Lie or Lay?? *pulls out hair* Which one IS IT? Grammar. Am I right, yo? #WIP #amwriting

Monday Motivation . . . Writerly things and stuff.

Does grammar ever leave you going...

Yeah, me too.

Your vs You're... The battle continues.



Your/You’re going to win. Your/You're Force is stronger than his.

Pro tip: sound it out with replacement words. If the word 'my' makes sense in the sentence then use 'your.' If it makes more sense to say 'I am' then 'you're' should be used.

So these two sentences would be: You're (I am) going to win. Your (My) Force is stronger than his.

Pronouns. The struggle is real... You and me. vs You and I.

It's getting hot and heavy with you and me.

OR

It's getting hot and heavy with you and I.



Pro tip: Test it out by going solo. (teeheehee) Remove 'you' from the sentence to see which makes sense.

It's getting hot and heavy with me. It's getting hot and heavy with I.

The 'me' wins!

Let's fight... Lie/Lay vs Lay/Laid

Hate this one I do. Ugh.

Lie (past tense lay) is used when there is no object being acted on. I lie down to sleep. Yesterday, I lay down to sleep.



Lay (past tense laid) is used when the subject acts on an object. I lay the book (object) down. Yesterday, I laid the book (object) down.

Pro tip: This handy-dandy chart brought to you by the Grammarist (full post here).

verb	present tense	past tense	past participle	present participle
lay	lay	laid	laid	laying
lie	lie	lay	lain	lying

Now, don't you have some verbs to miss use??

Wanna find more Motivation? Here ya go.

Word Count Goal

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Eating Junior Mints in a galaxy far, far away . . . karen

What does a Banshee do in between wailing and feasting on souls? Check her feed! #amwriting #amparenting

Friday Feed . . . Doing things and stuff.

Call me Karen. (writing words)

It's a new year and a new motivation for me. I was able to start and finish writing a novel last year, but it was hard. Really hard. I started several stories before I found the one that clicked. I also rewrote the ending (last 60 pages) of my dragon novel (Becoming). But still, last year was slow going in the motivation department. This year I'm writing my magnum opus! The one I've carried with me for a really loooong time. And it's a middle grade novel, which is kinda challenging since I've been writing New Adult and Young Adult for so long. It's a challenge that I gladly accept though. 

My writing goals for 2016 are:

1) find the perfect home for my dragon novel (it's currently with FIVE fantastic publishing houses that I would give my first born to be a part of--okay, maybe my seventh born)

2) finish editing my tooth fairy novel

3) write The End on my middle grade

Phew. *chants mantra* I am plucky. I am plucky. 

For those that read Witch Way to Turn (thank you, btw) and are curious as to WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH IT, I got the rights returned to me last year, but for now, the series is on hold. I want desperately to get Breena, Jenny, Miles, and Orin back into the world, but the timing just isn't right. Soooo, one day. I truly feel like it'll be easier to reintroduce them to the world once I have something different published. Just so you know, I still love them and haven't given up on them.

Okay, so, back to this year's goals. I'm writing at least 250-500 words a day. I'm not prolific by any stretch of the imagination, but that's the perfect daily word count to motivate me. Right now I'm pushing the 8k mark on my middle grade WIP. Holla.

Luke, I am your mother. (kiddo corner)

This week Lukey had his 15 month well-check appointment and is doing great. He also went to the daycare at my gym. I was kind of worried he'd cry until I came back--because he's in the stranger-danger phase right now--but he did great and had fun. Hooray.

Here's a few random pix from this week. Also, I had some random vids posted, but Google wouldn't play them. Grr! Maybe next Friday? *crosses fingers*

Lukey's struggle this week, from vaccinations to some crazy diaper rash, has been real. Poor fella. After an oatmeal bath--wherein I felt strangely like the witch from Hansel and Gretel--his bum started looking a ton better.

Just keep swimming. (all the randomness)

OhMyGawd. Did y'all know this existed??? Dress (day job appropriate) yoga pants. AHHH. So. Freaking. Cool. 

More about their awesomeness here.

Sooo, erm, I had FOUR--yup, you read that correctly--FOUR cavities filled on Thursday. Holy. Moly. All the numbness. It wasn't too bad with the nitrous oxide (laughing gas), but there were a few moments where I was 100% sure I'd swallowed my tongue.

BIG news about mine and Hubs' upcoming TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY. We're going on a second honeymoon! More like a first honeymoon though, since we didn't really go on one after we got married. Totally stoked. We're putting on twelve layers of clothing and hitting the slopes...in Breckenridge, Colorado! Tentative date set for next January. Woooooot.

Since I've never been skiing, I'd love any helpful tips or suggestions you pros out there can share. Comment away!

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Posted while watching Clifford the Big Red Dog . . . karen

Does your shower save you time AND give you smooth skin? Mine does! ;) #productreview

Try It Tuesday . . . Wherein I review things and stuff.

I'm all about saving time. Especially, now that I've got a toddler who acts like he's had about four shots of espresso instead of milk. But even if you don't have a hurricane in your house, you're probably still doing all-the-things and can appreciate a little time-saving goodness.

I just happened to come across this goody last summer in Walmart and made an impulse buy. Glad I did, because I've been slathering it all over my body ever since.

Today's product: Nivea In-shower Body Lotion

Where to find it: Pretty much any drugstore. I've gotten the best price at Walmart.

Average cost: $5.99 per bottle

Lasts: Using it daily, about 12 to 14 days.

Karen's rating: 

So why is it so cool??? Welllll, it's lotion that you do IN THE SHOWER. Right? I always got annoyed with how sticky normal lotion left my skin. And I couldn't put clothes on immediately after lotioning, because it had to dry. Not really a huge deal, until you don't have to worry about it anymore. And then it's like, um, how did I live my life prior to in-shower lotion?? 

How do you use it? Glad you asked. Wash your body per usual. Next, apply the in-shower lotion to whatever body parts you'd normally lotion, and then rinse it off. That's it. You're done. Get out of the shower and dry off. No stickiness. Get dressed right away. Live your life.

Side note: the directions say not to apply in-shower lotion to your feet. That's probably Nivea just covering their butts from a lawsuit, in case someone falls in the shower. I use the in-shower lotion on my feet though, and I haven't slipped.

Does it actually work? Yup. Sure enough. I have medium to dry skin, and I've tried all four of the in-shower lotions Nivea has available. My favorite is this one...

More info here. Have you tried it? What say you?

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Nivea showers bring May flowers, or something . . . karen

Have you written today? Here. Have a coffee. Or twelve. That book won't write itself. #WIP

Monday Motivation... Writerly things and stuff.

So, um, how did it get to be 2016? Wasn't it just Y2K, like, last year? Eesh! Time is a quick one. Anyway, someone here took a little time-off for the holidays. *points at self*

I know, right? And the problem with taking a writing break, is that it's kinda hard to get the groove back. Of course, Nothing in this world worth having comes easy. Matter-of-fact, some days are triple espresso days. But, hey, that just means I can type faster. Mwahaha.

 

One day the words write themselves. The next day it's like pulling hen's teeth. And, er, in case you didn't know, hens don't have teeth. Eep.

Momentum is key.

So grab a hot beverage, put your butt in the chair, and write all the words. You can do it. Your imaginary friends are counting on you.

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Sending love from Oz . . . karen

We don't use words like slow or possessed... A daycare for horror movie kids. #parenting #Halloween

 Halloween is coming...