Laugh!

Happy Thursday.

How has your week been so far? It's been quite a busy one for me—and the busyness isn't over yet. We plan on leaving for vacation on Sunday morning, and from now until then, I have a to-do list a mile long: errands to run, laundry to wash, packing to do... I'm tired just thinking about it.

What I really need is a laugh break. Luckily, I saw this hilarious video on YouTube. I hope you enjoy it, too. (My favorite part starts at around 1:30.☺)



Wishing you all a Thursday filled with smiles. ☺

Six-word Saturday

Making a list, checking it twice.

 

There's just so much to do! I wouldn't be able to remember everything if I didn't make lists.
What's your strategy for making sure everything gets done during this busy time of year?

Happy Saturday!

Six-Word Saturday

Not enough coffee in the world...

 

The weekends just keep getting busier and busier.
 Today we're getting our family picture taken; next week we'll bring the kids to see Santa.
Our Saturday to-do list goes on and on at this time of year.

Whatever your plans, I hope you have a happy weekend!

"Had we but world enough, and time..."*

I was thinking this morning about how hard it is to do all the things I need to do each day. My to-do list is often left unfinished, as everyday chores, like cooking and laundry and cleaning and running after children, take up most of my time, leaving little for the other things that really need to be done around here, like organizing and weeding out clothes that no longer fit and attempting to unpack more of the boxes I put in the basement when I moved here years ago. Fitting in writing time is sometimes an even bigger challenge, but it's an important one--and also the topic of today's 100 words:

As a writer and a mom, one of the things I struggle most with is finding the time to write. I stay at home with my two very young kids, something I wouldn't trade for anything. I do some writing early in the morning before they get up and some late at night after they're in their beds; however, in both cases, I'm pretty tired and often unfocused. But to paraphrase Tim Gunn on Project Runway, I make it work. I have to. If I have to sacrifice something--sleep--to follow my dream, that's what I'll do.

*Opening lines of "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell

Stress

Today's 100 words:

December 1. It doesn't seem possible that it's already the beginning of the last month of 2011. As a rule, I dread December. I love what the spirit of Christmas represents, but I hate all the extra things that need to get done this month: the family pictures that have to be taken, the clothes that need to be bought before those pictures can be shot, the Christmas shopping that needs to be done, the Christmas cards that have to be written and mailed, the last-minute gifts that need to be purchased and wrapped... It's a lot of stress.

Embracing the moments

I wake up each morning with the best of intentions. I'll work on my novel before the kids get up, I'll say to myself. And I'll clean the kitchen and sweep the downstairs rooms and call my sister, too. But these are just lies, apparently, because I undoubtedly finish only one or two tasks, sometimes ones that aren't even on my "Good Intentions" list. Today, however, my goal is to forget everything but writing. Dirty dishes and laundry be damned. This morning, I'm going to do what I love to do: I'm going to write.

I wrote this exercise early this morning, and I'm happy to say that I did write, although I had a hard time ignoring the dirty dishes waiting for me in the sink. (Lucky for me, they were still there when I finished writing...) I didn't do much work on my WIP for the rest of the day, however, as I instead ended up doing bits and pieces of other things around the house, accomplishing a lot but nothing that would really be noticeable to anyone else (i.e. my husband). But this morning's writing session was peaceful and productive, and I hope to make early-morning work on my novel more of a habit on the days when the kids sleep in and the laundry pile graciously declines to beckon to me.

Cinderella, Cinderella

Just as I thought, I wasn't able to get through my entire to-do list yesterday. It's all I can do to get the essentials done--the dishes, the laundry, feeding the kids, making dinner... It didn't help my mood when my husband "informed" me that I need to do more to take care of the boxes I have in storage in our basement. I wanted to cry when he said that--and I also wanted to yell, but I didn't want to get the cold shoulder from him all weekend. I didn't say anything, but I hope he read my feelings in my silence.

If he wants me to be able to do things other than the essentials, he needs to help me by giving me the time. He needs to take care of the kids. He needs to make dinner and scrub the kitchen floor. It's getting so I feel guilty if I'm not doing something for the family or house twenty-four hours a day. I can feel his metaphorical eyes on me right now as I type this, sure that he's hearing the click of the keys and silently berating me for not being down in the basement, rummaging through dusty boxes. I feel like there's never time for me to relax, yet he can sit at the kitchen table as he is now, leisurely reading the newspaper as he eats bowl after bowl of cereal. It's okay for him to take time for himself, though.  After all, he worked all week.

Men!

Guilt and Panic

I had a minor panic attack about my to-do list this morning. There's just so much to do, and the things I want to do keep getting pushed farther and farther down the list. My writing ends up coming last most days, mainly because I don't think my husband really supports me, and so when he's around, if I try to write, I feel guilty--like I'm not doing enough to "earn my keep." He's really not that bad, I guess, but our house is by no means spotless, and sometimes when he comes home from work I feel like he's looking around, checking to see what I've cleaned or straightened or put away. Those "inspections" are embarrassing--they make me feel more like an employee than a wife--and I'm sure that I'm falling short in his eyes. All of this just adds to the pressure I feel.

Today's to-do list, the source of all my panic, is long, and I know I won't complete it. I don't complete it most days, and I'm not sure what to do about that. I already try to prioritize, to do the most crucial things first. I can't sleep any less; I only get four or five hours a night now. I just don't know what to do to make it all work. I'm at a loss.

I guess that today I'm just going to try to take things one at a time and get through as much as I can. That means my writing will once again be last, though--and that makes me sad (and even a little angry).