Desert Sea

To Kill or not to kill...the blog...

I am only writing this entry because my ever-amusing husband has been harassing me and saying it would be a travesty (ok, he didn't really say that) to let it go.  

It wouldn't be a travesty or even a mild tragedy for anyone out there in the blogosphere...but what he meant is that it would be for *me* because blogging is an outlet for me.  He first wanted to blame my preoccupation with checking out my friends' status updates on Facebook as the cause of the death of this blog.  Of course, he also wants to preserve our family memories because this is the one place in which I record what goes on with our boys. 

So this is just to let the two readers and casual surfers who have chanced upon this blog know that I am changing gears.  I need a change.  I have been keeping up this blog for over four years.  I would like to keep writing via the web, but I need something new.  I have some ideas in the works and I will let everyone know as soon as I  re-invent the blog.

In the meantime, for family photos-- I will update my picasa page as often as I can.

Happy 09 everyone! :)

http://picasaweb.google.com/bklossada

Winter08

The Favorites

 

If anyone wants to know here are the current faves from The Superhero:

1) animals to play with
2) JUNGLE DRUMS (book)
3) cars to play with
4) superheroes to play with
5) racing games with his father (and anyone else who will race with him)
6) almond butter and nutella sandwich 7) cookies of course!
8) drums
9) family time (i am not just saying that...he is a family kid)
10) zebras
11) Africa.  He wants to go to Africa now already.  ;-)

This mom thinks that is totally cool. 

Oh and btw, does it bother anyone else that the word "Africa" is used in kids books to mean just about any place in Africa (but most commonly the savanna in east Africa).  I know kids are just little people, but do you think we (as authors) could actually use the proper country names?? I would like to see a book talk about the savanna in Tanzania, or the coastal Namib desert in Namibia.  How about Ghana or Mali?  Is this difficult? 

I mean you don't see "Asia" used as a catch-all word.  I mean people say, "China" or "Japan" when writing books for kids.  However, it is like Africa (and I dare say South America) is just viewed as a nondescript landmass with some really cool ecosystems.  Ok, folks don't get me started.  I could go on, but I have to go to work tomorrow and pretend to be an administrator.

So long days off!  Welcome 2009!  Bring it on! :)

Year-End Post

It is a moral imperative to post something tonight for the "year-end".  Let's just say that this pic exemplifies our year exactly:  complete exhaustion.

At least this young one (who I now dub the Superhero) has heroes to protect him while he sleeps in this Christmas-Eve-excitement-coma.

Here's to hoping that we can all meet our challenges with eagerness and the excitement of a five year old waiting for Christmas gifts.  Well, ok, that may have been a tad unrealistic (ya think?!).  LOL. 

Seriously, May 2009 be a calmer, more prosperous year for everyone.

All the best!

Merry Christmas! :)

Merry Christmas/Season's Greetings to Everyone!  I will post some classic Christmas-kid images on the morrow (or later).

Enjoy the food, the company, and the warmth of the season!

The Waiting is Almost Over...

Talk about the need to cultivate patience.  Poor kids...how do they make it?  The advent season is a great lesson in patience for young children. It is also pretty excruciating for parents to witness.  Who said kids don't have adult-sized skills?!

It is official-- some things are genetic.  My five year old son woke up and began talking about how he wanted to have everyone participate in a Christmas play.  He was going to make everyone re-enact the nativity.  Which is EXACTLY what I did for years as a kid in my family.  I pressed everyone into service for my holy family scene.  I think they may still harbor some resentment over it. 

However, my little boy doesn't know I did this (unless someone has been planting ideas in his head...hmmm will have to check that out tomorrow) so it is uber-cool!  What's even more fun is hearing who he has cast into the roles:  I am Mary (I am so honored), his daddy is Joseph, he is baby-Jesus and the Angel is his brother.  Other family members fill in the role of shepherd (my sister), and many animals...I won't mention this because some of them (who actually read this) might get offended that they didn't get cast into human/lead roles.  ;-) LOL

But I am reinvigorated about life because of him.  And I think that is the message of Christ's birth as well.  Brilliant.  Happy Christmas Eve everyone!  Be well and joyous!

Coolness...

I will post some more holiday pictures soon.  However, here is my current favorite Christmas decoration: Snoopy bubble-light in the kitchen.  It is sooo cool.

Enjoy!

That's what I'm talking about!

One of my favorite Urban Fantasy authors is Lilith Saintcrow.  I really love UF fiction and have for the last four or so years.  It all began when I was pregnant with my first son and on the phone with my best friend talking books (as we always do).  I said I haven't been able to concentrate on novels for the last few months and she said that there was a really cool book that sounded silly but delivered quite the punch...that book was GUILTY PLEASURES by Laurell K Hamilton. Of course, I didn't start reading the series until well after I had my first son, but it was that book started me on the quest for great urban fantasy.  I found that after reading the first seven Anita Blake novels I wasn't satisfied by run-of-the-mill fantasy and/or paranormal romance anymore. 

That said, this ad-lib post by Saintcrow discusses the merits of urban fantasy as a genre geared towards gender-bending and ambiguity.  And I realized when I read this entry that what Lilith speaks of are the EXACT reasons I love UF.  Here is a snippet:

"What truly defines UF, and why the genre has exploded recently, is the moral and ethical ambiguity of its protagonists."  --Lilith Saintcrow

Read the entire post here:  Chicks in Leather by Lilith Saintcrow

Winter has come (finally)

Finally it is cold in southern California.  It just isn't the Christmas season for me without it being cold.  Even though I have never seen snow fall except on vacation, it does need to be cold for me to enjoy December.  And tonight the rain is said to come.  I am very excited about this...though it was supposed to come on Friday and then Saturday and now Sunday night.  The delay is killing me.  But what else can we expect in this globally warmed world? 

All the shopping is near done, the cookies are cooling, and everyone is getting snug in their beds.  It will be great to hear the rain pound the roof.  May this night of winter be a boon to everyone.

I leave you with an inspiring quote from a Christmas card I received yesterday:

"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.  On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing." 

                --Arundhati Roy

It Begins...

The season of advent is upon us.  I know I mentioned it last year in this blog and so I mention it again.  The waiting is the hardest part-- especially when you know the waiting is for a good thing.  So happy waiting.  I, for one, am waiting for a lot of things (kids to grow out of illnesses, to get used to my job, husband to finish his internship, the economic downturn turning up, etc).  So I guess I should come up with a mantra to help extend my patience. 

Any good mantras out there???

Be well.

Gratitude Vol.1

Here it is folks-- What I am grateful for on this crisp autumn day.

My family
my breath
our health
all the colors of earth and sky

Note to self: be ever mindful of the need to lavish thanks on everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving!