As crazy as it is, it's a great way to meet new bloggers and develop a sense of community here in the blogosphere.
Other news: My new blog friend, Stephanie Faris, has a cover reveal: 25 Roses. Isn't it lovely? Congratulations, Stephanie!
Here's a little blurb about the book:
Valentine's Day means one thing at Stanton Middle School: students will send each other chocolate roses. Each year, Mia Hartley watches while the same group of students gets roses and everyone else is left out. This year, she decides things will be different. As the student assigned to write names on the cards, Mia purchases 25 roses and writes her own cards, designating them to 25 people she's personally chosen. But she soon learns that playing matchmaker is much more complicated than she thought it would be.
Now for my A-Z Reflections Post:
This was my third year of doing the challenge. Really? You say. Yes, really. I did it on my other blog, Gone Gardening, for the past two years. This was the first time doing it on Mama Diaries, and I honestly didn't know how it would go, with my life being so random. But it worked. The key for me was to have planned posts for every letter in the alphabet, and then allow for some spontaneity if something happened to line up with the letter of the day. I think I achieved a decent balance of past stories and current stories, which made it kind of fun.
I also spent a lot of time blog hopping. I was a minion this year, which meant I had "pet blogs" to keep an eye on, to make sure they were legitimate and participating in the challenge. I visited probably over 100 new bloggers, which was a lot more than last year. It was fun to see their posts and make new friends. I only wish a lot of the bloggers I had visited, had reciprocated and joined my site, or visited me. (Thanks to all my new friends who did!) I did get new followers (especially on Google), which I am very happy about.
Will I do it next year? Probably. I'm not sure if it will be on this blog, or the other. Either way, it's definitely worth doing. As crazy as it is, it's a great way to meet new bloggers and develop a sense of community here in the blogosphere.
May 5, 2014
A Giveaway and Mr. Sticky Fingers
It's the hundredth anniversary of Mother's Day here in the United States. At the pad of the Mama Diaries, that's a big deal! To celebrate the occasion, I'm giving away autographed copies of my books to two lucky winners. I'll send them anywhere in the world. The winner will be chosen on Tuesday. If you'd like to have a chance to win, please leave a comment below.
Also, for anyone who missed my previous post, I won the ePublishing Experts contest to have That Mama is a Grouch made into an animated ebook. Thank you to everyone who shared my article on Why Children's Books are Important! I couldn't have done it without you!
Now for the story:
I took my nine-year-old son to the baseball game this past weekend. And of course, we had to get food. The kid's food of choice? Chicken wings and cotton candy. Now, my kid is not exactly the neatest kid on the block. By the time he was done, his face and hands were covered with a sticky residue of barbecue sauce and cotton candy sugar. He was a mess! I gave him a bunch of napkins and told him to clean himself. But when you're that dirty, nothing helps!
Not long after his meal, it was "High Five" time at the field. This is a little break in the action, where everybody high fives each other, and the cameras pan the audience to catch all the high five fun.
"Mama, high five!" Bubba said, holding up one of his disgustingly sticky hands.
"Dude, there is no way I'm high fiving you!"
He put his hands together and high fived himself. Except he had trouble getting his hands unstuck. It took quite an effort, and I could see his skin actually being pulled from the palms of his hands as he tried to get them apart.
"That's ridiculous, Bubba!" I said.
Then he got an evil look in eyes. Do you know what he did? He put those disgustingly sticky hands on my hair!
"Bubba!" I yelled, bolting out of my chair. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Giving you a high five. On your head!"
Argh!
Also, for anyone who missed my previous post, I won the ePublishing Experts contest to have That Mama is a Grouch made into an animated ebook. Thank you to everyone who shared my article on Why Children's Books are Important! I couldn't have done it without you!
Now for the story:
I took my nine-year-old son to the baseball game this past weekend. And of course, we had to get food. The kid's food of choice? Chicken wings and cotton candy. Now, my kid is not exactly the neatest kid on the block. By the time he was done, his face and hands were covered with a sticky residue of barbecue sauce and cotton candy sugar. He was a mess! I gave him a bunch of napkins and told him to clean himself. But when you're that dirty, nothing helps!
Not long after his meal, it was "High Five" time at the field. This is a little break in the action, where everybody high fives each other, and the cameras pan the audience to catch all the high five fun.
"Mama, high five!" Bubba said, holding up one of his disgustingly sticky hands.
"Dude, there is no way I'm high fiving you!"
He put his hands together and high fived himself. Except he had trouble getting his hands unstuck. It took quite an effort, and I could see his skin actually being pulled from the palms of his hands as he tried to get them apart.
"That's ridiculous, Bubba!" I said.
Then he got an evil look in eyes. Do you know what he did? He put those disgustingly sticky hands on my hair!
"Bubba!" I yelled, bolting out of my chair. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Giving you a high five. On your head!"
Argh!
May 3, 2014
No Comprende
First, I want to give a huge thanks to everyone who shared my article on Why Children's Books are Important. I won the contest to have my book, That Mama is a Grouch turned into an animated ebook! I couldn't have done it without you. You guys rock!
Now for the story:
My daughter came home from school yesterday with a big grin on her face. "Mom, you'll never believe what happened."
"What happened?" I asked.
"You know French class?"
I nodded. "Yes. I know French class. What about it?"
"Well, the teacher was blah blah blahing in French, which nobody understood, when somebody butt-dialed their iPod. The Suri app came on. (Suri is the app where you ask her a question, and she responds.) While Madam was talking, Suri interupted, 'I'm sorry. I don't understand. Please try again.'"
(She went on to tell me that the entire class erupted in laughter, and that the Madam took away the iPod. So much for understanding French!)
Now for the story:
My daughter came home from school yesterday with a big grin on her face. "Mom, you'll never believe what happened."
"What happened?" I asked.
"You know French class?"
I nodded. "Yes. I know French class. What about it?"
"Well, the teacher was blah blah blahing in French, which nobody understood, when somebody butt-dialed their iPod. The Suri app came on. (Suri is the app where you ask her a question, and she responds.) While Madam was talking, Suri interupted, 'I'm sorry. I don't understand. Please try again.'"
(She went on to tell me that the entire class erupted in laughter, and that the Madam took away the iPod. So much for understanding French!)
May 2, 2014
Friendly Car
We have a lot of pollen in the state of Georgia where I live. It coats everything with a fine yellow powder - including our cars.
This morning, my car was coated with such a dusting, along with a fresh topping of dew. My nine-year old son took one look at this and decided it would make perfect writing material. He took his index finger and began writing all over my car: "Hi y'all!", "Have a nice day, y'all!" And of course there were plenty of smiley faces to go along with the friendly greetings.
So, ladies and gentlemen, if you happen to be driving around in Georgia, and you notice a particularly friendly-looking car, it's mine. Just wave and have a nice day - y'all.
This morning, my car was coated with such a dusting, along with a fresh topping of dew. My nine-year old son took one look at this and decided it would make perfect writing material. He took his index finger and began writing all over my car: "Hi y'all!", "Have a nice day, y'all!" And of course there were plenty of smiley faces to go along with the friendly greetings.
So, ladies and gentlemen, if you happen to be driving around in Georgia, and you notice a particularly friendly-looking car, it's mine. Just wave and have a nice day - y'all.
April 30, 2014
Zombie Repellant
We've arrived at letter "Z" for the A-Z challenge! Congratulations to everyone who made it!
Before I begin my story, I want to once again invite you to check out my article on why children's books are important. You can find it here. If you like it, please share with your social networks. I'm trying to win a contest to get a free animated version of my book, That Mama is a Grouch. EPublishing Experts will do this for the author with the most shares. This is the last day. Thanks to all who have already visited, shared, and commented. I really appreciate it!
Now for the story.
I live in zombie country. I do. Really. I live in Georgia, where the television series, Walking Dead is filmed. (In fact, my daughter was thinking about auditioning as an extra for the production.) Because we live in zombie land, we have to be ever-vigilant about these creatures.
Last weekend, my family and I drove out to Vidalia, Georgia, for the onion festival (that's a story unto itself). The land looked exactly like the terrain in Walking Dead. And we saw a few suspects who looked an awful lot like zombies.
"Mama," my son said. "I know what to do if we see a zombie."
I turned around and looked at the kid. "Really, Bubba? What do we do? Throw onions at them?"
"No, Mama. We eat pie!"
I raised my eyebrows. "Eat pie?"
He nodded, then he started singing his pie song that he had composed a couple of years ago:
Eat pie, eat pie.
Everybody eat pie.
You will die,
unless you eat pie.
Eat pie when you're sitting on the bucket.
Or zombies will invade you!
Eat pie, eat pie.
Everybody eat pie.
You will die,
unless you eat pie.
All right then. So we got ourselves a fine Georgia peach pie and kept it with us at all times. I suggest you do the same!
Before I begin my story, I want to once again invite you to check out my article on why children's books are important. You can find it here. If you like it, please share with your social networks. I'm trying to win a contest to get a free animated version of my book, That Mama is a Grouch. EPublishing Experts will do this for the author with the most shares. This is the last day. Thanks to all who have already visited, shared, and commented. I really appreciate it!
Now for the story.
I live in zombie country. I do. Really. I live in Georgia, where the television series, Walking Dead is filmed. (In fact, my daughter was thinking about auditioning as an extra for the production.) Because we live in zombie land, we have to be ever-vigilant about these creatures.
Last weekend, my family and I drove out to Vidalia, Georgia, for the onion festival (that's a story unto itself). The land looked exactly like the terrain in Walking Dead. And we saw a few suspects who looked an awful lot like zombies.
"Mama," my son said. "I know what to do if we see a zombie."
I turned around and looked at the kid. "Really, Bubba? What do we do? Throw onions at them?"
"No, Mama. We eat pie!"
I raised my eyebrows. "Eat pie?"
He nodded, then he started singing his pie song that he had composed a couple of years ago:
Eat pie, eat pie.
Everybody eat pie.
You will die,
unless you eat pie.
Eat pie when you're sitting on the bucket.
Or zombies will invade you!
Eat pie, eat pie.
Everybody eat pie.
You will die,
unless you eat pie.
All right then. So we got ourselves a fine Georgia peach pie and kept it with us at all times. I suggest you do the same!
April 29, 2014
You Tube Stupidity
My kids find all kinds of strange and bizarre things on YouTube. Here are some of the highlights I've seen over the past few years:
The Cinnamon Challenge:
Brought to you by none other than GloZell, the cinnamon challenge prompted my kids to attempt it themselves. I quickly put a stop to it, before someone ended up vomiting all over my nice kitchen floor!
The Chubby Bunny Challenge:
Yep. Brought to you once again, by GloZell. (What's up with this woman?) My kids didn't even get started on this one. Those chubby bunnies looked dangerous! Which brings me to my next video:
Dumb Ways to Die:
I think they missed one on this. They need to add, "doing the chubby bunny challenge," because shoving too many chubby bunnies in your mouth is definitely a dumb way to die!
The Cinnamon Challenge:
Brought to you by none other than GloZell, the cinnamon challenge prompted my kids to attempt it themselves. I quickly put a stop to it, before someone ended up vomiting all over my nice kitchen floor!
The Chubby Bunny Challenge:
Yep. Brought to you once again, by GloZell. (What's up with this woman?) My kids didn't even get started on this one. Those chubby bunnies looked dangerous! Which brings me to my next video:
Dumb Ways to Die:
I think they missed one on this. They need to add, "doing the chubby bunny challenge," because shoving too many chubby bunnies in your mouth is definitely a dumb way to die!
April 28, 2014
X-ray Vision
"Mama," my nine-year-old son said. "What do I have behind my back?"
I scoured the table, trying to figure out what was on it that was no longer there. "A quarter," I said.
He looked surprised. "Yes. Now guess which hand it's in."
"Right."
He wrinkled his eyebrows, looking very puzzled. "That's pretty good, Mama!" Then he did a little shuffle. "Now guess which hand it's in."
"Right," I guessed.
"Yep!" He did it again. "Which one, now?"
"Left."
"Mama, you're good at this." He shuffled things around one more time and put his hands behind his back. "Guess again. You'll never get it!"
I looked at that kid and smiled. "Neither."
Of course I was right. I figured he had put it in his back pocket.
He stared at me with his mouth open. "How did you know?"
"Bubba, Mamas have x-ray vision. You can't hide anything from the Mama!"
I scoured the table, trying to figure out what was on it that was no longer there. "A quarter," I said.
He looked surprised. "Yes. Now guess which hand it's in."
"Right."
He wrinkled his eyebrows, looking very puzzled. "That's pretty good, Mama!" Then he did a little shuffle. "Now guess which hand it's in."
"Right," I guessed.
"Yep!" He did it again. "Which one, now?"
"Left."
"Mama, you're good at this." He shuffled things around one more time and put his hands behind his back. "Guess again. You'll never get it!"
I looked at that kid and smiled. "Neither."
Of course I was right. I figured he had put it in his back pocket.
He stared at me with his mouth open. "How did you know?"
"Bubba, Mamas have x-ray vision. You can't hide anything from the Mama!"
April 26, 2014
Wet Kids
Last night, after I had finished teaching violin lessons, I heard a lot of screaming. It was coming from my backyard. Curious, I went to investigate. All the sprinklers were turned on in the backyard, and eight kids were standing in the middle of them, getting soaking wet.
I didn't even recognized half of those kids. What the heck is going on here? I thought. I walked out to see.
My husband was standing at the edge of the yard next to be big hole. He had a shovel in his hands. "I fixed the sprinklers!" he said, all proud of himself.
"I see that," I said. "What's with the kids?" I said. "I don't think their parents will be too thrilled when they come home soaking wet!"
"They just showed up," he said.
I looked at all of them having a good time.
Then our hundred pound German Shepherd barked from inside the house. What did my husband do? He let him out. So then there were eight wet kids and one wet German Shepherd all barking, screaming, and running around my backyard.
Oy!
I didn't even recognized half of those kids. What the heck is going on here? I thought. I walked out to see.
My husband was standing at the edge of the yard next to be big hole. He had a shovel in his hands. "I fixed the sprinklers!" he said, all proud of himself.
"I see that," I said. "What's with the kids?" I said. "I don't think their parents will be too thrilled when they come home soaking wet!"
"They just showed up," he said.
I looked at all of them having a good time.
Then our hundred pound German Shepherd barked from inside the house. What did my husband do? He let him out. So then there were eight wet kids and one wet German Shepherd all barking, screaming, and running around my backyard.
Oy!
April 25, 2014
Violin Thief
Before I begin my story, I want to let you know about the release of a new book by a very talented writer and blog friend, Medeia Sharif. You can find it here on Amazon. SNIP, SNIP REVENGE by Medeia Sharif
YA Contemporary, Evernight TeenRelease Date April 25, 2014
Beautiful, confident Tabby Karim has plans for the winter: nab a role in her school’s dramatic production, make the new boy Michael hers, and keep bigoted Heather—with her relentless Ay-rab comments—at bay. When a teacher’s lie and her father’s hastiness rob her of her beautiful hair, her dreams are dashed. The fastest barber in Miami Beach has made her look practically bald.
With all her pretty hair gone, Tabby doesn’t believe she fits the feminine role she’s auditioning for. Michael is still interested in her, but he’s playing it cool. Heather has taken to bullying her online, which is easier to do with Tabby’s ugly haircut. Tabby spearheads Operation Revenge, which proves satisfying until all of her problems deepen. After messing up, she sets to make things right.
Author BioI’m a Kurdish-American author who was born in New York City, and I presently call Miami my home. I received my master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University. After becoming a voracious reader in high school and a relentless writer dabbling in many genres in college, I found my niche writing for young people. Today I'm a MG and YA writer published through various presses. In addition to being a writer, I'm a middle school English teacher. My memberships include Mensa, ALAN, and SCBWI.
Find Medeia
Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Amazon
Now for the story:
When our German Shepherd, Schultz, was a puppy, he got into a lot of trouble! He destroyed the ignition switch on our grill, not once, not twice, but three times! (Don't ask me how.) He chewed through the screen on our back sliding door twice. He destroyed two garden hoses, chewed up the legs of four kitchen chairs, and decimated my rose garden. He was a naughty puppy!
One day, about three years ago, I was in the kitchen, when I heard a strange sound. It was coming from the living room. I went to investigate. I couldn't believe what I saw! That gosh-darn German Shepherd had the shoulder strap of my violin case in his mouth, and was dragging the case across the floor. My violin, of course, was inside!
"Schultz!" I bellowed. "Drop it!"
He didn't want to drop it.
I growled at him. "Drop it!!!!!"
He knew the Mama was mad! He dropped it, stuck his tail between his legs, and got out of there.
"Crate!" I ordered.
I locked him in there, where he stayed for several hours. That was the last time he ever messed with any of my instruments, because he knows that if he even so much thinks about eating my violin for lunch, this Mama will turn into an angry lion!
April 24, 2014
Underwear Overhead
When my daughter (who is now a teenager) was about four years old, she liked helping me with the laundry. I'd bring up a basket of clean clothes, and she'd sit next to me while I folded. She'd watch intently and then grab some clothes in an attempt to imitate what I was doing. More often than not, she'd grab clothes that were already folded, and refold them her own way.
On one such day, she found a pair of her daddy's underwear. Folding underwear can be tricky - especially for a four-year-old. After several attempts, she gave up. But did she put down the pair of underwear? No. She put it on her head and wore it like a hat! I looked at her and laughed. So she grabbed another pair of daddy's underwear and put that on her head.
I thought that was a fabulous fashion statement, so I grabbed a pair of daddy's underwear and put it on my head. My daughter giggled and thought it was the best thing ever. From that day on, for the next year or so, every time we'd do laundry, we'd wear underwear hats. It was completely silly, but it certainly made doing the laundry a lot more fun!
On one such day, she found a pair of her daddy's underwear. Folding underwear can be tricky - especially for a four-year-old. After several attempts, she gave up. But did she put down the pair of underwear? No. She put it on her head and wore it like a hat! I looked at her and laughed. So she grabbed another pair of daddy's underwear and put that on her head.
I thought that was a fabulous fashion statement, so I grabbed a pair of daddy's underwear and put it on my head. My daughter giggled and thought it was the best thing ever. From that day on, for the next year or so, every time we'd do laundry, we'd wear underwear hats. It was completely silly, but it certainly made doing the laundry a lot more fun!
