I'm also a writer.
And sometimes it's not easy trying to be both things at once.
For example, it can be hard to FOCUS when one of my children runs into the nearest bathroom while pulling down their pants.
If they don't come out right away, I brace myself for the possibilities:
1) They will run out of toilet paper.
2) They will need wiping.
3) They will clog the toilet, run out of toilet paper, and need wiping all at the same time.
It's also hard to FOCUS on writing when your kids are screaming in the next room.
When my daughter started full time kindergarten this year, I was SO EXCITED.
I thought I would get SO MUCH DONE while everyone was at school.
And I do accomplish a lot, however... I have so many jobs:
1) Laundry
2) Grocery Getting
3) Floor Scrubbing and Vacuuming
4) Other Shopping
5) I still do Veterinary related work on my days off from the hospital
6) Exercise the dogs
7) Exercise myself
8) Yard work
9) Volunteer at School
10) General Cleaning (it never ends, does it?)
Other people claim they get the majority of their writing done after their kids go to sleep.
I'm assuming they must use sedatives on their children on a nightly business.
Is that safe?
I mean, it wears me out just getting the kids to bed.
They need a drink.
They are hungry.
They run around like crazy, ignoring my pleas for them to get upstairs, brush their teeth, and go to bed.
I mean, don't get me wrong.
I love my kids.
It's just that sometimes I think about how much time I had before becoming a parent and
NEVER
APPRECIATED
IT.
What a fool I was.
And no wonder I read so many books. (Lucky me!)
Somehow I do manage to get it all done.
However, I am usually tired (like every other mother I know).
Not sure there is a cure for that, but at least I'm never bored!
My life is exciting, fulfilling, and challenging.
I know my life is blessed, and appreciate every aspect--
even the ones that drive me nuts (like starting the day with a clogged toilet courtesy of my son's overzealous wiping--which has happened more often than I care to admit).
This blog post was inspired by the Writer Mama Bloghop organized by Sharon Bayliss.
HERE is her blog.
HERE is the #BlogHop Linky:
This is a Blog Hop!
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Loved this post! It made me laugh. My son starts kindergarten this August and I'm under the false impression that I'm going to get so much writing done with my new free time. But your list looks a lot like mine. Okay, maybe I'll get a little more writing done and have a cleaner house.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how "free time" isn't quite as free as expected--plus it shrinks when I'm not looking. Best of luck and hope your son loves Kindergarten as much as my daughter does. :)
DeleteLOL It's true that all those hours of free time shrinks a ton. I'd think, "Oh, I have ALL DAY to write," but at least if I got in two hours on most days, even if that was broken into two chunks, that was way better than what I used to do. That list made me laugh, though. I had forgotten how shocked I was at how fast the day time flew once they were both in school. I was dreading them going to school so much-- I had wanted to homeschool--but after a week, that daytime break went at warp speed, I swear.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the "warp speed" impression. Plus, my to-do list grows every day, I swear. Life is busy. Period. :)
DeleteI try to sneak in an hour of writing first, and then work on all the other items on my list. I've learned that the world doesn't spin off its axis if I don't get around to everything I "should" do.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I read the title to your book "How to Date Dead Guys." I thought, "Kill him first?" ;)
Hahaha. Ironically, that just might work. :)
DeleteSo cute. I'm with you on all of it. Personally, it takes a lot of energy for me to make my sons keep their pants on. They take them off to go to the potty. They take them off because they want to play in the sprinkler. They take them off because they want to take a bath. I'm always screaming, "Where are your pants?!"
ReplyDeleteYour pants comment reminded me of a picture I have of Fred standing in the yard, covered head to toe with mud, wearing only a pull-up underwear. I might not have been the most successful mom in the world that day, but HE was happy enough!
DeleteI absolutely LOVED this post, Ann! Poor thing. Eww, clogged toilets first thing in the morning. O-o I remember Agatha Christie said once, "Even if I get one good sentence down, I consider it a successful day." Chin up. :)
ReplyDeleteWe have one toilet that LOVES to get clogged up. It is not the only toilet in the house, but it appears to be the only one the kids are willing to use. HENCE THE CONSTANT CLOGGING. Gah! :)
DeleteWhen I had kids at home, I always dreaded summer, because there was never any time where I was alone to get things done. When school would re-start, I would always think, "Gosh, I'll be so much more productive now."
ReplyDeleteGuess what? That didn't always happen. It's always seemed that the busier I've been, the more I managed to get done.
So true. There's always so much to do, and we'll get it done somehow, right? :)
DeleteThis made me laugh. Thank you! I feel WEAK for just having one.
ReplyDeleteP.S. How long DOES the wiping go on?
www.jglucas.com
I'm not sure when the wiping stops. I still have to help from time to time.
DeleteMaybe when they go to college? ( I HOPE SO, anyway!) haha
Like Shelli just said, the thing that made a difference for me was writing first, then dealing with the rest of the list. It might mean I have to cap my writing time, but it also means that I *always* get my writing time.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I don't always put my writing first. Sometimes I do, when I totally forget about the laundry, vacuuming, etc (like this week when I'm going through edits). But usually I'm a "duty first" kind of girl.
DeleteEveryone's gotta figure out their own way, right? :)