Pay It Forward II

Allyson Peterson, also known as Crazy Writer Girl gave me the "Stylish Blogger Award."  It's lovely of her to do and it gives me the opportunity to pay it forward and draw your attention to some wonderful bloggers.  Follow these people. Read them.  They are funny, wise and have provided me with a tremendous amount of support on this writing journey.  My online friends travel the road with me and I appreciate every one of them.


First, I have to tell you some things about me.

  1        I know the difference between boarding, roughing and cross-checking.

2.        I got a tattoo when I turned forty. It’s awesome, but I wouldn’t do it again.

3.        Sleeping annoys me. I fight it and do it as little as possible.

4.        My favorite guilty pleasure is Nutella right from the jar.

5.        I’m a bag whore.  I love totes, purses, clutches.  You name it; I love bags.

6.        I really like ABBA.

7.        I’ve been in more than one professional sports locker room.

Now for the bloggers.  I'm supposed to list fifteen...I'll do my best.

Patty Blount

Charissa Weaks

Linda Grimes

Helen Sayers

Julie Musil

Michele Shaw

Sierra Godfrey

Sandra Cormier

Tawna Fenske

Jessica Lemmon

Abby Mumford

Kelly Breakey

Muffintopmommy

Rebecca Lynn

Elizabeth Flora Ross

Whew!  Made it! (There are actually sixteen blogs)  Truly, if you need to add some interesting, clever reads to your day stop by these blogs.  They are, indeed, stylish!  Hopefully those bloggers I've mentioned will bring your attention to someone else by paying it forward.

New year...new commitment.

Hey, everyone.  I've emerged from my cave and I've decided the blog gets one last shot at life.  I will do this by posting once a week.  I'm thinking Sunday mornings, since I'm usually up at the crack of dawn while the rest of the house snoozes. And if I have to set reminders on my calendar to make sure the post gets done, that's what I'll do.

If this is going to be successful, it's going to be because of a routine.  You'll notice I didn't say anything about not having enough time.  I have time.  What I don't have right now is structure.

Routines helped me survive the years when my children were small and I was teaching full time.  By getting into a routine, the kids knew what to expect, and even better, my husband and I knew that week to week, we had things under control.

From doing grocery shopping on Friday nights to knowing Monday night we were having pizza for dinner, the predictability made our busy lives easier.  I do believe I need to get back to routines even though I don't have the little kids anymore.  When I slip into schedule chaos, I get nothing done.  I get frustrated and stressed, and right now, since there's a lot going on (family, work, school play, local RWA stuff, writing...) I need predictability.

So tonight we're having a sit down and we're going to figure out how to make life more manageable.  It can be done.  If I could do it when I had three children under the age of five, a full time job and a demanding graduate school program, I can certainly do it now.

So what about you?  How do you find time to write amid all the other things life throws at you?