Sticking my neck out

Baby Leone is not the only one drooling.

When I read through this agenda for the 2010 BlogHer conference, I really want to be there.

The conference is supposed to be a lot of fun and an incredible chance to learn about social media and to do some In Real Life Networking. My friend Meagan went last year and had a fabulous time. What’s more, I’m told a lot of bloggers bring their babies.

But Baby Leone, who is three months old today, and I are going to be traveling twice in April for work: once to Chicago, where I’ve been invited to give a talk about writing at Rock Valley College, and the following weekend to New York City, where I’ll be moderating a panel on travel writing. The idea of going back East again feels a bit overwhelming.

That said, I’ve applied for one of the coveted volunteer positions. Getting it is a huge long shot — I’m sure they have hundreds of others who have applied — but if that comes through and the $300 in conference fees, etc. is waived, Leone and I are on that airplane.

I’m part of the Cornell Alumni Ambassadors Network, which interviews high school students who are applying to Cornell to give them information about the school.

I attended Cornell from 1986-1990. I heart Cornell.

They have a summer program for interested high school students.

Here’s what they say about it:

Cornell’s Summer College, now in its forty-ninth year, is one of the nation’s longest running and most highly regarded precollege academic programs. It brings more than 800 academically talented high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from around the world to Cornell each summer for three- and six-week programs.

Summer College students have the unparalleled opportunity to:

• experience what it’s like to live and learn at a great Ivy League university,
• take real university courses,
• work closely with Cornell’s world-renowned faculty,
• learn three to six college credits,
• explore majors and career options,
• get a jump on successful college applications,
• make friends from around the world—and much, much more.

For more information: email: summer_college@cornell.edu or call: 607.255.6203 or visit the summer program homepage.

Spread the word to high schoolers you know.

A film crew from PBS was in Ashland this past weekend through Tuesday. They were shooting footage of Ashland for a “Frontline” documentary on the whole debate about childhood vaccines.

I spent three hours Saturday morning being interviewed by the producer, Kate McMahon, who asked a lot of difficult and very smart questions.

Sunday Baby Leone and I participated in a discussion about vaccines led by James Shames, M.D., who is the person responsible for Jackson County’s public health.

Monday the team came to the YMCA to get footage of my oldest daughter doing gymnastics and my son swimming in the pool.

Tuesday they came over again to get some B-roll of me working in my office.

They are featuring Ashland in the documentary because so many parents here have chosen not to vaccinate, to selectively vaccinate, or to vaccinate on a schedule alternative to what is recommended by the CDC.

They’ve also interviewed a slew of other people, including Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carey, J.B. Hanley, Barbara Loe Fisher, Paul Offit, James Shames, Bob Sears, and many more. They must have hundreds of hours of footage by now. It will be fascinating to see how they put it all together.

Here are some scenes from the first interview:

We had a jam-packed fascinating day with author Peter Ferry last Tuesday when he came to Ashland.

About 15 people came to my house to drink coffee, eat pastries, and talk about writing.

There were more than 20 people at SOU who showed up for Peter Ferry’s afternoon workshop.

The next morning he was interviewed on the Jefferson Exchange.

The book was a lot of fun to read, though I didn’t finish it until after Pete left.

His next stop (he’s traveling with his wife): Mexico, to write, read, soak up the sun, and learn Spanish.

My next stop: The computer to write, research, and obsess about the feature I’m STILL writing about cloth diapers. After that on the agenda is: the new safety restrictions and how they apply to parents traveling with small children and tips on getting through security with small children.

I’m also doing the FLX query challenge this month, which was exactly the kick-in-the-pants I needed right now. If you are a writer and you’re not a member of FLX (FREELANCE SUCCESS), it’s an organization I highly recommend.

Plus, I update my MOTHERING OUTSIDE THE LINES blog three times a week, so click over if you’re in the mood to read about politics, elimination communication, family life, pregnancy, and juggling work and family with a not-yet-three-month-old baby.

I made a rookie writing mistake a few weeks ago that I’m still mad at myself for making.

An editor wrote to me with an assignment.

Every writer’s dream is for editors to suggest assignments. Especially on a topic of interest. Especially when it’s to write an essay.

The sluggish economy and the changing face of the print world has really put a strain on the writing business and I’ve been feeling it.

So I said yes to the assignment immediately.

That was my mistake.

When I re-read the e-mail I realized that the magazine was offering me a lower rate than I have been paid for two previous articles for them.

It would have been simple and easy for me to say, “I’d like to do it but you need to pay me my regular rate.”

I love working for this magazine. I loved writing the essay. The editors were happy with the essay I wrote and the back-and-forth with them has been great. Bottom line: I’m delighted to be doing this assignment.

But I’m still kicking myself for not asking for more money, which I have no doubt they would have happily agreed to.

Moral of the story: Be happy when assignments come to you but don’t say yes too quickly.

My mother came to Ashland for a visit. Though the rapist at large has everyone in town on high alert and high worry, I always appreciate Ashland when we have visitors. We all enjoyed the mild weather, walking in the mountains above town, an outing to Jacksonville where we hiked on the trails behind the Britt festival grounds and ate Mexican food at La Fiesta, and swimming with the kids at the Stratford Inn.

On Monday we did something I’ve wanted to do for a long time: a family photo session with Christopher Briscoe.

Christopher Briscoe is a well-known photographer. I met him when my publisher hired him to do the photos for my most recent book, THE BABY BONDING BOOK FOR DADS, co-written by my husband, James di Properzio.

The shoot took about an hour and fifteen minutes from start to finish and even the baby cooperated. Chris is an amazing photographer. He has a way with children and was able to get some gorgeous images.

He’s also a good businessman. As we were leaving he said, “give me a week to get these on the Web.” Then he called me back in the afternoon to tell me the pictures were ready to view, and that he knew my mom was leaving town and wanted us to have a chance to look at them together.

It’s brilliant to underpromise and overdeliver, which is what Chris was doing. It impresses the hell out of your clients.

Here’s a sneak preview of some of the photos Chris took on Monday of our family:

Peter Ferry, author of Travel Writing: A Novel, will be giving a Fiction Writing Workshop in Ashland on January 19, 2010.

Seating is limited and first come first serve.

What: A 2-hour fiction writing workshop with author Peter Ferry

Where: Decker Writing Studio, top floor, Central Hall 240, SOU CAMPUS

When: Tuesday, Jan. 19, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

The text for the workshop is a copy of Ferry’s book, which is available online, at Bloomsbury Books, or at the door.

I have another new article up at Family.com, with advice from some master travelers about how to take a solo trip with the rugrats.

Sometimes, honestly, I find it easier to travel by myself with the kids. I’m in charge. If we’re late, it’s my fault. And I have to be totally present when my husband isn’t there to back me up.

Two years ago I took all three kids to Boston, Savannah, and Atlanta on a work trip. I paid out of pocket for them to come and we visited family on the East Coast. One night after a long day of running around Boston, we called James on the cell phone. The connection was bad. Athena sobbed on the T all the way back to our hotel because she missed her dad so much. The trip was exhausting and exhilarating but totally worth it. I’d do it again tomorrow (editors, are you listening?!).

The first two paragraphs of this new article (which did not involve any actual travel to write) read as follows:

Maybe you’re bringing the baby on a work trip. Maybe you’re moving cross-country with the kids and your partner is driving the moving van. Or maybe you’re a single mom or dad saving your pennies to vacation with the kids. Whatever the context, at some point in your parenting career, you’re likely to find yourself traveling alone with your kids.

Here are 10 tips to keep your sanity (and make your airplane connections!) when you’re in it by yourself…

You can read the entire article here.

I have a new article about traveling with a potty training toddler up at family.com.

Here are the first two paragraphs:

Maybe you’re still struggling to potty train your almost 4-year-old or maybe one morning your toddler decided to wear Big Kid underpants on his own and hasn’t had an accident since. Either way, traveling with a kid who’s potty training — or has just mastered doing things the grown-up way — adds a whole new dimension to your trip.

“Traveling can lead to more accidents but it won’t sabotage the potty training,” says Richard Rende, a developmental psychologist at Brown University.

“Some parents worry that if you don’t keep on top of potty training at all times, the child will never learn. But the good news is that’s not true.”

Click here for the full article.

Jacksonville = historic, quaint, friendly town in southern Oregon.

Segways = newfangled (well, not so new) contraptions run by computers that read your body language in order to go.

Jackonsville + Segway tour = awesome outing. Better than peanut butter and chocolate.

My article about taking a tour of Jacksonville via segway appeared in the Sunday Oregonian.

You can access it on-line here.

More photos of Jacksonville, Oregon: