From The Home Office

DAYS 55-57: “Kids! Mommy and Daddy are Scared!”

We left Liberty Harbor RV Park on a sunny, beautiful afternoon, intent on arriving in Connecticut before dark. When we'd arrived at Liberty Harbor, we'd simply gotten off the freeway, gone under the overpass, turned left, and driven a mile or two. When we departed, the GPS led us a completely different way, seemingly into a nearby neighborhood. Before we turned right, onto a residential street, Richard noticed there were two fire trucks blocking traffic. If we'd turned, we'd have been stuck there for hours. We kept going straight and ended up in a grocery store parking lot. That was easy enough to get out of and we waited a moment for the GPS to give us an alternative route. We ended up in that neighbor again, albeit on a different street, a very narrow passage with endless cars lining both sides. I remember passing the freeway at one point, going right under it, and wondering why the GPS was sending us a different way. It was a Saturday and there were lots of people outside enjoying the weather. There were also lots of junk cars, tattoo parlors, liquor stores, and other unsavory things that made us start to feel a bit nervous. At one point, men got out of two cars right in front of us, blocking traffic. They each went to houses on different sides of the street. We had no choice but to stop and wait. I heard a woman yell outside, "Leon, move your (BLEEP!) car!" Read more HERE. This week's Maxism: "When I jump up and down, I can hear lemonade in my stomach!" Hugs to all! Angela P.S. DON'T FORGET! THE SPRING 2010 24-HOUR SHORT STORY CONTEST IS THIS SATURDAY! Each contest is limited to 500 entrants so don't delay if you want to participate. 1st Place: $300 2nd Place: $250 3rd Place: $200 Entry fee is $5. You can see the complete list of 85 prizes and sign up here: https://www.writersweekly.com/misc/contest.html

DAYS 52-55: “Mommy! I’m Scared!”

After lunch on Friday, we took a cab to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Max had been waiting for this homeschooling field trip for weeks! We looked at the medieval outfits first...chain mail, suits of armor, things like that. Max had recently studied medieval times and was really enjoying seeing real armor and other protective clothing that people wore back then. He also thought the real swords and other weapons, laden with gems and intricate etchings, were pretty cool. He was having a great time! Mason, on the other hand, was bored out of his mind. He likes museums but he wanted to see some trains...and he kept asking about trains, over and over again. I figured out a way to placate him. I told him, "They have lots of paintings here, Mason. Let's hunt for a train painting!" That seemed to work. Now, admittedly, I figured we would NOT find a train painting there, but hunting for one would keep Mason busy until we got to the gift shop, at which time he would most certainly forget all about trains. But, we didn't plan on stopping by the gift shop until the end of our visit. As we were leaving the medieval display, and moving to another, Mason was once again saying, "Where's the train painting? I wanna find the train painting." I gently reminded him, "Keep looking, honey." At that moment, a nosy man with a kid in tow leaned down to Mason, sticking his nose into OUR business, and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, young man, but there are no paintings of trains in this museum." You should have seen Mason's face. It was like the man told him there was no such thing as fairies. Mason went from frown to public meltdown. I wanted to have a meltdown, too. I mean, the guy had a kid. He must have known I was trying to divert Mason's attention for a few hours. I wanted to throttle that man!!! Read more HERE. I have another Masonism for you this week. Mason (age 3) announced this week, "I need to make a train cake tomorrow." He then paused, looking upward and drumming his fingers on his lips, and added, "And then I need to put it in the fridge." Hugs to all! Angela …

DAYS 50-51 – Let the Feasting Begin!

Liberty Harbor RV Park isn't anything like a campground. It's a line of large parking spaces - an RV parking lot, all in a row. You can see the Statue of Liberty from select places there and you can hear the "clang, clang" of the sailboat rigging - but that's about it as far as aesthetic appeal is concerned. Oh, and the subway/train passes by frequently, too, though I did manage to tune that out at bedtime. The parking area is just cement and gravel so we didn't even bother putting Mason's gates outside. The boys played inside that night. However, if you want to park your RV and take a trek into the city, this the place to do it. We drove to the Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory in Jersey City, NJ for dinner. It has been featured on the Food Network on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives but we didn't know that at the time... Read more HERE. I have a Masonism for you this week. When we were in the ferry, heading for New York City, Max and Mason were staring in awe at the towering buildings on the horizon. Suddenly, Mason yelled, "I think I see the Pirate State Building!" Hugs to all! Angela …

DAYS 45-49 – Chuck E. Cheese: Where a Kid Can MAKE WAY TOO MUCH NOISE!!!

We saw many interesting North Carolina sights on the road on Thursday. From a billboard for "Truck Crash Attorneys", to numerous junkyards and taxidermy businesses, to a home that was painted to look like a gingerbread house, we were thoroughly entertained! And the rain kept on comin' down, all the way from North Carolina to my sister's house in Virginia... Read more HERE. This week's Maxism: At my sister's house, her large dog kept sniffing Max. Max was giggling, and finally said, "He keeps sniffing me!" I laughed, and replied, "He likes crotches." Max smiled again, and said, "Oh, okay." He then thought for a moment and added, "What's a crotch?" Hugs to all! Angela …

DAYS 41-44 – North Carolina BBQ! Yum!!

Wednesday was the day Max was dreading. He started to get teary-eyed whenever he thought about leaving Andi. We woke up early and got all packed up. I'm pretty sure I will never get all the sand out of this RV! It is EVERYWHERE! Andi and her dad spent about an hour with us before it was time to pull out. Max said a tearful goodbye and we took pictures. We pulled away and Max and Andi were waving to each other. Max was very, very sad for the rest of the day and that evening. He called Andi after we got to our next destination. That cheered him up a bit, but not much. It rained most of the day, which fit Max's mood. Our next stop was a hotel in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. We parked the RV, checked in, and went to our room. It had quite a 70s feel to it with all the light greens and geometric patterns. I'm pretty sure Carol Brady herself decorated it! We dumped our bags, and found a fantastic North Carolina barbeque place for lunch. If you've never had North Carolina barbeque, you have sadly neglected your taste buds and your soul... Read more HERE. This week I have a Masonism for you. In the RV one afternoon, Mason (age 3) was sitting quietly (for once) and looking around. After a few minutes, he said, "We sure have nice doorknobs!" Hugs to all! Angela …

DAYS 34-39 – Our Last Week in Myrtle Beach (sigh…)

It was kind of depressing on Wednesday. Zach was gone, nobody else was coming to visit us at the beach, and we only had one week left at that beautiful spot right on the Atlantic ocean. Oh, sure, we wanted to get home soon and see our loved ones but we were going to miss the place that had made the worst month of winter the absolute best month of winter! In Maine, we wake up to the sound of traffic. In South Carolina, we were waking up to the sound of crashing waves... Read more HERE. This week's Maxism: "You know, Dora isn't really an explorer." Hugs to all! Angela …

DAYS 33-35 – It’s March Now So, WHERE THE HECK IS SPRING?!

On Monday, I got a bit of work done. Zach decided he wanted to spend his last full day here shopping. Max had been excited about Zach coming because, unlike Ali, "Zach likes to do fun stuff, not shopping!" So, Max was pretty surprised to learn we were going shopping, not go-kart riding or laser-tagging... Read more HERE. This week's Maxism: "Mom, what does it feel like to get electrocuted?" Hugs to all! Angela …

Days 26-28: Sharks!

On Monday and Tuesday, we worked frantically on business stuff and Max got ahead in his school work. We wanted to get caught up so we could take some time off when our oldest son, Zach, arrives this week. However, a large Nor…

Day 19 – Kite Flying!

I noticed during lunch that Richard looked a bit red. He'd been in the direct sunlight when he was working outside the RV. He's not supposed to be in the sun between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. because it can cause him to get vasculitis, which can then last for months, and necessitate Prednisone. Think of it as a sun allergy. We kinda forgot about the 10 to 3 rule because, in Bangor during the winter, we're not outside this time of year anyway. The boys wanted to fly their kites in the afternoon after lunch but... Read more HERE. This week's Maxism: "I like the sound of my kiss. It's like a squeaking sound!" Hugs to all! Angela P.S. QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments - Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman's Day - $2,800; Redbook - $3,500; Ladies Home Journal - $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com - $2,000; Lifetime Magazine - $3,000; Life Extension Magazine - $6,480; Natural Remedies - $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K - $100K Publishing Contracts - Want to read real book proposals that landed these contracts? Simon and Schuster - $100,000; Berkeley Books - $25,000; Osborne-McGraw-Hill - $19,500; Random House $15,000; and many more! See a complete list here: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/3332.html

DAYS 12-14: Sock Dollies!

We've been going out almost every night, checking out the local restaurants and shops, and doing more shopping than we should. We ate at a fabulous pizza place on Saturday night (we had plenty of leftovers!) and we ran a few errands after dinner. I had to go to the craft store to buy some batting for a project I was planning to make for our little nephew. I also found two large Styrofoam planes for the boys to play with on the beach. What a disaster those turned into... …

DAYS 5-7: Snow, Snow and MORE SNOW! ARRRGHH!!!!

We were supposed to head back to DC on Friday but it turned bitterly cold and our nephew woke up with a very runny nose. I decided to spend the day getting caught up on work while Richard drove our tow vehicle to the gas station for a fill-up. While there, he noticed that a problem we'd had repaired right before we left had not really been repaired. …

We’re Outta Here!

On Sunday, I checked the weather and it looked like we were only going to get sporadic snow showers for the next 10 days. I told Richard, "Good news! No snowstorms are expected before we leave on our trip!" On Monday morning, we woke up and it was snowing pretty hard. …

When Your Kid Gets Ripped Off…

One of our adult children (I won't say which one) needed some very expensive auto repairs performed. We try not to step in and help if they want to take care of something themselves but we are always here to offer advice. In order to save money, they hired a co-worker, who I will call Dimwit Don. Dimwit said he ran a small auto repair shop out of his home garage on the side. After being paid in cash up front, Dimwit then kept the car for four months, after originally quoting "2-3 weeks" for the repairs to be done. During that time, the entire family was shuffling while sharing our two remaining vehicles. With so many drivers in the family now, you can imagine how much of a pain that became after just the first few days. After two months, it was ridiculous. After four months, and one excuse after another, Dimwit was fired from his regular job (for other reasons)...meaning our adult child no longer had daily contact with this individual. That was more than worrisome for us...especially since that's when Dimwit stopped returning phone calls... …

18 Days and Counting…

Well, all these blizzards have been a hoot and we appreciate the Christmassy feelings we got but...enough is enough already. …

MORE EXCITEMENT!

We're having a second Christmas this week when our friends Doug and Raul come to visit. Combine that with Ali's birthday AND another snowstorm and you can imagine that the excitement level is still pretty high at the Hoy House! I must have been very good this year because Santa was very good to me! I got an antique log cabin dollhouse that I've had my eye on. It lights up on the inside and is decorated for Christmas. It's beautiful! My favorite gift, however, was a gorgeous tree (an artistic, metal one) my mother gave me that is decorated with pieces of her mother's jewelry. I am honored to receive it and the display is absolutely breathtaking! I cried when I opened it. :) Okay, I have to get back to the festivities! This week's Maxism: "Mom!!! Frank won't stop singing to me!!!" Hugs to all! Angela P.S. QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments - Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman's Day - $2,800; Redbook - $3,500; Ladies Home Journal - $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com - $2,000; Lifetime Magazine - $3,000; Life Extension Magazine - $6,480; Natural Remedies - $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K - $100K Publishing Contracts - Want to read real book proposals that landed these contracts? Simon and Schuster - $100,000; Berkeley Books - $25,000; Osborne-McGraw-Hill - $19,500; Random House $15,000; and many more! See a complete list here: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/3332.html

THE EXCITEMENT IS ALMOST UNBEARABLE!

If you celebrate Christmas and you have (or had) young children in the house, you know what our house is like today. The children can barely sit still in their excitement for Santa's visit tomorrow night! …

AAAHHH… THE HOLIDAY LULL

New submissions at BookLocker always slow down this time of year because everybody who wanted their book published by Christmas has already finished the publishing process. While the lull is nice, it feels really weird to get off work before dinnertime some nights now! Like last year, we've put up a $149 setup fee special just to keep me out of trouble. Heh... …

SNOW?? STORM!!! WHOO-WHEE!!!

I was starting to get pretty nervous about the annual Christmas card picture. While we had three short spurts of snow during the fall, things weren't looking too good for the arrival of a real storm in time to take pictures to go with the family holiday newsletter. Each year, during the first snowstorm, the children are all ordered to get to the house (most of them drive now) as soon as possible, and to trudge outside for a snowstorm Christmas card photo. It's a Hoy family tradition! They smile through chattering teeth, and try to keep their eyes open for the dozen or so shots I take...while snowflakes are landing on their lashes. Heh... It's great fun for me and the kids always pretend it's a pain-in-the-butt for them. In reality, they get as pumped about the first snowstorm as I do! On Friday, we heard there might be a bit of snow on Sunday so I texted all the kids... …

Empty House?

With a family this large, in addition to four cats, a dog, a lizard and some sea monkeys, our house is never really empty...but it sure is quiet after the crowd we had here on Thanksgiving! The day was perfect and the children were so sad when Grampa and Rita had to fly back to Texas. …

Turkey is Thawing!

This week's issue is going out a day early because we figure most of you will be knee-deep in travel or family by this time tomorrow. Our big, fat turkey, which Ali bought on sale two weeks ago, had been thawing in the fridge for two days now. …

SWINE FLU ALL GONE!

We have all completely recovered from H1N1 / Swine Flu - well, those of us who caught it, anyway. Richard, Ali and Frank never caught it but the rest of us did. It's a relief to not need to be paranoid about it anymore. "Go aheads, kids, touch all the doorknobs you want!" Ha ha ha. …

SWINE FLU IN THE HOY HOUSE – Part II

Max is all better and has resumed normal activities. Mason (who got sick about five days after Max) was sick for about five/six days total. His fever finally disappeared on Saturday morning, but came back with a vengeance that night... …

Swine Flu In The Hoy House?!

Mason had what we thought might be a case of the croup last week. He woke up a couple of mornings with a bad, croupy cough, after rattled breathing at night. Mason has never been immunized and his immune system is far superior to ours. He rarely ever gets sick, even when the rest of us are in bed, slingin' snot...or worse. When he does get sick, he might run a fever for a few hours or have a runny nose for a day or two but then it's all over. On Halloween night, Max said, "My brain feels funny." Honestly, I thought he'd just had too much candy. Later that night, he felt warm to me but I didn't give it much thought, either, because our heater has been running quite a bit now that it's cold out. Sunday morning, he woke up with a sore throat and a croupy cough. I naturally thought he caught Mason's croup and that he'd be just fine in a few hours, just like Mason. We packed for a trip to Kennebunkport with my mom (we had special plans there for her at an inn on the ocean), and hit the road. Good thing I always pack a thermometer in our overnight bag because Max was definitely running a fever by the time we arrived. …

EEEEEK!! HORROR BABIES!!!

Boy, oh boy, oh boy! In just three days, it'll be my favorite holiday of the year! My mom is arriving this weekend and I'm so excited because she's never experienced a real, storybook New England Halloween - blowing leaves, frigid wind, gobs of people and the entire neighborhood going waaaay overboard with the decorations. It is AWESOME!!! I've been very busy creating horror babies over the past few weeks. What's that, you ask? Well, here's a sampling. WARNING - THESE PHOTOS MAY OFFEND SOME FOLKS, INCLUDING YOUNG CHILDREN. (Heh...) …

Witness to Romance…

Our friends, Scott and Kelly, flew in to visit us for the weekend. On Saturday, we drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain. The boys had to visit the bathroom so Scott said they'd meet us at the top. We helped the boys, and then walked the short distance to the summit. Scott and Kelly weren't there. I scanned the horizon and saw them way over on another walkway, overlooking Bar Harbor. Then, I saw Kelly jump into Scott's arms and kiss him. I said, "Oh, look! They're hugging and kissing!" Richard replied, "He just asked her to be his wife." …

Why the In-Laws Won’t Let Me Drive Anymore…

Last Friday, four of my in-laws arrived. Now, before you send me a a sympathy card or suggest I buy a box of Calgon, you should know that we're having a great time! Well, I am anyway. …

Leaf Watchers Descend on the Hoy House

This is the time of year when everybody wants to visit us...because of the miraculous Fall show we get in Maine, of course. This weekend, Richard's mom, step-dad, aunt and uncle will be arriving for a 5-day stay. The next week, his childhood friend, Scott, will be visiting with his girlfriend. And, on Halloween weekend, my mom is coming. We are so excited! …

Took a Day Off…for Nuthin’!

A few weeks ago, my laptop got sat on (don't ask). A few days later, I noticed a small crack in the screen. The local, family-owned computer place (which we love, by the way) ordered a new screen for me. We planned for my laptop to get the new screen on Friday and, instead of moving files from one computer to another (which can take hours), we would take the day off and attend the Common Ground Fair. It's very stressful for me to be offline for a day. I have a hard enough time delegating...but getting cut off completely from the business? I feel so detached! …

Early Fall Harvest!

If you've been receiving WritersWeekly for more than a year, you probably know that the children and I sow seeds each year in our small outdoor garden. Most of them never come up and the majority of the ones that do end up dying sometime during the Summer. Sometimes, we get lucky (or the garden fairies take pity on us) and a few things actually SURVIVE! …

Never Say Never…

I'm terribly bogged down this week so I have to make this very short. Just want you to know that I did something last weekend that I swore I would never, ever, ever do. I bought...a minivan! …

Awe, Rats!

Zach recently moved into his own place (sniff). While shopping at a craft store over the weekend, Ali and I found some adorable (snicker), furry toy rats in the Halloween section. They looked so real! I thought one would be perfect for Zach's new place. Heh... …

Thank Goodness I Felt Lazy Last Sunday!

When we heard Hurricane Bill was heading our way last week, and that we were supposed to get waves over 20 feet high, Ali (age 18) asked if she could drive to Bar Harbor with her boyfriend over the weekend to see them. I said, "The roads into Bar Harbor aren't 20 feet high so you could get stuck there. No, you can't go. In fact, you can't go anywhere this weekend." She didn't argue, knowing that I was 18 once, too. There were plenty of times when I told my Mom I was going one place when, in fact, I was heading for the beach. (Sorry, Mom...) …

Dumb Woman Tests My Ire by Locking Her Puppy in a Hot Car!

Dumb Woman Tests My Ire by Locking Her Puppy in a Hot Car!

Max and I stopped at the pet store to get crickets for Max's lizard, Cool, yesterday. When we left, Max said, "Look at the cute puppy, Mommy!" I looked to my right and there was a small puppy resembling a tiny Beagle in the car next to us. He was scratching on the window. I said to Max, "Come on." We both immediately got out of the truck. …

Richard’s 1 of 30 in a Million!

We went to the rheumatologist last week because Richard's vasculitis is still coming and going, despite the fact that he's on Prednisone. The rheumatologist and the emergency room doctor had the same diagnosis, which we had to look up online. …

Vacation Emergency Room Trip AGAIN!!!

Gosh, it sure would be nice to take a summer vacation that doesn't involve a trip to the E.R.! See: https://www.wirelesstrips.com/day-16-it-wouldnt-be-vacation-without-a-trip-to-the-er My latest update is here: https://www.wirelesstrips.com This week's Maxism: My sister, who came to visit us at a campground near her home, said she needed to change her baby's diaper. Max asked, "Is his diaper sweaty?" Hugs to all! Angela P.S. QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments - Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman's Day - $2,800; Redbook - $3,500; Ladies Home Journal - $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com - $2,000; Lifetime Magazine - $3,000; Life Extension Magazine - $6,480; Natural Remedies - $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K - $100K Publishing Contracts - Want to read real book proposals that landed these contracts? Simon and Schuster - $100,000; Berkeley Books - $25,000; Osborne-McGraw-Hill - $19,500; Random House $15,000; and many more! See a complete list here: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/3332.html

A HUMONGOUS Telescope, a Leaky Faucet, and BATS!

We're (still) officially "on vacation" this week, heading north in our RV after spending a week in West Virginia. We're in Maryland right now. To read about our adventures, and to see photos, click here: https://www.wirelesstrips.com This week's Maxism: "When I get married, we're gonna make another Hoy family." Hugs to all! Angela P.S. QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments - Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman's Day - $2,800; Redbook - $3,500; Ladies Home Journal - $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com - $2,000; Lifetime Magazine - $3,000; Life Extension Magazine - $6,480; Natural Remedies - $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K - $100K Publishing Contracts - Want to read real book proposals that landed these contracts? Simon and Schuster - $100,000; Berkeley Books - $25,000; Osborne-McGraw-Hill - $19,500; Random House $15,000; and many more! See a complete list here: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/3332.html

Rest and Relaxation? Hardly!

We're officially "on vacation" this week, meandering our way down to West Virginia and back in our RV. To read about our adventures, and to see photos, click here: https://www.wirelesstrips.com This week's Maxism: "Abstract artists are people who make up shapes!" Hugs to all! Angela P.S. QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments - Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman's Day - $2,800; Redbook - $3,500; Ladies Home Journal - $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com - $2,000; Lifetime Magazine - $3,000; Life Extension Magazine - $6,480; Natural Remedies - $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K - $100K Publishing Contracts - Want to read real book proposals that landed these contracts? Simon and Schuster - $100,000; Berkeley Books - $25,000; Osborne-McGraw-Hill - $19,500; Random House $15,000; and many more! See a complete list here: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/3332.html

West Virginia, Here We Come!

On Tuesday morning, we embarked on a 3-week trip to West Virginia and back. We are meeting meeting Richard's dad and step-mommy there for our official summer vacation. …

The Imaginary Lizard

The Imaginary Lizard

None of our children has ever had imaginary friends...until now. Mason (age 3) has suddenly acquired a pet that nobody else can see. Last week, Mason came into our room, with his tiny hand outstretched, and said, "See my lizard?" …

Mason is “FREE!”

Mason turned three years old this week. When you ask him how old he is, he yells, "I'm FREE!!!" Seems like just yesterday when he was hospitalized at just 12 days old. I still shudder when I remember that day. We are so very blessed that Mason is so healthy today! …

Getting Excited!!

We're taking our official "summer vacation" with Richard's dad and step-mom again this year. I'm quite sure this year's trip to West Virginia won't quite compare to last year's trip to Key West but I know we'll have a blast just the same. Richard's dad is an ex-hippy, and is super cool. The kids worship him. His step-mom isn't much older than we are and I consider her one of my best friends. She's a school teacher but you'd never know it when you get her out of the classroom. Heh... …

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