Finding my groove

I was looking through some of my old posts today and I happened upon one from my earlier days with the Examiner - where I was having a massive anxiety attack in written form, basically. I felt like that post needed a follow up since I've begun to find my own groove since then.

At the end of that piece I stated I would take a break from the forums for awhile since it was only breeding anxiety for me. I did take a break and only occasionally wander in there to make sure I'm not missing any important updates, words of wisdom, etc. In the mean time, I found another place to go filled with fellow Examiner writers. It's a Facebook group and the premise of the page is no whining and a place where we can share ideas and post our articles to use as another source of promotion. In short, I found the place to be for me. The atmosphere in this group is overwhelmingly supportive and I've had the privilege of learning from people who are really making this work - let me tell you, they work their behinds off. I am in awe over the volume of articles they get written in a day for several topics. Good, quality articles at that. In addition to those seasoned Examiner writers, I've "met" newbies like me who are also finding their way; other moms writing similar topics to mine, yet we take different approaches to how we run our pages.

The panic post stemmed from somebody's wondering if Examiner was a detriment to a person's writing career and from watching the success of some of the people I've met via the Facebook page prove the ponderments I raised, right. (Yes, that was definite Becca speak, you should probably get used to it). It is about the quality of writing a person does. In the word Abby and I share so sassily these days, "du-uh!" So here I am at four, nearing on five months of writing for Examiner and I definitely feel like I'm finding my groove. Surely I wish I could magically find some way to expand my readership, but I know it's not something that happens overnight. When I think of where I was when I started and the only page views I was rocking were ones from my family to where I am now...Vast improvement! Still, there's room for lots of growth and finding the stories that really bring the readers, but I have to recognize that the stories I write that bring in the most numbers aren't pieces that are going to get written every day. Meanwhile, in between those definite hits, I've just got to keep plugging along, doing my thing.

Not knowing who actually reads this, I'm still going to send out a thank you to Examiner for allowing me this opportunity to write about a topic I love, to my fellow Examiners who have made me feel oddly at home in a group of people I've never even had the chance to meet face-to-face, and finally to my faithful readers I have earned to this point - I love your comments and appreciate your stopping by my page and checking out my work.

• Becca's Examiner Page

Raising awareness for Dyslexia

My most recent Examiner article finally fulfills the promise to cover some of the many areas/issues awareness is being raised for this month. One down, two to go, nothing like waiting until the end of the month. However, if you know me at all, you know I am a horrible, horrible procrastinator. There should be consequences for a procrastinator like me, but it seems I do my best work when it gets down to go time. For instance, I think it was my last year of college, we had an entire semester to get the paper done for one of my core classes and I had been "working" on an idea s l o w l y putting the pieces together throughout the semester, when the day before it was due I decided I wanted to shift the focus of the thesis entirely. I'm pretty sure I stayed up all night, got the research done, wrote the paper, and e-mailed it at the last possible second. 100%. See what I mean? That's just not motivation to getting things going earlier.

Talk about diving off topic, though! The latest Examiner piece I have to offer you talks about dyslexia. It gives you a brief overview of what dyslexia means and some of the signs you can look for in your child, but it also connects you to some resources. One website I've found over the course of researching various topics is my new personal go to site for nearly everything. This site is phenomenal - and here's why: This site gives you information if you're a parent researching, it provides information for kids and teens in ways that relate to them. It's completely helpful. The kid sections don't sound as though they're talking down, rather they put it into terms a kid can understand. But to get linked up to this website, you'll have to head over to the article. I know, I'm mean, right? But you'll survive, so let's stop dilly-dallying and get you the link:

• Reading it right: Dyslexia Awareness Month

Guest spot

This posting will be a short one. I just wanted to share that I did a "guest spot" on Mary's Hurricane Riley & his Big Brother Rex blog today. As I've previously written, Mary is partaking in the 31 for 21 Challenge where she is posting something to her blog each day during the month of October. Remember October is also Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

I'd love it if you took the time and stopped by my first ever guest blogging spot. You'll find an interview I did with my sister in response to Mary's first ever Friendship Friday edition.

A friendship that shares everything - Christine's story - 31 for 21 day 22

All things Halloween

Here we are at less than two weeks away from Halloween and I finally decided perhaps it was time that I acknowledged that in my writing. I'm just not a big fan. Even when I was a kid...I remember when I was really small being excited about my costume, but even when I was still in Elementary School, my favorite part of Halloween was being at home, with my mom, handing out the candy to all of the trick-or-treaters. My parents would take out the screen/glass in the screen door and I thought that was complete and utter fabulousness. Then, as I do now, enjoyed seeing what other people would wear, but I could take it or leave it.

Alas, I am far from being in the majority on this one so it seemed intelligent to get some Halloween articles out there. Let me tell you a little bit about the two articles I'll be linking you to today. The first Halloween article I have for you details a list of events offered in the Billings area on the 29th - 31st of this month. In that article you'll also find a list of the various maizes and pumpkin patches in the area.

The second Halloween article I have to offer you talks Halloween safety. I genuinely did not want to put out yet another Halloween safety article, as they are in an abundance right now, so I tried to mix it up a bit. You've got the same ol' safety tips (I'm pretty sure I probably didn't break any new ground), but there are things there that I hadn't necessarily thought of, simply because I am not yet the mother of an older child. I also link you to some safety quizzes in this article. One is specifically for the kids to take and it's pretty awesome. I had my sister take it with her youngest (who is four) and having my sister read to her, but her (my niece) clicking through and choosing her answers worked just fine. Older kids will enjoy it too. I mean, I'm a 29-year-old kid and I enjoyed it. So hopefully I succeeded in bringing something a little different to the table with this piece.

Happy reading and Happy Halloween!

• Halloween activities for Billings families
• Staying safe this Halloween

And the verdict is...

As I shared yesterday, I had an interview today to discuss becoming a freelance writer for a local magazine. I also talked about how incredible my family is; let me start there...

My parents offered to have Abby while I went on the interview and upon arriving at my parents' house, the first words out of my mom's mouth were about how beautiful and professional I looked. Given that I had waffled over what to wear to this interview over coffee, these were words I needed to hear - even if they were coming from my very biased mother. The look on my dad's face as they sent me off on words of encouragement? Pure pride. Not too shabby of a send off, but still my nerves were jangling, but then...Getting in my car I saw I had a voice mail from my sister. As I drove down the road, listening to her message, I was wrapped in her words of encouragement and love. That was just what I needed - it was the icing on my encouragement cake. Not only that, but I'm doing a better job of letting God in on these things. It's clear things go better when I don't leave Him sitting on the sidelines. After my sister's message my nerves settled and I kept hearing her words over in my head and I went into this not only feeling good, but confidant.

Get to it already, you say? Well why don't you just call me the latest freelance writer for Simply Family magazine! I am thrilled beyond all reasonable belief. I love, love, love this magazine! Truly. It's that perfect fit to where I'm at in my life right now. My first article is supposed to be in the January edition - here's to the next step!

Could it be...Progress?

For whatever reason  I haven't really put my latest writing news "out there" yet, as I don't know exactly where it's going to go. However, as I was purusing my writings on here, I thought about how this blog is supposed to chronicle my journey as I work to find my way in this world of "being a writer." So, you're hearing it here first.

Tomorrow morning I have a meeting with the founder of a local magazine to discuss the possibility of me doing some writing for them. I'm insanely excited about this, but I really have no idea how this is going to turn out. I guess I didn't want to jinx it by talking about it too much, but felt it was only fair to put this out there, here.

As I'm writing this, I'm reflecting on the awesomeness that is my family. I'm thinking about what a phenomenal group of people they are - and how completely blessed I am that the individuals my siblings married are just as essential to this family as our original five. I couldn't have possibly asked for a more loving, supportive family. As I mentioned in my last post, my mom worked really hard to ensure that our family became an unshakable unit. While I don't claim to have the same kind of relationship with my brother that I do my sister; our love and loyalty are fierce. I know no matter what, these people have my back, and at the end of the day...That's not such a bad thing to have.

What on earth does this have to do with tomorrow? Well, first, without my sister and her friend, tomorrow might never have come to fruition. They both talked up my writing to this individual and they (the whole fam) are as excited about this as I am. I know this, I also know no matter the outcome, they'll continue to be my biggest fans and cheering me on each step of the way. I'll let you know how it goes. Think good thoughts for me!

10 Random Things

Following the lead of Mary (Hurricane Riley & his Big Brother Rex) in her 10th of 31 post for 21 today, I'm going to give you something completely random in the land of random writings with a list of 10 random things about me. Go ahead, hop on board and post your own 10 for 10.

1. I will willingly and happily re-read books again and again. I have probably read The Lovely Bones, Summer Sisters, and A Thin Dark Line more than a dozen times a piece. 
2. There are two words I have to say to my husband before he goes to work. 
3. And there are three words my volleyball girls are forbidden from ever saying. 
4. I would not have claimed to be a superstitious person, but the two previous statements clearly speak otherwise.
5. I cannot fathom not having a family who is your everything. Given that today is also my mom's birthday, I'll take this opportunity to give her a shameless plug. My 'original' family is not large - nor do my parents come from large families. We were the original five and both my parents - but especially my mom made every effort to ensure that our family of five became an unbreakable unit. She is unshakable in a crisis. 
6. Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too by Shel Silverstein is one of my absolute favorite pieces of written work. I LOVE to read it out loud. It's silly, it's fast, it's insanely fun. 
7. I still remember the day my husband became someone not who I couldn't live without, but the person whom I didn't want to live without. 
8. I am oddly addicted to Hannah Montana. This is a big one that I'm sharing and if I could whisper in writing, I so totally would.
9. I genuinely fear sending Abby off to school. I don't want to be apart from her everyday for all that time (I know, "Cut the cord mom!"). I'm terrified I won't arm her with the tools that will enable to stand strong against poor choices and people with vastly different values. I know how mean kids can be - I know important lessons have to be learned, but...
10. I love that my nieces and nephews envelope Abby into their lives as if she's one of their own siblings, since she's always going to be an only...Unless God and I stop being on the same page in this matter.

There you go, 10 things about me. Now hurry, there's not a lot of time left in 10/10/10. Eh, you won't hurt my feelings if you do it tomorrow. Leave us a comment with your link if you do!

Family Night: What's your favorite?

This week I posted/published the first in my first ever weekly series. The premise of this weekly feature is centered around providing ideas for family night. Whether the family night occurs on Wednesday night (so designated years ago when "Church Night" got banned out of the school's verbiage - kids are suppose to come home with considerably lighter backpacks on "Family Night." So whether your family rocks a family night during the week or on the weekend, this column is here to provide ideas.

As we know, miss Abby is a fabulous 3-year-old, but she doesn't always stick to a whole game (I've come to the conclusion if we attempt to make it too obviously a learning experience instead of just "fun" she'll bail on us). My sister often comments that she better get on board pretty soon because Bryan and I are BIG fans of playing games. We tend towards card games, but put any kind of game in front of us and we're a happy couple. Should you be invited into our home for dinner, it's almost a guarantee you will be drawn into some kind of game.

For a look at our first set of suggestions, head on over to my Examiner page. But first let's talk about where you come in...I'm sure your family has special activities you've done or do to make the most of your family night. I want to include ideas outside of my own perspective, so if you've got an activity that you'd like to see featured in one of these weekly columns, send 'em my way! You can e-mail me, leave a comment below (or on the article itself), or find me on Facebook.

Family Night: What are your plans?

Enjoy your family!

Just curious, have you found ways to raise awareness for any of the many areas awareness is being raised for this October?

October is a month of raising awareness

Not only is October a month for raising awareness for Down syndrome, but for many others as well. A recent Examiner article of mine explores all the various issues awareness is being raised for during the month of October.

When I got the list I noticed there were some topics I had recently covered. This particular article is my "hub article" so to speak, which provides brief information (in some cases) about that particular subject, links to articles already completed on the topic, or the promise for articles to come. I'm blown away at all the pertinent issues being addressed this autumn month.

To take a peek at all that's happening this month, you'll, of course, be directed over to my Examiner page for all that informative goodness. Be sure to keep checking back throughout the month, or hey, subscribe to my Examiner articles so you can be sure you won't miss a thing.

Learn more about what's happening this month: October is a month of bringing awareness

October is National Down syndrome Awareness Month

Did you know that October is National Down syndrome Awareness Month? (I'm thinking the title should have provided a clue, but...) Perhaps you remember the Kibbes? A Spokane family whose youngest child has Down syndrome. I did a series of articles on their family back in July.

Mary has a blog of her own, which she started writing in 2008 in order to participate in the "31 for 21" challenge. So with the first day of October nearly over as I write this, she has posted 1 of 31 for 21 today.
I love this and look forward to reading her posts each day. For my part, I told her I'd comment every day on her posts. What can you do to
raise awareness? Take to your Twitter accounts, Facebook, blog, whatever and spread the word. Even today there are many misconceptions about individuals with Down syndrome. In the course of the research I did for their story I found this quote:



“The most important fact to know about individuals with Down syndrome is that they are more like others than they are different.”
--National Association for Down syndrome

I dare you to learn more about Riley and even for a moment question the wisdom of that quote. To me, it says it all.

Haven't had a chance to Meet the Kibbes? Simply mosey down the page just a bit for the links to their articles. Also, check out Mary's blog. Perhaps she'll leave us a comment sharing some of her favorite blogs who are also participating in the 31 for 21 challenge.

Part 1: Meet the Kibbes
Part 2: Learning about Down syndrome
Part 3: Resources for children with Down syndrome
Part 4: Just a boy and his big brother Rex
Part 5: Looking forward
Mary's Blog: Hurricane Riley & his Big Brother Rex

Moments that take your breath away

Parenting. Like any relationship the parent-child relationship has its highs and lows. There are days when I feel like a complete and utter failure. Then there are days where we’re clicking and it’s perfection. And of course there are the in-between-kind-of-days. Regardless what kind of day it is, she is my everything and my heart feels ready to burst with love more often than not.

You might know that Abby is three-years-old. It’s such a short time for someone to be in your life yet so profoundly impact you, isn't it? When in truth, from the first moment I felt her move in my belly, I was hers.

My pregnancy was not easy, but still I loved having her with me all the time. I spent a lot of time talking to her when she was in my belly. The day I found out she had stopped growing and she would be coming earlier than expected, it was truly my first mommy moment. I remember driving home following that appointment alternating between talking to her and God. Reassurance for her and me and begging God to take care of this life I could no longer imagine being without.

But I digress…This week I’ve been very aware of the best part of my day, which is what spurred this post. My absolute favorite part of the day, one of the best parts of being a mama, is the end of the day last kiss before I go to bed. Often when I sneak into her room and lay the softest of kisses on her beautiful cheek, a smile will briefly flit across her lips.

Earlier this week we shared a similar moment and I swear- it felt as though my heart would burst into a million pieces. As I neared her bed, the floor creaked a little and it drew her every so slightly out of her sleep. Reaching her bedside, she automatically reached out her hand for me to hold. She murmured a few things as she hovered between that deep sleep and slight wakefulness, but wouldn’t release my hand. Her face was completely relaxed and more “baby looking” than I’d seen it look in a long time. I whispered equally unintelligible things to her as I knelt by her bedside, holding her hand, stroking her face for I don’t know how long, watching her sleep before I finally left her side. It’s moments like that, where everything is right in our world and it’s just us, that take my breath away and make all my shortcomings a little more bearable.

What are your favorite parenting moments?

Am I a writer?

Today I was doing some research on one of the magazines I'm hoping to submit some articles to and via a comment to a post I happened upon a link to a blog authored by another individual pursuing this dream of writing. (Did you catch all that)?

The particular post I landed in asked the title question, "Am I a writer?" Essentially the post encourages those who are sitting in this boat, pondering that question to stop questioning, doubting, and lacking the general chutzpah and just own it. Yes, I am a writer. It's not about being published or making the big bucks - though those things are lovely, it's about this need to write. Period.

This came at a great time (gotta love a great God-incidence, don't you?), as I've been struggling with thinking I sound like a complete idiot when I tell people about committing myself to writing. I. Am. A. Writer. Phew. The book I'm reading about writing and publishing children's books said the same thing. You have to give yourself permission to not only take this seriously, but to take it seriously while expressing to those around you that this is it; you are a writer, this is a job, not a whim or a passing fancy. It's a passion we're hoping to go places with.

Again, this affirmation of taking ownership of this dream come to life couldn't have come at a more opportune time. Last night I applied for a National title with Examiner. Who knows if I'll get it (it can take up to two weeks to hear back), but if I don't get this one, I'm going to keep trying. I've got to keep pushing myself and how better than to reach for more exposure?

Talk about a baby stepper, huh? Think good thoughts for me as I wait to hear on the National title. I'll let you know, good, bad, or fabulous. So there it is: You better believe I'm a writer! Moving on.

"The Giving Tree" How much is too much?

For some time now I've been mentally pulling together an article on Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree. For certain it is one of my favorite books, but the more I read it, not only as an adult, but as an adult reading it to children, I struggle with the premise of the book.

Recently I began wondering if perhaps I was missing something because surely something that starts off as a pure and beautiful friendship can't morph into this relationship where one friend turns up simply to use the other while this sweet, giving tree is apparently completely oblivious. I thought, "I must be missing something here," but I'm thinking...Not so much.

In all this thinking came the idea to read the book to my wide-ranging-in-ages nieces and nephews and get their immediate feedback on the book. I know the way I view this book has certainly changed as I've aged. Bottom line, when you're a kid, you just don't look that deep into these things. (Thank goodness for that in this instance). From here I'll take you to the actual Examiner article where you'll find out just what the kids had to say about The Giving Tree. We've got a nice variety of ages too; 10, 8 (almost 9), 7, and 4.

At the end of this I think the greatest gift this book has to offer is an opportunity to start a conversation with our children about what it means to be a good friend.

The video I'm attaching is one that I am addicted to. I love the song choices this person added to the slide show, are perfection.

Ginny's story...Continued

Yesterday, I introduced you to the inspiration that is Ginny Hein. It is with great sorrow that I tell you she passed away tonight. I am thankful she is no longer in pain, but my heart is broken for her family and honestly, I can't quite wrap my mind and heart around the idea of a world without Ginny.

Ginny often commented that she was given this challenge so that she could be an example to others through her faith. She certainly did that and since getting Ginny's story posted, I have been on a quest to get her story to the greatest audience possible. I have been an e-mailing fool and am really hoping to get at least one response. My ideal would be to get a response from the group who penned and perform Ginny's "theme song," Sidewalk Prophets. (You can give the song a listen below).

If you're so inclined, please say a prayer for Ginny and her family - especially her sweet girl. And please, help me share Ginny's story, pass it on.

Ginny's Story

I think my heart is breaking bit by bit today. I have been working on developing a website for the Relay for Life team I belong to. It’s not up and running yet, but when it is I’ll post a link and I hope you’ll check it out.

Putting this site together is far more emotionally challenging than I had anticipated when I volunteered to do this for the team. With each story we post and each memory I recall, my heart breaks just a little more. The same question keeps running through my head: "Why isn't there a cure yet?"

In addition to the this site I’ve been slowly pulling together the story of a friend who is in the midst of a four-year battle with cancer. It’s finished and turned into a great demonstration of Ginny’s faith and strength.

Let me tell you why I felt Ginny’s story needed to be shared and I hope you’ll go check it out in its entirety.

Ginny’s story is one that needed to be told if only to be a source of hope and inspiration to not only other families who are going through something similar, but to all of us as we continue to put the daily pieces of our lives together one day at a time. Regardless of what’s happening in Ginny’s life and with her illness, she has maintained her ‘true north’ and that is her faith. It’s easy to believe in something when the going is good, but it’s a true testament to her strength and faith that when the going got rough she held on.Read more

If you like what you read, I ask that you pass on her story to at least one person. I've felt this overwhelming need to share Ginny's story and I'd appreciate your help getting it out there. You can also "Digg" it.