This week, please humor me by writing an infomercial for this product:     OK, go! (But first: Are you going to make this an infomercial for a super-duper jumbo turbo vibratron? Really? Me too!)   Well, before you proceed, here are the “rules” (YAWNNNN):   You must write your entry in 10 minutes. This [...]

Part 1 Here. Part 2 Here.   Far From the End   So he’s trembling on my doorstep, clutching a ridiculous and probably stolen, bottle of wine. He’s sweat-soaked, too, which I discover is because he walked the 16 miles to my apartment in the late August sun. I’m surprised to see him, really, I [...]

I’ve been blogging since 2001. For many years, I remained content to write in my little corner of the universe, rarely reaching out to other bloggers and vice versa. In fact, I never promoted my blog, included its link in comments, or spoke about it much at all. Part of my seclusion arose from the [...]

Intro to the Craziest Story on Earth   In the Middle   I returned to my friends at the bar, exactly at closing time. I clutched the artist’s phone number in my fist, and swooned in the back seat of the car, bedazzled and buzzing. That night he called to be sure I made it [...]

I can’t even think of one sarcastic or funny thing to say here, as love struck as I am over my new notecards.   Check it:     I actually put my family name here, as in “The San Diego Mommasons.” Original, eh?   Here’s the back of the card:     Myra from Moon [...]

How beautiful would it be to write your words, your truth, then be able to fully bring them to life through your voice, your eyes, your hands?   I’ve often longed to sing certain poems I’ve written and have the words leap, writhe, and bloom physically through me. Like, it’s one thing to write about [...]

This past PROMPTuesday, I wrote a little snippet about someone hiding under my bed. In the story, this person was an undesirable someone. A someone you’d most definitely NOT want to find lurking under your bed.   And it really happened.   A lot really happened those 12 years ago, stuff that I’m going to [...]

Every morning now as I prepare her breakfast, Booger asks me for “sumting elf.” Not a species of fairfolk, no, rather, two-year-oldese for “something else.” So when it comes to food, a play destination, or outfits, I’m a magician with a hat, hoping to pull a rabbit or flying gerbil from the depths in an [...]

I went to a San Diego Blog Bitches dinner last night, and all I got was this lousy link to the most hysterical recap ever.   I was going to post my own summary, but there’s no way I’m following this act.  

This month, we’re reading Third Angel by Alice Hoffman.   Another book by The Hoff I loved: Ice Queen.

The other day, I pushed learning-to-swim Toots into the pool. I know, I know.   It’s just that she wanted desperately to jump off the edge into the shallow end (I’m not a total monster), hesitating time and again, yearning to jump, really struggling with herself and her fear of the unknown. And, suddenly, I [...]

Welcome to PROMPTuesday! Glad you’re here. So, lucky number 10, huh? Right? Holy cridoodle. There’s been 10 PROMPTuesdays already! You’re all growing up right before my eyes. Soon, you’ll be pouring whiskey into Clinique trial hairspray bottles and sneaking into the janitor’s bathroom during your high school homecoming game to get buzzed. But you’ll forget [...]

Management regrets to inform you that San Diego Momma has dissolved into a puddle of gelatinous body tissue, unresolved neuroses, and iced Soy Lattes.   We’re working on putting her back together bigger, stronger, and faster than before. Well, maybe not bigger. But definitely without a vagina.  

Lots of frolicking on the beach today! People everywhere! Toddlers running, kids romping, teens lounging. Wow! Just throngs of humanity. And you, there in the thick of it all, real close to the beach, up front where everyone can see you, just gallivanting, gallivanting. Splashing to and fro, chasing your kids, jumping up and down. [...]

I’m thinking of giving this a whirl — The Secret of Lost Things — by Sheridan* Hay. Has anyone read it? Is it like every other book telling of lost manuscripts and obsessed book sellers?   *Footnote: Sheridan is the fake name I give to Starbucks baristas and put on those required name badges you [...]

ROBIN FARNSWORTH WON (13th comment): Please e-mail me to claim prize! Congrats!   Contest time is up!   I’ll announce winner by Saturday evening!   I have one Kung Fu Panda computer game (for PC), three activity CDs (includes a dance video, photo/print projects, frames and cards, stickers, etc.) and a Kung Fu Panda soundtrack [...]

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. Beautiful writing (sometimes bordering on contrived, but only sometimes), interesting characters, absorbing “larger” theme of cultural clashes.   Recommended…BUT please note there is not much plot resolution. So if this bothers you, you might want to skip it.  

Today’s PROMPTuesday keeps it simple.   Read this poem (one of my favorites):   Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock by Wallace Stevens   The houses are haunted By white night-gowns. None are green, Or purple with green rings, Or green with yellow rings, Or yellow with blue rings. None of them are strange, With socks of [...]

But first, some photo notes:   –I’m growing a bodybuilder neck. And I don’t lift weights. Or work out (much). Thoughts? –I don’t intentionally dress my children as hobos. It just turns out that way. –Costco does not sell enough Kirkland wipes for Toots. –We do not beat our children (although we sometimes submerge them [...]

There’s so much to do on my agenda (more shopping links, a 6 degrees of bloggeration post, and following through on my commitments ), but ding dang, I’m tapped.   I even went to the Dinner Studio Wednesday night to save me time, precious moments I could use to exercise and figure out why my [...]

My Grandma Hazel — God love her — used to do this thing with her mouth, where she’d smack her dentures after every sentence. It sounded like a wet cross between a gum chew and an orange suck and it grossed me out no end. And that’s really saying something, because as a kid I [...]

Do you remember how, last week, I promised to list my favorite websites for stuff this Wednesday? And do you recall how I blew off listing my favorite soft rock hits from the ’70s? Even though I knew that post would be big, BIG!, babies. I’m telling you. And maybe you thought that I’d forget [...]

This PROMPTuesday is about what lies beneath. So this week, I’d like you to look at this picture:     …and very quickly write down the first three words that come to mind. Now, start writing, using those words anywhere in your story. (Be sure to name the three words in your post or comments [...]

I know I skipped right over the 70s soft rock hits, but I figured you’d probably forgive me, or more specifically, thank me profusely, for not posting it yesterday. Instead, I’m skipping right to my Monday agenda, which was to post two story intros from the manuscript I’ve been working on….   I’d hoped you [...]

{After hearing from several people that they’ve seen these movies, I’m going to deny that I’m hopelessly out of touch and instead re-name this post to: Non-Blockbuster Movies That You Might Want to See Again, like Box of Moonlight.)   So I don’t know, some of you may have seen these movies. Probably have, in [...]

Well, this painful bit of writer’s blockage persists. So, to keep me posting, I’ve come up with a desperate clever plan to keep me blog accountable.   What will follow over the next few days are slightly generic, but borderline interesting posts on stuff. I don’t plan to write about personal things, because I’m just [...]

You wouldn’t believe the enormous writer’s block I’m battling right now. My brain’s shut down. Maybe to devote its energy to raising my serotonin levels. Seems like every sentence I write is clunky and humorless. So, let me just tell you that I’m walking along oceans, listening to music, and eating healthy. My mind and [...]

Just want to say thanks again for your e-mailed and phoned support during my mental breakdown.   Me thinks that some of my psychotic break came from hormones. How I hate them sometimes! Seriously. How do these little molecules have so much power? What havoc they wreak on my system. I’m pretty sure hormones dictated [...]

The Mom Crowd is giving away a conference pass to BlogHer (worth $348).   Check it out here: Win Me.  

  (Thank you everyone who called and e-mailed me, I’m humbled. I really am. I’ll update on my mental state soon. The news isn’t all bad.)   On to this week’s PROMPTuesday. So as I was thinking of what to do this time, my wise and creative friend, Kristine, reminded me of the “first sentence” [...]

  The one where I bare all. And even show the dead skin flakes from constant nose blowing.   I suppose I’m depressed. I don’t know. Maybe what I’m feeling is a combination of mental and physical exhaustion, existential angst and hormonal flux. But what I do know is that I’m near tears, snapping at [...]

  Taken last night, this pic is symbolic.   First, we’re a little blurry and off-center. Then, I’m not directly under the Buddha head (and I need to be, metaphysically-speaking). Finally, all around us is a mess. (But we’ve got our arms around each other. That counts for something, right?)   Suffice to say, Toots [...]