Good things

Despite being incredibly busy, I’m feeling happy and optimistic. My sister-in-law and I hatched a plan that takes care of the kids while I’m at Worldcon with Howard. The older kids (Kiki, Link and three cousins) are going to fly to California. I’ll put them on the plane at this end, my mom will meet them at the other end. The younger kids (Gleek, Patch, and two cousins) will drive to California with my brother and sister-in-law. This gets everyone to grandma’s house for a visit, and doesn’t put small people on a plane with inadequate supervision. I love this solution. I’d been feeling bad that the kids have been stuck at home all summer and this gives them a nice vacation right before school starts again. Of course I’ve already spent one night laying awake worrying about all the things which might possibly go wrong, but I do that even when the kids are all at home in bed.

In other good news, I learned that Hold Horses is eligible for Caldecott nomination. The odds of being recognized for that prestigious award are slim to none, but applying puts my book into the hands of 16 notable librarians across the country. That’s a good thing. I’ve got my eye on a couple of other awards as well. I should probably also look up children’s book reviewers and submit copies to them as well.

My sister-in-law and her kids headed home this afternoon. I’m so glad that they got to stay the extra two days, although I wished they could have stayed without having car trouble. It was so nice to just sit and talk. The kids all ran off and played together all day long. And I got to hold their little baby. Baby snuggles are good.