Time flies (or passes by)

The last three months have been tough. I've been dealing with a family member's diagnosed mental illness, up close and personal. It hasn't left a lot of room in my head for any kind of creativity. And, my grandfather died a few weeks ago.

The good news is said family member is being treated and is showing marked improvement. And, it's Spring! My front flower garden is beautiful, laden with tulips, irises and violets. Any time I need a lift I look out my bedroom window.

So, for those of you who have wondered, I'm still here.

Waiting game...

Today will be a day of waiting....

I'm waiting on a book to be returned to me. I'm waiting to hear about a friend of mine who is in the hospital. I'm waiting to hear about potential work.

So, instead of being unproductive while I wait, I'll be writing a press release for a client, formatting a book review and spending a little time on housework.

October has been a very strange month, so far.

I'm here...

Woke up with a headache trying to take hold, so I worked on the things that HAD to be done. Really not so hot in the focus arena now, so I'm calling it a day.

Hope everyone had a better day than I.

Spring!

Today is the first day of Spring, and the first day of Spring break. My kids are on vacation from school until March 31st. So, things will be lively around here. Luckily, my husband has tomorrow and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday next week off.

I have interview questions to write, an article to work on, some books to read and a book blog tour starting on April 1st. Just because kids and hubby have vacation time doesn't mean I do.

I've also been having some minor issues with my eyes. Eye exam is scheduled for Saturday morning and hopefully by Saturday afternoon, I'll have contacts again. It's been 4 years since my last visit, so I'm sure I need a new prescription.

Happy Spring!

TG it's a Friday

Okay. Littlest boy did more than share his cold with me, he GAVE the entire illness to me - lock, stock and barrel. I am seriously miserable in that curled up in bed-box of tissues next to me-steaming mug of cinnamon tea in one hand-magazine in the other kind of way.

I will be sleeping as much as I can today, because I have to have a voice next Saturday.

Can winter with all of its viral contagion opportunities please, please, PLEASE be over soon?

Virtual Woman's Day Celebration

I will be speaking about Blog Stop Book Tours at the Virtual Woman's Day Celebration next Saturday, March 15 at 9:45 am. Please stop by and see what else these wonderful ladies have to say.

In other news, I have an essay published in The WAHM Magazine(March/April issue). And my littlest boy shared his head cold with me. Isn't that sweet?

I'm off to get as much work done this morning as I can, and then probably rest later this afternoon. For those of you not sick, enjoy! For those of you fighting illness, feel better soon!

Achieving Dreams

Every step I take brings me closer to the realization of my dreams...

It's interesting how every action we take leads to results we may not expect. I received a journal from my sister-in-law for Christmas. It is red with an inkwell on the front. I sat down earlier today and wrote my first entry. It was a recap of what I'd accomplished in 2007 regarding my writing career, and what I intend to achieve in 2008. Then I received an email that brought the above journal to my attention.

Back in January of this year, I decided I was ready to pursue writing, something I've always wanted to do, but with raising my children, had to be put on the back burner. I bought books about freelance writing, I joined a couple of writers forums and I started talking to people about writing. I basically decided "I WILL BE A WRITER!"

Since then, I've written a feature article, been quoted on the back of a book, started a blog about freelance writing which then took on a life of its own to become a book review/author interview blog, guest blogged and been a beta-reader (once).

As I said earlier today, I've been getting things in order, while the kids are on break. Come January 2nd, I don't want to be doing household chores. I want to use my time for writing. I have ideas for query letters to editors, I have blog posts to do, I have books to read.

The way I make my dreams come true is to go for it! I may not be an overnight success, but I will make it happen!

Productivity - or a lack thereof...

This post will have little to do with writing or reading. It's more of a public service announcement than anything else.

I am suffering from a migraine headache hangover this morning. For those of you who have experienced migraines, you know what I mean. My head still hurts, but not as terribly as it did last night, when I threw the kids and the evening chores at my wonderful husband, and crawled into bed around 7:30.

I've learned what causes my migraines. Anytime I ingest MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) I develop a horrible headache within 12 hours. It lasts for a little over 36 hours and pretty much prevents me from getting anything accomplished. My head hurts, my eyes hurt and I feel sick to my stomach. Anyone making noise around me is intolerable.

I read labels religiously to avoid eating MSG. I didn't, however, read the label of the soup I used in the beef stroganoff I made on Monday night. My bad, and I mean really, really bad.

If you want to know more about migraines and MSG, you can Google it. I have actively been avoiding MSG as much as possible, and have cut down my migraine headaches to one every couple of months instead of one every week.

If anyone benefits from this information, I'll be very pleased.

It's a conspiracy, I tell ya...

I very seriously considered applying for a job, a month ago, with our local police department. Decent pay, no commute costs (I could have walked to work) and I would've sported a sharp looking police type uniform. The week I planned on dropping off my application, four people in my house came down with Strep Throat.

I am incredibly happy I decided not to put my name in the hat. I have had at least one kid home from school, once a week, since. With four kids, keeping a "real", out of the house job seems to be an impossibility.

The reason I bring this up is my youngest son was home yesterday. He woke up with a queasy tummy. He never vomited once during the day, but last night was a different story. He was sick, off and on, from 12:30 until 3:00 this morning. We both finally settled down to sleep about an hour before my husband got up for work.

He's feeling better this morning, but I couldn't send him to school. He'll be exhausted by noon, and the school doesn't want my little darling back until 24 hours after the last "vomiting episode" - which wasn't at seven this morning.

I'm heading to the kitchen to search for toothpicks, to hold my eyelids open until mid-morning. Then, my littlest boy and I will crawl into my warm blankets, snuggle up together and sleep (hopefully) for a couple of hours before the rest of the troops show up around three.

Faith, family, career.

The writing life...

Wellllll...

This week has not been at all how I had pictured it. My husband is on vacation, and I thought we'd be spending some much needed time alone. Alas, 'twas not meant to be.

Strep throat has hit 4 out of the 6 people who reside in this household. Husband and 3 of the 4 kids. Yesterday was the first day all of the kids went to school.

Needless to say, blogging has suffered a bit and potential queries have suffered a lot. Sick people, little focus.

I also haven't had any new books to review for the last couple of weeks. I'm expecting 2 in the mail, soon. Hopefully I'll be back to posting a review and interview a week starting on Monday.

...of mice and men.

Strep throat has hit our family. Hubby and 5th grade son are on anti-biotics. I'm not feeling so well myself, but that could be not sleeping so well the last couple of nights.

Seems I will be on nurse duty for the next couple of days. I'll try to find some fun things to post. We'll see. Family first.

And...we're back.

The last couple of days have made a circus look calm and organized. My ex-husband, who is also still one of my good friends, has been having some issues, one of which is the house he is living in has no electricity. So, he stopped by to grab a hot shower at our place. I'm good with this, it's not a weird thing.

Unemployment is another issue he's facing right now. He was layed off from a really good job in the construction business. He's been job shopping using our computer (reference no electricity above).

My neighbor and good friend also lost her job a month or so ago. She's been waiting to hear yeah or nay about a contract position. The more days that go by without an answer, the more stir crazy she gets. I've been trying to be a supportive friend by sharing my coffee and my ear and my shoulder.

I woke up with a headache the last two mornings. Usually I can deal, but these were "someone slamming a brick into the back of my head repeatedly" headaches. Each throb made my vision blur and made the possibility of spending much of my morning kneeling in front of the porcelain a welcome prospect.

So, needless to say, I've been a wee bit distracted.

I started feeling better around noon today. I could actually look at the computer screen without the words melting down the screen. I made some applesauce cookies and apple scones (1/2 a bushel of Haralson's to process, can you tell?). I just finished cooking a double batch of applesauce (1/4 bushel down, 1/4 to go). I also added another recipe to the Crockpot Recipes page.

Tomorrow should be a much better day.

Be good to yourself...

When my husband comes down with whatever nasty bug the kids bring home from school, he gets a paid sick day. If I come down with it, I lose time and money. Every entrepreneur knows that time is money.

I have tried to teach my kids to cough or sneeze into their sleeve, and to wash their hands every time they use the bathroom, but somehow they still manage to get sick. With four kids in the house, if one of them is ill, they will all be ill over the span of two weeks.

So, to keep myself healthy, I have come up with a few guidelines. An ounce of prevention and all that.

I try to get at least six hours of unbroken sleep a night – eight is even better. In bed by 10 p.m., up at 6 a.m. Scientific evidence shows that consistent sleep patterns help maintain health and productivity.

I do not have a gym membership, but with four kids to chase, who needs one, right? Seriously, 30 minutes of heart rate raising exercise six times a week is a good start. It does not matter how you do it, just do it!

Cut back on the caffeine and sugar – both will bring your energy level up, but only temporarily. The crash will make you want to crawl into bed and sleep for a week. Everything in moderation sound familiar?

Eat a well balanced diet (that means raw or steamed veggies, too). I could make a list of things that are really, really good for you, but that’s what nutritionists are for – if you need help, consult one.

Drink water. A hydrated brain is a highly functioning brain.

Wash your hands – a lot!

When you do get sick, be good to yourself. Drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest. And if you happen to know someone who makes fantastic homemade chicken soup, ask for some.

Benefits?

Most of the writers I know do not write to get rich - they write because they love it. It's tough to quit your day job to write full-time when you need health insurance.

Linda Formichelli has written an important article in the August 2007 issue of Writer's Digest regarding affordable health insurance.

Here's to your health!