December 2 11

Isabella: I know why you are an editor, Mama. It’s because you like to tell people when they are wrong. Right?

Me: Right.

Right.  

It’s true that I do, often, correct my loved ones, but I don’t even enjoy it anymore. It’s like picking at the skin near my nails or scratching my head while I watch TV or checking twitter on my phone or drinking a giant morning coffee. Uncontrollable urges; things I can’t help. If you are related to me and you misuse an I/ME/MYSELF, I am going to call you out on it. If you use the word BRUNG in my presence, I will call you out, and I don’t care how many other first graders are witnessing.

“He came with my dad and I.”

“My dad and me.”

“No, you weren’t there, Ali. And either was your dad.”

So, I guess she is a little bit right.

But it’s about so much more. I have loved words just about as long as I have loved anything. There is little more fascinating to me than the idea that letters and words come together to create beautiful poetry and thoughts and feelings and stories. I love being able to play around with the written word to make it better, more lovely, more inspiring. I love putting pen to paper and watching a plain old white page fill up with lovely words like felicity and serendipity and soliloquy and superflous. I love that we know so much of our history because of writing.

I love that when a person sits down to write, whether she is 5 or 105, anything can happen.

“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” —Shel Silverstein. 

And because of this, I made a career out of my love of words. I have a degree in publishing. I have spent the last decade+ working with words. I have been reading, writing, fixing, editing, rearranging, listening, organizing, helping, writing some more, reading some more, editing some more.

I have been making things better.

And then making them even better.

And I have loved every minute of it.

And today I am taking my talents to South Beach  opening up a new chapter in my life.

As of Monday morning, I will—officially—be the new Editor-in-Chief of The Yummy Mummy Club. I will be reading, writing, fixing, editing, rearranging, listening, organizing and helping. Lots of exciting things are happening over there, and I can’t wait to share all of them with you; I can’t wait to be a part of them.

I simply can’t wait.

But today I spend the day in pajamas with my three babies. We’re going to bake some chocolate chip cookies (if we don’t eat all of the cookie dough first). We’re going to go outside in the snow and take some pictures. We’re going to cuddle and snuggle and laugh and be silly. We’re going to make some crazy photobooth videos.

And no one is going to say brung.

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  1. I’m so happy that you’re coming on over to YMC and brunging all your awesome talents.

    Comment by Sharon on December 2, 2011
  2. Lovely. Writing can be beautiful, but with help it can sing. Being a part of making that happen, through creation or editing, is a magical thing.
    Enjoy your new role, and congratulations.
    ; )

    Comment by Jen on December 2, 2011
  3. You make it sound so glamorous. Nicely put. Enjoy your day and I can’t wait see what’s next at YMC. They better hold on to their hats.

    Comment by Tamara on December 2, 2011
  4. The only difference between us is the 2000+ miles and your formal education in publishing. And probably 100 pounds.

    But other than that, we’re the same person, alimartell.

    And congrats!

    Comment by Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] on December 2, 2011
  5. Oh how awesome, Ali!!! I love that site and I love me some Erica!! 🙂
    Congratulations!!!

    Comment by Karen Sugarpants on December 2, 2011
  6. Yay!!!

    Ever since I had the most amazing English teacher in Grade 12, I have loved grammar and punctuation and such. My mom was a stickler for spelling and grammar when I was growing up and I am SO GRATEFUL. The me/myself/I thing drives me NUTS (I correct my husband and my children constantly), as does there/their/they’re and your/you’re. I was considering doing a grammar post once a week but figured that might get people upset. I’M JUST SO PASSIONATE ABOUT PROPER GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION! (And now, saying that, there are probably going to be a bazillion mistakes found in my own writing, isn’t there?)

    Comment by Mrs. Wilson on December 2, 2011
  7. I never realized how much I loved writing until I was older. I always did it for school/work and didn’t hate it. But I never really enjoyed it and realized I had a talent for it until after college. And I’m glad I did!

    Good luck on Monday!

    Comment by Kristabella on December 2, 2011
  8. I am also a grammar Nazi! While I have to discuss with my baboos that it is IMPOLITE to correct other’s grammar publicly….I beamed with pride when one of them did it to her grandma last week. Oops.

    But she WAS right.

    I work as a PR Consultant, and make a majority of my hours editing letters and websites. Yay.

    wwww.alotoflayers.blogspot.com

    Comment by The Onion on December 2, 2011
  9. well, ain’t that news! congratulations to you! i love that site, too. see you there!

    Comment by julie on December 2, 2011
  10. My grammar is pretty decent (I think) but I am guilty of the I/me thing. What’s the rule? How do you know when it’s “Dad and I” or “Dad and me”, etc. Lesson, please!

    And, congrats on the new position. 🙂

    Comment by Alison on December 2, 2011
  11. I am a librarian in schools with very high percentages (like 80% +)of kids who come from non-English speaking homes. This conversation takes place all day, every day:

    Me: Did you bring your book back?
    Child: Miss, I done did be bringin’ my book back.
    Me: OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. That hurt my ears!!!! They are bleeding now!

    Seriously? How does anyone learn the phrase “done did be bringin’ it back”?

    Comment by LibraryGirl62 on December 3, 2011
  12. BRUNG not BRINGED ? 🙂

    A degree in publishing sounds so good, you will never have to worry about “how do i find a publisher”!

    Comment by gayatri.life.unordinary on December 4, 2011
  13. Congrats on the new adventure!

    Warmest regards,
    Joy
    http://www.PardonMyPoppet.com/PipSqueaks
    Pardon My Poppet ~ Pip Squeaks from the Mummy-verse!

    Comment by Joy on December 4, 2011
  14. These are really great sites to be able show to to clients that are looking to build a wordpress site. It’s nice to see that your blog is so beautiful, and very perfect site. I recently want to integrate the wordpress into my site – statinternet, and want someone give me some advices, do you have some suggestions, I want my site to be nice as yours?

    Comment by jason on December 4, 2011
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