Okay, now 28 is live on podiobooks.com!

So you don't need to go to the REchambliss.com link to listen to it. I was hesitant to put it there, because the site needs a lot of work. But I had it ready, and it sometimes takes a day or two after I've finished it before it can go live on podiobooks, so I thought something might be better than nothing. But it's the same audio file, so you don't need to listen to it in two different places.

I was telling someone the other day about how even though I have perfectionistic tendencies, I've had to relax some because otherwise I wouldn't be able to get the episodes out regularly. The mom-thing limits both my time and my ability to record, since I don't record when the kids are home.

Anyway, I've been wanting to improve the web site forever, but haven't had much of a chance to do it. Now that we're so close to the end (just 4 more episodes), what I think I will do is post some bonus behind the scenes sorts of commentary on REChambliss.com after the whole book is live. I'd wanted to do them as I went and have the podcast version of Dreaming of Deliverance available in two places, but it all proved to be too tricky for my meager web master skills, and I thought having them on podiobooks took priority!

Today is Monday. The kids are back in school and I wasn't called to sub. So I might record episode 29. Or I might clean the house and go to the grocery store. Decisions, decisions! I know which I'd rather do, but sometimes duty calls!

More soon!

"Rest" time?

I did go running. But I only wrote for maybe 10 minutes. I guess it's better than nothing, but it's not enough if I want to get this thing done by May 9.

I really think the key is rest time. We skipped it again yesterday. I have to get both the kids and myself back in the rest time habit. That way I will have a block of time every day. Rest time has turned into a big pain lately, though. It's certainly not very "restful". Lots of chaos before, during and after. Before, there's the whining and complaining stage. It takes maybe 10 minutes just to maneuver them back to their rooms. During, they are calling me to bring them various vital items or to find out when rest time is over. (This is usually Kyle, who can't tell time very well yet.) They also yell back and forth to each other. They always want to "rest" together. But when they are together, they don't rest at all! And afterwards, their rooms are torn to shreds--toys everywhere! So rest time has seemed a lot more trouble than it's worth. But if I'm firm about it, we can probably get it back to the point where it is restful for everyone and worthwhile for me.

I'll try to get it together today. It will be a good test day because we're meeting my sister and niece at the mall this afternoon at 4:30, so I won't have a lot of time to dawdle after school. Snack then straight to rest time. We will do it!

Hmph!

Like the picture? That's me running in a 10k this past August. It doesn't really have anything to do with what I was planning to write today, but I'm trying to add it to my profile, and I think I have to post in in a entry first.

Anyway, I did not work on my novel yesterday. The reason is typical and boring. I couldn't find the time. I did go to the gym in the morning and did my UBWO (upper body work out), so that's good. But we needed to go shopping for a birthday present in the afternoon, and during rest time I had to tidy up for the babysitter. (Scott and I went to a fundraiser for Kyle's preschool last night.) Typical! The hyper-critical part of my personality tells me that I should have been able to squeeze it in somehow. For example, had the house already been tidy, I would have had rest time free. But it wasn't. So I didn't.

I hope I get to it today, but it's another busy one: birthday party, maintenance day at the preschool, regular life. I usually take a long run on Sunday mornings, but maybe I should write instead. Here's an example of that trade off. I can exercise OR write, but probably not both.

(sigh)

Somehow, I'll make this work.

Reality Check--This isn't going to be easy.

Wasn't it a great plan? I'd start a blog to help myself make a commitment to finish my novel in 6 months. The blog would hold me accountable, and so I'd write every day!

Hah!

It's going to take more than that.

I didn't write yesterday. First of all, there wasn't a rest time. Kara had a hair appointment at 3:30, we didn't get back until almost 5. And for a variety of reasons that I don't want to go into right now, rest time doesn't really work past 4:15. So, I wasn't able to write at rest time as I so bravely planned (and posted here).

To appease my guilty conscience, I told myself I'd write after the kids were in bed. But instead, I found myself on the internet looking at hair style sites so that I can find a new cut that will work with my "heart" shaped face. (As a side note, there are also web sites that help you determine your face shape and the cuts that work well with them. And "heart" shaped face sounds much better than what it really describes--a wide forehead and a pointy chin!)

Then I spent way too much time reading Miss Snark's blog. She's supposedly a literary agent who anonymously shares the realities of the publishing world with author hopefuls like myself. There's some good information there, but agent tips aren't what I need to focus on right now. I've got to finish the damn book first! And reading her blog, while certainly entertaining, probably wasn't the best use of my limited time.

Finally around 11, I decided that I wouldn't be writing that evening after all. I berated myself for wasting what could have been a productive evening, then half-heartedly promised to get up early this morning and write. I also reminded myself that today Kyle would be in preschool and I'd have a two kid-free hours when I could get lots written. So feeling marginally better, I headed back to the kids' rooms to check on them before going to bed. And found Kyle sound asleep, both he and his bed covered in puke.

I won't go into detail about the state of Kyle and his bed, but let me just say it was one of those messes where I had no idea where to start. Yuck! And the poor little guy was still really sick, dry heaving in his sleep and looking thoroughly miserable. But I'm the mom, so there was no option but to breathe through my mouth and take care of it. (Scott was out of town. Although to be brutally honest, this kind of situation is one that would fall to me even if he were home.)

It was after one when I finally got to sleep. So much for getting up early to write. Preschool won't be happening today either. According to the school handbook, they don't want children to attend when they've puked their brains out the night before. Go figure.

I REALLY want to write today, but I'm not making any promises this time. Real life, and my own procrastinative (Is that a word? It should be.) tendencies have a way of derailing the best laid plan. I do need to figure out some kind of system for getting regular writing time. Because...

I'm going to finish this book. In six months. I am! I am!