Offices

As we start to get ready to move, I start thinking about my new "office". Originally I was hoping that I'd get an actual office ROOM. Like, with a DOOR. But I realized quickly that every home we looked at with that all important potential office . . . just didn't work. The room was always too far away from wherever the kids were going to play.

So, for a few more years, I'll be working away in an area just off the playroom. In our new house it will be in the basement, in the "bar" area. The kids will have a larger, longer area. If the area were shaped like a capital L, then my office is in the horizontal part, the kids play area is in the vertical.

I was searching around for great home office areas and found one site that had pictures of "famous" home offices. Except it also had lots of PRON sites as advertisers. So. Not linking there!

But HGTV seems to have some great ideas. But what I really found interesting was a search on Flickr for home offices. I almost can't make up my mind, but I have many years in this house to decide on the perfect office. I think the walls will be blue. That's as far as I've gotten.

What does being a writing mother look like to you?

Hello Writing Mothers! I always wonder how other writing mothers actually write . . . what does it look like while they write. So here's a look at what it looks like when I write.

My daughter must be with me, she's a funny child. When she wants to be by herself, Do Not Touch Her. When she wants to be with me, Do Not Put Me Down! Thankfully, like the bell curve, she's only at the extreme once in a while.

But her new favorite place to be is on my desk. She's got a little spot on a two drawer file cabinet (to the left of where she's sitting in the pic), but she often migrates over to the desktop. Unfortunately she's clued into the fact that I can look at her and have a conversation and still keep typing. Sometimes she reaches over to pull my hands away from the keyboard.

What does being a writing mother look like to you?

A Free Day

It was a day of freedom today... no children around, no husband.... just me in my house for almost seven hours straight.

So, what did I do?

If you voted "cleaned the house" then you'd be right. I don't know why, but I felt the uncontrollable urge to clean. I even cleaned the fridge, which now looks sad and empty now that all the old food is gone. I am amazed at the old food you can have in your fridge without realizing it. That tub of margarine is really a bunch of week old rice and that neatly folded bag is actually a half block of cheese that I forgot about, hidden behind the mustard.

Jeez, I hope I'm not the only one whose fridge looks like that!

I could have been writing, this I know. I could have gotten several thousand words down. But you know, you can only let a house go so far before you start to despise being in it.

**

Major Man had a Very Important Interview on Friday. This could be a life changing one. This could be The One.

Originally there were 500 applications. They weeded them down to 50 and gave those people aptitude testing. They are waiting on the results, but in the mean time they went through the interview process. There are 14 positions available in the training class and five spare spots. The spares get a guaranteed spot in the next training class. It seems like pretty good odds.

I'd lvoe for him to get it. Love, love, love. And not just because I could gloat and crow about how *I* found the job in the paper and *I* bugged him for a full day saying "have you sent your resume in? This is SO YOU." Because it is simply made for him, it's an awesome job. It's the kind of job he will thrive in.

It's late now, and I need to go read a little bit more of Ms Jackson's newest novel!

If you write at work... you're fired

These were the words my boss spoke to me before he hired rehired me this summer. I smirked.

I love NOT writing while I'm at work. I have plenty of things to write about... work-related things. But when I'm at the Regular Job I can be Regular Job Person and I don't have to worry about being Creative Writer Extraordinaire.

Which I'm not.

But doesn't every writer want to be?

So the pressure is off at work. I can be Talks to People Salesperson and What Can I Do For You Today Girl. I can even be Writes A Great Sales Letter Chic.

But at the office I'm not Struggling Writer Who Hates The Blank Page or Person Who Can't Come Up With a Better Word Lady.

I'm just me.

Trust me boss, you have nothing to worry about.

Spreading Light

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
- Edith Wharton

I don't really think that anyone can truly be the candle. I think probably the candle is God and the mirror is what we are supposed to be... us humans, trying mightily to reflect God's light.

Or some trying not so mightily.

In the workplace it can be hard to be a Christian without offending others. I admit, sometimes I settle for just appearing to be a good person. But I want people to know I'm a Christian. For one, I want them to hold me to a higher standard. I don't believe that just being a good person is good enough. I want them to know that my God expects more.

Dear co-worker: know that I pray for you. I pray for your strength and for mine. I pray that we heal and you find a light inside yourself that you can't help but reflect.

I Have Broken the Flux Capacitor

At this moment in my life I believe I am operating at full capacity. I don't think I have room for one more thing. Perhaps that's why Jordan Sadler's article, An Open Letter to My Son's PTA really struck a chord with me.

Some of us need to work full time. Some of us even need to work more than full time. For the past year and a bit I've been revelling in my abilities to work from home while raising my kids. You could say that I might even have been smug about it. I tried hard not to be. After all, I'd been a full time working single mother for a while so I knew that we all do the best we can at the time.

But even last year as I wrote my book and I juggled a full slate of columns and articles, I squeezed in a piddly four or five volunteer mornings in the Kindergarten classroom. The teachers were very accomodating and let me bring my daughter in while I volunteered. But it became apparent that we were more of a distraction than anything.

And I tried to get to the PTA meetings, I did. But, um, they coincided with my Thursday night off. And I love my Thursday night TV line up, it's my night to relax and veg and maybe even drink a beer glass of wine while hanging out with my husband.

And I admit, that activity had priority over listening to moms with pet projects complain about the lack of funding for security cameras/rubber bits for the playground/paint for walls... It seemed that there was already a clique of moms who had either raised their kids next door to each other, had their kids on the same team or volunteered at the same preschool. I did not fit in.

I tried. But I couldn't get revved up about their projects. I asked questions about why they were necessary or why we needed to paint the library wall two months before the end of school when a) the walls are covered in posters and b) the unionized maintenance staff will get around to it one of these years.

Anyways. I thought maybe I'd get involved this year.

But now I have n+1 projects on my plate where n = the maximum amount I should have and remain sane.

I now work from 6 am to 2 pm and let me tell you... me going around and saying I had "better hours" is somewhat of a pipe dream. Sure it's nice to leave the office at 2pm... but it's not so nice to leave the house at 5:45 am. They say I'll adjust.

I have one proposal sitting at four publishers. I have a query into my current publisher and I'm waiting to find out if they want a detailed proposal or an outline.

I have an article due on the 12th.

I also fly away for four days on the 12th.

I got sucked into going to a golf tournament for work on Monday. Forgetting that it's been four years since I've golfed...

I just begun my Pampered Chef training.

I am late in sending out my eNewsletter.

My juggling act is wobbly. My hold on sanity is tenuous. My veneer is cracking. I may be at maximum velocity, Captain.

(Cross posted at Mama Needs A Book Contract)

Home Decorating

I did a snazzy redesign of The Writing Mother home site. I'm not a star when it comes to web site design, but I downloaded a free template designed for my web program and I customized it. Before it was bland... now it's kinda snazzy if I do say so myself!

It's clean, crisp and easy to read... and I had help from one of the list members with the header.

Tell me what you think!

And while you are at it... check out the resource section.

IN WHICH I HAVE SOME CHEESE WITH MY WHINE

Oh I'm a little cranky today. It was one of THOSE days where nothing gets done. Where every time I ventured within a foot of my computer I would be pulled away by one of the kids.

My son is pretty easy to appease. He can pretty much be pointed in a direction and he'll run with it. My daughter, 10.5 months, not so much. Her favorite thing to do as soon as I sit at the computer is to crawl over and head for the cables beneath the desk I really wish I was organized enough to have my cables all neat and tidy and tucked. But I'm not.

I try to block her with my legs, but I can't really move since I'm usually worried about moving my chair and rolling it over a finger.

That lasts all of a minute before she objects and I pick her up and go play. Apparently she doesn't yet understand "Mommy has to transcribe three long interviews, honey!"

So why am I sitting here blogging...?

Those Mac/PC Commercials

You know those Mac vs PC commercials that are on TV? (Where else would commercials be, really?)

I love 'em. But not because I love Macs. In fact, it's the PC guy that is endearing. The Mac guy is a smug little so-and-so and I don't like how me makes fun of the poor PC guy. The PC guy tries so hard and is so earnest.

That's why I love my PC. It's earnest. It doesn't think it's better than anyone else, it just focuses on the task and gets the job done without trying to be cool. I hate the trying to be cool.

This post brought to you by the art of procrastinating from the final editing of the book.

All moved!

Sorry for the delay in posting my friendly internets, I was moving! It was a little stressful and not nearly as organized as our last move. I throw my hands up because I had no part in this move. Yes I had a temper tantrum and told the family that THEY could plan the dern thing if they didn't want to listen to me. I feel vindicated. Disorganized and chaotic, but vindicated. "Ha, I won that argument!" she said from behind the pile of boxes.

How disorganized am I? Check out my new office:

It doubles as the play area for the kids. And apparently a storage spot for my saddle over there in the corner!

One thing that's great about this place is that the main floor is all one floor. There are no stairs at the entry way and I can close the door to downstairs. My daughter isn't ready to climb up the stairs yet, but when she is, a baby gate will work nicely. But for now, she can do her crawl/scoot thing all over the office, dining room and kitchen.

Off to the left side of the picture are the sliding doors to outside. There's a small yard that barely contains all the outside toys.

I got quite overwhelmed in the last week with moving and family stresses. I have been waking up in the middle of the night with my jaw clenched. It doesn't help that my daughter has been waking up 3-4 times a night either. What's up with that?! I considered going for a nap this morning while she did, but I really don't want to fall further behind in my writing.

So, without further delay... I'm off to write. Er, check email... er... have more coffee.

Deluge of Magazines

At the beginning of the month, the mailman begins to look at my house with a heavy sigh and an overly dramatic pursing of the lips. He does so while dragging a bag behind him that is filled to the brim with my favourite indulgence: my magazines.

I'm a magazine, non fiction writer, so I can actually write off many of the subscriptions. Especially since I have a pattern of subscribing to a magazine, then writing for them consistently enough that I get put on their free subscription list.

Right now I get about a dozen magazines each month. That's a lot. It really takes me the rest of the month to find time to read them. And because I'm such a hoarder, I tend to keep them for a long time. Thankfully my husband just steps around the piles of magazines in our room. I do use the old ones... usually for filler in boxes when we move!

Speaking of moving... we have found a perfect, beautiful piece of heaven to call home. We've interviewed for it and gotten to the references stage... please pray with me that we get it!

TV Addiction

I think I have it.

I've talked to a few writers who have given up television so that they can become better, more productive writers.

My first reaction is "uh, no, not for me". How would I know if Kate chooses Sawyer or Jack (totally Sawyer), or if Meredith is no longer dark and twisty this week, or if Kitty is a horrible step-mother, or where the heck ER has gone to?

I don't so much love day time TV. I watch 100 Huntley Street at 9 am, that's really my only show. But still the TV is on all day. I have to have that background noise.

But what if I didn't? What if I stopped watching all television during the day and I really did become a better and more productive writer?

A big hurdle would be the kids. My son is five. He knows about Sponge Bob. He knows about Teletoons. I don't think he'll take too kindly to the "but it's better for us, honey" spiel.

I'm not sure what my hang up is. I like the shows, I like TV, I don't want my kids addicted, but I'm so intrigued (and a little jealous) of those that have the fortitude to cut it out of their lives.

Just another day at the office

What does your writing space look like?





If it's anything like mine:





Then it's probably messy!





I do have a desk in my bedroom, it's a corner desk and my regular computer is there. But for actually getting writing done during the day, I need to be out among the masses. (The desk in the room leaves little room for kids)

So I sit here, in the living room with a TV tray in front of me. I sit on the piano bench. The kids play around the rest of the room. My five year old isn't always up for playing with the baby, but the mornings are usually spent together. (The TV isn't always ON, I should mention.)


Notice that the baby has copious amounts of padding around her. She's in this kind of spastic, body-flinging phase.

In fact, I have a confession to make. Yesterday she launched herself off of the bed. Yes. Off the bed. I managed to go five and a half years without dropping a kid and I've let this one fall twice. Gah.

I saw her do it and I just wasn't fast enough. She was sitting in the middle of the bed, kind of cross legged. She leaned forward and I thought, "oh, she's going to try crawling". At that moment she kicked her feet and FLEW off the bed. She landed on her cheek, which I thought was going to bruise, but hasn't. Yet.

This is another reason why I won't be writing in my bedroom any more, unless she's asleep, I can't turn my back on her while she's sitting on the bed.

I remember when I could just lay her down and she'd fall asleep on the bed behind me, but we've entered a new era now. The Mobile Era.

You will also notice TWO bouncy chair-type thingies. The Jumparoo in the top pic and the exersaucer in the second. We perfer to call them the "Circle of Neglect". I still baby wear, I still have my sling, but it doesn't work as well now, she's a little bored playing with my lips, nose, eyes and hair... and to be honest, it hurts like heck when she does. So she gets to play with things now... on her own.

I don't actually neglect her, when she cries or fusses, I pick her up, foresaking the writing. I find that if I do that (let her play independently until she wants me) then she goes for longer periods of time playing on her own. It's amazing that she can be entertained by a stuffed animal or single toy for twenty minutes.


So there you go. I feel like the internets have seen my underwear or something... anyone else want to share?