105 Ways to Give a Book

Bringing It Home

It's past time for a personal post, if for nothing else than to explain myself for the last month. I have all these blog-worthy events, including Book Expo America and my own 48 Hour Book Challenge, without the time to blog about them. But I am coming to the end of the month of crazy, and hope things will be a bit more functional.

Starting back at work in mid-May was wonderful, but certainly a new time drain at the most difficult period of the school year. On my fifth day of work I was doing a solo booktalking session at an elementary school, so it seems obvious that my first week at work was busy getting ready for making those presentations along with all the other new job stuff.

But nothing compares to the next two weeks where I went to BEA, did a school booktalk broadcast, went to a booktalking session, did and ran 48 Hour Book Challenge while arranging and/or attending Also-Teen's voice recital and dance practices. Then the second week I worked most days while helping my kids through the work and/or stress of finals, and gave a talk at the Children's Book Guild of Washington D.C. (thanks for having me!). Closed that week out with a teen sleepover at my house and then took my seventh eighth grade Girl Scouts to Great Wolf Lodge for their cookie money event.

This week I simply have to work while getting Also-Teen to her dance rehearsals and three recitals while finalizing her paperwork, course selection, and hopefully housing for the Broadway Artists Alliance program she's doing in New York City in August. (If anyone in the city will not be using their apartment during the week of August 5th, you could help a future Broadway star and her mother.)

Only then can I fully address the looming problem I've been avoiding all month. My mother will need month-long radiation treatment at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore where neither she nor I live. I'll be figuring that out in the next week, God help me.

There's a lot of good stuff there that was making the last few weeks crazy. Seriously positive, exciting, wonderful events. So I can't really complain. But I can explain the chaotic feeling and be ready for a calmer summer.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a lot of stuff going on. I hope you get some calm time to recharge soon.

Even in Australia said...

Wishing your mom a refuah shleimah - a complete and speedy recovery.

Ms. Yingling said...

Whew. That's a lot on your plate. Be kind to yourself. Hope things work out for your mother-- my grandmother lived with us while she was undergoing similar treatment. Will be thinking good thoughts for you.

tanita✿davis said...

Wow, chica. You're running the whole world again. Thinking of you and your Mama, and hoping you find places to gain energy and verve through all of this.

Jen Robinson said...

Wishing you calm, Pam. And health to your Mom. Sending good thoughts!

Kristin said...

Thinking about you and your mom!

Anonymous said...

Definitely wishing good health to your mom, and peace and calmness to you. Summer is a time that seems to lend itself well to calmness, so hopefully that will help get you through. Best of luck!