So, when Chevy and the North Texas Chevy dealers asked me to take my family out to eat, I decided to go to the most magical place on earth…

The Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell

(now what am I going to do with the other 96 dollars they gave me)

Tomorrow is registration for WriteOnCon, so what better way to get all geared up than a video??

Also, I just realized that I never picked a winner from my Josh Berk Book Contest!

And so….  I random.org’d it and came up with comment #29!

It’s Writing Leigh! Congratulations!!

So, I’ve been thinking a lot about Ebooks.

Let me just say for the record that I LOVE Ebooks. I think they will play a huge part in the future of publishing, and I am very happy about that.

I downloaded one of my favorite author’s latest, and I immediately started reading. I couldn’t get enough of it, and that’s a good thing. People always say to read a book over watching television or playing a video game… it’s like a thing.

So, then why was I getting wonky looks when I was reading a real life actual novel?

Because it was on my phone. It looks like I am obsessively texting, emailing, and playing iphone games–pretty much the exact opposite of reading a book.

When I taught school, we had a set time each day where everyone (not just the students, but the teachers and administrators, too) had to stop whatever it was they were doing and read. One of the big reasons for that was so kids could see the grown ups reading as a model, and then follow suit and pick up a book for themselves.

But, is it sending the same message if I’m doing it on a cell phone?

I would think a Kindle would convey that I was reading something of substance, but what about an iPad? I could just as easily be tweeting or playing Diner Dash, right?

Am I being silly by worrying what kind of message I’m sending to my kid by reading on  a cell phone?

Is just telling her I am reading a full length novel enough for her to get it, or should I skip out on the cell phone and pick up a real ereader? Heck is that even enough–should I only read old school traditional books in front of her?

What’s the right thing to do here?

Under the advice of the awesome Mary Kole, I won’t be blogging today. Go read her post instead.

So, I am spending the week at my grandma’s house this week. Don’t get me wrong, I love my grandparents–but I’m having to bite my tongue a lot. So, I figured I could just unload on you guys instead.

My kid is covered pretty much head to toe in bug bites, and I blame you. Why?

• Because when I said “Daughter, let’s put on some bug spray before you go outside and play next to that stagnant pond.” You scoffed at me, and said, “During the day? That’s just ridiculous. Quit being over protective.” So, you made me feel like a tool, and I ignored my better instincts. Now, she looks like a big swollen welp, she had some crazy allergic reaction, and I had to use my freakin OnStar to haul my ass to town (which is like half an hour away) and get her some children’s benadryl.

I get it–you can take the heat and the humidity better than we can, and it’s all my fault because I don’t let my kid play outside in hundred degree weather for hours every day.

• Here’s the thing, we live in the city, and my backyard consists pretty much of a pool. So, when it’s a hundred degrees–guess where we are… also this humidity is so ridiculous I want to pass out, and since my kid looks like a giant bug bite–it’s kind of getting to her, too. So, when she throws up at the fish hatchery on the vacation bible school field trip, I’m going to go on ahead and take her back to your house. Could you please not make me feel like a shithead about it?

I know you think the country is way better than the city.

• I seriously don’t give a flying rat’s ass about that. Stop giving me crap about not living out in the middle of nowhere. My mom did me a huge favor and got the hell away from podunkville as soon as she could, which means I grew up to do things like get a degree and a career– not pop out a bunch of babies at the ripe ‘ol age at 17. I always thought it was the city mouse that made fun of the country mouse in that story… maybe I should read it again, because I think I totally missed the point.

Stop calling my kid rotten. Stop telling everyone she’s spoiled.

• She’s five freakin’ years old, which means she’s old enough to understand what you’re saying, and you’re giving her a complex. I know I keep buying her toys, but there isn’t really anything to do here, and she’s bored as all get out. I don’t blame her, so am I. I mean, I am glad I get to come and visit, and I enjoy your company and all that, but, seriously, would it kill you guys to get like, an indoor playground around here or something?

I don’t want to pick beans, lettuce, berries, or anything else.

• Dude, even my farmville crops are wilted–what on earth makes you think I want to go out and pluck some actual fruit off a vine? Also, I don’t think at any point things are going to get so bad in this world that we’re going to have to “guard our crops with a shotgun in order to feed our family.” If worse comes to worse, chicken nuggets are like, 99 cents.

Could you stop forcing my kid to clean her plate, then giving her crap about it when she says she’s too full to eat another bite?

• I know that it’s wrong to waste food. She’s eats when she wants to eat and stops when she’s full, and I am TOTALLY okay with that. If I was worried, I would do something about it, but she is a normal healthy weight–and she’s regulated that all on her own. Why on earth would I take that from her?

Who the hell are all these people that keep stopping by?

• And why do so many of them show up before 8am? Have you guys not heard of the telephone?

The news is not appropriate television for a five year old.

• What the heck is so important that you have to watch an hour of it every day? All they talk about is killings, robberies, suicide and other horrible stuff–can’t we just skip it this week? How on earth does that crap pertain to you. I don’t know what you’re worried about, I am sure it all happens in that evil city you’re always putting down–you’ll be fine. I haven’t watched an entire news program, like, ever, and I am up on current events. I drove all the freakin’ way down here for you, maybe you could do me that one little favor so I don’t have to explain to my kid why some school teacher took her life or whatever the hell they are talking about.

Did you seriously for real just give me crap about the fact that my kid interrupts adults when she has a question for me?

• She’s hanging out at your church with a bunch of people she doesn’t know, and if she feels like she needs to ask me things like “Where’s the bathroom?” or “Is it okay if I puke in this bush over here?” Then guess what–I am cool with her just asking. You know what, I am cool with her asking whenever she wants, and that’s the choice I have made as a parent. I think it’s beyond ridiculous to treat kids like their second class citizens who have to WAIT until people are finished talking just because they’re smaller.

Whew. I feel much better. Anything you need to get off your chest today? Unload in the comments! (That sounded dirtier than I’d intended)

Okay, so Chevrolet gave us a hundred bucks to spend on groceries so we could show you all the trunk space in the Malibu.

So, naturally, I spent it all on soda…

Then I made a stop motion video.

If you love me you will comment and tell everyone you know, because this took me like four days to make. Amateur film maker I am not.

I’m busy today, so I am going to take a page from Rachel Bateman’s book and throw out a quick Fast Five Post.

1. I’ve totally screwed up my sleeping schedule. My parents had the kid over the weekend, and I stayed up all night long both nights. Why is it so easy for me to stay awake at night and sleep during the day, and if I was on the other side of the world–would I not have this problem?
2. I have a lot on my plate right now. Remember when summer was a time for relaxing? That so isn’t the case here. Don’t get me wrong, everything on my plate is amazing. But, I am still a little stressed and wondering when I will get to take a little breather.
3. I refresh my email a lot. Like somedays it’s like nine bazillion times. There are things I am waiting on, and I can’t help it. *clicks refresh*
4. Laundry overwhelms me. I feel like if I would just do one load a day every day, then it would be all good… but by the time I get done doing piles and piles of it, I don’t feel like doing it again for a long while. It’s a never ending cycle–I really hate never ending cycles of suck.
5. The daughter and I are having a TON of fun driving around in our Chevy Malibu. The blog launches next week, and I can’t wait. My favorite part is that it’s forcing me to finally get some video editing skills–that is something internet-ish that I have totally been lacking in. So, thanks Chevy~!

I’m not very good at making friends.

Well, that isn’t exactly true, I am okay at making them–I’m just not very good at keeping them. You see, friendships take work. You have to call people, send thank you cards, bring them meal when they’re sick–you know be a friend. And, since I suck, I hardly ever do any of this. So my friendships usually fade away, and it’s just sort of whatever.

I was thinking about this yesterday when I ran into my online friend, @texasholly.

Thing is, I talk to Holly via the internet all the time. We chat about our kids–if she’s having a bad day I send her a shout out (that’s pretty much the internet equivalent of making someone a casserole), and she does the same for me.

This internet friendship is a whole different kind of friendship, except that, in this case– I’ve met Holly.

We haven’t seen each other in person a lot or anything, but when we do, it’s not awkward or weird like it would be with a new friendship, it’s like we’ve been hanging out a few times a week for over a year, because we actually have. Just we did it online.

So, is Holly a real life friend or an online one? I don’t know–I mean, I met her online, and that’s where we have the majority of our interaction, but I’ve also had drinks with her, so does that change things? Should that change things? Does that even need to change things or does it matter what kind of friend she is?

So, tell me, online friends– are we really friends, or are is it just not the same?

*Count up how many times I say ‘friend or friends’ in this post, and leave it in the comments. I’ll draw names and send someone a present.

***EDIT***

Holly randomly posted about this SAME thing! AND if you go to her blog and leave her a comment on the post, she’s giving away a gift card to Barnes and Noble!

Something kind of cool is going on this month. I’ve been picked as a Malibu Mom. Basically, Chevrolet is giving me a Malibu to drive around for a month and I have to go on secret missions. We were asked to make a video biography of ourselves.

Maybe you remember me freaking out about it last week. Well, with the help of a friend, I think it’s time for my rap star debut.

Fresh Mom of Dallas from Jamie Harrington on Vimeo.

Okay, so if you follow me on twitter, you’ve probably been hearing about the super secret project a few of us have been talking about. (Okay, maybe we were intentionally building buzz by being all mysterious–but I would NEVER admit that.)

It’s time to reveal the secret, and since it’s an epic project, we decided it needed an EPIC announcement–which totally involved me dressing like a superhero and wearing a blanket as a cape… but at least I didn’t have to eat bacon!

The six of us: me, Elana Johnson, Casey McCormick, Shannon Messenger and Lisa and Laura Roecker, (along with Jennifer Stayrook—goddess of all things web design) are organizing a free online writer’s conference for kidlit writers!!! (Go check out their blogs because they are giving things away today, too!)

We’d all heard our friends tell us how much they wish they could go to a writer’s conference, and since we’re all about paying it forward, we decided to build our own.  And so, WriteOnCon was born—rated MC-18 (main characters 18 and under).

When: August 10-12, 2010

Where: http://writeoncon.com/

Here’s a taste of some of the amazing agents/authors/editors who’ve already signed on: Mary Kole, Catherine Drayton, Steven Malk, Michelle Andelman, Suzie Townsend, Mark McVeigh, Joanna Stampfel-Volpe, Kathleen Ortiz, Lindsay Eland, Dan Ehrenhaft, Mandy Hubbard, Lindsey Leavitt, Josh Berk, Anica Rissi, Jodi Meadows—and there will be many more to come.

But before you go—to help spread the word—we’re all having giveaways!

I’m giving away Josh Berk’s The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin. Josh is actually going to do a livestream chat at our conference! Yaay Josh!

How to enter:

Just comment below! (You have until Wednesday night at midnight CST)

For Extra Entries:

(Don’t forget to leave a separate comment for each one!)

Tweet about this contest

Post of Link this contest on your blog/website/facebook

Post the conference Countdown Widget on your blog or website

Follow the co-organizers blogs or websites

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for August 10-12. WriteOnCon is going to be WIN! We hope to see you there!