This is where I do the very important work of Mommy Blogging. I know. You want to be like me when you grow up, don’t you?

I even have an intern.

Let me tell you, for an unpaid intern she’s quite expensive and high maintenance. She expects a meal, [...]]]> Step into my office.

This is where I do the very important work of Mommy Blogging. I know. You want to be like me when you grow up, don’t you?

I even have an intern.

Let me tell you, for an unpaid intern she’s quite expensive and high maintenance. She expects a meal, several meals, every day. I’d say something about her expecting me to wipe her butt, but that would be crude.

This is the kind of meal I prepare for my crew every day.

Ok, that’s not true. That’s the kind of food I intend to cook every day.

This is more like the kind of food I prepare for our meals.

Well, no, that’s not true either. That is the kind of food I would like to eat, and it implies I actually cook. In reality, I serve freezer lasagna, macaroni and cheese, and anything else that requires less than 5 minutes of time and effort on my part.

So much for being a food blogger.

These are my blogging pants.

What? You don’t match your intern to your pants?

Yes, she was taking yet another break. But she does contribute a lot to our team.

Here she is storyboarding my next blog post.

How do you work?

I [...]]]> I don’t know how many times I heard the above quote at the Write on the Sound writers’ conference last weekend, but it was definitely something I needed to hear. I write, and I write, and then I sit and don’t write because I think I can’t write. What I don’t do is re-write.

I suspect I’m not the only writer that combines this odd mix of arrogance and self-flagellation by thinking my first draft should be good enough, and beating myself up when it’s not. Is there a self help group? A pill? Perhaps I should paint in big bold red letters above my couch “IT’S JUST A DRAFT!“

I did get more out of the writer’s conference. It was my first one and I’m hooked. I got home and immediately went online to see if there were any more conferences coming up in the area.

And now I’m going to go ahead and hit publish on the first draft of this post. Really, I did learn that lesson. I also know that sometimes you’ve gotta just do it or it will never get done. It’s been a week since I posted anything in here, although I’m sitting on several posts that I’ve been re-writing. Life is a balance folks.

What writing issues are you working on?

Now with a little one on the way, I wondered [...]]]> Have you ever thought about making a living as a writer?  That thought has been a constant companion of mine for the past 25 years.  Yes, 25 years, and it was just about exactly one year ago that I actually started doing something about it.

Now with a little one on the way, I wondered if that dream would need to be postponed yet again.  I really shouldn’t be so quick to sacrifice my dreams yet again to cater to the needs of everyone else around me.  One of the things I most want to provide for my daughter is a good example.  I want my daughter to grow up looking up to a mother who is loving and kind and attentive, yes, but also self-actualized, intellectually stimulated, self-sufficient, engaging, happy, and living up to her potential.  I want to provide this example to my daughter because I wish these traits for her (in addition to the fact that I’m worth it, dammit).

Writer Mama, by Christina Katz, talks about how to get a writing career off the ground while you have small children in tow: start small while babies absorb so much of your attention and grow your business as your children gain greater degrees of independence and self-sufficiency.

Topics covered in the book include (among many others):

• how to manage writing time around caring for children
• how to deal with the “clips catch-22,” or how to get published if you’ve never been published
• the business of writing: queries, article submissions, contracts, negotiations
• managing your home and while managing your writing business
• how to conduct interviews
• editing and polishing your work

One of the hardest things to deal with for many who work from home, not just moms, is the fact that others tend to disrespect the time of the home worker.   When people pack up their briefcase and head off to the office, that work time is respected and to some extent, even sacred.  Those working from home seldom get the same respect unless they are very clear about setting their boundaries with others in advance.

Because of People Who Don’t Get It, if you are not good at setting boundaries with adults and children, you’re going to need to start practicing.  I suggest you start sooner rather than later. If you wait until you have a deadline looming to try to convince family members that your work matters and that you deserve support in gettting it done, you will be sorry (and probably late with your work too).

I’m really appreciating this book.  It is well organized so specific topical information is easy to find.  I suspect I will be consulting it regularly over the coming months and years.

Ok, well this is just a little bit ridiculous. I’ve really got to clean up my flickr pool. I moved to this site because of the tags and sets and categories and now that I’ve got 1944 images uploaded, the vast majority are untagged, unsetted (I just made [...]]]>

037, originally uploaded by coffeejitters.

Ok, well this is just a little bit ridiculous. I’ve really got to clean up my flickr pool. I moved to this site because of the tags and sets and categories and now that I’ve got 1944 images uploaded, the vast majority are untagged, unsetted (I just made that word up) and uncategorized. I’m a lazy girl, which is a wonderful way to be when you want to lie in bed and watch tv while eating chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Not so much when you are looking for one specific picture.

On a side note, anyone have any idea what kind of flower this is? I don’t think I’ve seen this one before.

Now I’m going to curl up with a bowl of ice cream and watch Letterman and TV’s Craig Ferguson.