Visit from the Tooth Fairy

Here I am again - early enough in the morning that the kids aren't up so I can concentrate on the computer time I can steal without distractions. It is almost eight, so I'm sure that time on't last.

This past week has disappeared so quickly I don't know where it went. Can't tell you what I did most days either. But one of the major events - my six year lost another tooth! She can really sing that song "All I want for Christmas is my tooth front teeth". Don't you love me for getting that song stuck in your head all day? And at the same time as the Sears Christmas Wish book came out. Pretty good timing don't you think?

And the tooth fairy visited leaving her a nice crisp five dollar bill. FIVE DOLLARS! FOR A TOOTH SMALLER THAN A POPCORN KERNEL!
Hmmmph.  I got 35 cents. If I got five dollars a tooth back then I'd be rich right now, I know I would. I would have invested it wisely, watched my bank account grow and grow...........or bought a bag of chips, a Crunchie bar (still love them!) and a bottle of pop, at least four times. Okay, and some candy too. Those were the days.

I also spent time (I did! I really found time!) working on the second in the Blurs series. Should have come up with a name by now. I have a couple in mind. The Followers is one, but I can'r remember if that is the exact name in the series with Kevin Bacon that started last year. Loved that, by the way. Watched every one. Didn't like the ending, but other than that, loved it. The other one I chose is Zapped, which I'm liking more because the book is for middle-graders, and it sounds punchier for that age group. Did I make up my mind right now? Hmmmm........maybe.

I've also decided to put out at least one of the two Blurs sequels??? before I publish White Magic. I have the outline done for the third in the series, while I only have a rough, and I mean really rough, outline, more like notes, for the other two in the White Magic series.

So what to do with the time when the kids go to school..............most of them anyway. I'll be checking the mail all week to see if the high school books and manuals have arrived so I can start planning and teaching. I swear my sixteen year old had better take me serious in this home-schooling business! I offered to let him sleep in and begin at eleven, work til two or whenever we finish that day's lessons. He didn't accept. He wants to start early, by nine. Yes you heard that right! Am I not the dream Mom and he turned me down? Like, seriously? Yeah. Anyway, he wants to be finished before lunch. Fine by me.

Sorry, did it make it seem like I did that for his benefit? Don't tell him, because I will use that offer of eleven to tell him how much I love him (and I really do!), but I'm a morning person, so I really wanted to use  nine til eleven for  my writing time. Oh, the things I could have written.......Anyway, I will use it to teach. Writing will have to be done later. Before three, when the other kids get home. Which means laundry and house cleaning will need to be finished before seven, when I wake the 'school' kids up, and again after three.

Anyone that thinks  stay-at-home Mom's have lots of time on their hands, please, please, please give me some pointers! I need more time!

I'm off today, two more days of work at the restaurant before we close for the season, five days before school starts, and a million and one things on my to-do-list! Seriously, I'll take pointers...........
 

gotta learn to tweet!

I've just finished an amazing week of writing conferences followed by writing time, five days, Monday to Friday. I'm saying amazing. Seriously.

I loved every minute of it. The speakers - on writing, book cover designs, publishing, editing. It was interesting. Informative. Fun.

And every afternoon free writing time at the meeting place of PEI Writes, I group I have just joined and absolutely love all the members I've met. During this free time, I wrote my second book in the Blurs series. By Friday afternoon, I was roughly HALF FINISHED  MY MANUSCRIPT!!!! HALF FINISHED!  DID YOU HEAR THAT!

Sorry for screaming, but I get so excited! And I didn't even stay for the entire time dedicated for writing. I couldn't. My brain literally shut down when I realized how far along I was each day, at how much I'd accomplished.

It really made me see how much I COULD do when I put my mind - no my time - to it. So three weeks and the kids are in school I am really going to focus. I've finished White Magic, no editing or even typing yet, and then its time to finish (whatever its going to be called) Blurs two. Not Blurs two, but I really need a name, like I said, right?

Okay, if I'm serious about writing, it means I've got to sell books to make a living. And that means social media marketing. We didn't get into that much last week, but one of the things to do was Twitter.

Hey, this past year was big for me! I've published four books. I'm ready for one or two picture books, just finalizing things, I've done a facebook page, I've learned to blog - see? Look at me now! And last but not least - I wish it was last! - e have a Twitter. My daughter used my e-mail for her account - she's only eleven - so I've deleted hers, which takes 30 days before I can reactivate mine. And THEN I'll learn to tweet. Really. I mean it.

I'm so excited at how this new book is turning out! I've got to name it........I wrote the outline  and I've been using it roughly, with new twists that came to me while I was writing. But with the outline I knew where I was still going. Love my outlines. Love Patti for showing me outlines.

I've only got two more weeks of waitressing, then its back to writing! And, don't forget, being an underpaid waitress/busgirl/housekeeper/taxi driver/cook/laundry person/therapist/  multi-tasker Mom. I'll get used to being broke again, but the kids will be happier! Maybe not my oldest, whom I will be homeschooling, but definitely my poor six year old, who actually cried a few times when I had to go to work. Broke my heart. Do you think she did it to be manipulative? To make every one baby her when I was gone? Cause it worked!

Okay, kids are inside again, I'll probably be chased from the computer any second, and not only that, I've got to get up and do something!

Any tips on tweeting, I'll take.

Thanks for listening - er, reading.

Right or wrong - what do we do for our kids!

Okay. So I've worked this summer - too much. For me, anyway. Only about 30 hours per week, but 5 or 6 days a week. The hours I could handle, and many more, but not the days. How do Mom s who work full time handle it! I would go crazy!

So I'm waiting for September to settle myself down, get things back to normal. September. Kids in school. House found under the piles of sand - love barefoot season - NOT! - and laundry. Which is actually not bad. I took this weekend off to watch my boys motocross race. Love watching them. Kind of. When my knees stop shaking and my stomach calms down.

And my 16 year old wants to make it his career . Racing. On a dirtbike. It's the only thing he's ever wanted to do. Ever. Here's what I'm into  now. This is our conversation. You all know my side, right?
"Get up! You can't sleep all day! You need to get a job. Can you PLEASE  pick up those dirty clothes in your room! There's things growing in there! I see legs peeking out!"

Here's his answer to everything:
"I'm training! None of the pro racers have jobs. That's ALL they do is train! That's why they're pros! Because they put 100% into it! How do you expect me to be a pro if I can't focus and put everything into it! It's all I want to do. It's my dream! Are you going to tell me not to have a dream?"

Right. That's why you're dishes can't make it into the dishwasher. Cause you're 'training'. Wouldn't want to sprain your fingers.

But I will admit it's my fault too. I have, as a stay-at-home mom, picked up after my kids way too often.
Sad. True. Life.

And school? HAH!

"School is a waste of time. They don't teach me anything I need to know!"

Because it isn't a motocross school! Duh!  But he doesn't do well. And do you know what he did! He suckered me into trying to homeschool him! He refuses to go to school because - you guessed it!  - he wants to SPEND ALL HIS TIME TRAINING!

So if I want him to get an education/grade 12 diploma/ I need to do it! Holy crap! This right after I've decided to be a FULL TIME WRITER! With my youngest in grade 2, I'm just getting settled into doing the writing thing! Hmmmph. Between the laundry, cleaning, cooking, lunches - what else am I forgetting!- there was precious little time left to write! Some days none! So this September I really was going to do it!

Sigh.

Now - guess what I'll  be doing. Teaching. Hah - or learning. It's been a couple of years since I was in high school. Maybe I'll write while he's doing his work. Maybe. We'll see how it goes.

If it's anything like what doing homework is like...............it's not fun for either of us and it's too loud! But he's promised it won't be.......

Seriously. Am I doing the right thing or wasting my time?

Better be doing the right thing. My 13 year old son is already nagging to be homeschooled.

GIVE ME STRENGTH!

Mean old Mom said not a chance. I figure one at a time. Get the oldest a diploma, then the next.........

I figure if we take 3 hours to homeschool, he's got 3 extra hours a day. So if he worked part-time........

Hey - motocross is expensive!

What do you think? Am I doing too much for him? Not enough? Got any stories to compare?

I love my kids!