When I decided it was time to start potty training, the kids were two weeks shy of their second birthday. I was tired of changing diapers. I was tired of paying for diapers. I wanted to be free. So I made a plan. We got up one day at the crack of dawn. Actually, it hadn't even cracked yet. It was pitch black outside. I wanted to make sure everyone's pants were still dry. I knew each and every one of them possessed the capacity to stay dry all night. They’d each done it, just not consistently or all four at the same time. After a long night, they’d hang out during those early morning hours (and on into the Sesame Street hour) when I was too tired to drag my exhausted body out of bed and tend to them right away, and their status from dry-all-night converted to oops-I-need-a-diaper-change. So to avoid any accidents, about three hours before Big Bird even woke up, that fateful morning I dragged out of their miniature beds four sleep-confused toddlers, marched them into the kitchen, told them to down about three gallons each of apple juice, then led them into the bathroom. We had four potty chairs. We had books. We had sippy cups. We had a jar filled to the brim with M&Ms. We were set.

I’ll give you a copy of my next book FREE if you’ll join my Launch Team. That simply means: read my novella (about 70 pages) and post a review on Amazon on March 16-17. (A synopsis is below. It’s a historical time travel, the prequel to Chloe’s Guardian.)
 
You’ll need to have an Amazon account to post a review, plus download a free e-copy of the book prior to posting your review, so that you are a “verified” buyer.
 
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​The Raid of Balvenie and the Maiden Who Survived is set in the Highlands of Scotland in 1542. In this exciting time travel prequel to the Nephilim Redemption Series, discover the previously untold story of how Horatius came to be in the unscrupulous hands of the murderous Angus MacKay, and what the Maiden of Balvenie did to drive him there. Learn of the mysterious machinations in play that fateful night above the cliffs of Dunnottar Castle, and the story that led to a young maiden unwittingly helping a vengeful demon while simply trying to reclaim the shreds of her lost life and all she loved.

​A few days ago when Jason was bicycling home from work, a dog attacked him and bit him in the leg. He didn’t know how bad it was—or wasn’t—until he got home, because he just kept peddling and got the heck out of Dodge. At home, he pulled up his ripped pant leg and found blood dripping down his leg. 

Spencer took down the Christmas tree today, and put away the decorations and the lights. It's time to pack up the holidays for another year and move on to see what the new year holds.

This morning I went to the gym early so I could swim some laps. There were about twenty cars in the lot when I arrived at 7:30, a half hour after the club opened.

​The new millennium arrived when my kids were seven. We checked out movies from the library and got snacks, and worked hard to stay awake, watching movies late enough to usher in the next century. When it was nearly midnight, we roused those of us who had dazed or dosed in front of the television screen and we bundled up in our coats and slipped on our boots over our pajamas to go outside. 

When I wasn't salting the beds, pouring ketchup on the couch, or smearing Vaseline on the walls, I guess I could stand still long enough for a photo and pretend to be sweet and cute. After all, Santa was due and I needed to not pout, cry, or shout. 

A friend of mine came up to me with a big grin to tell me she was pregnant, and she'd just found out that she was having twins. It was exciting and fun news, especially since I'm into twins (for some reason). 

I've had a way too busy day, so I'm going to go simple today and post a picture of Jason and me a couple of years ago before I had my hair cut, taken in December 2013. I was going to use this on a Christmas card but forgot. Or I think I forgot. I forget. But now you can see it. :)

Leaving our neighborhood on my way to the gym, I waited for a traffic light to change to green, and when it did I started going. A small pickup truck came roaring from the right. I thought, he’s going awfully fast to stop in time. So I watched him, and sure enough, he didn’t stop. He ran the red light, turned directly into my lane in front of me, and took the right-of-way. I slowed down to avoid a collision and he took off like nothing had happened. His truck was brand new with paper plates, so I was surprised he’d be so careless, if for nothing else but his shiny red truck. Nutty drivers. You have to drive defensively all the time. Or they’ll hit you. And when the defensive driving isn’t enough, then Someone sometimes steps in and helps. That’s what happened to me later.