A Work in Progress

So, I have this cute child. He's six. Tall for his age. And very much like my firstborn with his perfectionist tendencies. While extremely responsible, and this year has been exceptional -- him telling me what homework he has the day before it's due; that he wants to take his spelling pretests with ABSOLUTELY no help from me, etc -- he forgot something really important the second week of school. He went to school without his shoes. Okay, not the end of the world. I drove up to the "drop off" area, ready to expel my children to the world of learning, when I hear, "I don't have my shoes!" He was so in shock, so scared I would be mad at him, that all I could do was say, "Okay. Wow." No way could I be angry. No way could I tell him that he seriously ruined my morning routine, that I'd be late meeting a friend for coffee, or that I didn't care. Because I did care. And my cute child is everything to me. On the good days. And the bad

You know, I had originally titled my blog this, A Work in Progress. And would you look at that .. my life has come full circle three years later, and I'm back to naming my blog A Work in Progress. Why this name? Because, quite frankly, it fits me and what I'm doing. I  am always working on something as far as writing goes, and it not only never feels complete, but I always feel like I can do it better. Sort of carries into my personal life as well. The house we just bought? Unless I like the dated wallpaper and old kitchen cabinets, which I don't, it's a work in progress. My dog who loves the ball more than obeying? Well, she's a work in progress. Very cute, but very much a work in progress. My job as a parent? Where do I begin? That's a forever work in progress. Just when I've mastered diapering, it's onto saying "no" at the rights times (which feels like ALWAYS) and then it's onto juggling school and sports and home life a

My sister just sent me a blog post, from a friend who sent her the blog post and it is one I had to absolutely share with you. It has to do with kids, sweet spots, goat rodeos and the freedom to laugh and cry. If you have kids that are older (like over 8) read this. You'll get EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. If you don't have kids, read this so you understand your friends that do have them. If you have young kids -- like age 5 and under -- read this anyway ... the light is at the end of the tunnel. Click HERE for the post written by Julianna W. Miner. Hope your summer is excellent. Mine is. Enjoying our new pool. And judging by the picture, so are my boys.

Seriously, has it been two months since my last post? Wowsers. That's not so good. I've been a little ... well, I was going to say busy, but then, we're all busy and other people get to their blogs. But I don't. Hmmm. Priorities. I did read a pretty fantastic best-seller though called The Harbinger, written by Jonathan Cahn. If you're interested in Biblical history, enjoy the plot and pacing of John Grisham, like fiction and mystery - with a huge dash of real life, because the story is based on facts - then this book is for you. Blew me away. History is happening right now. And we're in the middle of it. I'm a Christian, so this book resonated with me. I got to take verses I've read before in the Bible and apply it to things that have happened since 9/11 at and around Ground Zero. Christian or not (and the author is a Messianic Jew, by the way) this is an incredible book with indisputable facts, despite it being in a fictional format.

Anyone who hasn't had a bad review of their work doesn't fully understand the stress that comes with being a writer. I recently had one of these reviews. And it seriously made me doubt that what I had put years into was even worth it. It's bad enough that we pour out our blood and sweat and tons of tears into our work without a single affirming word from anyone saying, "What a swell job you're doing" or "Though you haven't made a penny of your writing in years, your work is truly great." And we continue to pour away because we are called to write. We can't live without doing that. This particular negative review of my work, The Puzzle Master, was like a slap in the face, with a punch to the gut, and then just when I thought it was over, a blind-sided karate chop to the back of the legs. I questioned if her negative review of my work was valid. I questioned my abilities as a writer. I wondered if indeed the last eighteen years

I'm a bit overdue for a post, but that's okay. A new year means doing new things. And here's something new: I see that the more I am away from blogging, the more I realize I don't know what I'm doing, even though I'm always researching what I think I want to be doing. New years goal? To write to be happy. Not to write to finish a project or to enter a contest (which, by the way, I like). But, I want to be really happy writing. That is the main purpose for writing in the first place, for me. I write because I love it. But, when the writing turns mundane because I HAVE to write or feel compelled to write because I'm a "writer" well, it takes everything good out of the whole experience. Sure, it makes me busy. But I'm filling my time with with writing things I don't really end up liking, or using; things that don't mean much to me. I want to write whether the subject I'm writing about is ever published or not. I want that f