What I did this week

All summer I dreamed about the week of September 3rd through the 7th. The plans changed a billion times, but the one constant was those days would be mine. Alone, no kids, no husband.

It's been a fabulous week. I've cleaned (and things have stayed where I put them), read (without interruption), visited with friends (without a child sitting on my lap or hanging on my leg) and written (without having to think "Now where was I?"). I even had my lunch brought to me one day.

This weekend, I'll be shopping with my daughter, spending time with my husband and actually listening to my boys. I've had a chance to hear myself think and a chance to miss my family.

For awhile this summer, I felt like a total shrew for anticipating time by myself. What kind of horrible mother was I? After four days, 7 hours of quiet each day, I've come to realize that even mothers need time to themselves - to breathe, to think and to hear their inner voice.

Cooking and Writing

Over there on the left, under the heading "Writer Resources" is a link to Crockpot Recipes. My Crockpot is my saving grace some days. I thought I'd share the link to the page with my recipes, because I'm sure some of you, like me, are busy work at home moms, and sometimes, a new recipe that doesn't require much time is just what the doctor ordered.

The page is kind of blah right now, but I'll be sprucing it up and adding more recipes over the next few weeks. Feel free to add or subtract ingredients to your taste. Recipes are not directions, only guidelines.

I'm a guest blogger!

I received an email today to let me know a blog submission I sent a couple weeks ago is published at As We Are Magazine. If you'd like to see it, click the linked text.

Marketing your book? Try a blog tour.

If you're an author promoting your book, you might want to amble on over to this article in the New York Times. It's eye-opening to see what a versatile tool blogging has become. Enjoy.

First Day of School!

The whole gang

My "officially a big kid" Kindergartener

Waving goodbye











Today is a banner day! ALL of my babies are in school!

It's been a very long time since I've had a full day that was all mine. You would have thought that I would have been dancing a jig. But, as I watched my youngest step onto the bus, my eyes filled up with tears, and I continued to cry off and on for about 20 minutes. Tears of sadness and elation at exactly the same time.

Then, I got into the shower and reveled in the fact that no one was knocking on the door, or peeing, or arguing. I got out, got dressed, poured myself a cup of coffee and put a classical music CD in the stereo. And, I can actually hear it.

It's probably going to take me a week to get used to this, but is it ever weird to hear myself think.

Book Review - Demons Are Forever by Julie Kenner

Demons Are Forever

Julie Kenner

Berkley Trade

ISBN # 978-0425215388

Kate is your average, happily married mother of two suburbanite, if you totally ignore her calling to hunt and destroy demons. She's come out of retirement and slammed headlong into a showdown with the biggest baddest demon around. She's also come face to face with her former husband - but he's wearing a new costume - someone else's body. Elated to find him alive, she's also conflicted as she is raising a family with her new husband. When it rains it pours.

I loved Demons Are Forever! I grinned and giggled all the way through. It's kind of Buffy meets Desperate Housewives illustrated with much tongue in cheek humor.

Julie Kenner has written a full color, fast paced, keep you on the edge of your seat story. The characters jump off the pages - most likely wielding a stiletto or a crossbow.
(July 3, 2007, pp 304, $14.00)

Housework...ughhhh.

Dear Kitchen Goddess,

How do I get my dishes to stop breeding in my sink? They are worse than bunnies!

Signed,
Dishpan Hands

Dear Dishpan Hands,

I have a few suggestions for you.

• Eat less food. Less meals = less dishes to wash.
• Eat foods that require no utensils and no stonewear. Apples, oranges, plums, pears, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes - in other words, foods that come with an edible wrapper that you can eat with your hands.
• Live alone. Less people = less dishes.
  

Of course, these options would set you back about 1000 years and turn you into a lonely, yet extremely healthy, nomad type person.

Hope I helped.

Regards,
Kitchen Goddess