Friday, November 30, 2012

Flashback Friday: 200 Things to Make You Happy

It has been raining here for a couple days now. There is just something about the gloomy weather that just puts me in a bad mood.

A lot of people get that way this time of year because of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) so I guess I am not alone. It is common when the days get shorter.

Not to mention depression strikes high during the holiday season anyway, whether it is due to missing family members, or maybe the financial stresses of the season, or maybe even bad memories invoked by the holidays.

Yet, I am not trying to make this a depressing post by mentioning how depressing the gloomy weather is, or the fact that you bank account just bounced because you went overboard with the gifts, or maybe that you are surviving off Ramen noodles until the next paycheck. But look, I did it again.

What I am trying to say, is this is the time to count your blessings and remember all the good things you have in life. We just celebrated Thanksgiving and we spent the whole day (some of us, the whole month) telling others what we are thankful for. Well, why not continue with that mood and spirit throughout the holiday season.

Christmas time is a time to treasure our family; spend time with our loved ones. It doesn't matter how many gifts are under the tree or how much money may or not be in the bank. It is a time to remember the important things in life.

Unfortunately for me, we can't really do much for the weather. But maybe tomorrow the sun will come out for a visit.

And if it doesn't, today for Flashback Friday I want to highlight...
200 Things To Make You Happy

Thursday, November 29, 2012

I'm a liar...

Yep... I just admitted it... I am a liar.

The worst part is, there is nothing I despise more than a liar.

My daughter Bella - She is indeed 7 and
not 8 like I said on my Vlog!
The lie I told wasn't even like a little white lie. You know the kind... the ones told to protect others feelings. Like when my husband tells me those pants don't show off my muffin top. (I know he means well, but I would rather hear it from him then hear some stranger dining at my expense!)

Nope, mine was a big lie. I feel horrible about it too. Mainly because I didn't even realize I did it!

Yesterday, I did a Vlog... and in there, I caught myself lying. But I only caught it after I had already put hours of work into my Vlog and even had it published for several hours. And frankly, I have no intention of going back and trying to redo it. So that is why I am here today, letting everybody else know that I am a liar!

So this is indeed my correction. My lovely daughter that I mentioned in my Vlog is not actually 8... she is 7.

I can hear the gasps now....

"What kind of parent doesn't know how old there child is!"

Well, I guess that I am that kind of parent. 

And what excuses do I have? I can think of a million.

  • I have been writing a book and my main character's daughter is 8 years old. Maybe that is the reason why I suddenly thought my daughter was 8 even though she was 7.
  • She acts older than 7. Nothing about her screams 7. It screams more like... I am 8.
  • I hit my head a couple weeks ago. Maybe I do have a brain injury.
  • On top of a potential brain injury, I have also been fending off this cold that my son seems insistent on giving to me. Maybe it is the cold.
  • I have exhausted my brain from everything going on lately, that I am in a brain fog.
  • Holidays equal stress and stress can affect your memory.
  • She has been planning her birthday party since her last birthday, so maybe I already mentally turned her 8.
  • The pie that I ate was getting too old so I am actually getting delirious off of food poisoning!
Yep... those are my excuses. But the reality is... I still lied. So I am fessing up. But being that I have 3 kids, I am sure it won't be the first time I mess up. 

Hey, I even occasionally call them the wrong name! I am only human!


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Give Me A Gift That Sings!

It is that time of the year... the time where we all head to the stores, pulling out our hair, in hopes that we will find that one gift that is absolutely perfect for each person on our list.

I fell in love with Christmas shopping the first time I went out on my own to do it. Why? Because it was the opportunity for me to pick out something special for all those special people in my life. That first time I realized that there is a gift out there that will sing for each person on my list. I don't necessarily shop off the gift list. I try to find something unique and special. Something that calls out to me. Something that says I took the time out to really know the person I am giving the gift to.

I was overly optimistic.

As the years passed, I realized finding these true gems got harder and harder. Maybe it was because I found all the unique gifts out there.

This year... that changed. I once again found a gift that sang to me. The hardest part for me is trying to not give all the women and girls on my list the same gift!


If you want to check out the official review I did on Keysocks, check out my article on Hubpages by clicking here. Otherwise, I hope this gives you an idea for someone on your gift list. Happy Shopping.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

NaNoWriMo - I Did It!

This is my cool and collected pose!
I was hoping that someone was going to approach me and ask me this simple question...

"So, what have you been up this month?"

There is a selfish reason for that. Because I already have the answer, but I need someone to ask me that question so I can shout it out:

"Oh, what have I been up to this month. Nothing much. I just wrote a book!"

Of course, you need to imagine me all cool and collected. You know - leaning against a wall, hands in my pockets, nonchalantly staring off into space like I am completely bored. I wrote a book. I got to be all professional now or something like that. Like it was no big deal. Like people do this all the time.

But that is not the case. I am going to be like my child hyped up on Mountain Dew and candy bars. By the time I get to the end I will probably be - correction - will be jumping up and down. And for dramatic effect, I could use a trampoline so I could get some real height and exaggerate my excitement.

Why? Because I wrote a book. How can I not be excited?

As of November 26, 2012, at 8:20 p.m., I had completed 353 pages in Microsoft Works in Courier New 12 Point Font.  That is 81,808 words worth. And just in case you didn't have enough numbers already to look at, in an average printed off paperback book (about 300 words per page), I would have written a book that is about 273 pages. That is a whole lot to absorb. I did it. I am a NaNoWriMo Winner!

I need to take a minute to calm myself down....

So today I woke up and for the first time in a long time, I didn't know what to do with myself. I have wrote and wrote and wrote. And now I am done. It is a weird feeling. I don't even know how to describe it really.

I feel like I should feel different today. But I don't. I feel like I just rode this great roller coaster ride and suddenly it ended. It just stopped. And I feel empty. I feel like I should be writing. I feel like I should still be working on this book. But it is done. It is a washed over feeling of complete satisfaction but complete sadness at the same time.

Now I know the book isn't done yet. It is still in a very rough first copy. I need to read it again and do a first round of edits. These are the edits to catch any grammatical mistakes I might have made, but also to add more color to the story. After all, when you write to get the story down, you might have missed a spot where you could have been more descriptive. This is my job and is a necessary one to make the book complete.
A second pair of eyes is always
a good idea!

And then I need to pass the book on to a few select people for further editing. These people will hopefully find the grammatical errors I missed and they might be able to point out the storylines that might not have actually made it out of my head. So it might make sense to me, but not to them. It is always good to have a different set of eyes to look at it.

Then finally, I need to decide on the publishing venue. Do I go the traditional route and hope and plead that some publisher will pick up my book so I can see a copy at Barnes and Noble? Or do I just do it "ebook" style and have the satisfaction that it is published? These are important decisions. And today, as I glanced at how to publish, I realize there is so much more I need to learn and a whole lot of work ahead of me.

But for now, it is time to let my brain rest. It has been an incredible journey. I am sad that this step has ended. I have had this book sitting in my head for the last 5 years, give or take, and now it is finally complete. I feel kind of empty. I am hoping other writer's can relate.

Don't get me wrong. I am super excited about finishing my book. But now that I am done, I no longer have an excuse as to why the house hasn't been cleaned, laundry isn't done, and my husband's work clothes haven't been ironed. I have been absorbed into a book but now it is time to head back to reality!

Congratulations to all those who completed NaNoWriMo. You achieved something great. And for those still pushing, you still have time. Get to writing!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Music Monday: The Air That I Breathe

This weekend was rough. Isn't that the way it is for most holiday weekends?

For me holidays just mean more time with family. It isn't like I get an extra day off. I work from home. Technically since I consider my writing my work, I even worked a little while most people were off from their jobs. And since I am a mother, my job never gets a day off. In fact, holidays are anything but holidays for me. I get to do extra cooking.

However, we did take a break and have some down time where we watched a movie. We sent the kids to bed and it was just my husband and I all cuddled up. I treasure these times because it doesn't happen very often. My son has placed claim on me (I don't know if it is because it is a mommy/son thing, or if it is because he got used to me being a stay at home mom!) But either way, what happens is if my husband gets even within a foot of me, my son comes running to take that foot in between.

We don't get time to ourselves very often.

But Friday night, after the fiasco of Black Friday (which we only participated in for about 20 minutes), we sat down and watched the movie, "Seeking a Friend for the End of The World" staring Steve Carell. It was a great movie and it kind of makes you think.

Ok - so here is a little spoiler - it is about the world coming to an end!

Now I am sure you already got that from the title of the movie, but I won't give you any more than that. I am just going to say give the movie a shot. It is one that will definitely give you something to think about.

For me, it reintroduced a song I have heard before, but I haven't heard in awhile. I absolutely loved the song then and more so now that this movie has given it a little more meaning. It gives me chills. It makes me think about how important it is to keep those you love near you. We don't know when tragedy will strike; we don't know when the world will end. But when it comes to those last final breaths, I would rather die staring into the eyes of the people I love.

So now, for Music Monday I give you: 
The Air That I Breathe from The Hollies


I know this video isn't the original, but I love the pictures that play with it and I think it drives the message even deeper when you are able to read the lyrics. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Pillsbury Made a Fool Out Of Me

Today we are heading to a friend's house to do another Thanksgiving. What can I say, I could probably do Thanksgiving meal every single weekend and not get sick of it. I think it is something about the combination of food that makes it taste so good. Or maybe it is just all the happy memories associated with that meal.

Well this weekend is a Friend's Thanksgiving so we are gathering with some of our closest friends and sharing a meal. I offered to bring the pies. There is a reason for that. I am particularly picky about my pie crust. It took me almost 20 years before I would even eat pie crust at all. But finally, I gave it a try using my grandma's recipe, and decided pie crust wasn't so bad after all. But I am still picky.

I like the crust because it is flaky and it melts in your mouth. I dislike the crust because year after year it has become the bain of my existence. Some years it cooperates. Other years I want to fling it across the room in all the tiny bits it falls into.

I have learned pie crust is picky too. 


  • If your shortening is too old - it doesn't cooperate! 
  • If your flour is too old - it doesn't cooperate!
  • If you add too much water - it doesn't cooperate!
  • If you mix it too much - it doesn't cooperate!
  • If you look at it weird - it doesn't cooperate!


Well yesterday I was making pies. I always do the pumpkin pies first that way I get a feel for it again. And frankly, I only make pie crust once a year and it isn't like riding a bike. Pumpkin pies at least hide my frankencrust. Apple Pies showcase it for everybody to see.

I never admitted to making my pies look pretty - 

but at least they taste good!


Yesterday the crust was being evil and uncooperative. (Ok - and I wasn't really in the mood to be making pies either!) I think I was still in a slight turkey coma from the day before. But I really wanted to get the pies made before today. I didn't want to wake up this morning and deal with the uncooperative crust.

By the time I finished my pumpkin pies, I had pretty much had enough. So I decided, against everything I believe it, to send my husband to the store to buy the premade pie crust. I cried a little. This is the first year I broke down and used store-bought crust

It was the easiest thing I have ever done. I unrolled it. I used my rolling pin to make it a little larger to fit in the pie pan. I placed it in pie pan. I filled it with yummy apple pie filling. And then I topped it off and even decorated the edges. It might just be the prettiest damn pie I ever made.

I hope it tastes bad! Because seriously - Pillsbury made a fool out of me!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

My Ungrateful Thanksgiving Post

Are you feeling overly thankful!
Today is Thanksgiving. It is a day to be thankful and that is just what everybody has done. They have spread their thankfullness all over the place. Their cheery disposition is affecting the moods of everybody around them.

It is downright disgusting... I mean... what do you have to be so thankful for?


So I decided to take a different, nontraditional way of looking at Thanksgiving. I want to focus on all the things I am not thankful for.

1. Last year I decided to subscribe to the newspaper. I only got the Sunday paper because those are the ones with all the coupons, and frankly, I was planning on becoming the next extreme couponer. (Ok - that never happened! I don't get it. I spent more money using coupons than actually saving since half the stuff I didn't even need.) Well, I was a little upset because today's paper was going to have all the Black Friday Ads and I wasn't going to get it.

Guess what was laying on my driveway today? The newspaper. Now, I am so not thankful for getting one extra newspaper, especially the one that I was going to go buy anyway. I mean, these ads have not only given me ideas for what to get others for Christmas, but they also encouraged me to send my husband out for the Black Friday Madness. So if he gets what he is there for... how could I possibly be thankful for that?

2. I need to go clothes shopping. I am not a big shopper but sadly, a good portion of my clothes don't even fit any more. I guess I lost too much weight since last year.

3. Today we went to see family for a Thanksgiving feast. There was turkey and mashed potatoes and cranberries and sweet potatoes and green bean casserole and crescent rolls and pies. Needless to say, my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I am so full. I could barely eat that second piece of pie.

3 Kids and they all want my attention!
4. As I sat on the couch moaning in misery (see above) my daughter asked if I would like to play some Bananagrams. This is a complicated game of words. I suffered through that game. I am way to stubborn to quit. Later, my other daughter kept talking and talking and talking. She does that a lot. Luckily, my son was passed out in a turkey coma. Lucky for me, he couldn't irritate me at all.

5. My husband kept giving me his bedroom eyes. I told him down boy. He told me I was beautiful and gave me a hug and a kiss. I think he was trying to make me blush. He complimented me on my outfit for Thanksgiving Day and told me I should dress like that more often. I think he liked my boots!

So this is what I have determined:


I obviously have enough money to buy things for not just my self, but for gifts for others.

I am in the best shape of my life. I have never been so healthy.

I have food in my tummy.

I have the best kids in the world.

I am lucky enough to have a husband who loves me unconditionally!

I Guess I Have A Lot To Be Thankful For After All!!!

It is Thanksgiving and it is that time of year where everybody goes around telling each other how thankful they are for everything they have in their life. But why just one day a year? Let's count our blessings every single day.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

I am really good at this procrastination thing...

When I woke up this morning, I had my mental To Do list and it was a mile long.

1. Get up and write for NaNoWriMo.
2. Feed kids and get them dressed so they can be a part of normal society.
3. Take kids to storytime at Library to avoid high late book fees.
4. Grab kid's friend and bring him back to house to give him haircut.
5. Get rid of kid.
6. Do laundry.
7. Make Thanksgiving Grocery List.
8. Go to store.
9. Prep stuff for Thanksgiving.
10. Make dinner.
11. Give kids a bath and get them in bed before losing my sanity.
12. Fold laundry.
13. Write blog.
14. Read blogs.

So, it looks like a pretty doable list. But nothing went right. Nothing went right at all. I had intentions of getting out of bed and writing, but the bed was warm. I slept in.

My son got up before I barely had coffee in my system. He begged for some homemade banana bread and then woke his sister's up to brag. I made them get dressed and feed themselves.

We headed to the library. Storytime was cancelled and I am apparently not on my game. However, we did check out 10 books. Not one of them is for me.

On my way back, I grabbed my friend's kid. Brought him home with me to cut his hair. He was back to his house in less than 30 minutes. By this time, I should have already started laundry (Ok - I should have started laundry this morning first thing!) and I should have already made my grocery list. Instead, I dropped him off at home and came home to finish my tasks.

So I figured, I should write some more for NaNoWriMo. I am about 2 or 3 chapters away from finishing. This way I could go to Thanksgiving dinner and casually through out that "I recently wrote a book." You know - for when they ask me what I have been up to. Instead, I called my friend Kelly and chatted for awhile.

By now, I still have yet to make my list, I haven't thrown any laundry in, and I need to run to the store!

Now I realize I need to get the store done, so I through a hasty list together. I really don't feel like going out and dealing with the rest of the procrastinators who decided the day before Thanksgiving is the best time to get all your stuff for your big meal.

Before I headed into the grocery store, I saw that the new Family Dollar opened. Might as well peak in there and see what they got. An hour later, I am finally in the grocery store. Then I realized I forgot my list. That makes it difficult to shop. Now that I am home, I still haven't checked the list to make sure I forgot anything. I should probably get to it.

I did eventually throw a load of laundry in and I only put half of the groceries away. (Why not? I am going to be pulling them back out to make the stuff any way!) I am currently writing this blog and I am feeling lazy.

Gee, if I am this bad before Thanksgiving... what am I going to do after I eat the Turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody! 

Have a safe holiday!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The Sisterhood Award

If there is one thing I can say about blogging, it is that you meet some incredible people out there. They are incredibly supportive and they are always willing to reach out and give you that extra push, especially on those days when you really don't feel like pushing. That is the way I felt the other day when I saw that I had been nominated for The Sisterhood of The World Bloggers Award.

What does that mean?


That means someone noticed me! Yeah! That means I am doing something right because someone out there thought of me when they decided that they need to pass on that award. Now there are millions and millions of bloggers out there so when someone mentions you, that is a big deal!

And now it is my time to say thank you. This person who mentioned me is one of my favorite bloggers, Janine, over at Janine's Confessions of a Mommyaholic.

Janine and I have never met personally and we have only known each other digitally for a couple months (since I started actively blogging), but she seems like someone I have known for ever. We have so much in common - we are both 30 something stay at home mothers who have kids and husbands who spark very interesting blog posts! She has been a big part of my support system not only in the blogosphere, but also during NaNoWriMo, as well. In fact, from the sounds of it, our books sound very similar. But I guess we will have to see. She is a crazy great writer and an awesome person to have on your side. So go check her out and show her some love.

Now for the rules:


If you get this award, not only do you have to say thank you to the person that nominated you, but you also have to nominate another wonderful woman blogger to pass it on to. Then they will be able to also pay it forward and proudly post the button on their blog as well. As if that isn't difficult enough (the choosing just one wonderful blogger!) you also need to give out 7 random creative fun facts about yourself.

About Me:


1. I am kind of a self-portrait addict. I found that since I am always behind the camera I almost never have pictures of me unless I take them myself or ask others to take them for me. I realized this when I was looking for a picture of me for scrapbooking and had really none to choose from. Since then, I obsessively take self-portraits. These also come in very handy since I use a lot of my own photos for graphics. When I was younger, I wanted to be a model. I used to do photo shoots with my friends and dress up. When I was in high school, I got the opportunity to go to a meeting and could have went to New York. I never pursued it because they wanted a high school student to come up with $4,000 so to me it seemed like a scam. When I was in the Army, I also got approached by a company to do modeling. I ignored Army contract and went further than I was allowed to to attend the meeting. I never followed through. Now my modeling is done so I don't have to get other people to always pose for me when I need a picture for my writing. It worked out much better for me that way.

I am so obsessed, I actually made
myself one on a site I found. So
if you see this, run away.
2. I have a slight obsession with zombies. While I know that I would probably be one of the first people to die in a zombie apocalypse (because I pass out at the sight of blood), I love to talk about what it would be like and the different scenarios that could happen if zombies were real and suddenly the whole world was overtaken by them.

3. I get anxious when I don't have access to the outside world. I am literally connected to the hip with my laptop and my cellphone.

4. I am not a phone person. In fact, I don't usually call people because I dread talking on the phone for fear that I can't understand them. (I have trouble hearing if there is a lot of background noise!) That being said, once you get me on the phone it is very difficult to get me off the phone. Apparently I talk a lot once you get me going.

5. I am obsessed with PostSecret. I visit the website every single Sunday and I have collected almost all of the books. One day, I want to send in my secret, but I fear that mine won't look nearly as cool as the ones that get posted.

6. My husband has said some funny things to me. I have actually included some of the stuff he has said to me as dialogue in my book. It was just too perfect to pass up on. But I will make sure to give him some love on the dedication page when I publish.

7. You can always tell when I am starting to get sick because I start sneezing. And I never sneeze.

Now it is time to nominate someone else for this wonderful blogger award.


Choosing another blogger for this award is difficult. There are so many out there that I truly love and I try to catch there posts each and every day. But I guess if having too many to choose from is a problem, than that is a delightful problem to have.

So today, I nominate Wendi's Wild World for the Sisterhood Blogger Award. Wendi is a mom by day and a rocker by night. Wendi is no ordinary person - in fact she is extraordinary. She has 3 kids and is working through this crazy thing called life. I knew I had to nominate her when I saw how much spunk she had. Apparently she tells it like it is and she will occasionally get some hate mail. So while she isn't new to the writing world, she has started a new blog that I look forward to reading more of.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Music Monday: Down With The Sickness

This morning my girls woke up barking...

And by girls, I don't mean I suddenly adopted a couple of dogs over the weekend and today they were barking and waking up the neighbors. No - the barking was coming from my children.

Watch out! That little bugger is out
to get you! And me without my
can of Lysol!
Now I am not going to lie, this wasn't exactly unexpected. My 3 year old son Max started getting it last weekend and it peaked on Tuesday when we ended up taking him to Urgent Care. He then spent the next few days making my life miserable. He is totally a man when it comes to whining about being sick. He doesn't want any help - he just wants to cry. He even beats my husband out for being the most dramatic sick person ever.

Well, now all three kids got the cough and they have been running fevers on and off. My husband, well he is lucky enough to be working so he gets to spend less time home potentially contracting this sickness.

Me, on the other hand, was comforting my son as he coughed, without covering his mouth, and spit his sick germs right in my face. If you want a more disturbing picture, I was in the midst of telling him to cover his mouth as he coughed. So my mouth was open and he just spit his germs right at me. I can feel it already. I am probably going to be sick. But I am strong. I only whine when it gets really bad.

So today I took some time away from my writing and got some deep cleaning done. It needed it anyway. I have been neglecting my chores since I have been working on my book. But I was going to attempt to get those nasty germs out of my house.

To bad I can't find my can of Lysol. 

Seriously? Who loses their can of Lysol?


So today for music Monday, I give you Richard Cheese with his rendition of Down With The Sickness!

Note: There are some bad words in the video, so this is your warning if you or anyone around you has sensitive ears! :)


Saturday, November 17, 2012

The Great Chicken Nugget Debate

Last night we went to McDonald's for dinner.

I don't know why we went to McDonald's for dinner. I already had plans as to what we were going to eat. And honestly, it wasn't like I wasn't capable of making it. And frankly, every time I get McD's I feel a little sick. I am not sure if it is from the food or because to feed the entire family, McDonald's has become a luxury.

Well last night when my husband got home we started talking about Christmas shopping. That time of year is right around the corner. This means I needed to go out and start looking around. I need ideas and I don't have much time. To top it off, I also wanted to head to Payless because they were having a Buy One Get One (BOGO) half off sale and I really wanted a pair of black boots. I was hoping that I would be able to find a pair I liked since I have been searching for them for years!! Either I haven't approved of the style or they just weren't comfortable.

That didn't happen - I did not find my awesome new black boots at payless - and this story isn't about my awesome new black boots that I eventually did find. This is a story about chicken nuggets!

So you are probably wondering how black boots will magically transform into chicken nuggets. Well they won't!

Part of the reason we went out for dinner was because we both had a craving for Chinese Food. Well, there is a Panda Express by the tiny little shopping center some people call a mall in this town. Since they are all over the U.S. I figured they might actually have decent Chinese Food, which since we have moved to California, has been nearly impossible to find. Well, we went in and the selection seemed.... well... not appetizing. I have just come to accept that California does not have good Chinese Food. It will be one of the first things we eat when we go home to Wisconsin for Christmas.

Needless to say, I didn't order Chinese last night. Since the kids wouldn't eat it anyway, we were going to get Chinese Food for us and McDonald's for the kids. Even though I really didn't want it, we all ended up eating fast food burgers at McD's anyway.

How do you count your chicken nuggets?
If you get an odd shaped one that looks
like two - is it counted as two or is it
really only one.
My kids went for their normal - chicken nuggets. And this is were the story truly starts. My oldest daughter has grown out of Happy Meals. They just don't fill her up anymore. So she usually gets a 10 piece chicken nugget. As she was eating them, she pulled out one that was larger than normal. In fact, it was obviously two chicken nuggets that were attached together.

So I wonder... if you have a chicken nugget, that should be two but attached and look like it is only one, how do you really count it? I mean, this is important when you are ordering a specific number of chicken nuggets. For instance, if you have one of these malformed nuggets in your 10 piece and they count it as two, you truly only got nine, if you are physically counting. But, if they throw in an extra for good measure because it truly is two conjoined nuggets but it only looks like one, then technically you get 11.

Either way - it looks like your 10 piece isn't really a 10 piece at all! Or maybe it is just a matter of perspective. How would you count your conjoined chicken nugget. Inquiring minds want to know!

NOTE: By the way, in the case of last night, they counted the deformed and conjoined chicken nugget as two chicken nuggets. And since it truly was only one chicken nugget (they were conjoined, not just frozen together) technically my daughter got shortened for her 10 piece chicken nugget meal. If it was me, I probably would have added an extra nugget because I believe it is better to give more than to have someone complain they were ripped off. But I guess it depends on who is counting!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Flashback Friday: The Joy of Giving

Can you believe it? Next week is already Thanksgiving... and then we hit upon Black Friday. Before you know it, December will be here and you will be expected to have your arms full of gifts for all those people on your list for Christmas.

The Scrooge in me really wants to skip Christmas this year. Partially because everybody on my list is so difficult to buy for. They don't really need anything; they don't express anything that they want; and frankly, they usually go out and get it for themselves if they really really wanted it anyway.

Or maybe it is just me. Maybe it is because I want the gifts to sing to me. (And I don't mean that they have to make noise!) It means they have to be the perfect fit for that person. Well, after years and years of giving the same people gifts, suddenly the gifts stop singing. This year, I am fresh out of ideas. I don't know what to get anybody.

When it comes to gift giving, I have always been more about the thought. I love getting people something they really want, but I also try to get them something they didn't even know they needed or wanted. Yes, my gift giving is just like me, mostly sarcastic.

I am the person that will give someone Ninja Shaped Cookie cutters or a zombie in a bottle. I might even give someone a Yodeling Pickle (If you don't think they exist - just check amazon!) Or my personal favorite is the Nose Shaped Soap Dispenser. (Yes - you push on it and the soap comes out like snot! The idea is brilliant!)

So, today I am making my list... and I am going to start compiling ideas. So if you have difficult people in your life to buy gifts for, consider this feature for Flashback Friday...

The Joy Of Giving - Gift Ideas For The Difficult To Buy For

Thursday, November 15, 2012

The 3 A.M. Wake Up Call and The Evil Chihuahua

I am cranky today!


Yep, I will fully admit to my levels oh high crankiness. It might actually be a good move to avoid me at all costs. In fact, I am so cranky today, I thought about skipping the whole blog post because the only thing that was coming to mind, was how cranky I was. And seriously, how much can I really write about being cranky. But the thought of not writing my blog post made me even more cranky.

(By the way, the way, that is 82 words just about being cranky not counting these right here!)
My Poor little boy. He is definitely not
feeling too good.

So here is the reason. I got a wake-up call at 3 a.m. I woke up to my son kicking on the walls of his bedroom. He has been sick. And actually, this was the wake up call I got after I got into a deep sleep. The first one wasn't really a wake up call at all. I was still trying to fall asleep. The second one came not even an hour later. But then he got me. He got me good. You see, I had finally gotten into a really good sleep and suddenly he his banging on the walls with his damn feet!

Now, there was nothing I could do to comfort him. He actually told me to go away because I wasn't helping. But my husband had to get up in the morning and the last thing he needed was our son to be kicking the walls and screaming. So, I got up. We went downstairs and laid on the couch. Somewhere in the midst of Cars 2, we both fell asleep. Of course I am pretty sure this was because of the medicine which could make him drowsy. Finally, some peace and quiet... for him. He isn't a nice sleeper. My rest was anything but restful.

Cookies for breakfast...
don't worry, he didn't eat
anything but the insides!
But the day does go on and early morning I was feeling very good about how his fever had broken and he seemed to be doing much better. He was even using his sickness to his advantage. Promptly following every single demand with an "I'm sick!!!!" I caved. He got cookies for breakfast. But don't judge. He didn't actually eat them. He just licked the middles out and  placed them on the floor.

So, I decided that I would go walk "The Boys." The boys are a couple of Basset Hounds. I walk the dogs a couple days a week in return for my kids getting piano lessons. I was supposed to walk them yesterday, but Max was far to sick. But today, I thought I would go ahead and try. After all, worst case scenario, we would walk to the house and have to turn around without walking the dogs. Besides, it was good to get out and get some fresh air.

Upon getting the dogs leashed up and leaving the house... now mind you, I am holding on to two basset hounds - one that is young and pulls everywhere and one that walks slower than molasses. They are completely opposite. In the middle is my son Max in the stroller. Yes, this is a juggling act but I have gotten used to it after about a year of walking the dogs.

However, upon heading out of the house, we get charged. Not by some big bad ass dog but a little evil Chihuahua.

Well, this little devil dog has caused problems before. In fact, it bit one of the dogs the last time the owner had him out and about without a leash. So naturally, the older dog is scared and the younger dog wants to eat him. My job - I need to get the evil chihuahua to go away. And that I did. I stared into that evil dogs beady red eyes and told him to go home. He kept lunging at us. I jumped at him. I don't really have much choice, my hands are full with two leashes and a stroller. My options are tied.

I scared him away when I jumped toward him, but I also gave myself a headache. Apparently jumping is not the brightest thing to do after having a head injury. (I cracked my head open doing a bad acting stunt on Sunday!)

So needless to say... I am feeling cranky.

And I have a headache too.

To top it off, my son, who was feeling better is now back to running a fever and uncontrollably crying.

I have a feeling it is going to be a long night.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

'F' The Pennies...

Pennies are something most writers can relate to. It is a sad but true reality. Most of us know far more what it is like to be the penniless writer than a best selling author. Tis the life I guess.

That being said, it isn't like that will be the case forever. I remember when I first started writing online, I would be excited if I made a penny - in like a month. Then I got spoiled by the nickels and dimes.

However, at the beginning of November I decided to try something new. I was going to sign up for NaNoWriMo and I was going to beat it. I take challenges very seriously and I am way too hard on myself to fail. However, I knew I wasn't going to fail because I have an amazing support system of writers.

Well, among the writers is one of my good friend's Kelly. She is The RealHousewife! And since I have met her in person, I can truly believe that when she says she is going to do something, it is going to get done. I have never met someone so strong willed and determined before. I was happy to have her on my side.

Well immediately after signing up for the madness, she called me up. I remember the conversation so clearly. She stated that out of all the people that sign up for NaNoWriMo, only about 10 percent of them actually finish. Then, with as much gusto as she could push through the phone, she told me that we - the both of us - would be a part of that 10 percent. While I was a little sketchy about this whole thing, I knew that together we would both succeed.  She also told me that she was going to need me this month. She needed me to help push her, and if I needed a push, she would do the same.

Well, things were about to get serious!


As the month hit it's midway point, I had been pushing through NaNoWriMo. I was so proud and I was seeing others push too. But there was a few that also dropped out and said they couldn't do it. Then today, I woke up and checked my Facebook. Right there in black and white, my friend Kelly decided she was no longer going to do NaNoWriMo. She was done. She would save it for next time.

WELL - NOT ON MY WATCH!


I knew what I needed to do. I called her and for a good hour (or maybe two - that was a short phone call!) I talked her off the ledge. I told her she could do it. I told her she was already a quarter of the way there. I told her that Hubpages and her blog would be waiting for her December 1. I told her if she quit now, she would not be in that 10 percent. I told her she only needed to do 2,300 words a day and she would be right were she needed to be. I told her what she needed to hear. I told her I believed in her!

I used ever word I could think of to stop her nonsense. We are doing this together and I wasn't allowing her to back out now!

Of course, her best attack came that she missed Hubpages. So, as my wheels started rolling through my head, I asked her a very personal question. How much money do you make on Hubpages?

Hubpages is a great way to make an additional income as an online writer. But, it is still going to be there when NaNoWriMo is done. On the other hand, if you publish your book and decide to sell it on Amazon, the potential to make money is there. Not to mention, you can say you published a book. I can't think of a greater accomplishment.

So together... we decided to say "Fuck the Pennies!" We were going to get this book done!

As a writer, it is hard to set priorities when you feel like you are being pulled into so many different directions. For the month of November, my priority has been to complete NaNoWriMo. I might even be a little obsessive about it. There has been a fire lit under me! I am going to write until I can't think. I am going to write without abandon. I am going to finish this book.

Now I know the blog is waiting for me... Hubpages is waiting for me... and heck, I am probably not keeping up with my comments or even my reading. My chores are suffering (so please no visitors until December!) and my kids and husband might even be missing me. But, by the end of this, I know the people that matter, will understand why I needed to do this.Why I might not be as active reading or responding back. Because I am allowing myself to take this month to do something great.

So, if you know of anybody that has openly pledged to do NaNoWriMo, don't let them take the easy road out. We can do anything if we put our minds to it. Sure, it might be hard, but nothing is impossible. Believe in yourself and you are already halfway there!

So Kelly, this is for you! I believe in you. I think you can do it and I think it is going to be great. 
Don't doubt yourself. There is no room for that.
Now get your writing done... I am watching you! 

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Dr. Drew, Thank You For Taking My Call...

One of the coolest things about being a writer is all these people that I have met, but not actually met. So last night, when a fellow blogger was going to be interviewed on Dr. Drew, I was pretty excited. I would love to say that I was watching just to support her, but it was an excitement part as well. I kept telling my husband - I know her, I know her!

As I was watching CNN beforehand, I got to
see their promotions for Julie's segment. I
am just happy I got a chance to watch
a fellow writer in action.
Now this fellow blogger, Julie DeNeen from Life According to Julie, was doing a follow up interview on GSA, genetic sexual attraction. After looking at the link talking about her appearance on the show, and seeing all the negative feedback, I was just dumbfounded. How many people out there are willing to spout off their opinions without actually educating themselves on what is going on. It wasn't that they were ignorant, it was just that they were ignorant on Julie's story. They didn't know her story from anything else, but they were quick to pass judgement.

Naturally, she was freaking out. I know I would have been too. It is a bit of a taboo subject and I commend her for stepping forward and talking about it. She asked if anybody would be willing to call in and give some positive comments. At first, even though I would do anything for another fellow writer, I thought there is no way I can call. It had nothing to do with the subject. But I was incoherent. I had a killer headache from cracking my head open the night before. My thoughts would be a train wreck and I would end up sounding like an idiot. Who cared that you couldn't actually see me on TV, you would be able to hear me!

So what did I do? I waited until about 5 p.m., an hour before the show was to take place live. I thought, I could go to the link and I could go ahead and add my input. Maybe they could scroll what I said on the bottom of the screen. That way I could show my support but not necessarily by talking on the other line. Besides, I already knew a few people had already gotten the call back from Dr. Drew. They would be on well before me.

So I hit send and I was pretty happy I could show my support but I didn't have to talk in front of people. I am not quick on my feet anyway. With my head cracked in half, I would be even slower.

So, like usual, my husband called me on my way home. That is when I heard the phone ring on the other end. It wasn't a number I recognized, so I told my husband that Dr. Drew was most likely calling me... and he was! (Well, one of the producers anyway!) So they asked if it would be ok if they called me back so I could talk on the show.

Ok - no problem! My plan failed. Opps! Now I needed a plan. I couldn't go into this empty minded. So I typed out a script. This is what I would say. I wanted to sound supportive. I didn't want to sound idiotic. Now I was nervous, but they also said it was a good possibility they might not get to me. Ok - I can relax a little.

Not even 5 minutes later, they called me again. It was 5:53 p.m. She asked me if I would mind staying on hold for a bit. That they wanted me to talk on the show. Ok - so I guess I was really going on. And there I sat, on hold.

I sat on hold for awhile. I started worrying that if they didn't get to my call soon, it would be dropped as my battery was running on it's last leg. But let me tell you, it was the weirdest feeling ever. It was like deja vu. I could hear everything before it even happened. I couldn't concentrate on the show. I was waiting for Dr. Drew to say my name. But they took caller after caller. Darn, I wasn't going to be on after all. They would never get me. Yet none of these callers were offering any type of support whatsoever. I was getting angry. So much for throwing in some positive spins and some support.

And that is when it happened. Dr. Drew asked for the next name. It was mine. I was sweating buckets. I wiped the perspiration from my forehead. Thank goodness I had a script sitting in front of me. I was nervous. So I started reading in what I hoped was a voice that didn't sound like I was reading. I even started it off saying, "Dr. Drew, thank you for taking my call..." The girl before me did it. It sounded professional.

That is me, on the phone with Dr. Drew. Ok -
so it is before I started talking. Right after this
you saw Julie smile.
But then, I got sidetracked. Dr. Drew cut me off. Oh no... I was losing my mojo. I didn't say everything I wanted to say....

Regardless, I did think it went well. And I am glad that I was able to get through. As my voice came across on the TV, you could instantly see the tension removed from Julie. It was worth the smile on their faces, even if it was a good possibility that I sounded like an idiot. And nasally - I hate what my voice sounds like when it isn't in my head!

However, this is what I really wanted to say, because I got cut off. The last thing I got to say to them was something about how not many marriages would survive this type of ordeal. That didn't come across how I intended it. So here is what I intended to say... mind you... I have a tendency to blarf in words a lot. This was my attempt at keeping it short.


"I read the book Wanted and I truly can’t find any way to judge her, especially after reading all the comments I saw on Facebook. If anything I have more compassion. I never heard of GSA before and Wanted was a book that I just could not put down until I finished. And then all I wanted to do was go out and give her a hug and shake her husband's hand. There isn’t too many people that can survive this with their marriage in tact. I give her and her husband both props. They are strong together and it really does show. She truly was the victim in this situation and her bravado lets others know that it is ok to come forward and get help if they need it." 
Overall, I may have been nervous, but I am glad I got the opportunity to be on the show. I don't know how they choose who is going to go on, but I am glad that they choose me to talk. I am glad that I was able to offer my support, even if it was in a small way as just a phone call. 

I also wanted to point out that Julie's memoir, Wanted, is a great read. It doesn't matter if you are looking for information on GSA, or just a well-written story. I couldn't put the book down until I finished with it. She has a way with words that drew me into the story. I laughed - I cried -- I felt like I was inside the story. So check it out and support a fellow writer. I am sure you won't be disappointed. You can get the book by clicking here.

Now, I just hope this wasn't her 15 minutes of fame or mine. Oh what am I talking about - with a support group like Bloppy Bloggers - the push to take yourself beyond your expectations is there. Personally, I think this is just the beginning.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Music Monday: Tubthumping (I Get Knocked Down)

I woke up this morning and felt the back of my head. It was warm and completely matted. I looked at the napkin on the old towel that was placed on my pillow. It was covered in blood. My head had been bleeding all night.

I am not a hypochondriac... maybe... but all I can think of is how dizzy I am. I hit my head pretty hard. I must be dying. I am emotional. I don't even know why. It must be because I am dying. This is what happens when you rattle your brain, right?

I guess it was only natural to be thinking about zombies
while I was knocked out!
Last night we stopped by a friend's house. We are all big fans of The Walking Dead. So while we were sitting there, I asked them what they thought of the previous week's episode. If you haven't watched The Walking Dead, I won't give anything away. But for me, I was horrified by Rick's bad acting at the end of the last episode. Ok - so he had a right to have a breakdown. But it was funny. My husband always teases me about how Ewan McGreggor cries in Moulin Rouge, so this was my way to demonstrate how funny Rick cries as well.

Needless to say, I need to work on my acting skills. As I demonstrated and acted out the scene where Rick falls over, I fell backwards on the ottoman and crashed the back of my head on the entertainment stand. Stunned I sat back up. I was told I looked pretty glassy eyed and I could already feel the goose egg on the back of my head forming. But I am strong and I said I was ok. They went ahead and got me some ice, and when I felt the back of my head it felt hot and wet. When I pulled my hand out, it was covered in blood.

Well, I went into the kitchen and they tried to clean it up. But I am not one for blood. It makes me sick. I am not one for injuries. It makes me sick. I started to feel sick. I needed to sit down.

The next thing I know, I am running through these black hallways and we are being chased by zombies. I can hear my friends calling out my name and even though I am screaming back at them, they can't hear me. They keep saying something, but I can't really understand their gargley goop. My friend's face pops up in front of me. She is calling my name. I keep talking back. My arms are tingly and warm. I can't feel my feet. I have no clue where I am and there is a ringing in my ears. I try to talk back but nothing is coming out. The words are stuck in my throat. I must have been caught by one of the zombies. I must have been bitten. And they are trying to bring me back. The world around me is a glass bubble and everything is echoing in my head.

I sit up and the beads of sweat are covering my face. I am hot all over but at least my arms are no longer tingly. My head hurts. They said I was out for a couple of minutes. My eyes were open but nobody was home. When I finally came back to, I realized what was going on. It is the weirdest feeling ever.

I spent the rest of the night with a bag of ice to my head and trying to not fall asleep. I was lucky. It could have been much worse. I could have hit lower. I could have cut myself worse and had to go get a staple put into the back of my head. I could have really been bitten by a zombie. Although they all agreed that I probably wouldn't survive a zombie apocalypse if I pass out at the sight of blood. That's ok. I plan on hiding in a closet. Or maybe if it ever does happen, I would get over my fear of blood.

Overall, the lesson I took away from this was I guess I need to work on my acting skills. But I will stay away from all sharp objects when I do it!

So for Music Monday, I was going to highlight a song by LL Cool J  "Mamma gonna knock You Out" (or whatever the name of the song is) but upon trying to listen to it, it just made my headache worse. So, I resorted to one of my favorites from Chumbawamba.

So just remember... I get knocked down, but I get up again! :)


Friday, November 9, 2012

Flashback Friday: Living In A Dream World

Writers live in their heads...

We all know that feeling. The story comes alive in our head. We think out the perfect words to describe each situation perfectly. Sometimes it is funny, sometimes it is sad, sometimes it is dramatic, sometimes it is crazy. But what we do, is we create a world that no one else can see until we are able to put it down in words.

Sometimes it gets a little crazy up here!
As I continue on my journey with NaNoWriMo... (I know I know, it is all I seem to talk about lately) I realize how much of the story is just floating in my head. It is trying to escape. It has been trying to escape for years. But with NaNoWriMo, I have finally been given the opportunity (or maybe the fire under my ass!) to finally get the words out.

But it goes back to the same thought. As a writer, we live in our heads. We are constantly living these fictional stories. Whether or not we write them down is another question. We can do it in so many different ways. We can write a book or we can even write a poem. It is an expression of what we are living on the inside.

So, as I continue on my journey, creating an imaginary world, I wanted to share another imaginary world that I created a while back. This one is a poem. But it describes perfectly how I feel right now.

Today's feature for Flashback Friday is...

Living In A Dream World

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Excuse Me While My Brain Farts

Last night my husband called me on his way home from work. Most nights he calls me and we talk the hour it takes for him to get home. I look forward to these calls since I spend most of the day surrounded by little people. It is some adult conversation.

However, lately, I have been working really hard on NaNoWriMo. As I write this, I have already surpassed the halfway point to 50,000 words. Needless to say, my brain is fried.

As I was talking to my husband, I kept spacing out. I literally couldn't hold a conversation. In the middle of sentences I would just stop never really completing a thought.

My writing is not suffering. Well, at least not the writing for my book. That is all I think about. My talking is suffering though. I seem to be going through lapses of brain farts. As the pressure builds up, I can't seem to get the words out of my mouth. Mid-sentence I will just stop. And then my husband has to nudge me. Almost like he has to give me a jolt to start my brain.

I am stuttering over my words or stopping completely mid sentence. My favorite consequence to having the brain farts is when I randomly stare off into the air. Yep... nobody's home.

So, while I may sound normal and come across very normal while I interact online, that is not the case if you see me in person. So this is my warning to you, because I can only assume that it is going to get worse. After all, I am only in to NaNoWriMo one week. There is still three more to go. God help me and anyone who tries to have an intelligent.....

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Election is over - Country Still Divided

Yesterday was election day...


I did my part. I got out and voted.
Did you?
I am saddened by this. Not because of who won or who lost, but because of how truly divided the entire country is over it.

Even today, as I started looking through the Facebook feed, I see people bickering back and forth over who should have won. We all knew what was going to happen. I predicted it long before someone won. After all, it has been a long time since we have had a president that hasn't served for 2 terms.

The banter back and forth for the entire political race was downright disturbing. People slashing their opinions around like they were facts. But the reality is, when a person goes for political office, they will promise you the world. Whether or not they can give it to you, only time will tell.

Even though I am not big on politics, I heard stuff. For instance, Obama had the African American vote because of his race. Those that were voting for Romney were stupid... or my personal favorite... if you are voting for Romney and you are white, you are a racist. Are these opinions or are these facts. At this point in time, it doesn't matter.

I have my views and my personal opinions about both presidential candidates. I usually choose to leave those opinions to myself because I know it won't sway anybody in any different direction. However, it is our rights as Americans to have this opinion. It is the right that so many others before us have died for. So as we move forward today, we still have a right to our opinions. But flaunting them really won't matter.

If you wanted Obama to win - Good for you. Congratulations. But being a sore winner is just as bad as being a sore loser.

If you wanted Romney to win - Sorry, but complaining will not change the outcome.

Yesterday, midway through elections, I had to get my daughters from school. My oldest, Abby, who is 10, is old enough to understand a little bit about our government. In their class they did a mock election and voted for president.

According to her 5th grade class Obama won 50-48. It was a close election.

Naturally, I asked her who she voted for. I really wanted to hear her opinion because we want our kids to grow up being able to make their own decisions. She said she voted for Romney. So I asked her why.

Her response, "Because life has become unaffordable. Gas prices have continued to raise as well as the price of food. I voted for Romney because I was hoping for a change!"

My son came with me to vote. It was such
a hard decision, it wiped him out!
This is a perspective of a 5th grader. She doesn't know much about the issues. She doesn't care about whether or not we drill for oil in the states, or about bailouts, or about Obamacare. She just based her opinion off what she has seen. I thought it was amazing that she would change her vote from the previous election in 2008, where she voted for Obama.

When I asked her why she previously voted for Obama in 2008 she told me it was because she was much younger and she only based her vote on the fact that Obama was smiling in his picture but McCain looked grumpy.

Overall, I think my daughter said it best. America needs a change. I don't really care who is in Office. I respect the office. However, this change will not happen if we, the people, can't unite together.

We need to fight for what we want and make the president work for us. We can't do that if we are divided.

So it is the day after elections. If the man you voted for won, congratulations. If not, it is time to move on. Now hopefully we see some positive changes in the future and it isn't in the gas prices... because I need to fill up!

Note: This is not a place to spout of your election wins or loses. If you can't say anything nice, I would prefer if you didn't say anything at all. The race is over. Let's all be adults about this!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

VLOG - Getting Organized: My binder for NaNoWriMo

Writing a book is easy - said no writer ever!

The truth is, it is downright difficult. This is no 10 page paper... this is that times 20. And if you thought those term papers in college were tough, this is a whole different level. That means you have to keep a whole lot more thoughts organized. You need to remember facts; you need to be on a first name basis with all of your characters; you need to get in bed and sleep with them. Ok - maybe that is taking it a step to far....

But what I realized is I need to get organized and I am never organized. In fact, I am an organized mess! When writing a book it is really hard to keep everything straight. So, I brought in a binder. I needed something sitting in front of me to keep me on track. This binder is proving to be invaluable for the month of November as I push through NaNoWriMo.
I am on a time limit. I got 30 days to finish this book
so that means it is vital that I stay organized!

I originally bought the binder to organize my writing. After all, I wanted to keep track of the book I planned to write, my hubs, my blogs and my Vlogs. I don't have a photographic memory. I needed a place to keep my ideas stored. I never got that far.

As I started writing my book November 1st, I realized it was going to be hard to keep track of what I was writing. I needed something to quickly reference so I could avoid going back and rereading my manuscript. If I did that, I just know I would be stuck in edit mode and keep changing the story. But that isn't the point of NaNoWriMo. The point is to kick the editor out of the room and just get the story down. The beautifying process can come in December. Right now - I just need to hit 50,000 words.

So I started tracking bits of information that I put in my book each day. I started my character profile sheets. The sheets aren't organized in an Excel type format, but they work for the time being. I also started keeping track of how many words I was adding each day and how many words are in each chapter. (I know it is weird, but nothing bugs me more than knowing if my book was printed the chapter would only be 2 pages, but I have 100 chapters!) As an added bonus, I am also trying to beat myself. If I wrote 1500 words one day, the next day I am pushing for at least 1600.

So far this system has worked for me. It even gives me a spot where I can put my tiny little USB plug so I can back up my book and not lose it! And my pen... my pen has a home in my binder as well! How can I not succeed when I am being this organized.

Now I will admit, it does take a little extra effort at the end of the day. But if you start off right away and get into the habit, you will be much better off than when you get to the end of your story and you can't remember if your main character has blonde or black hair or if you can't tell us where they work. I figure the time I put into it now will save me time in the end.

So, I thought I would do a Vlog on my binder. I hope if you have been struggling to get organized, that this helps you. So take a look...


So for those writers doing NaNoWriMo with me, how have you been staying organized?


If you aren't a writer, have used a binder to get areas of your life organized?

Monday, November 5, 2012

Music Monday: Manic Monday

Ahhh.... it is Monday again.

Mondays have always been just like any other day to me. They all jumble around. They are no different than Sunday or Wednesday or even Thursday.

The main difference is I actually enjoy Mondays. They are my start to the week but not necessarily because I am getting back to the normal grind. If I feel like having a lazy Monday, I do. When people start grumping about the Monday blues, I think, I have never had that problem.

Even when I was working at The Barbershop in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I almost always had Mondays off. So even then, I didn't have to think of it as a torturous way of heading back into the work week.

Staying home with my kids I have been fortunate enough to be able to focus on my writing... whether it is at my blog, on Hubpages or currently my latest insane idea - to complete a novel for NaNoWriMo. What that means is how can I complain about heading back to work if I really never stop working. I am almost always working on writing something, and if I am not writing, I am busy with housewife duties. I have to take care of the kids and throw them a biscuit every once in awhile. I am also in charge of making sure my family isn't running around naked. But I can do that business any day of the week... not just on Mondays.

Then there is today. Today was a little more crazy than normal.

I got up at 5:45 a.m. Now I don't really need to get up that early, but since my husband is going in early for work I figure I might as well get up and get going as well. As an added bonus, that gives me some quiet time to check Facebook and get my writing done.

At 7 a.m. I woke my daughters up and got them ready for school. After making sure they looked human and getting their lunches made, I sat down to do a little more writing. Things have been going smooth, but for some reason today I got stuck. I worked past it, and as of right now, I have just about another 1500 words completed. But I am in the middle of the story. This is the spot were I could lose my audience if I don't keep it interesting. So now I start stressing.

Here he is being a brave boy. After the shots,
he told me he didn't want to be
brave anymore!
On top of that, I had to bring my son back to the doctor for his shots. UGH! Not a fun moment. To get there, I had to drive to the doctor's office that is like a million miles away. We choose this doctor on purpose because we had a relationship with him and knew we could be seen when needed. After being sick for 6 months earlier this year and having so many problems with doctors, I couldn't deal with not being able to be seen by our Primary Care Physician. It was a headache. But to avoid the headache, we have to do the drive. Ok - on a good day it should only take 40 minutes. Whenever I have to go I get stuck in traffic and stuck behind idiot drivers! It took me nearly an hour and a half and it wasn't even rush hour traffic. Stupid.

So I get to the doctors office and I wait. Now my son has to use the bathroom. You can not deny a 3 year old the opportunity to use the bathroom. So I took him to the bathroom and he peed on his shirt! Go me! We don't carry a diaper bag around so it isn't like I had a change of clothes!

After I finally get him settled down from getting his shots, my husband wants to meet up for lunch. This means I am driving another 30 minutes in traffic that has got my stress levels going through the roof! I should have asked the doctor for some anxiety medication. Lunch was a good distraction and a break from the busy day, even though my mind was on the laundry I was actually trying to get done.

Once lunch was done I had another 50 minutes left to drive to get back home. The cranky kid finally passed out in the back and he napped until it was time to pick up my other daughter for school. I got some quiet time to do some more writing. But he didn't wake up by the time I had to leave and anyone knows waking up a toddler is usually not a good idea.

So, the afternoon has quickly jumped upon us. I have folded a piece of laundry, I feel like I have been slacking on my writing, and to top it off, I didn't even get my workout in or my shower.

I guess it has been a crazy day around here...

So that is why for Music Monday I decided to go with Maniac Monday. What other song would have really been suited for today!


Here is hoping that your Monday has been going a little smoother!


Virtual Mirror