Jenyfer Matthews

I am very very very happy to say that I met my goal to get One Crazy Summer proofed and formatted for print before the end of the month.

Isn’t she lovely? (Yes, the book is a “she”!) I’m especially pleased because this is the first time One Crazy Summer has been available in print.

My new challenge: getting ALL THE WAY HOME proofed and formatted and in hand by June 11. Why so soon? Because the friend I’m staying with decided to throw a book party for me. I’d like to have all of my titles available. Soon after that, I’ll be participating in a sale in Minnesota as well. Might as well use these opportunities as a push to get my butt in gear, right?

Then I guess I have to get back to writing something new…

All Romance Ebooks is offering a sitewide 50% Rebate on all purchase made via Paypal or credit card between 12:01 am on 5/28/11 and 11:59 pm on 5/30/11 (US/Central).

All of my books are available digitally in multiple formats at All Romance Ebooks – and with a 50% rebate off $2.99, what are you waiting for??

And I’m not talking about the Rapture, LOL. After today, there are only 7 days of school left, and three of them are half days (why do schools do that, anyway???)

I might be even more ready for the children to be done with school than they are themselves. I am tired of getting up with an alarm, tired of fumbling through fifth grade fractions, tired of homework in general, and very very very tired of all the candy.

When I enrolled the children in school, they gave me the supply list which included things that you would expect like pencils and notebooks and folders, but it also things you might not expect like two bags of candy per child. I was a little surprised but I assumed that it was for holiday parties (though if every child in a class brought two bags, that would still be an awful lot!). The administrators told me not to worry about the candy since the kids were starting so late in the year. (Just between us, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with it anyway!)

The candy is not however limited to holidays. The school offers candy as incentives to do well in a task, but also as a reward for either having achieved a goal or even merely cooperating with basic school rules. Every time I turn around it seems like the kids have a cheek full of candy.

I might be able to live with that – a little candy never hurt anyone in moderation and I don’t keep it around the house as a rule – but it doesn’t stop there. There has been a candy sale fundraiser every day this week which is is on top of the usual handouts which is all on top of ice cream sales plus “Fizzy Friday” where the children are allowed to bring soft drinks to school.

The friend with whom I am staying is as astonished by this nonstop sugar orgy as I am – so are her teenage children who say they never got so many candy handouts in their elementary schools. It makes me wonder what is in the principal’s mind? Was she deprived as a child? Did she not get the memo regarding soaring childhood obesity rates? Whatever happened to giving out rewards like stickers or pencils?

As many sugary treats as are being offered, I wish they would offer a dental plan as well.

I am sure the children have reached their candy quota for the year. Following the freaky episode with the ice cream man, I think it’s going to be strictly apples and carrots and floss all summer!

I took the children to the park over the weekend and while we were there, the ice cream man drove past trolling for customers. I have very fond memories of getting treats from the ice cream man as a child so of course I let my children stop him.

One thing that has certainly changed since I was a child, lo those many years ago, is the prices.

(Click image to enlarge)

I used to go out to the ice cream truck with $.50 and have a hard time choosing. The least expensive thing on this menu is $1 and if I had a time machine (how cool would that be???) I’m sure I could prove that the treats I bought were both cheaper and larger. What kind of chump pays $2 for a ice cream sandwich you could eat in five bites when you can get a box of them in the store for not so much more?

(Who are you looking at??)

I got the children their treats, then went *way back over* to my chair in the shade of a tree probably 200 feet from where the truck was parked. I zoomed in to get a picture of the menu and in the process got this picture too:

Does he look like a poster boy for America’s Most Wanted or what? I hadn’t given him much thought until I saw this picture later. Makes me wonder what – or who – he has in the back of that truck! Or maybe he’s just shy – he left in what seemed like a hurry

The children in the meantime finished their treats in a flash and went back to whining, fighting, and bickering again – which they had been doing on and off for about two hours. I had had enough of that behavior so I packed up my chair and took them home, where I made them pay me back for their ice cream. No treats for bad behavior! I’ve probably put them off ice cream trucks for life – which is just as well since I’ve since seen that particular truck circling the block around our temporary home!

The children’s school held a carnival at a local, family-owned, old fashioned amusement park called Stricker’s Grove this past Friday. Generally speaking, I am not a huge fan of amusement park rides (or crowds or lines) so I haven’t gone out of my way to take the children to amusement parks. After I looked at this one on the website, I decided to make an exception: the ticket prices were very reasonable and included food and unlimited rides. Also, the park itself was small scale. The children only *think* they like amusement park rides – I figured this would let them try them out in a fairly controlled way.

(Note: there are amusement parks in Cairo but I have avoided them for a number of reasons, one of which is my lack of faith in the maintenance of the rides!)

I admit that there was an element of nostalgia involved in my decision to buy the tickets as well. I can remember my own elementary school having carnival nights at a small amusement park called Pontchartrain Beach in New Orleans and how much I always enjoyed them. I was pleased that my own children could have such an experience as well.

The park was as cute as I imagined it would be with only one main walkway off of which all the rides were located. I remember Pontchartrain Beach as being bigger, but then again I was much smaller myself! The children did not notice or complain about the size of the park at all – they were completely focused on the rides!

The first ride we all went on was the Ferris wheel. The operator did not make a great first impression. First he forgot to clamp the bar down on the first riders, and then when we yelled to alert him, he nearly ripped off his own arm when he threw the wheel in reverse suddenly while simultaneously reaching toward the car. Yikes! Some people actually got out of line when he did that. Not us though- we are thrill seekers I tell you!

(Click any image to enlarge)

The ride went smoothly after the rocky start – everyone exited with all their limbs and I never heard any blood curdling screams from there that evening so I assume the operator got his act together!

There was a nice assortment of rides as well – something for all ages and tolerance levels. My children, of course, were most interested in the fastest, highest, and most thrilling rides of course. There were two wooden roller coasters. We started with the smaller one first, named the Teddy Bear.

The Teddy Bear was a beginner roller coaster, but it was more than enough for me. It did one trip around its track – no loops at all – and it was done. So was I. What can I say – I am a total wimp.

This sort of thing is much more my speed:

My son was not content to restrict himself to the Teddy Bear however, he wanted to go on the Tornado. I was there with my friend and her two teenagers so I could have just skipped the Tornado myself, but n-o-o-o-o-o. My son started trash talking about how his mommy was scared of the roller coaster and I could not let that pass. I also told myself that it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that was crucial for me to experience so I could use it sometime in my writing.

My son and my friend’s son got in the very first car. My friend and her daughter got in a car behind them. All the other seats filled up quickly so I ended up sitting with a little boy in the last car. I told the boy and his two friends ahead of me not to be alarmed if I screamed. They told me it was okay – girls do that sometimes! They then gave me details on what to expect and also admitted they might scream too. Chatting with them was the best part of the ride!

Did I mention I wasn’t a roller coaster person? I regretted getting on the ride almost as soon as we started out. We had seat belts and safety bars and I still came several inches up off the seat when we rushed over the highest curve. I did not get a thrill out of the ride – I was petrified! I am not sure why exactly it bothered me so much. It doesn’t bother me at all to go down a mountain luge track on a plastic sled at high speeds but I hated the roller coaster. If I am going to be going so fast, I guess I want to have more control over the vehicle I’m in!

After the roller coaster, my son ran off with my daughter and her friend and I stuck to more sedate rides for a while, like the swings and the carousel.

Is this not the most tormented looking horse you have ever seen?

After the riding the roller coaster, this is pretty much what I saw of my children for the rest of the night:

My friend and I were remembering carnivals from our youths and the rides we used to like. It was nostalgia that deluded us into thinking that we would enjoy a spin on the Electric Rainbow ourselves.

I think if it had stayed at this angle we would have been fine. However, this is just the beginning.

I took the above picture from the swings and I watched it tilt nearly perpendicular to the ground while we were waiting in line so I really ought to have known better. I am truly surprised that it wasn’t covered in vomit. (There were, however, splats all over the sidewalk outside of the ride). My friend and I got on the ride and my children scampered on right after us. They were thrilled to see us on the ride that they had been enjoying so much all evening.

I had a fond memory of this ride and should have left it at that. I did not hate the ride this time, I endured it. I survived it. I celebrated when it stopped. While my children ran shrieking with joy off to the next ride, my friend and I found a nearby bench and tried to shake off the spins. She never did recover – she ended up being sick and leaving early. It’s hell getting old.

There was less than an hour left to the carnival when my friend departed so I decided to just let the children continue riding while I strolled and took pictures. Then the children found me and tried to get me to ride the big roller coaster with them again. I was *almost* foolish enough to go along with them but then I thought about it: if I didn’t like the roller coaster in broad daylight, I knew I would truly hate it in the dark. I suggested that we try the Tilt-a-Whirl instead.

The children agreed, though they did say they thought it was a boring ride because their car didn’t spin much the one time they had tried it. It certainly spins a lot with Mom in the car. It was kind of fun at first – at least until it wasn’t. I should have known it wasn’t a good idea when a child stopped outside the fence for the ride and vomited just after he’d exited. We spun and we spun and we spun some more. By the time we finally stopped, I was more than ready to get off. My son exited in a hurry as well – and ran straight for the bathroom.

He was never actually sick (probably because he had been too busy with the rides to eat anything) but that was the end of the fun for him. And of course suddenly it was all my fault that he’d been riding the big, fast rides all night. He’d wanted to go on the carousel and the train but he couldn’t find me anywhere. I’m guessing that the lesson he should have taken from this – stop while you are ahead – will be entirely missed.

Both children have already asked to go to King’s Island. They might end up going sometime but it won’t be with me!

It has been a while since I’ve talked about what I’ve been reading – time to catch up!

It wasn’t always easy to find recent releases when I was in Cairo. Mostly I relied on the used book store, friends, or found books – several of my neighbors used to just leave piles of books in the stairwell when they were finished with them. It may sound a bit odd but I’ve read some wonderful books I might otherwise have passed over simply because I picked them up on the stairs on my way home!

I like history but it never really occurs to me to read a non-fiction book on a history topic. Give me a historical novel however and I gobble it up. Obviously, the accuracy of the historical research in a novel is going to vary by author but since I’m reading a novel instead of an encyclopedia, I can live with an impressionistic presentation wrapped inside a story. If the story or characters are intriguing enough and I feel like I want to know more, I might even do some research of my own.

A friend gave me a copy of Gone With the Wind a couple of summers ago and once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. It started off a bit slow, but in hindsight I realize that was only because Margaret Mitchell was painting a picture of what the South was like before the changes the civil war brought with it. Scarlett O’Hara wasn’t a very nice or sympathetic character but she was compelling and you have to give her credit for being a survivor. I think what I liked best about the story was that it wasn’t about the various battles that took place, but instead focused on what it was like back home, just trying to get by.

This fall I found the Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All by Allan Gurganus in the stairwell. Another really long book – the paperback edition I adopted was nearly 1000 pages long. I admit hesitated to start it – reading a book like that is a commitment, especially since I generally limit my reading time to just before bed. It sat on my nightstand for a while before I took the plunge – and then was immediately sucked in. The story is told from the perspective of an old woman living in a nursing home in first person and from the very beginning I loved Lucy’s down-home voice. She was telling her own story, but in the process also had to tell the story of her husband, his mother, their family maid (and former slave), and various other people around their small town. Lucy was 15 when she married her husband, a Civil War veteran, who was already in his 50s and the time period the story covers is post civil war until about the 1950s. (At least I think that is right – I gave the book to a friend who expressed interest just after I finished it!) It is a fascinating presentation of post-war society and race relations. Is it entirely accurate? Probably not, but it seemed reasonable and plausible to me. Every fact is tainted by someone’s perception and interpretation in the process of relaying it after all (with the possible exception of math!)

My sister gave me a copy of The Help by Kathryn Stockett for Christmas. When I say that I didn’t have much access to new books in Cairo, maybe you’ll believe me when I admit I had never even heard of this tremendously successful bestseller. I had no idea what to expect when I started reading it and that was probably for the best because I am often disappointed by books / movies which get too much hype. I started this book blind and I loved it. Set during the beginning of the Civil Rights Era in Jackson, Mississippi and told from the perspective of three different women, one white college educated young woman and two African American maids, it was a not only compelling enough that I carried the hardback edition back and forth to the children’s tennis lessons but it was also a wonderful follow-up to the Last Living Confederate Widow Tells All, picking up in time where that book left off. I loved hearing the stories from each of the three different main characters and also that it focused on such a small but personal aspect of race relations at the time: the black maids and the white women they worked for.

These books were written by different authors, many years apart, but they go together well. If you have some time and are looking for some thought provoking reading, I recommend all three of these novels either individually or read in sequence. Depending on how quickly you read, if you start now you might just have your summer reading list all taken care of!

I’ve been doing my best to settle in to my temporary home in Ohio and I think I’ve been doing okay lately in terms of not flipping out (too much) about what comes next. Distracting myself with the treasures to be found in the many thrift stores in the area helps (though I am glad my friend has a big house because I might need to store some things with her for a while!)

Considering what they went through with the upheaval and stress of the evacuation and then having a month gap before starting a new school in a new state with a new and unfamiliar curriculum, the children have been doing amazingly well. I couldn’t be prouder of how they have have settled in and how well they have adapted. My daughter wants to have straight As on her last report card of the year and I think she might just pull it off.

Overall, I have been feeling pretty good about how things have been going and about what might come next. It’s been a challenging year so far! Then I started to read back over my status updates on Facebook for the past year – of all the little day to day things that I was doing in Cairo and the friends that I saw and interacted with – and I started to feel a little homesick.

I even started to second guess everything I’ve done since February.

I still believe that we made the only decision that we could have made at the time by leaving Egypt when we did. The situation was simply too uncertain to risk staying to see how things played out, especially with the children to think of. In hindsight however, I kind of wish the children and I had gone back when my husband did at the end of February. It would make things so much less complicated in so many ways.

One of the biggest complications is that the children’s school in Cairo is pushing us to commit to whether we will be back in the fall term. I know that they need to plan for class sizes and staff, but how am I supposed to know what will happen in three months? It isn’t as if all the news from Egypt these days is good. And it is more than just saying “yes” or “no” – if we say “yes” we have to pay a hefty deposit per child to secure their places. The fee is an every year thing, but the difference this year is that my husband is looking for a job in the US. If we are lucky he’ll find something before next fall – which would be great only we’d lose the deposit with the school (which is more than I paid for my car – ouch!). If we say “no” and just take our chances, there is a possibility that he wouldn’t get a job and we would also lose their places at the school.

If I stay in the US, our family remains in limbo. If I go back to Egypt, we have to hope things remain safe enough until we can make a permanent move elsewhere. There are many other minor complications like what to do with my car – if I go back to Cairo in September, I’ll have to sell it. I feel lucky to have found it so I’d rather keep it. What can you do?

I never expected or planned to make my life in Egypt for the long term so in many ways I am ready to move on, however I don’t think I’m quite done with the place yet either. I never got to say goodbye after all.

I am coming to you live from a new laptop. There are no smilies accompanying this announcement because it was an unplanned, unbudgeted event.

My old laptop survived the trip from Cairo to Istanbul in my checked baggage when we left Egypt, and while getting older and slower, was managing to get along just fine (a bit like myself really). I liked it fine, knew my way around it, and was willing to make allowances for what it could and could not do. So why did I end up replacing it? Because my copy of Windows needed to be replaced and spending $$$ to buy a new copy of Windows for an old computer did not make sense for a computer that might only last another year or so.

And when I say it needed to be replaced, I mean that Windows started trying to hold my stored data hostage. Nice.

Between all the doctor visits, my new glasses, and now this new computer I feel a bit sick at all the money that is so rapidly flowing out of our pockets these days. That doesn’t even take into account all my various thrift store finds recently – or the money a Spanish pick-pocket relieved my husband of on a train in Barcelona last month. Guess what I told my children when they asked me for new video games at the electronics store yesterday?

I still have a lot to be grateful for – at least I *could* afford to pay for all of these various expenses as they came up. It’s a good thing my children like pasta though because I see a lot of that in our immediate future.

I am pleased to say that I finally made my way through the proofing of ONE CRAZY SUMMER and all of the digital editions have been updated. Now all that remains to be done is to format the file for print. So far I am on track to have that completed by the end of the month, fingers crossed…

It’s been another run-around-town morning. I dropped the kids at school, went for another appointment with the dermatologist (this time she cut a suspicious mole off my leg), and then to drop off the donations for the tornado victims. Now I have to tend to my son’s new pet.

The children have been asking for a pet for a long time and I have been resisting. I had two cats before I had children and I loved them dearly. The problem was that the cats did not love the children. By the time we were preparing to move to Egypt the situation had gotten so bad that I had to keep one of cats secluded in my bedroom and run a happy-cat phermone plug-in just to keep her from marking all of my things (guess who she blamed for bringing the children into the house??) I was at my wits end with what to do with the cats. They were clearly not happy with us and they were aging to boot – and Egypt does not have very good veterinary care for house pets. I was extremely lucky that at just about the same time a friend from North Carolina wrote me an email and told me her cats had just died and she wanted to adopt two older cats. Is that good timing or what? We went back and forth a few more times to iron out details and then I shipped her two aging cats. It was harder than I would have thought to let them go, but it was for the best. That was nearly six years ago and the cats have been restored to their former spoiled status and are living out their golden years in style. I still get status reports from time to time.

So no more cats. I’ve also vetoed dogs. Not only don’t I want to be stuck with the responsibility of walking a dog several times a day while the children are in school, but can you imagine having a dog with what has been my lifestyle for the last decade? How could I leave a dog for nearly two months every summer? I would go broke with kennel fees and the dog would go nuts. I have friends who bring their dogs with them when they travel but I have enough to keep track of with two children and six suitcases thank-you-very-much.

I have also nixed birds, rodents, and fish. I don’t think that birds belong in cages and there is the same problem with the vacation schedule. Also, who do you think would ultimately be stuck cleaning out the cage / tank? No thanks. I have many better things to do with my time!

Last weekend, my son found a pet that I could find no immediate objection to: a Venus Flytrap. It’s inexpensive, quiet, does not require walking, and eats bugs. What’s not to like? We’ll see how it goes. If there is one pitfall it is the frequency with which my son wants to feed it. If Venus Flytraps can become obese, ours will. It’s a good thing the new pot I found for it it is roomy…

It’s been gray and cold and drizzly almost the entire time I’ve been in Ohio, but I think that spring has *finally* arrived for real because I’ve been struck with an undeniable urge to clean and organize.

I’m hardly a neat freak, but once the level of clutter gets to a certain point I have to clear it up or I can’t think. My bedroom was awash in piles of clothes – items that the children have (already) outgrown, donations for me and the children that didn’t work out for one reason or another, and winter clothes. Today I sorted through everything and made piles for the consignment store and for donation.

The winter clothes will be donated locally and the rest will be donated to a local church that is collecting things to be taken to the tornado victims in the South. I was incredibly fortunate to have a huge outpouring of support for myself and my children when we arrived in Ohio with what little we brought with us when we evacuated Egypt so I’m really happy to be paying it forward by contributing clothes and toiletries to others in need now.

I am also still working on getting all of my books proofed and formatted for paperback. HERE TO STAY is now available in print on Amazon and I’m hoping to have ONE CRAZY SUMMER proofed by the end of the month. I’d like to say it will be formatted but let’s just keep that as a goal instead of a promise!