Coffin

Haawwrk. Coff, coff. This is the sound of my house this week. Well, the household, to be accurate. The Punkin had an ear infection by Christmas Eve, and Pirate Boy's developed soon afterward. I went to bed right after Christmas dinner; The Man and I have been coughing on each other for days now. And nights; no sleep. Yuck. Will post more post-recovery.

Merry Christmas to All

So, my Alabama in-laws are in town this week, and my kids are going crazy. There are two things I'd forgotten (but really should have remembered) about these visitors from afar:

1) As soon as they arrive, they immediately take my husband away on a shopping trip, leaving me with whatever kids we have (occasionally a newborn) for hours on end. Then they come back, eat whatever I've fixed for them, and go off again. Repeat ad nauseum.

2) They don't remember what it's like to be parents of young children, especially when said children really ought to be sleeping. No, naptime and very early mornings are the times when you need to recount your adventures in 'Nam at the top of your lungs, or for preference, give the oldest kid a trombone lesson.

(A third thing isn't so major but is a kind of funny side note: their accents. Hoo-boy. Or should I say "Bowah"?)

Fortunately, I like my in-laws. Great-grandma even acknowledges the younger kids now (especially Punkin Boy, who, we hear for the 57th time, "looks just like his dad"). And I'm gathering interesting anecdotes from Dad, who was busted in rank more times than Robin Williams' character could ever have dreamed of being. And for better reasons. Someday I'll write a book. Another book.

Meanwhile, I'm actually having a good time. Our guests are spoiling me as much as they are the children. (I didn't think my winter coat looked so bad, really!) My big excitement: They gave us a camcorder! [Dance of joy] It's got video editing software, so if we can figure out how to transfer the film to the computer, I'll be posting some fun stuff. My kids are awesome!

Winter Haiku

16 degrees out.
Our furnace igniter blows.
Brrrr... Cold inside now.

An Upside of Unemployment

This week, #1 Son's teacher noticed that the only protection he had against this unbelievable cold (at the time, around 8 degrees F.) was a padded denim jacket and some ski gloves. I imagine her wondering angrily whether we're criminally neglectful or simply impoverished. She must have checked the roster of "free lunch" kids and found our boy on it, because yesterday the boy came home from school in a wonderful furry-hooded parka, courtesy of some kind donor.

I'm wiping away the tears as I think of it now. Not that I have too much pride to be grateful for such a thing, because I'm willing to suffer anything to take care of my kids. But this coat (glasses going foggy) is so much nicer than we could have bought for him this fall when I was gainfully employed and we were just a little too rich for the welfare rolls. This situation is bringing us the weirdest blessings.

Jeopardy

Answer in the form of a question, please:

The strange marble-sized lump in my breast.

What is GONE, Alex?

That's right! Disappeared completely. Ta-da!

Whew.

Things to Do in the Arctic Cold

In honor of the unholy cold that's got a grip on North America this week (hovering around zero Fahrenheit in my neck of the woods), I've given some thought to what you can really do in weather like this. Here are some suggestions for those who find this weather frustrating and useless:

1. Stay in bed and snuggle with someone you like.
2. Pile on lots of blankets and read a book.
3. Take a nice long nap.
4. Finish writing your NaNo novel, enjoying the warmth of the laptop.
5. Make a fire and sit as close as you can for as long as you can stand it.
6. Enjoy cocoa and popcorn with your family or friends.
7. Board up the igloo doors and wait for the spring thaw.

Notice that all these things involve being indoors (preferrably); also notice the absence of such items as

• Drive all over town taking people to school.
• Go out for yet another mammogram.
• Make another couple round trips picking people up from school and other places.
• Go outside for any reason.
• Drive anywhere in the snow at all.

And yet, alas, my day involves lots of driving in ice and snow, much of it before and after the sun's showtime. Today I'm lucky; I only have to make 3 round-trips. Yesterday I made 5, including the one after sunset with all the kids, who are usually tired and want their dinner anyway. Tuesdays are worse because we get up an hour early to get The Man to his early class. And it was 10 times as bad yesterday because-- OK, storytime here.

Friday, TM says to me "Bad news: My final is on Monday at 7 a.m." Of course the buses don't run at that time of day, and the school is half an hour from our house, and we've only got one car, so this is bad news indeed. It means that we have to bundle the kids out of bed and into their shoes and coats at 6:15 a.m., put them in the car, drive 18 miles to drop their dad off at school, then I have to somehow get them home before they combust from anger at missing their breakfast (not to mention that 75 minutes of sleep), feed them and keep them from killing each other until it's time to take #1 Son to school, bring home the younger ones and somehow survive (at this point, it's that bad-- "Please, kids, just watch a movie or something!") until it's time to take a rather cranky Pirate Boy to afternoon kindergarten, bring a (by this time) screaming Punkin Boy home for a nap...

That he won't take because he has just grown big enough to open bedroom doors AND climb out of his crib. No prison can hold him, and he may never sleep again. Last night, he was up every 2 minutes till long past midnight, at which point he got too tired to keep it up and passed out on the bottom of his long-suffering brother's bed. Poor Pirate Boy has to share a room with this guy, so he's not getting enough sleep, either, but he's developing the ability to sleep through a tornado in his room (i.e., Punkin Boy). I alone of our family have the unfortunate habit of waking up at the slightest noise, especially when it's made by a small child. I haven't slept since Sunday, when I did a lot of napping because of...

The post-NaNo party! (Need to link to some pictures here. There were vast amounts of silliness perpetrated that night.) That, however, is a story for another day.

Postscripts: (1) Unfortunately, TM got mixed up about which Monday his final was on, so we went out 2 days ago amid the aforementioned chaos and personal sacrifice, only to find out that the final is really next Monday, and we'll have to do it all over again! No, I haven't yet committed murder. (2) No, I still haven't gotten anyone to tell me anything about that last mammogram. I waited around for an answer from the doctor's office for 2 weeks, but they were even less informative than the radiology tech, so here I go (right about now, in fact) for an ultrasound. If I ever find out what the deal is, I promise I'll post it here. For now, you can share my frustration at the wait.

I Win the Marathon!

I did it! I did it! And the crowd goes wild!

Now to collapse for a few days while I recover...

Almost There!

Covering the final distance to tomorrow night's finish line. Only 1500 words to go. I'm going to make it! (Puff, puff, pant.) But until then, miss me. (*Blows a big kiss to her adoring fans*) Back to the race...

More in December, I promise!

Na Na, WRIte MOre!

In lieu of a real post, I'm going to follow Purple Elephant's lead and present you with this little quiz for N... you know, that novel-writing thing. (Those of you who aren't participating, answer as if you were.)

Here's my results. Enjoy!


Hooray for you! You're going to win Nanowrimo!
Persistence and hardwork reap great rewards.


It's Nanowrimo Time! Will you reach 50K? What kind of novel will you write?
brought to you by Quizilla



[Edited just before midnight, 11/17: And Scone pulls ahead! She's passing the daily word average and is more than on-track to finish this blasted novel. Huzzah! And there was much rejoicing.]

Why I'm (Still) Behind on My Novel

Oy. Dead tired. I had counted on tonight to catch up on my novel, but no. I forgot that The Man had a late study group in Nearby College Town from whence I'd have to pile the children in the car and pick him up-- at bedtime. I also didn't anticipate #1 Son being hit in the head at school today. Despite losing his vision and becoming extremely dizzy, he didn't think to tell anyone, go to the nurse, or anything, until I came to pick him up a few hours later. I wavered about taking him to the doctor, planning to talk it over with The Man when he came home-- but I didn't realize he wasn't going to come home at the normal time until after I'd piled the kids into the car and driven in a snowstorm to the bus stop a few miles away. Because there has to be a complication. Foolishly fed the children spaghetti (ever tried cooking anything while a 35-pound toddler head-butts you repeatedly and two other children scream and fight in another room?); had to bathe two youngest (without being able to bend over or lift either of them, don't forget) and get everyone ready to go yet again before urgent care clinic closed. Then got lost in the dark and the snow and went around in circles. Fortunately, #1 Son is OK aside from some inner ear jostling. Younger ones entertained the front office staff while I was chaperoning their brother. Then Punkin Boy escaped just as we were leaving (nearly too late to pick up TM) and ran up this stone stairway that looked as if it had no railings at all between him and a 30-foot drop. Argh.

Oh, I could go on. But I won't. Must sleep now. Got to get up in 5 hours and do it all again. Maybe I'll catch up some other time.

What's Wrong With Me, Anyway?

I don't know why I'm writing this. I only have a few minutes before I have to go pick up the kids. Somehow, I've got to get food ready for my writers group banquet tonight right about the same time as I need to be picking up The Man from the bus stop. (I feel really rotten that he won't be able to go for the first time in 5 years.) I'll have to just dump everyone and leave, and I won't be home until after the kids' bedtime, and I haven't written on my novel today, and...

I have something weird in my breast tissue.

I had a second mammogram today because the first one showed an "anomaly" (whatever). The perky technician came back in after showing today's results to the doctor and with a smile told me that I was done. I almost stopped listening at that point, but it's a good thing I didn't because she went on to say that I'd have to come back later for an ultrasound--nothing to worry about, no big deal, the doctors had wanted to do it anyway... Sure, fine, OK. I'll schedule that later. I was fine, too, until she went out. Then I burst into tears like an idiot.

So here I am, just sure I feel something weird in there, trying to tell myself that just because this same thing happened to my mom and hers turned out to be nasty it doesn't mean that it will be the same for me (sure it won't), and feeling guilty for worrying about how much it will cost, since we're still bringing in very little money and Christmas is coming. And tonight I get to hang out with a bunch of wealthy people who will wonder what on earth is wrong with me.

Glorious!

I've broken the 20 percent mark, and only 23% of the way through the working month. (Omitting Sundays does put a cramp in my word count, but I'll make it anyway.) Over ten thousand words into my novel, I still haven't gotten to the main action, and that's OK. I've been fascinated to see what the early bit has turned out like.

For anyone who hasn't tried this experiment before, I totally recommend it. What a rush!

Four days down...

... and I've reached the 10% mark on my novel. Don't do the math; I know I'm still behind, but I'm making up ground, and I'm making progress. And I haven't even gotten to the good part yet.

I love this stuff. Am I crazy?

Yee-ouch! Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Is it really the 3rd already? (Well, technically the morning of the 4th now.) A tenth of the way through the month: Got to get moving on that book...

I've been typing nonstop for the past 3 1/2 hours, and ooh, does my right arm ache! (Why not the left one, eh? What has that slacker been doing all this time?) I'm still behind on where I should be by now, but I did a good 1800 words this evening, and the weekend is coming up. So I'm hopeful for a good conclusion to NaNoWriMo.

Meanwhile, I finished the first part of my freelance work for the month. I clocked only about 8 hours' worth of work on this thing, when I had budgeted for closer to 12 or 15. I've got to either start working slower or start charging by the project instead of the hour. Oy. Let me sleep on it.

I Got It Going On

Testing... Does this show up? Finally?



In case anyone was wondering where I am lately. Dig the new photo, too.

Go Figure

It just figures: Here I sign up for NaNoWriMo because I have nothing else to do in November than write a novel (and OK, I really wanted to do it). So what happens? First, our kids are out of school the first 3 days of November, so no afternoon respite while Punkin Boy takes his nap. Second, (wait for it...) I actually got offered some contract work for almost half the month of November. Which is great, don't get me wrong... In fact, it's fine. I do my best writing late at night anyway.

Now I just need to figure out how to balance all that and get the payments to fall in only one or two of the weeks in November so that I don't lose too much of my unemployment. (Y'know, for a gal who's opposed to the dole, I sure am taking to it well. Bother.)

OK, so it's not just me...

Overheard in passing the other day:

"I always know winter is coming because my fingers start to crack and bleed."

Oh yeah. That's why they do that. It's been so long.

It's a Fine Life

[Tried to post this Friday night, but Blogger was acting up.]

I received my first unemployment check yesterday. Today's groceries were courtesy of welfare. And I had a "post-midterm celebration" date with my husband tonight for virtually free (thanks, Kory!). So life on the streets isn't all that bad.

Meanwhile, it's #1 Son's 11th birthday and his "Mommy" managed not to completely stand him up this time. It's a step in the right direction. But he's gone all weekend, so we'll have to celebrate with him Monday. My folks are giving him a spankin' new Boy Scout uniform; someday he might appreciate the thought. Fortunately, he's got other grandparents.

The little punkins have had a great week learning and playing. The weather (which for quite a while was around 80) has turned cool and wet, finally, but it's still pleasant enough to get outside and have fun in. We spent some time discovering autumn things like leafstorms-- what a magical experience that was for a toddler!

Also, since the editing gigs aren't coming in quite yet, I signed up for NaNoWriMo and am now priming the word pump. I've been working on my murder mystery more diligently lately and (can you believe it?) started a new book (non-fiction this time, just for spice) this week. Wheeeee!

Running Down

I'm losing steam. Not sure whether it's an attitude thing, but I'm just not trying as hard as I was. (That ought to be a good thing, right?) I sit down to job hunt, and I end up checking blogs. I sit down to write on my book, and I end up job hunting. Neither of these has been particularly helpful.

I didn't even go to my writers group meeting this week. After missing the previous 2 months' meetings because of that stupid job, I ought to have been leaping into my car, but no... I was too tired. Well, I was, but that shouldn't have been an excuse. I love my writers group. I live for it. It's what kept me going so long... what is my problem?

Monday Again? Already?

Sheesh. Somehow I thought I'd been posting more often than this. Well, bother. And of course all the ideas I'd had for posts have gone right out of my head, so you'll have to wait for something intelligent. But for now:

The Status Report

• I have not scheduled a followup mammogram. My mom (a breast-cancer survivor) said I should wait until I can afford it (i.e., get insurance). The referring N.P. also said it was nothing major, so I'm going to wait.
• I spent most of last week playing phone tag with this person I was supposed to interview with. One day, her son broke his arm. One day, I had a migraine. Etcetera. One day I just played hooky.
• I have had no emails or calls regarding jobs since Thursday. This could have something to do with the previous item.
• The Man and I are thinking of incorporating. We'd really rather just write all day, every day, but somehow we try to make a living doing other things.
• It has been raining for 2 days solid.
• We're being stalked by Satan-- or at least his spawn. The Man tried to placate her by giving her a Webcam. Great, another way for her to stalk us.
• We finally got the realtor to take down the "For Sale" sign in front of our house.
• Pirate Boy loves to play chess and Risk, but can't get his little brother to follow the rules. This frustrates both of them no end.
• My Punkin Boy will NOT sleep although he needs to (and so do I).
• I like staying home with the kids and making cookies and zucchini bread. It's kinda fun.
• With an attitude like that, I'll never get another job.
• The only thing I miss about working is having an income.
• Oh, and my laptop. I miss that, too.
• Pirate Boy's alarm clock (which resides in the living room) went off at 2:00 this morning.
• The Man had just gotten to bed at 1 something.
• Did I mention I need a nap? I need a nap. My dear husband needs one worse. And he's wandering around in the freezing rain all day. Lucky, lucky man.

For a post when I didn't have anything to say, this has turned out pretty long. More later...