Women In Hats is Here!

I'd like to introduce the newest member of my family: Women in Hats.

It was a long, long delivery. The edges were particularly tricky. But she's here. And yes, she's definitely a girl. Her name is Leigh Majors, and she is never going to change it.

So strange to have a new book out in the world. This is something so personal, something that I worked on so quietly, and thought about when I was supposed to be paying attention to other things. And now it's out in the world.

I have this fantasy of seeing someone reading my book on the subway. So, you New Yorkers out there -- help me out! Get that book, open it up and ride the rails!

Next month, I'll have a reading at New York's "Kettle of Fish" and I will announce that here, via email and anywhere else possible.

Meanwhile, I'm working very hard on book #3, having fun with Annie and generally enjoying life. And you?

Happy New Year!

Welcome to the Year of the Rat!

Happy New Year! I'm scurrying through the day, which I guess is appropriate for the year of the rat.

My daughter's school (in Chinatown) was nearly deserted today. The fraction of kids in attendance were all dressed in red. I felt a little guilty sending her to school today, but I had to work. And update my blog. And sit home waiting for the galleys for Women in Hats.

But rats are supposed to be industrious and smart, so I'll try to take those as my watchwods for the new year. Work, work, work. Write, write, write. Right?

Meanwhile, Annie explained to me that we're not supposed to wear black or white on the new year, because those are the colors for death. But it's okay for me to wear my black jacket because I'm not Chinese, so I won't die. Good to know.

Her homework last night included a lesson about Chinese New Year that the teacher had downloaded from theinternet. It described all the fun and interesting things that Chinese people do to celebrate the New Year, and encouraged the kids that it's "fun to learn about other cultures."

Really? Is it? Does the fact that 96% of the school's students are actually Chinese and already live with those traditions matter here? Isn't it weird for this white woman to teach them their traditions? Or is it just me?

GTD - David Allen and Getting Things Done

So, it looks like I didn't have the blog on my radar at all. What would David Allen say? Do a better mindsweep!

Sorry I haven't been writing much here. Okay, sorry I haven't been writing here AT ALL! I'm working so hard on Book #3, believe me. I'm a bit superstitious about writing about the book while it's in progress. If you're out there, and reading this, let me know if I should keep that book to myself until it's done, or should I talk about it.

I'll decide for myself, but it would be fun to collect opinions.

And soon, you'll have plenty of reading material from me: April 29: My new book will be published. It's called Women In Hats. I'll be blog-blog-blogging about that, believe me. And (hint-hint) you can already pre-order it from Amazon.

And in my copious free time, I've been certified as an instructor on GTD also known as Getting Things Done which is a workflow technique from a workflow genius named David Allen. I probably don't need to tell you who he is, but you can't stop me. He wrote a runaway bestseller about workflow and knowledge work, and his company teaches, coaches and consults all over the world. Recently, the David Allen Co. partnered with Linkage, Inc. to certify a small group of trainers to train this methodology. We are an elite group...

See? I've been busy in my non-blog time.

But I pinky swear to blog more often. How about you?

Second Grade is Ending, but I'm in Denial

Why do I say, "We have a lot of homework" or "We still have to do read & respond" when it's not my homework or my reading? Because I'm absolutely not separated from my kid in the healthy, you-are-you-and-I-am-me way. But we have homework, we have reading and we are about to say goodbye to second grade.

I don't want to say good-bye. It's so hard, so painfully difficult to find teachers as good as my daughter's second grade teacher. And I'll freely admit that the third and fourth grade parents have me highly nervous about the teachers that await us in these next couple of years. My daughter is so little and young, so vulnerable to the world of mean teachers and bully students.

What can I do about that?

Should I have held my daughter back and "red shirted" her so that she might be a bit older, bigger, more mature? Does anyone have a time travel machine to help me make that happen?

Does worrying help?

A Chinese Bat Mitzvah

Check out today's NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/08/nyregion/08batmitzvah.html

The "first wave" of Chinese girls adopted to the U.S. are reaching age 13, and lots of them are having bat mitzvahs. The article is a lot of fun, especially the shot of the yin-and-yang yarmulkes.

I don't really see anything like that for Annie when she turns 13, but one never knows, do one.

Anyway, it's a relief to read something celebratory about China adoption, after all of the sad news about the new regulations in China that restrict international adoptions.

As for me, I swear I'm still working on the new book. I'm in Chapter 12, and today, my friend Elizabeth gave me a great little scene to add to that chapter. Thanks, Liz!

Greetings from Snowy Michigan

Michigan arranged to have a nice coat of snow just in time for my arrival here. So far my daughter has been skating, skiing and tubing. Me? I've been writing. That sounds terrible, doesn't it? I promise that I haven't been ignoring her. It's just that I'm so much better off at room temperature.

We're here on mid-winter break, but I'm ready for winter to end. No more mid, thank you very much. Did I mention that I don't love being cold? I don't. I like being temperate.

But I've gotten some real writing done this winter. In fact, I finished Chapter 10 of the new book, and completely rewrote the outline for the remaining chapters. And we're not done yet.

More when we're back in (chilly but not so snowy) Manhattan!

Lafayette, we are here!

This is now, well and truly, a live blog connected to a live site. Why? What changed? What makes this day different from all others?

Today, AND BABY MAKES TWO is in your local bookstores once again, now in trade paperback. Today is the day that you can overwhelm your local Target with your (many) purchases of my book. And, since the www.judysheehan.com website is mentioned on the back of the book, today seems like the right day to make this website official and real.

What does this mean?

It means I have to post a lot more often, more creatively and YOU have to offer your (friendly) comments.

See you at Target!