%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |
How once woman went from being a SAHM of four to a published freelance science journalist |
|
I'm revising this intro after more than 15 years to better reflect my intention When I started this blog in 2004, I was a stay at home mom to two small children, a college graduate with a degree in English and Astrophysics. By 2007, I had four small children, ages newborn, 2, 4, and 6. For several years, Writing.com was how I kept my sanity. This blog began, first as a way of staying connected. Later, when I worked on a novel, I used it to stoke the writing fires as I plotted out short stories and the next step of my novel. Ultimately, I moved my writing preparation to "Invalid Item"  In 2010, I became a single mom who had homeschooled her children for several years. I had a 2, 4, 6 and 8 year old and had never had a "real" full time job, since I was married while in college. Everyone told me that I would have to buckle down and take on a "real" job. Instead, I decided to attempt to live my dream: to make it as a writer. I knew that if I didn't try then, I would never really dive in. I counted my money and set a deadline. If I hadn't began making a decent (defined) amount of money after so many months, I would suck it up and get a J-O-B. After some thought, I decided to play to my strengths. I served an internship at Sky & Telescope magazine while in college and enjoyed writing about space and astronomy. With an astrophysics degree, I thought I would be able to sell myself more easily, and a small niche should be easier to penetrate. It's been about ten years since I was first paid for an article on Space.com. In that time, writing - journalism - has been my primary moneymaker. I've often thought about setting up a blog on my website - www.astrowriter.com - but just haven't gotten around to it. There are a few things I would like to share for those who are interested in scientific journalism in general. Now that I'm back on WDC, there's no reason not to combine the two and use the site blog for that sort of interaction. There are certainly plenty of folks on this site interested in the publication process. So while I'll probably meander around some, that's the intention of of this blog: to share some of my struggles as a published journalist and to help answer oft-asked questions. |
| I have to read over my goals to stay motivated. General life problems have bogged me down again, plus my husband, also bogged, is home 'sick' (which means he is going to a job interview but will be home later), which is always a distraction. I need to do some writing and research now. I also need to figure out the budget so I can determine the schedule for Atlanta Parent. There is a method to my madness. I have to figure up the budget for this month - which includes traveling to my cousin's wedding - so I can determine where to pull the extra $29.99 for writer's market online out of. I found another magazine that might be good for submissions. It is called Up Close & Personal In Tucker, and is one of those free magazines with lots of ads and not a lot of content. Perhaps they would appreciate a good query, although it is probably too late for a school query. It doesn't look like a lot of writers in there, several are 'written in (their) own words' type articles. I will put them on the 'too investigate' list (perhaps the library has back issues?) and call them about freelancing articles and production schedules. If I can find a Tucker homeschooling family, perhaps I can fit that in, should I miss with AP. I need to write a 'clip' for homeschooling, but I am not sure what I should start with. There are so many different viewpoints, different thoughts. Perhaps just a generally researched article would be nice. Pros for homeschooling:  Ability to focus and relate studies to real life. More in-depth projects that can take more time; for instance, building a treehouse will not only be woodshop class, but also math, science (how do we keep the wood from rotting?) and engineering. With The Secret Garden, we talked about England, orphans, and (of course), gardens.I'd kind of like to do a more focused article that involves an interview of some sort, for my clip. Perhaps I will talk to Sister Young first. In fact, I will call her and see about setting up a time to come over and talk to her. Then I will use that as my 'clip', and also for my background for the actual article. That will prove my interviewing skills. In fact, I can go ahead and write a single article on her back-to-school traditions, and note that this is an unpublished clip written off of one interview; I intend to speak with 3-4 other people to create a more deliberate, wider-reaching Atlanta article. I can call her now...hold, please. Okay, she is out of town and won't be back until Saturday. And my friend whose neighbor HSs is out of town and won't be back until Thursday. I am striking out fast here. Hmm, I could post on the GA HS list and see if anyone from Tucker might respond. I posted there, so hopefully I will get at least one response. For now, I will go work on my blurb. I pulled a copy of Family Circle. I have two filler ideas. One is for a cool tshirt company that I thought was really neat; good for Parents or Child magazine. The other is the water one. I am back and forth on which to go with next, but I was kind of excited about the tshirt company. One wonders if Atlanta Parent would be interested in that one. Then again, I think the tshirt one would make for a great article, not just a filler. They are growing, though. Let's see, the article in the paper ran in the AJC, so that probably would cut the interest of the Atlanta magazines. I could write it up for the small business newsletter - but I just think that would get better attention on a bigger level. I really do wonder about the bigger magazines. I wish I had a better resume. Hmm. I could submit the completed article to the bigger ones. I would have to do the interview now, though. Then I could hold it back for my business newsletter if I couldn't sell it any other way. I really think that is a great one, though. I think there are a few sections in the mom magazines that spotlight moms and businesses, and this is one I feel worthy of supporting. Then again, it said she was on the Ellen D. show, so maybe she has already been targeted? Maybe someone has stolen her. Grrr. Well, the least I can do is try, right? Right. Oh my goodness, I just hit the 'save and edit' button and I have 20 emails! How in the world? I am going to try to stay focused here. Then again, what if some of them are homeschool responses? ARGH! Okay, I can't do the HS article right now, but I can continue reading Guerrilla Marketing, work on my business article (not sure what it will be about, although I think I had a good idea last night; let me check my notebook. Yes, I have an article idea about long-term marketing, marketing so that they can 'see' the whatever (ad, commercial, what-have-you 27 times, since you have to see it 9 time, but you only actually SEE it 1 out of 3 times). I will have to search for those stats. I can't take this. I am going to go look at my email. I think it might be something I was waiting for, and/or some responses. Either way, I have to go, I'm going to go nuts otherwise! SG edited to add: What can I say? I edit too much. I almost have enough gps to go premium for real. Needless to say, I am very excited. Sadly, no one yet responded to my yahoo post. I'll keep hoping. Still reading Guerrilla Marketing. I am thinking we need to create an ad for craigslist.com for dh's buisness. I can also put out a note for a free small business newsletter. I need to think about how to best phrase that. I wish we had a website. Okay, I am thinking: When I get a website (c'mon, real premium, c'mon), I will create a website for my freelance work. I will create a secondary link for Michael's wiring buisness. In fact, I am thinking that I will go ahead and use Netscape. Except it doesn't look like we have the little Netscape tool, which is about all I know how to work with. Okay. A few more thoughts. I can go ahead and start planning my website. By the way, wanna check out my writing? I'za published. http://www.onlinecooking.net/output.php?ArticleID=1406&Headline=Bread%20Machine%... Hope you enjoy it! I am loving seeing my name in 'print'. Anyway, I will plan my website out. I need to think about what I want to include. Then, once I actually have it up, I will use that for my craigslist ad, which will read (thinking off the top of my head): Free Small Business Newsletter! (inside) Free monthly small business newsletter to help your company grow. Boy, that sounds bland. I am thinking with Craigslist, I don't need to limit words, so I need to think more creatively. <thinking outside the box> (This is great cuz I can list it in two places, the free list and also the business classifides.) Do you need help growing your small business, or just staying afloat? Call now (what phone number? should be mine so I can make contacts and take notes) to receive a free monthly newsletter with tips and recommendations to help you (need a word other than grow) increase profits and make your company the best it can be. (don't like the 'be'). Then I'll put the website down at the bottom to market the newsletter, with options to click first to dh's company, then to mine. Okay, this is bigtime thinking. I need to do a layout, and perhaps references to back articles? I don't know about ads and stuff, I'm sure we'll be fine for now. I think two ads (need low-voltage wiring? need a freelance writer for a newsletter of your own? or any other business writing?) will be good. I will have them call my number, and I can create a questionaire of things to ask. Polite and friendly. And child free - how will that happen? ARGH! I will have to have a nice discussion with my children. I will also start answering the phone more professionally if I don't know the number. But I'll need to keep a questionaire with me always always. I can use my little 'notepad' for quick references. Wow, this is lots to do. And I am going to write an article besides? On top of that, I really ought to do a little more reading about how to create a web page that <sings>. Oooh, I have an internet guerrilla marketing book. Maybe I will put down this current one and start wiht the internet marketing. I guess I had better, so I can prep the ad and web pages. Ick. Oh well, maybe I can come up with a business article on that (bet I can). Okay, I have to go research. Well, I just spent an inordinate sum of gps on writing.com. I upgraded to a full-fledged Premium, and then used the gps that were returned to me (well, some of them) to get the writing.com writing set, with the pad, pens, and stickies. I can't wait til it gets here. Now I'm going to have to leave for the day and figure out this whole web page thing. In the meantime, I can't believe I'm premium for REAL! I love it! Now I have a LOT of space in my portfolio to fill up! It boggles the mind! And all the tools are awesome! I should come back and plug the premium membership for fun!  more added: I found a few new items for some articles. Most of these for the health newsletter, oddly enough, which will also be submitted when I get a chance to that. No pay, but I wonder if that means I can charge for the research and writing. Hmmm. I'm just going to tell you about the ideas that I had while watching this morning's episode of The Early Show. Whoever suggested watching the news - I think it was Levinson, who suggested it for marketing purposes, LOL - is right on for gleaning ideas. Anyway, what I meant to say was, I'm just going to tell you about ideas I had for the newsletter cuz I don't want you guys stealing my ideas for my 'real' articles.  There was an interview with Dr. Robert Lahita, rheumatologist, talking about inflamation. I thought some of what he said would be great for the email newsletter. He said that you can fight inflammation by eating right (he included my all-time favorite, flax seed oil, along with nontransfats, sushi and other forms of raw fish, and eating meat in moderation), weight loss (didn't give any details, though), exercise (he strongly recommended yoga, which my gym offers; I can speak with the yoga instructor; he said it helps to keep the tendons well-stretched and well-oiled), and also being happy. I need to do a touch more research, and then I'll send it to Gail, who is in charge of the NL. Also a book called Pee Wee Pilates, which is about doing pilates with newborns. I thought that would make for an interesting piece, and again, I can check with our pilate instructor. The problem, however, is that I can't get the book through the library. I really thought I could get it from there. I may have to go to Gwinnett county, where I owe a stinkin' huge fine, and get the book. I wanted to make a sketch of how to do one or two of the exercises, but I guess not. Wonder if I can find one in a magazine; not Health, apparently. That might also make for a good scoop for a higher-scale mommy magazine. In fact, come to think of it, I heard book reviews are great ways to get in on the action, so perhaps I can go get the book tomorrow. I will have to pay the fine; I think it is $6. Then I can read it and send the book review to something like Child or Parents or American Baby. There you go, perfect. American Baby, the free magazine for moms. I think that will be my first big shot. I will go get the book tomorrow. I will probably be the tenth sendoff, but there you go.Okay, that has made me think, there is a way to check out what books are recently published, isn't there? I can scan and pick up what looks like good stuff that I would be interested in. Then look for a corresponding magazine to recommend it to. I am going to make that sit on my to do list for tomorrow, or for tonight. Shoot, I may have to go do some research. Okay, I printed several articles up on inflammation, diet, and yoga. I will read over those tonight with a pen and a highlighter and assemble them tomorrow. I also scanned the libraries newly acquired list (can't seem to find a list of books as they are published; suggestions?) and picked up two or three (well, put them on reserve) that looked good. I think it was one fiction, one nonfiction. I am really interested in that article from the newspaper today, so I am going to attack that next. Time to research that somewhat. Okay, I saw the website and then searched their name and also the name with Ellen Degeneres, whose show it said they appeared on. I can't even find it listed with the ED show. I didn't see it listed on the website, either, not with the date. Is it hot or not? That is the eternal question. Well, the heck with it, I'll plug it, and if nothing else, it works for the small business newsletter, doesn't it? I'd like to see it move towards some mom mags. Oh, you know what would be good - teen magazines. I should talk to my almost-16 yo SIL about that and see what she might suggest. Oooh, now there is an idea. I came across a Christian teen magazine while stumbling around last time this year; what was it? I will have to backpedal and look. That would make a great target, and be unlikely to be considered by most major places. Oh, you know what else? I can send one article to one and then a different one to the other, and not have to wait or deal with 'dual submission' issues. Okay, I will do that. I am going to call them....when? How interesting. The address they give to reach them is a personal residence of one of the owners, courtesy of whitepages.com. I am so being pulled in about twelve directions right now, LOL. I think I need to tell my muse to slow down. I have about five pots simmering on the burner. I need to pick one and go with it. Let me review my goals in terms of articles, and choose which ones to focus on. These are the writing goals matched up. 2. One blurb/week - I wanted to look at the book review. Then again, since I will have to put the book on hold - or pick it up tomorrow - and am already reading one book right now, perhaps I will just stick with the water blurb and send it around. Then again, I like the book review idea, too, and think it pays more. I wish I could pay for writers market with gps - have I said that multiple times already? Go with the water, it will work as a filler. I will write it up and prep it to be sent to one magazine; the question is which one. I will look through Family Circle and see if it works there; I bet it will. If not, I'll snag Parents tomorrow and try that one. I will put that in the mail by Thursday and write it tomorrow. 4. One business/week - Leaning towards the long-term marketing article, although I need to clean it up somewhat. I sat down and recorded on paper my methods of meeting each goal for this week. I think I'm going to list out the focus for the week. It is too bad there is so much going on in the world. Maybe I should stop reading the paper? LOL. I think I'll need a file for 'clippings' that hold my interest, though. I also had several editorials to blog about, including the Japanese teaching 'patriotism' in school and, of course, the same-sex marriage deal. Which would make a good AJC editorial. I may have to contemplate that one a bit more. At the same time, I need to prepare and develop a website, at least for my free newsletter, and an ad for craigslist. My next step is to plan an ad for a smaller magazine. Perhaps I can call a few and ask for a marketing package. Do you get the feeling I am wearing too many hats here? Me, too. Maybe I'll take my hat off and go to bed. Nah, more research. 5. Research and write one article/biweekly - I was shooting for the HS on this one but am thinking, with my contacts out of town, that I will try a call for the business. So I need to do some research on each of the owners (general background), reread the article in the AJC, and submit it. I will also have to figure out the name of the magazine - I think they had it at the Gwinnett County library - for Christian teens, and check that out. The other option is a Parents-style mag, but that is very unlikely to go national. Then again, it's worth a shot. The worst they can do is say 'no'. In fact, I can probably use this as a business article just from a different perspective, writing a third time. I will just need to reorganize. 8. Continue in the contest Several of the articles I am looking at translate well into a contest article. I can do the business one, which will be just fine, or the undescribed one for teens and parents, on fashion. Very trendy fashion. Alright, I printed out an obscene amount of research so I guess I should go to bed. I found some interesting things on two of my four participants, and just a touch more on the third (she owns a pizzaria). Hmm. Too bad I couldn't find any more info on that. Very bizarre. Anyway, I'm going to bed, going to try reading perhaps a little more in my Guerrilla Marketing or maybe just skip over to the online version so I can work on my website with intelligence. Hope all is well, and you will forgive me for my frequent intrusions. |
| Alright, I just sat down and penned my goals. I guess I really need to think about how to best achieve them - a goal strategy, if you were. You've seen most of these, but I'm going to type them out and discuss how to accomplish these goals. 1. Keep on top of the news daily. Specifically, as stated, read the paper and watch the news (w/o commericals) each day. Take notes. I can read the paper at breakfast time. I'm not sure about the news; maybe I can watch that while doing the work for the gym, which gives me the flexibility to stop and take notes as necessary. I like that idea. I'll watch the news while working at the gym. Talk about the 90 minute hour. 2. At least one blurb a week. This can be a comic note, an editorial letter, a response to the news, or a filler. While reading the news I came up with a few more fillers, which I will file in my new, handy-dandy notepad. I also picked up a few article ideas for next years vacation-style magazines (like Atlanta Parent or really any other parenting magazine). 3.Read one buisness book a week. This is more to keep me on top of the buisness world and self employeed status than anything else. I need to keep those things fresh. Which leads to the next one. 4. Write one buisness article a week for my newsletter. This is for the newsletter writing. Although I will only have two articles in each issue, I would prefer to stockpile a few in case of an emergency, etc. Also this will keep me in contact with my ideal audience, the small buisness owner, and keep my views - and learning - fresh. I am really hoping to grow freelance-wise in this way. Being paid to do a couple of business newsletters will help me bring in the supplement income we need and will mean that my husband can help with the kids so I can pursue my love (fiction, especially my novel), OR will give me enough money to perhaps hire someone...don't want to do that...we'll figure things out. Then again, if I can supplement my income writing, which I love, then my husband can be home more, and I can keep writing writing.com fiction and eventually, once my kids are older, branch out when I don't feel so sleep deprived. But this will, at least, keep my fingers on the pulse. Where was I? I got distracted. 5. Research and write one article biweekly. This is my non-contest, off site publication stuff. The big guns. This is stuff for Atlanta Parent, newsletters, hey I just had a thought; creation of a newsletter would give me an edge into the Atlanta Business magazine (I think that's the name but it works as a description too LOL). Right now, I will submit to each market as deemed necessary by my agent (that is me). This plays into the goal of 6. Write one article/biweekly to submit. (started as one/month.) I am not sure these are different. I am also confused how to research biweekly but write only one a month. Perhaps I am multitasking. I think I could probably pull off one article biweekly. Perhaps I will make the shift. That's a big committment, though. Okay, I changed it. Hopefully you aren't still confused. So, one article every two weeks. I will research it to death in the first week and then structure and write it in the second. I am actually better at sitting down and writing it all at once, but perhaps I should allow a week for getting it out and for restructuring. Okay, biweekly, here we go. Finally, 7. Research one market/week. Not sure yet how to manage this one, other than visiting the local libraries and checking out magazines in bulk. For instance, the aforementioned Atlanta Business. 8. Don't forget to continue participation in the aforementioned contest, which will require extra articles. Then again, I can easily write a 'spinoff' article. If, for instance, I write an article for Atlanta Business about small business widgets and how they can make you more effecient, I can add a similar spinoff on the pros and cons of widgets in a small business. Or something. I don't know. Okay, so this week's plans are now forthcoming. I am going to do my very best on this one. To meet my goals this week, I will (each item is listed by goal number): 1. Skim the paper at breakfast, watch the news while working at night. 2. Work on my special water blurb, try to find the appropriate market by skimming Health, Parents and a few other magazines that I will snag from the gym (this is allowed, I already asked) to check the formating. 3. Start reading the book I have been eagerly waiting for, Guerrilla Marketing, the actual, original book that started the madness. I'll let you know any notes I should happen to find intriguing. 4. Um, I am sure I can spin something off from the aforementioned GM. Another option is to research HSAs, which, incidentally, could spin off to a parenting magazine, business magazine (though less likely due to the fact they are 'old' news; maybe something 'new' has happened), and newspapers. I'll keep that as a secondary reminder, but I'm sure something easy will come up from GM, which is chock full of great ideas. 5. I have an idea for a back-to-school article on homeschoolers in Atlanta, but I need to check the market for AP. If that fails, I'll query the AJC, followed by the Dekalb Neighbor. 6. The homeschooling article is right up my alley. That is what I am going to focus on, although for this week I will do more research than writing, obviously. Actually, I am thinking I will research the market - 7. - for the AP, pull together a query letter, and submit it to the magazine. To query or not to query, that is the question. Perhaps I will write a quick homeschooling article that captures the essence and reveals my know-how, as a clip, which can then be submitted for the article. Not as personable. I need an idea for that, something interesting and unknown. Heck, since I sort of know two of the people, I will just give them a call tomorrow about an interview. Strike that, my best friend is out of town until later this week; I will call the one person I do know, however, and talk to her. 8. I will consider some form of clip for the aforementioned article query that includes homeschooling. If nothing else, this will get me writing on the subject and keep my 'muscles' fresh. So those are my plans for this week. I think I'll go read Home Education Magazine so I can get into the grip. I like outlining things here and hope this makes sense or is moderately interesting to ya'll. As for my recent emotional outburst - I am feeling significantly better, thanks for all the kind words and sympathy. I am regaining perspective. I'll come back and detail it at some point, but thanks to everyone for all of their kindness and <hugs>, which I severely needed. Going to go research. Should I read my book or my magazine? Ack! Well, first I'd better include my written notes onto the computer so I can find them later. I am instituting a notebook orginazational system, but we'll see how well that works out, LOL. |
| I was suddenly inspired today, while sitting on the couch, to write an article and submit it to Atlanta Parents magazine. I am going to go for it. The article involves spending quality time with my daughter. That should be difficult. I am going to enter a 'fun run' race with her, for about a mile, and we will spend the next two weeks or so training. I know she can walk a mile - she walked almost two - and I think with two weeks of practice she should be okay. And hey, if she winds up walking the whole way, it's all good. I'll try to get my husband there to take pictures. I am very excited because I think this one has great potential at multimarketing. I'm going to start with AP and go from there. I am trying to figure out everything, timewise, but I would really love to get back into trying to freelance. I think this business newsletter will make a serious difference to both my husband's business and my own, since I am going to include an ad for a freelance writer. That's me. I'm going to let him focus on most of the running of his business and I am going to put my nose to the grindstone and write the necessary articles. I tried last summer (about this time, wasn't it?), but I was going with the 'query' approach. But I think my queries were too large and too hopeful. I am going to start submitting articles on spec to a few smaller magazines in the area. I am going to start studying the Dekalb Neighbor which is the local weekly paper, and see what sort of 'features' they run. Perhaps they would be interested in one of my other articles. Like the one I will first try to submit to AP. My goal for the next - I am trying to decide, six months or a year - is just going to be, get published. Get published for free, get published for copies of the paper or magazine, whatever. Just to get my name out in print. I have to figure out how to rework my schedule. I was thinking about cutting back to going to bed at a reasonable hour. However, I am not sure that is even possible. My husband, however, is thrilled. He has resolved that, if I am going to try to freelance more and need his help around the house, he needs to get out and get a job for sure. I am not sure if he is looking at the connection and seeing it that way, but I think he might be. Whatever. If he will go out and get some income, great. He is a lousy dream supporter, though. He's all good if I want to support him and his stupid business but can't give me a decent shot. We had this same problem last year after the baby was born. He didn't want to watch the baby for an hour or two at night yet he wants me to write 'the great american novel' and - his words - make lots of money. But he doesn't want to have to help around the house. <insert angry remarks> But that is a whole 'nother ball of wax, huh. I am going to have to figure out a way to put together a plan for my freelancing. I should probably work on that now. Look out, world! Scottie is back to writing, and I am going to submit. I need to sit down and recreate my goals, but, as I said, I am going to start small and work my way up. Readers Digest humor bits, fillers in magazines, blatant 'we want your tips' for magazines like Family Fun, that sort of thing. Well, except for the great ideas in Family Fun; I have no imagination. Wait, wait, I have a Larry Boy costume! Maybe we can submit that to FF for their Halloween issue. I am thinking they have some decent money for those, let's check - there is a My Great Idea section, but the magazine didn't list any payment info. That's okay, though, I am sure it is probably $25. Another great idea is to write to the magazines; I remember hearing that and, hey, it makes me published, right? And possibly will help me build up a relationship. Actually, as I recall, there was a recommendation to write into the editorial section. Which I should also note, it would be easier to reach The Dekalb Neighbor than The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. So I will submit it to the DN. I think my current plan of action is: read the newspaper (AJC) every day (hard for me) and watch the news. I tivoed 'The Early Show' to be kept for one day; I will watch it sans commercials and take notes on anything I think is interesting read and study the local county paper, make notes of anything to respond to. I will study the features and the editorials and base a plan of action on that read and study Atlanta Parent and make note of any childcare options that I might come up with. I will submit there until I kick the bucket. Maybe I can develop an editorial relationship. Start looking for 'shorts' to submit; little news pieces to send to various magazines as blurbs. I can take note of these while reading the newspaper and watching the Early Show (recorded specifically, I might add, so I can watch Dave Ramsey). Okay, those are my little ones. I am just typing here, but I am thinking, as short term goals:  submit one short/blurb/joke to a magazine each week write one business article for the newsletter each week write one other article a month for on spec submission (need to research markets for this)I am going to start getting magazines out of the recycling bin to study and search. I will go through existing short stories and start submitting them to literary magazines, maybe one a month? I haven't had much luck with researching those yet, but the heck with it, maybe I can get one in. I'm going to start checking out the Show Some Leg! forum. I'm also going to have to figure out how to work the (unpaid) article contest in. Perhaps I will write one a week randomly, or articles that I cannot seem to find a market for. Right now my focus is on the small (and on the small business; I want the newsletter to get off the ground and be a success). Eventually, it will be more on articles and less on shorts, but for now, I will try to just get my name out there and published, and perhaps a little bit of money coming in. I have to figure out how to pay for the writersmarketonline.com again. I think it is only about $25 but we'll have to find some barrel to scrape for it right now. Perhaps I can just find some online eZines to submit stuff to. That might be even easier. Just a nice google search engine. I'm not excited about that though, I'd like to get published for free in a print magazine, at least. Then again, perhaps I can find some of those. |
| I keep trying to remind myself that I am healthy, my husband is healthy, my kids are healthy, and - for now - my husband is working. Our bills are paid, and even if something dreadful happens and we wind up homeless, we won't BE homeless because my inlaws and my mom both are in town, so the worst case scenario - and that's pretty bad - is that we move in with one of them. My kids won't starve, because between my family and my church, we'll be taken care of. I have to keep reminding myself of this. First, the bad from today. We had a house on the market since we moved into this evil one. We had someone - Michael's cousin and her family - move in with the intention of buying it. First they said they wanted to buy and then my dear kind dh (and he did honestly have the best of intentions) said, why don't we let them go ahead and move in now so they don't have to throw away rent in the apartment. I said, this is a bad idea. I said, they will be less inclined to buy. They moved in for three months, admittedly paid rent on time and then, since we dind't have a lease, moved out on the 31st of May because they (truthfully) couldn't afford to buy a house. Okay, fine, no stress. We went over there tonight because we have TWO people coming to look at the house tomorrow. Keeping in mind that immediately before we left, we cleaned the carpets and repainted the walls, since the house was on the market. The carpets have paint on them. The walls have crayons on them. Two doors have no handles (?); the handles are on the kitchen counter. "Honey," I said in March, "Let's get a deposit." "No," he said, "it will scare them away." I am taking deep breaths. The carpet will have to be replaced. Either my husband, currently working two jobs, or myself with all three kids under 5 in tow, will have to repaint this house. I don't even know about the carpet. We have nothing to haul crap with and THEY LEFT HALF THEIR CRAP IN THE HOUSE! ?!?! Okay, fine. We grabbed our mail and go out on our 'date'. As I sort through, there it is. Somehow, for THREE YEARS, not even consecutively, MY HUSBAND FORGOT TO FILE OUR STATE TAXES. ?!?!?! I was like, did we not pay, and he was like, I don't know. How do you not know? Did you make a conscious decision NOT to file them? <insert profanity> We owed not-too-much after the file, but after the no filing penalties and the interest, it is about $3500. This after we have kicked full steam onto our debt reduction. I just want to cry. I just keep chanting over and over that everything will work out. I don't see how. Michael was talking about moving again. He found a house we can rent. It is a fixer upper. The first three months are free; then $500/month for something like two or three months, then if we stay up to $700/month. It is a two bedroom, 800 square foot house. Two bedroom. Three kids. Five people. One bathroom. 800 square feet is half of what we lived in in our now-wrecked rental-not house, and about 3.5 times smaller than what we are in now. I keep trying to tell myself that sacrifice makes winners, that if we can cut out just one of our current housepayments, maybe both, we will be in a position to win financially. Right now, no one at my husbands company knows if his job will be outsourced or not. Everyone else may or may not have a job by June 15th...or it could be July 31st they make changes...or never. They - the CEO - don't know. (They are selling the company if I didn't say.) DH had an interview with his 'dream job' last week, actually had the second interview down to him and 2 other folks last week, and then was told it would be a week and a half - like, now, today, yesterday - before they heard back because the owners were going out of town. !!! I think I will die of stress. I told him to look back at his old job. He loved the work but hated the positions. It required traveling all over the US. I told him we would pack up the kids and the travel trailer that is (literally) older than I am, and we would all travel together. If he can hit full time, he can double or come close to tripling his current salary. If we lost the house payment and utility bills, we could make seriously good money. Not the greatest funtime adventure but we would make the most of it. The trailer of course would be much smaller than the 800 square foot house. I would have to remember that. And I think our book collection would grow significantly larger because our library reading would be less. We could hit some local libraries, too, though. And then <dreaming> as we get bigger, we'll move up to a full size RV and sell the van and the cheap cars. Basically every option we have stinks right now. I am not excited about any of them. Except, maybe, having this dream job come back and offer us not only more than we are currently making but TWICE AS MUCH. That would be good. Maybe pigs will grow wings, too. Seriously, I just want to go upstairs and cry. I know this is my fault too, and I have worked hard not to yell at my hsuband, but <bleep> it, I really did tell him I didn't want them moving in, and I really can't believe that he, the man who insisted he could 'handle' our taxes after we got married, didn't pay state. Heck, the first year he didn't pay was the year we got married - and we were married December 27th - and then the second year was our first full year of marriage. I am sick to my stomach and ready to puke. He is going to be so thrilled when we sit down together and do our taxes. Frankly, I wasn't altogether certain, after doing some reading, that he was doing them correctly as is. He didn't itemize, for one thing, and I heard that that usually makes a difference. Fine, my fault, but from now on, I will be there for each step of the tax prep. I want to puke. I feel sick to my stomach and have no idea where we will come up with the $3k. My first thought, since we don't have it, is to borrow, to put it on a credit card. Dave (Ramsey) says that is just moving debt, better to owe the money to Visa than the government. I agree. But that will make it more final to me, and now I feel hopeless and like we will never get out of debt, and my chest is hurting and I just can't breath. I have to go. Maybe a hot bath, some chocolate, and a good book will help. Maybe my brain will slowly ooze out my ears, making me feel better. Maybe I should go do the dishes first. Right now, I really hate my life. I love my husband. I love my kids. I want to be here. I trust in God. Everything will work out - eventually - even if it just means we learn a whole heck of a lot. Every time I think I've learned all the lessons God wants me to learn, I get slapped around some more. I am not good at being humble, or patient, and that must be it. I feel like I am being strangled and don't feel like praying - a sure sign I need to, right? In the meantime, I will just keep practicing breathing and remembering that eventually, everything will turn out right. We may have to die first, but eventually, it will all get there. It's just stuff, people are what is important, I just have to remember that. |
| I can't believe it is June. How strange. It is 9:39 and I should go ahead and write another article. I didn't write one this afternoon, and I know that since tomorrow is date night, I won't write one tomorrow night. I was going to plead a break because I submitted my first ten articles to said contest but have decided instead, even as I typed, that I need to write. So write I shall. What shall I write about? I have had a few great feelings over the last few but nothing springs suddenly to mind. Oh, yes, I have one now. I think I will go brainstorm and write an article for toddlers, my 'traffic time' one. I am kind of excited about that. Then again, that one will require compiling a list; perhaps I should save it and brainstorm tomorrow. That stupid 90 Minute Hour book has me all over multitasking. I went to the neighborhood get together tonight, just me and the kids. I took my little notebook in case I was inspired. I can't believe I wasn't! It must be a sign of the end of hte week. Although, as I think about it, one of my neighbors brought a tank that was 1:6 scale of a 'real' tank down with him. He got it for his 75th birthday last year. It was radio controlled and very cool. That seems to be stirring something. The kids were going wild and the three boys who live at the end of the block (well, the two oldest, ages 5 and 7) were hovering all over it, despite repeated admonitions not to touch. Not sure if that stirs up an article (I know nothing about tanks) or just a flavorful piece to the story. I hate waiting to hear results. Okay, I was thinking about that 90 Minute Hour book. I had another article I wanted to consider in response, maybe a SAHM's version. Let me google that and see what comes up. Nope, I found nothing. I was kind of hoping Levinson would have written a sequel or something. He wrote about a thousand of his Guerrilla books. They probably earned more. That also requires an outline and some brainstorming. Stupid book is making me unable to write, LOL. Okay, I have it settled. I will write an article on Tivo. I love my Tivo. I am excited about my Tivo. Why should we buy Tivo? I think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread and it would be harder for me to give up Tivo than cable. So off to write. I think I slow down near the end of the week, but I am also thinking of restructuring my day somehow so I can go to bed before 12. Maybe by 11. Part of the problem is my need to unwind, so if stop writing at 12 I don't fall asleep until after 1. That makes 6 a harder goal. But I must say, I have managed to get up before 7 every day this week (with the alarm set at 6). Sometimes closer to 7 than others, but always before 7. That's good. That's a big change for me; I am not a morning person. To write! edited to add: I'm spending way too much time in my blog but it is fun. I finished my Tivo article, not a shining example of perfection but still, fun to write. Alright, I just picked up my little notebook and found a few stories that I hadn't forgotten about. One is a rant on the prices of audiobooks. I will probably rant here for awhile and then shuffle it into an article. The problem I am having right now is that I seem to die by the end of the week. Right now, the very idea of writing something - actually, of keeping my head up - just doesn't do it for me. It's that stupid 90 minutes hour guy who told me I need to multitask. No, it's just because it is the end of the week and so my brain is slowly dying. Hopefully it will be rejuiced by Monday. I am going to go - I know I already said this - and put together a real, live, to do list, on paper. I am going to prep two pages for brainstorming, one for the toddler article and one for the 90 minute mom hour. I am thinking that is a working title (The 90 Minute Mom Hour) and I will write down each point he makes and then apply them to moms. Okay, I can see that happening. For the other, I will try to keep a running list of educational things I can do in the car. Maybe, just maybe, I can still write two articles before my husband comes home from work tomorrow. Wow, that should be tough yet fun. I think I can do it. I know my blog gets long and winding and pretty jumping, and I lie and say I'm about to rant on audiobooks and then don't, but I just wanted to take a moment to thank my faithful readers. I honestly don't know why you like listening to me, but it's nice to know that I'm not just talking to myself. Now, if I could just omit that habit in the real world (the talking to myself)... |
| Well, that was not bright. Okay I deleted my entry but luckily I didn't have a lot. Let's see what I can recreate, then I'll explain my 'duh' moment. I will have to type fast, though, because I am going to bed at 11. Basically, blechy day, but I am loving the premium membership which is the highlight. I was in a funk this afternoon and got nothing done, and my kids made me go loopy. I sat waiting for them to not nap and just stared on the couch; I didn't even read. I talked to my husband some. He wants to move into an 800 square foot, 2 bedroom house. <sigh> This will mean free rent for 4 mos (because the house needs work and he will be the handyman) and then $500 for two or three months, then $700 after that. I'm not sure about the $700 but we can stay for the $500, I think, and definitely for free. I'd like to do everything possible to get all houses sold, but I'm nervous about yet ANOTHER house payment. That said, worst case scenario, if this is still on the market in 4 mos, we will be out of it only two months later, so that will be a very short duration. I am sincerely hoping, however, that our house will sell sooner than that. I should mention that, if we can sell both houses in a month and manage to live rent-free for four months, we can make significant strides towards paying off our debt. We may even stay in that house for a full year, possibly two (depending on how insane I have gone), which would help us pay off hopefully everything, possibly only everything but the student loans. I'd like to see all of it gone, then save up big-time money to put down 20% or at least a significant down payment. But it all depends on the job. I don't want to talk about work or budgets right now, though. I am trying not to wonder if a move means no more high speed internet (a necessary budget cut), if an 800 square foot house means laptop with broken keys only (space cut). I want to think about writing some more. I like to write. How funny. I feel like I am on fire lately. It seems like everything I do sparks an article. Tuesday, I made pizza in the bread machine. I wrote an article about it. Today, I made bread for real (which was cool). I have an article queueing in my brain about that one. I'm reading an interesting book, The 90 minute Hour. I have not one but TWO spinoffs - a 90 minute hour for SAHMs, and a humerous look at the 90 mt hour in general (I'm really wondering about the whole subliminal message thing). Heck, even a partially critical look. I think the idea is great but I also think that you need to give your brain 'time off', and he seems to be always cramming it. Look at that, three articles. And the critical look, and possibly the comedy one, would probably work for businesses, eh? I wish I could get some more reads for my submissions. I hate to just bug the Plug Page over and over again. Then again, I am writing on a daily basis, so I guess that isn't so bad. Maybe I can find a 'review' group. Right now, I am doing a few mild port raids and am sort of hoping they will come read some of mine. <sigh> It doesn't seem to be working though. Maybe I should beg. Tomorrow we are making oatmeal cookies. If I come in here with an article about oatmeal cookies, please smack me around for fun and profit, okay? |
| What an interesting day. I have been going through reading some other articles entered and I came across one that sparked a muse in me. I can't believe how prolific I have become, but anyway. One of the prompts is wedding-related, and one of the entrants submitted two relationship-articles. I can do that! I thought, what a great idea! In fact, at present, I am reading a book (and I have about five others waiting on the shelf to read, thanks to the library) by Gary Smalley, who is a great counselor. I was thinking last night of doing a 'marriage self-help' article, somewhat tounge in cheek. I could do one of those and then do another actual helping article. I think I liked the idea of 'honor', as in honoring your spouse. This is a mutual thing. You know, part of the "love, honor, and cherish" principle. I think those are the two I will write tonight (so much for freecycle and craigslist, eh?). I am going to brainstorm them both now, but I don't really have time to write them because it is about time for my kids to get up. Kids. (also part of marriage) You know, I had considered a budget wedding type story, and I thought of another plus for that - most divorces are caused by money fights. I'd need the exact stat on that, but it should be easy to find. So why start your marriage off with money problems? I am really excited about both of these articles. I love this. It seems like I get hyped about an article every day. And I realized today that, once I submit the articles I have in my 'queue' (which <hint hint> are awaiting review), I will have enough to move to PREMIUM!! Woohoo! So I am eagerly slaving away. I also want to work on my website so that hopefully people will come and see me and actually want to hire me and pay me money that I can use to feed my kids (gps are great but just don't work with Georgia Power - I tried! ).Now that would make an interesting article, but I think it would be on-site only. "Dear Storymaster, can you please work out an affiliate program with Kroger, Georgia Power, Scana natural gas, Publix, and the local water company? Also with the federal government. This would be perfect so I could pay my bills and my taxes with gps. After all, I am online about 25 hours a day, and my husband is growing frustrated. Imagine if I could point out all the gps I am collecting to pay the bills?! Then he would urge me to get on even more. Sincerely, scottiegazelle" LOL I have actually managed to accomplish things off the computer today, too. In fact, I have to go finish up some laundry, and then I will be off-line playing with my kids. I am going to set up two brainstorming pages for when I come home tonight, briefly sketch my web page out, and then go play with my kids. Too bad I can't teach them to work on writing.com. No, no, I'm just kidding - mostly.I'm also missing a library book somehow, so if the SM could work on adding library late charges to the site, that would be wonderful. edited to add: It is much much later, and I actually sat down and wrote the article this afternoon, the 'funny' one. I hope others find it humerous. I spent my 'free' time thinking about the 'help' one but I am not so sure about it. But I did think more about a third wedding story (how funny is that?) that corresponds with my 'debt free' mission. Specifically, the idea of saving for the engagement ring, which I think is getting more old-fashioned every day. Not just the self-discipline but also the time it gives you. What is the old adage, is it three months or six months pay you are supposed to set aside for the ring? I'll have to ask my husband. That would take almost a year to accumulate, OR you would be sacrificing and eating Raman noodles which would truly show the depth of your commitment. I like that idea. I think that is what I am going to run with. I am having a serious stress attack right now. My angelic husband, who is fussy if he isn't in bed before ten, wants to sit up watching television with me tonight. I am worn out and exhausted and have been waiting to do my writing and now I am seriously ill. Plus I can't find my clipboard, which is what I use to brainstorm. Today, I kept a pretty tight schedule, got hte house rather cleaned up, and managed to accomplish quite a lot. I wrote an article (okay, I cheated, I wasn't supposed to do that), which now needs to be proofread. Maybe I can do that and watch tv. <sigh> Then I'll come back and brainstorm. Alright, the article has been revised and updated. I was hoping to have received some feedback in my inbox but it looks as though that is wishing in vain. It is good to see folks reading my blog, though. Now I am off to storm the brainstorming castle (not sure if that is good repetition or bad) for my marriage and debt article. In fact, I could stick the two of those together. "I, Nola, Take You, Visa..." LOL. Okay, I am going to make this one work and then go to bed. That gives me only two articles today? What a slacker. I should also mention that I recently discovered, when my dh tried out his premium membership, that you cannot create a web page with the free premium trial. I have to decide whether or not to take advantage of it now. I played around with his, manipulated the favorites. Oooh, that looked so cool! I would love to see that on my screen. I will think about it and most likely make a decision tomorrow. I'd like to make a smooth transition there. I will probably go ahead and sign up for the free trial, though, and then move to the paid once I get my gps together. I just would hate to not have the two overlap, LOL. I'm sure I'll come back. Please please please check out the articles I am writing! I'm going to start submitting on the first of June! |
| I am revising my schedule to make writing a priority. The downside is that it means I only get 6 hours of sleep. The upside is that I get to write. We will see how long this lasts. I'm going to run through some brainstorming for the next article right now. The one that most easily springs to mind is another top ten, this time on kids versus dogs (where the kids come out as winners). Someone also asked me about cats versus kids, with cats as winners. I like that idea, too, and think I'll play with it first. So those are the two I will try to get done tonight. I am worn out right now. My plan is to go to bed at 12 and get up at 6 to start moving my life around. This should give me time to work, play with my kids, keep the house clean, and write. I really should be focusing on business articles for DH's newsletter but I can't fit that into the schedule at present. Today was a frustrating day, but I hope that I don't wind up with two hours on two articles, especially ones that should be so easy. Maybe I will go to bed earlier for a more gentle method of easing into bed at night. <sigh> I am going to wind up insane soon, I think. But for now, I write! Go check my appendix to keep up with all the junk I am currently spilling out, LOL. Since it doesn't look like I showed it, I will try that here:
edited to add: Wow, I just checked out my total article intake, and I have 15 articles to submit. I will go back over the ones that were already in my portfolio, but I anticipate some quick gps. Four of them are newly written and specially applicable. I can only submit ten at a time at first, but I am actually rather excited about those ten. The gps from those should put me over the limit I need for a premium upgrade. However, I may go ahead and hold off on one of the business articles - one with a bio that discusses me as a freelancer - then again, maybe not. Maybe my next step will be to get my free one month premium membership and then I will start fixing up a nice web page for me. I'm really excited - I could be premium in the next few days. I should go to bed, or write some more, but I am thinking I will check out the premium thoughts and then I will go ahead and write down my 'assignments' for tomorrow. The first will be for the freecycle article, and the second for the craigslist. I will keep my clipboard near me for inspiration to strike throughout the day. I think I'm going to get a lot of work done from home tomorrow, for the gym. I will send the kids outside instead of driving around in circles. I have a lot to get done and so I'll just pick up the gym stuff tomorrow. I should probably make a to do list for tomorrow, quick, too. Argh. Okay, I'm off to research the highly coveted premium membership. Woohoo!! Then bed. |
| I am so hot, it is insane. It is making it tough to work on my computer, since the only unairconditioned room is the sunroom with the 'puter. ARGH! I wish I could pay my electric bill with gps! DH, in the meantime, keeps encouraging me to stay up all night working on my novel so we can be rich. I should probably start, huh? <sigh> Too bad I can't buy a membership to writersmarket online with gps. That would be fun. I just searched my first and last name on the web as a 'starter' and found only two pages. Half of them are some chick in South Dakota, and the other half is actually me, when I posted in a few genealogy forums. Hmm, I wonder what 'scottiegazelle' turns up? 'scottiegaz' gives me three pgaes, two at writing.com (one a blog), one at the free eZine site where I registered but have yet to submit to. 'scottiegazelle' turns up several posts on various forums. See, if you want to know where I play online, check out google! How funny! writing.com, tivo community forum, bargainshare, fatwallet, mtstars (from when I was doing medical transcription) --> five pages and I bet they are all really me! How fun! Ha ha ha, strongholdforum for gaming, some more genealogy stuff (oooh, now there is an article idea), and ebay. How interesting. I guess it's good to have a consistant user name. My husband has taken the kids away so I really should write something but I am hugely uninspired. Maybe I will go to work on the wedding article I considered earlier. That would be fun. I think I will do that one. I wish I could think some more about business, but I can't seem to get my head around a good topic other than customer service and marketing. What about a specific newsletter article? I like that one. Alright, now I have one I am inspired about, although I can't actually reprint it in my newsletter. I suppose I could but I am not sure how well that would work. I will have to see how it turns out. Let me think a bit. A newsletter article - there are so many 'why's that I think I'll do a 'how'. Maybe I can followup with a 'why' newsletter article. In fact, that would make a good two-part series. My hope is to build up several business articles that will work for dh's business newsletter, and then I will have one part of the stress gone as I work to assemble it, right? Right. Going to go to work. I'll come back and post the link. edited to add: I am having far too much fun with the writing here. Should I go write about WHY a business should have a freelance article? Here is the HOW for ya.
Please PLEASE read and review! Seriously, the fun never stops around here. I left and came back remarkably quick with an outline, wrote the article, and now I am ready to do another one. I am not sure I want to do the business one. How about I go import my coupon one that I already basically wrote? I will put that on here. It is already done, granted, but I can do a little editing and spiff it up some. Except I actually want to write now while the kids are gone, and I don't want to do the other newsletter. I wish I could find the list I made. I know there was another article I was so enthusiastic about. <sigh> So this is what I am thinking. I wrote a killer article about newsletters for businesses that I am hoping will make it to print in several business newsletters. I will upgrade my account to premium before sending it, and put together a web page with the free. I am very close to getting the gps for the premium, especially if I can get it at the 'sale' rate right now. I think I will have to do an evil cackle, LOL. Anyway, imagine with me: someone (or more than one someone) picks up my article, with my bio (which will be intentionally biased to lead them to my web page), finds me, and then wants me to freelance for them? That would be great. I wonder how well that would work out. <sigh> Tomorrow - no, tomorrow is Memorial Day - Tuesday I am going to get things moving on the newsletter for the gym. That will give me more access, more information, more articles to practice with. I wish I knew something about writing with health, though, LOL. I need to find a library that subscribes to Health magazine. I bet I can find it online. Maybe I will just be a web browser. But I assimilate better when I ahve the magazine - don't know why. Maybe because I can leave this computer room - it is 85 in here - and go to the rest of the house. Okay, I guess I will go ahead and prep the 'why' newsletter article. But first I will search high and low for the other one and see if it excites me more. But before that, I have to do some greedy handrubbing! Further editing to add: I am on a roll today. Here is the newsletter article. Hey, is anyone reading my journal anymore? I think I lost my big reader. I feel like on Star Trek IV: The Journey Home, where they yell, "Get him back, get him back!". Except, of course, my reader is a her. And there is no window exploding. And the aliens aren't sucking all the water out of Earth's oceans. Otherwise, though, identical situation. So, the article.
I am starting to wonder where my husband is, though. Better call him. Maybe I'll work on my ... no, I am going to take a break now. <sigh> Or maybe I'll nose around and figure out the writing.com web page. Something like that. FURTHER EDITED TO ADD: Oh my goodness, I just won't leave you alone, will I? I am really excited. I left the computer, I really did, to read a book on (what else?) writing. As I read, there was a note about cooking, and I thought, oh yes, I remember! So I ran to the computer and wrote
I know, this looks like a salespitch blog, but hey, where else can you find so much varied reading in a single entry? I really had fun with this one. I had fun with all of them today. Good grief, how many articles did I write today? Five articles. Can you imagine if I could actually turn out five a day regularly? I can't, but it would be nice to dream. <sigh> Alright, I really am going to go for the night. Or maybe I should read more about the web links. I need to R&R three more items to hit ten. ARGH. |
I finished my first article - see above. I am quite excited about it, and it seems to be gaining positive feedback. I reworked the last sentence a little bit - it has been giving me problems - but I think I tweaked it sufficiently. Pet article idea: comparing kids to dogsI am not fully sure of how to spin this one, but my sister was trying to convince me that it is better to have a child than a dog. Now, I have to disagree, but regardless, it is too late for me, with three little babies. No way am I trading my daughter for a dog - although, at this point in the day, I might consider it - and I'm not adding another responsibility to my collection, because I know who will wind up cleaning up. Anyway, I thought a light-hearted article might make things fun. Perhaps I can do a comparison, like "Your dog will love you unconditionally forever. Your kids will love you unconditionally until they are about two, at which point, the refusal of candy will spark 'I hate you'." And, "When your dog does something wrong, he will stare up with big eyes and whimper apologetically. When your child does something wrong, they will first protest that someone else did it and then insist you are the worst parent ever." How to avoid not offending the parents? Perhaps a preliminary discussion and conclusion, stating, "I suppose I'll keep my kids but..." Hmm. "You can take the dog to the vet and get it fixed. Teenagers must be monitored far more carefully." LOL "A dog treat will go a long way. Kids want bikes, cars, and ballet lessons." I am actually excited about that one, now. Maybe I'll make a list. I am just going from excited point to excited point. Which is great. I'm going to go take some notes. Hmm, what about an article on Publix? See, I am getting a little nutty now. I'm going to go make a list. I like fun things. I am not excited about my day. I am supposed to go to my inlaws. Frankly, I am sick of their house. Maybe I can find a way to insert a picture of their living room. You can't walk through it. We are going over for Sunday dinner and their dining room is a mess. We will be eating dinner on our laps, which I hate doing. Their house is nasty. I know that I am old-fashioned, but I grew up thinking of Sunday dinner as something special - and my mom is not religious, she is agnostic. Maybe it is the Southerner in me. I don't know. But I am about ready to say something to my inlaws today. I am going to take my kids from in front of the television and eat in the kitchen. They are in high chairs and I will just stand at the counter. I am tired. I am going to go make a pet list. <sigh> I've lost my momentum. Shouldn't talk about my in-laws. It depresses me. Edited to add: Finished the pet article! Very short. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
|
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
