Sluiter Nation Celebrates 1000 posts today!

Posted on May 17, 2012 by erin

 

Share your roots with me on Fridays!

Kate Sluiter of Sluiter Nation

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m excited to host Katie Sluiter today, especially since she’s got her 1000th post up! Congratulations on 1000 posts, Katie!

In her own words, Katie Sluiter is: Just a small town girl…wait no, that is a Journey song. Although I do live in a small town. I am a wife, a mother, a teacher, and a writer. My family and I have joys and we have struggles. Just like you. I write about them on my blog, Sluiter Nation. You can follow me on twitter, pinterest, or facebook.

 

I’ll be honest.

I’ve tried to write this post about 15 times and it just keeps sounding boring.

Boring like when you go to a college class, and on the first day the professor stands up there and talks for 30 minutes about how he got to be in that classroom at that moment.

Like you care about his Masters at Whatever University and his PhD from Big Whoop College.

Am I wrong?

I want to tell you how I got to this spot right here in this moment.

But I don’t want to kill you with boring facts.

It’s true, I do have a degree “in words” as I like to say. Two of them, actually. (Degrees, not words…eh, you know what I mean).

But I don’t think that has a ton to do with why I am here…blogging…writing.

I’ve always loved words.

For as long as I (and my not so patient family) can remember I have used my words.

But not on paper.

No, I like to talk. A lot.

My mom can remember when I was Eddie’s age (almost three) that I would walk over to the next door neighbor’s house and talk her ear off because my mom just couldn’t listen to every. single. one. of my words any longer. Plus the neighbor lady gave me pink milk (remember that stuff? Now I think “ew”, but then? YUM!), so there was that.

All through school my parent/teacher conferences and report cards came back with the same stuff: “Excellent student, reads above level, works well with others, talks WAY TOO DANG MUCH.”

I would love to sit here and tell you about the cute stories I would write or how I always dreamed of being a writer.

But that isn’t exactly true.

I did write a story in 5th grade about a baby turkey (I called him a “turkling”) named Terry.

But it was stupid.

And I did sort of think it would be awesome to be an author since I pretty much considered the ability to make up stories on par with being the most brilliant thing ever.

But I am not a story-maker-upper.

When I say, “I can’t make that shit up,” I mean it. I can’t.

I can only tell what is true.

And before my blog, I would talk anyone’s face off with those stories.

My students (I teach high school, for you who are new to me) would always comment on how I “had a story for everything” that we were doing in class. And it was true. Vocab words made me think of stories. Literature made me think of stories. Students telling me about their lives made me think of stories.

It was (and is) my most valuable teaching technique…being able to find a story to make something make sense to my students.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have always felt that writing is a powerful tool.

It’s just been more personal for me.

I have journals from when I was a pre-teen all the way up to when my husband and I started dating in 2003. Most of the entries are angsty or sad or pissed off scribblings.

Apparently I only wrote when I was anything but happy back then.

And I was kick ASS at writing scholarly/academic articles and essays. Just ask my graduate professors and my colleagues at the Third Coast Writing Project where I researched and taught other teachers about the importance of test writing in the classroom.

I’m sorry…I got boring there for a second. WAKE UP!

ahem.

Anyway, in 2007, two years after we had been married, I decided to start a blog because so many of our friends and family had spread themselves all over the country (and beyond in some cases) and I wanted to still share with them what our lives were like.

Because I am narcissistic.

At first I wasn’t really telling stories, so much as putting up pictures of what we had been doing.

In my heart I really wanted to pour out the stories of our miscarriages and of losing Cort’s dad to cancer.

But instead I posted pictures of the flower beds I just planted and the fun times we were having watching our friends get married.

I really started writing on my blog after Eddie turned one year old in 2010.

I found the blogging world.

I started reading really, really good writing and realized, “hey, I can do that too.”

I threw off all my inhibitions and concerns and started really telling my stories.

My stories.

Recently someone asked me what I “do”.

I responded, “I am a high school teacher on maternity leave and I write.”

It felt good to add, “and I write.”

Because I do.

Posted in Guest Posts, Show Us Your Roots Guest Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hide and Seek

Posted on May 16, 2012 by erin

I’m not here.

Let’s play hide and seek.

You can find me HERE. You’ll find me writing a guest post at Katie Sluiter’s place. She’s asked me to be a Sluiter Recruit. I’m honored and nervous. Comments here are off, please go pay her a visit and subscribe to her blog—she’s wonderful and we have a lot in common. Even more exciting? She will be guest posting on my blog this Friday. So please come back then, mmm’kay?

CLICK HERE to read my guest post. It’s about being recruited. About belonging. And a time when I didn’t belong.

 

 

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All It Takes is a Spark

Posted on May 11, 2012 by erin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today please welcome Jackie Cross, who writes over at With Just a Bit of Magic. You can find just about anything there from recipes to pictures and fiction. She is a wife, mom to four kids, and during the day she spends her time working as a product owner for a software development company and heading up social media at her husband’s business. In the meantime, she dreams of new career in social media and freelance writing. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest.

Writing

noun 1. The activity or skill of marking coherent words on paper and composing text.
            2. The activity or occupation of composing text for publication: “she made a decent living from writing.”
I am a writer. You are a writer. We are all writers to some extent, right? Of course some are better than others and then there are those who rise above the rest and are simply amazing.

I aspire to be one of the latter, but I know I have a lot of work ahead of me to get there.

As a child I had a never ending imagination and invented stories complete with pictures. I played creative games with my sister and friends, and even my dreams were full of life. They were so vivid I could see, feel, hear, and smell everything in them! At one point I was sure that there was a snake in my bed and couldn’t move at all… I was terrified it was going to bite me. Once it slithered away I flew out of bed, woke my dad, and had him check my entire bed to make sure nothing was there.

As I got older my imagination began to fade and I wrote less with each passing year. What I did do though was read, read, and read some more. I’ve always loved reading and it’s helped spark my desire to write. It’s kept that little voice in the back of my head urging me to do something… to write.

Finally, the spark grew into a flame. The voice got louder and I was struck with inspiration. I started a blog and began reading Write on Edge, formerly The Red Dress Club. It was there that I found the weekly writing prompts and began writing short bits of fiction each Friday. Eventually I signed up for NaNoWriMo and pushed myself to write every single day.

NaNoWriMo was a challenge. I’d never written so much before and I have yet to share what I wrote because it is the biggest piece of crap I’ve ever written. I cringe thinking about all the work involved in producing something presentable. But that’s okay because I know that the more I write the better it will get.

I continue to write and look for opportunities to learn and grow as a writer. I’m branching out and looking for freelance opportunities and putting myself out there. I know that it will help me grow as a person and as a writer. Besides…. practice makes perfect, right?

Posted in Guest Posts, Show Us Your Roots Guest Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Surprise!

Posted on May 10, 2012 by erin

I’m not here today.

Instead, you can find me HERE.

I’ve written a guest post on motherhood for my bloggy friend Courtenay , who happens to have twins of her own! You can find her on twitter at @IaSoupMama.

Please be sure to stop by and read all the other fabulous contributors to Courtenay’s series “The Moment A Mother is Born.” 

 

I’m turning comments off here because I want you to leave them over at Courtenay’s place!

 

 

 

 

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Get Off Your Ass & Just Do It.

Posted on May 7, 2012 by erin

Fadra’s prompt for yesterday was about people.About whether or not we feel drained around them, whether we’re energized or not, etc. And so I got to thinking. I kinda took it a little further. But the neat part about her prompts is that you don’t have to stick to them. Love you, Fadra!

I’m frustrated by people sometimes. We all probably get that way. I don’t claim to be perfect, no one is. But I don’t sit around on my ass. I do things. I like to help people– all kinds of people—in different ways. Some don’t even cost money, so stop complaining already.

I went to Tribefest in March and I signed up with the Gift of Life. All it took was a few quick swabs inside my cheeks and some paperwork. I got a phone call last week confirming all of my information, so I’m officially in. If someone needs bone marrow, I’m on the registry. Follow them on Twitter at @GiftofLife of click on the link above for more information.

Two weeks ago I went to a program sponsored by the Kansas City Jewish Federation where we helped prepare bags for this week’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive while listening to discouraging statistics from a Harvester’s representative about hunger and poverty levels just in our community. Sad. Scary. So this Saturday, May 12, when your mail carrier leaves a plastic bag in your mailbox? Fill it with good stuff. Fill it to the brim. And then some. Next time don’t wait for a bag in your box. Drop things off at your local food pantry. DON’T WAIT TO BE ASKED.

I donate blood. I haven’t lately due to the pregnancy and recovery, etc., but I need to go again soon. I DON’T WAIT TO BE ASKED.

I regularly bring our old clothes, shoes, household items to Goodwill or local organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters that are in need. I DON’T WAIT TO BE ASKED.

I help the homeless. I keep granola bars and snacks in my car to hand out. You’d be amazed at how many goodies you can snatch up at your local dollar store. And a pack of peanut butter crackers can mean the world to someone standing on a street corner. Be ready. DON’T WAIT TO BE ASKED. That fancy latte you’re drinking from Starbucks? Could’ve probably fed several people breakfast.

There are needs everywhere, all you have do to is open your eyes and look around. Wake up. Get up. JUST DO IT. There’s plenty you can do.

  • volunteer somewhere: an old folks’ home, a food pantry, a shelter, etc. Your church, synagogue, or place of worship.
  • bring your used baby items and women’s clothing to a women’s shelter
  • pay it forward
  • helping people makes you feel better about yourself
  • helping people can be free, or pretty damn close to it
  • spread awareness about what you’re doing because others might want to join in
  • if you’re not sure where to start, ask around
  • bring a new mom a meal, or take the baby so she can nap or shower
  • surprise your elderly neighbor by mowing his/her yard or dropping by for a visit
  • call friends and family. tell them you love them.
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Despite It All

Posted on May 4, 2012 by erin

Show us YOUR roots on Fridays!

Meet Elena!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please welcome Elena Soninno, a freelance writer, National Board Certified teacher, runner,(aspiring) triathlete, and chaser of dreams. She lives with her  seven (going on 17) year-old daughter and former rocket scientist  husband in Northern Virginia. A believer in living life one moment at a time, Elena documents her travels through life at CiaoMom.com, as a contributor to TravelingMom.com, and is the founder of JustBeEnough.com where the voices of many tell a story of celebrating our strengths.   Promoting the need to build self sufficiency in others, she is a member  of Bloggers4Haiti and is on the American Cancer’s Society Blogger  Advisory Council working towards More Birthdays. You can find Elena on Twitter & on Facebook laughing, venting, promoting, and sharing.

**********

In second grade, my teacher told my parents that I was too creative as a writer. I don’t recall what my stories were about, but I remember loving to write. She however, apparently did not appreciate my love of the written word. Luckily, I was able to (mostly) ignore that voice and continue writing. In fifth-grade I wrote atravel essay about Egypt that was published in our local newspaper.  My first “published” book in seventh grade–Janet’s Glasses– still sits on my bookcase. A junior high series based on my friends, a la Sweet Valley High.

Later I took to writing letters to myself in a diary. I imagine my great grandchildren going through it one day, on the floor around a box of old journals,  learning about my sacred emotions, biggest fears, and largest triumphs.

One day though, that changed. My notion of myself as a writer became more real. Not just a school assignment or a diary entry anymore. This was different.

It was a fall day. I was at home with my daughter who had strep throat (again).  She watched television as I sat on the couch with her, my eyes scrolling through Facebook on my laptop.  I began to hear voices start to echo in my ears despite the sounds of Dora the Explorer streaming from the television. The voices said I should tell my story of surviving cancer.  The story of giving birth to a daughter despite being in early menopause. The  story of finding love again and getting remarried.

So I did. In  October 2009 I started telling the story. A story that for a long time I was uncomfortable owning. I never wanted to be “that” girl, the one who was sick.  I never wanted to be “that” woman, the one who drew looks of pity from her friends. I wanted to be strong and independent.  But in that moment, on the couch…I opened Blogger and  created a blog.

Fast forward to now. A voices still rings in my ear.  This time the voice is telling me that my writing is….blah. It’s not descriptive enough. It doesn’t evoke thinking or prompt people to react (or comment). My use of punctuation is inconsistent. It is not eloquent or polished.

For better or worse, the voice is not wrong.  I write in a conversational tone. I use ellipses and parentheses as if I’m sitting next to someone, pausing as I speak. And I talk a lot. I ramble. I use short or incomplete sentences for effect. To highlight.  The emotion. I use run on sentences because…well, just because.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve written many a post that led readers in a direction other than I’d intended. Because I digressed. Because I was too sarcastic, or maybe not sarcastic enough.

And yet I still consider myself a writer. Sitting down to write still brings with it a sigh of relief as the words jump from my brain to the screen. I may not be the most poetic or graceful of writers. I may not be the writer that has publishers knocking or editors swooning. But I write. I tell stories. I am brutally honest and maybe even inspirational every now and then. There is quite possibly a book inside my brain or a magazine  column about living life, one moment at a time that would love to see the light of day.

For now the unpolished, rambling,  choppy sentence writer in me will keep doing what I know.

I will tell the story.

I will use my voice.

I will be me.

Posted in Show Us Your Roots Guest Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Mom Blogger Friends: Please Help My Research-y Friends!

Posted on May 3, 2012 by erin

For my fellow mom friends who blog:

My very dear friends Shelly Kramer and Wendy Scherer do a lot in the mom and parent blogger space, especially when it comes to gathering data and research – and helping brands and agencies work more effectively with us. I’m sure you’ve seen me tweeting away with both of them (FYI, you should be following these women, they’re phenomenal! @ShellyKramer & @WendyScherer). Shelly lives here in KC too, and her twin daughters are the same age as mine. We’ve known each other for years. I met Wendy IRL (in real life) at my first Blissdom and she’s a fellow MOT (member of the tribe, as in Jewish). So we have a lot in common and I really love both of these woman and look up to them.

They’re also big champions of brands and agencies understanding what it is that matters to bloggers, providing them fair compensation for the work they engage them to do, and treating bloggers well. If you already know them, then you know this is a subject near and dear to their hearts.

Shelly and Wendy have developed a short, eight question survey to help get their latest research project started. Would you do me – and them – a huge favor and pop over and take it? They’ve promised to share the results of their research with me once the study is done — and I’ll be sure to share it here, on the blog, so that you can see their findings,
too.

Oh, and as an added bonus, if you complete the survey and are interested in participating, they are doing a drawing for prizes that include baubles, books and fabulosity — and since both of these women are really good friends of mine, when they say there will be
prizes, I’m all over it. They have awesome taste!

Here’s the link to the survey: http://tinyurl.com/shellysurvey

Pretty please hurry on over! Thank you so very much!

*Comments closed–go do the survey!*

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Taking Risks

Posted on May 1, 2012 by erin

I’m into taking risks lately. Desperately trying to stretch myself, force myself–even with little things–each and every day.

I submitted a piece for Write on Edge. I love the writing community there, and I slid my entry for Precipice in just before the deadline (midnight tonight). Nothing like thriving under pressure, right?

I called The Moth (thank you, Alexandra, for the suggestion) and pitched my story to them. Who knows if they’ll call me back. But it was a risk to take.

I wrote this piece about Tribefest, and it was published in The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle.

I went to BBC (Bloggy Boot Camp) in St. Louis. During the writing lab, I read my post “Where I’m From: New Orleans,” aloud in front of the group there. I was so nervous, but I made myself do it. When Fran and Meagan asked for volunteers, I made sure my hand was the first in the air. I’m sure everyone thought I was nuts, but I never do things like that.

I’m taking Danielle Smith’s vlog challenge. I’m going take a short video of myself every day for over a week, and once that’s done, I’ll watch them all together so I can determine my strengths and weaknesses. Then I will vlog for you. I’ve vlogged for you before, but it’s been a long time. I vlogged about Why Jazzercise is Evil. I vlogged after Sarah Robinson’s CIP conference. I’ve just rewatched both of those and clearly I have a lot to work on. I blink A LOT. My camera sucks (here’s where my new MacBook Air comes in—stay tuned for AWESOME vlogs!), my husband hates my vlogs, but that’s okay. I’m going to do it anyway to break up the monotony over here.

Finally, voting for BlogHer’s Voices of the Year closed yesterday. So that’s it, and I will change my email signatures back and stop hounding you over Facebook, Twitter, etc. What’s done is done. But the point is that I was nominated for this post: “What I’m Afraid Of.” I asked for votes, and I got them. So thank you all. Now there’s just a lot of waiting ahead and trying to not get my hopes up. Oh, but the other risk? Is that I’m going to BlogHer in August. I bought my ticket. And I’m going to pretend for now that the idea of milling around with 5000 other bloggers doesn’t intimidate me one little bit.

What risks have YOU taken lately? How have you stepped outside of your comfort zone?

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Writing Ways

Posted on April 26, 2012 by erin

Elaine from The Miss Elaine-ous Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please welcome Elaine Alguire, a transplanted Texan currently living the Cajun dream in Southern Louisiana. She’s wife to one brilliant man and mom to three blondies. She chronicles their life and times at The Miss Elaine-ous Life with her words and photographs and is embarking onto the scene as a lifestyle photographer for local friends and families. When not “shooting” pics, running (in every sense of the word), or attempting to clean house, she occasionally hangs out on “the” Twitter and her Facebook page. And she is MOST excited to room with Erin again at BlogHer ’12 in August!

 

When I was in the 9th grade my “best friend forever” and I had one of those spiral notebooks in which we wrote back and forth to each other and would hand it off during passing periods.  I remember well the day it fell into the wrong hands – those of the best friend of a boy my friend liked. He was a total numbskull. Plus, he had a crush on me. Some sort of love rhombus we had going on…Anyway, I think there were some not-so-nice things about him in there.

What? I was 14.  We all were. 

I cannot remember all the angst-y drama that was written all over those pages nor do I want to.  

I do remember my love for writing on each crisp, new page and I did include a few of my poems for my friend to read.  

In high school I was ALL about writing poetry.  It used to just flow from my fingers.  There are times when I wonder what happened to that yearning. I surely do not have it these days.

I have always written in journals, or kept one is some way.  Now my blog is my journal, so it’s interesting that others can read it. The fact that it is out there for all to see is not always a good thing though; there are certain things I leave out just for that reason.

When I was pregnant with my first son I typed out a weekly update on my progress and what vegetable or fruit the web was comparing him to size-wise, as well as how I felt (about every little thing).  I cried like a lost child when it disappeared due to the death of a computer processor at home.  That was before my days of blogging and I wish so hard that I could have those words back, in the same order.  Just to remember. 

There was a time when I really loved to write essays about the latest novel we just finished in school or about a certain historical period we’d studied in class.  I enjoyed finding meaning in the author’s words or the things that took place in the past.  Symbolism and history repeating itself have always been two of my favorite things.

I’ve written short stories before that never seemed to have quite the right ending.  I’ve written about my grandparents and parents so I can pass these words on to my own children.

I have boxes of letters from friends and cousins, back when we used to write to each other.  I’ve read theirs over again only to try and recall what mine said in return. Did they save them like I did?  Or have my words been sent to some bin, never to be seen again?  I wonder. 

All this to say the joy in writing has been there for me for a long time, in many forms. These days it can be even in something as simple as taking a Sharpie to a napkin and scribbling “I <3 You” for my son to discover in his lunch.  Words just mean SO much to me.

At this point in my life, my blog fills the needs as spiral notebook, journal, short stories (oh so many stories) letters and essays.  And maybe soon I will add poetry to the mix again too…

We shall see.

Posted in Show Us Your Roots Guest Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

The Death of a Teacher

Posted on April 23, 2012 by erin

the phone rings, the school principal calling.

she tells me Izzy’s teacher has died.

my insides crumple like wilted flowers

i choke up and cry ugly tears, wiping snot on my shirt

and all i can think is how i will tell my precious girl, my sweet pirate girl, this news.

her teacher who loved animals, the color pink, and Fluffy Fresh donuts.

Birth is a beginning

And death a destination

And life is a journey,

A sacred pilgrimage-

To life everlasting.

Izzy cries and clings and asks questions, some we’re unprepared for.

we muddle through as best we can. we make an Izzy sandwich on the sofa–

cuddling and snuggling her, letting her sob as we tell her it’s okay to be sad.

i feel like a child myself again, grasping for answers, fear of the unknown.

we tell her mrs. utterback will be free from pain

and she’ll have a cozy bed in the sky from which she can watch and hear us.

we tell her she can talk to mrs. utterback anytime she wants, and draw her pictures.

so she does:

 

a pink giraffe for her teacher who loved pink---from Izzy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stream Of Consciousness w/ Fadra Nally

Posted in My Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , | 51 Comments