Rules for using coloring books for grown ups

Adult coloring books are all the rage and something I'd mentally put on my Christmas wish list. I've always like to color; crayons are my artistic tool of choice.

A few weeks ago, I was offered a chance to snag a review copy of an adult coloring book offered by Put Me in the Story. There were a couple of things that made saying "yes" to this opportunity easy.

1. It was free. No brainer. 
2. The PMS coloring book (unfortunate abbreviation) is personalized. So my copy came with my name printed on the front and inside.  
3. Tucked in the designs are inspirational quotes, for instance "Do one thing every day that scares you." (Eleanor Roosevelt)
4. I got to create the dedication myself. I chose a quote -- "To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." (Joseph Chilton Pearce)

Which leads me to the Rules for Using an Adult Coloring Book: 

1. There are no rules. 

Well, that was quite the short list. But really, that's the beauty of this art form. There's no way to mess it up. Each person can approach each color encounter however they wish. There are a few things I've discovered that may or may not help you if you're interested in picking up a coloring book. 

• There is no pressure to finish a page. I might color one section of a page and be finished for the night. Or I might color one portion of a page, then decide to move on to another page. 
• Fine-tips seem to be best for the job. I've been using some regular Target colored pencils. I'd like to try some of the fancy fine point crayons. (Maybe Santa will put them in my stocking.) I'm a little scared to try markers because I worry that they might bleed to the next page, but the vibrancy of color might be worth it. 
• Working on a relaxing coloring page with 3 boys and a football game on TV in the next room pretty much negates any relaxation that might have been had. 
• It's been interesting to see what kinds of designs I'm drawn to. Circular designs are my favorite. Straight-line geometrics, not so much. 
• Challenging myself to try questionable color combinations is kind of freeing.
• I'm finding that getting to the relaxing part takes time. Despite my chosen dedication quote, it takes me a bit to let go of the need to color it right. I have to try to remind myself that mistakes are part of the creative process. 

Since I received my copy of Keep Calm and Color On, Put Me in the Story has added another grown up coloring book to its line. Keep Calm and Color On: For Stress Relief.  Each book has 64 pages, good for hours of relaxing coloring. 

The price -- $19.99 for one -- is slightly higher than what I've seen in stores like Michael's. Now through December 13, you can order 2 for $30 with the promo code RELAX.

I don't get anything if you do buy, except the satisfaction that my friends will be enjoying their coloring books too.

Do you color? Do you find it relaxing? 

The love child with the funny name

Sing with me...

"On the 2nd day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..."

A vintage-real-life-never-out-of-the-box-signature-on-her-bum-birth-certificate-included-Cabbage-Patch-Kid!

She was a little delayed on arrival, but given that she's been in a box since 1985, I'll cut her a break for not knowing about GPS.

The box came just as we were leaving for Charlie's basketball game. It was big, but light. I didn't have a sense of what was in it, but Mike was happy it had made it. So when we came home from the basketball game, we all sat in the family room as I opened the box. I'll admit to getting a little teary when I saw the yellow cardboard packaging with the chubby leafy baby logo.

Mike said he had tried to buy a doll with red pigtails, like the one my sister had, but I'm glad he didn't get that one. All those years ago, in the year without a Cabbage Patch Kid, I didn't want my sister's doll. I wanted my own. And now I have her.

She came, still affixed to the packaging with twisty wire, her birth certificate still glued to the cardboard next to her.

Her name: Elna Fanny.

Elna, which means "sun ray."

Fanny, which means, well, duh. Fanny, bum, bucket, buttocks.

My very own Cabbage Patch Kid and her name means, loosely translated of course, "sun shines out her arse!"

I wasted no time in opening the box. This is no collector's item doll. This is my doll. And I will love her and hug her and squeeze her...sorry to go John Steinbeck for a moment.

Anyway, it is pretty funny how maternal I felt toward Elna Fanny as soon as I freed her from her box. Even after 28 years encased in cardboard and cellophane (imagine the bedhead!), she has that baby powdery smell that I remember Cabbage Patch Kids having. Her birth certificate came with a form to fill out so I can send away for an official certificate suitable for framing, though I have a feeling that's a piece of mail that would go unanswered these days.

I sat on the couch with her and smelled her chubby cheeks, finding myself talking in baby talk and allowing my mind to wander a bit about how it might be to have a REAL baby in the house again. Then I remembered real babies don't always smell like powder and they are not often content to sit in one place for 28 minutes, let alone years.

So, I thanked Mike with a kiss, and took Elna Fanny -- it's a must to use both names -- upstairs to bed with me. Oh, no worries. No co-sleeping here. She is tucked into her own call-it-a-bassinet-but-its-really-a-laundry-basket next to my bed, that just happened to be there in a handy spot.

She'll probably hang out in my room most of the time. Some days, maybe I'll pick her up just to smell her powdery sweetness. I might peek at her bum just to see the "real" Xavier Roberts signature again. And sometimes I'll just smile at the thought that Elna Fanny is the love child of my childhood dreams and my husband's desire to make them to come true.

Santa brought you what?

Every year at our house, Santa leaves a box of bandaids in each kid's stocking. Not plain, boring bandaids. I'm talking fun ones -- Batman, Spongebob, Hello Kitty, etc. It's a fun and inexpensive tradition and I'm pretty sure Santa will be bringing bandaids until the kids move out and take their stockings with them.

Ours is not the only house where quirky stuff is left under the tree. I know one mom who doesn't allow her kids to eat what she calls "crappy" cereal. But each year at Christmas, she buys every kid their own box of crappy cereal, wraps it up and puts it under the tree. She said it's one of their favorite gifts.

Then last week at the bookstore where I was working, a teenager came in with her mom. We got to talking about fun and silly presents. The daughter said, "My mom is totally a weird gift giver." It turns out that she wasn't kidding. The mom -- who has three daughters -- only buys generic feminine hygiene supplies for herself and her girls. So, you guessed it, at Christmas she buys the good stuff (Tampax, if you must know), wraps it up and puts it under the tree!

What unusual stuff does Santa leave at your house?

The 12 blogs of Christmas: #9 - Christmas Round One

We went to the in-laws today for round one of the gift-giving-and-getting frenzy that is Christmas. Compared to years past, my in-laws were quite tame in their gift giving, which is a good thing. Of course, I did the majority of their shopping, so I had some control over the situation. 

The big hits were Madden '09 for the Nintendo DS (Charlie), books 1 & 2 of the Twilight series (Annie) and two Ben 10 guys -- Swampfire and Humongasaur (Robbie). 

Karen & Tom seemed happy with the Dan in Real Life BluRay (I could watch that movie 50 times), their GoGo & Poppo wordles, and the fresh-from-the-German bakery springerle cookies.

Mike & I were surprised by our gift of green stuff which came with the directive to "buy something to add value to your house and stimulate the economy." Mike is trying to convince me of the relative value of a BluRay player, while I am set on helping him understand the benefit of new curtains in the family room. 

Our big family gift will come in February, in the form of four days in sunny (Please, God!) Sanibel, Florida. My father-in-law had wrapped a football with a note that said, "The next time we throw this football, we will all be where the birds are. Where will we be?" 

Now, I'm not sure if that says "Florida" to you, but it didn't for my kids. "The zoo! The pet store? Kentucky? (!)" It took a little hand holding to get to Florida. By that time they were so confused, they sort of acted like, "oh, a trip to Florida," kind of like you would expect them to respond to the revealing of a new scent of laundry detergent. 

As a mother, I was embarrassed that they weren't more expressively appreciative. So I said, "Do you know how we're gonna get to Florida?" 

"We're flying?!" There's the ticket -- and suddenly my in-laws were the heroes they deserve to be.  

Commence with the shrieking and squealing and generally goofy running around-ness. Except for one small, scared sounding whimper, which came from me as I realized that I only have about six weeks to lose 50 pounds. Hmmm...wonder if Bob or Jillian have any free time right now? 

What I want to be when I grow up and other quick thoughts

When I grow up, I want to be an old woman who looks around a room and sees it full of people who wouldn't be there if it weren't for her and who then thinks she is the lucky one to have had those people in her life.

My Grandma turned 85 last weekend. We had a family party to celebrate the occasion. By the time Grandma's 12 living children gathered with their spouses and their children and their children's children, there were more than 70 of us waiting to sing Happy Birthday.

I love you, Grandma!

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We got our first snow of the year today. Probably not even an inch, but I love it. It's soft and cozy and makes me long for the time when I could stay in the house for days at a time. The cold weather made me think that perhaps my Frog needed a little winter wardrobe upgrade too. Whatcha think? Thanks to Lindsay at Designs by Splat for the fresh look.

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That snowy cold weather that I love so much is not loving me back. My knees are aching, making me feel like an old woman. Only no one is standing by with cake.

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My annual shopping trip with my mom and her sisters happens later this week. So far, I've gotten one Christmas wish list to take with me:

• Remote control Chinook helicopter
• Megatron Transformers play figure
• Indiana Jones hat
• Original Star Wars poster

So that takes care of Mike. I wish the "other" kids would finish their lists.