I wish I were a better ball handler.
Like most moms people, I have plenty of balls in the air. The problem is, I don't always have the right ball in the air at the right time, and I rarely pay equal attention to my balls. All of my balls are good balls, and I don't want to get rid of any of them. I want to become a better juggler. If I pay too much attention to one ball at the expense of the others, I will either end up with balls all over my head, or a handful of sad, lonely balls.
In an attempt to address some of my balls, I've devised this daily report card. It is a work in progress, and I have no intention of actually grading myself daily. I don't need that kind of pressure. I'll do it when I can. OMG I'm already setting myself up to fail. Anyway, I'm hoping that being mindful of my balls will allow me better serve my family and myself. After grading myself for a while, hopefully I'll have a good idea of what's working, what isn't, and which balls need more attention and tweaking.
Heather's Report Card for 11/22/2010
Smileys denote today's grades.
- Health & Well-Being - Diet, exercise, not freaking out, zen
;-( - My Children - Something new - craft, exercise, game, silliness
^_^ - Frugality - Not being wasteful, cutting back, scoring a freebie
8) - Picture Books - Writing, revising, critiquing
;-( - Link or Photo of the Day - For fun and personal enrichment
William Carlos Williams, DANSE RUSSE
also...
Spotlight on Agent Mary Kole at Writing and Illustrating
Heather,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention on your blog. Hope you writing is going well. Do you live anywhere near New Jersey?
Kathy
Hi Kathy, how nice of you to come by with a thanks. I totally appreciate it! The writing is going well in general, just not today. It was one of THOSE days.
ReplyDeleteNope, nowhere near New Jersey. I'm from CA but live near Dallas, TX. I have to know why you ask. :)
We all juggle, don't we? Sometimes making a schedule helps. But you're not allowed to freak out when you don't follow through. For example, I have trained and ran two full marathons (26.2 miles) and made a schedule for my running. I scheduled five runs a week with lots of miles. Often, I only ran three times a week. Sometimes, my long run didn't quite get the mileage (like I planned 14 miles, but only ran 12). I stuck with the plan, though I didn't stick strictly to the schedule. And I finished my races. Same with writing or anything in life. Allow yourself some slack, but make yourself RUN (or whatever). Push yourself, but don't freak out when you don't make the scheduled goals. Most importantly, have fun. Life's too short. Sorry for the sermon, but I thought it relevant. Your report card is too cute.
ReplyDeleteOnce, for a job I had, the employer was getting strict on efficiency. So I wrote down what I did for EVERY minute of the day. It was a huge eye-opener for where I spent my time at work. Some projects took a lot longer than I thought they were. I was also able to consolidate other tasks to save more time. Well, good luck juggling those balls in the air!
I was just curious. I was hoping you lived closer, you might consider coming to our New Jersey SCBWI June conference and I could meet you. We do have a few writers from TX who come, but I know that is a long trip for most people.
ReplyDeleteKathy
Oh, I would love to come! Quite a haul for me this year though, all things considered. I think it's great that there are big SCBWI conferences on each coast, but how about one in the middle? :-D You're so sweet. Thanks again for coming by. Have fun at the conference!
ReplyDeleteHey, I am picking up what you're laying down! I'm sure you get weird stares anyway, so what the heck. :P
ReplyDeleteHey, congrats on running those marathons! I'm proud of you! And what you're saying makes a lot of sense. Schedule to get some sense of order to your life, but don't be rigid or beat yourself up. Just form a track, so we can get back on that track to take care of business.
ReplyDeleteI've done that type of efficiency stuff as well, as I used to be a sales assistant. I even tried it after I had Joe, but then laughed/cried my scheduling right out the window. Best laid plans end up dashed too many times when one is the primary caregiver for two littleuns. I DO want the framework, though.
I'm going to try and incorporate more SAHM stuff into my life. I tried before, but gave up because you can spend SO much time on this stuff (how to make money from home) and end up with pennies in return. I want to try lots of things, and see if I can't work up a sort of weekly schedule of picture book writing, of course, couponing, freebies, and whatever online money-making things I can find. I'd like to try a lot of things and write about it. What I'm wondering about now is whether to incorporate that information in this blog, or to start another, which I'm loathe to do at this point. Oh Christie! So many balls!
Seems you've been talking to my kids. Just wait until they get home :evil: :)
ReplyDeleteSire, you're hilarious.
ReplyDeleteHeather, remember a blog needs to be focused. I'd say keep it with picture books and jolliness. Maybe a short, once-a-week, post for the 'jolliness' part could focus on the freebies, coupons, and such. Emphasis on short. And the more you can relate it to picture books, the better. But that's just my take.
Thanks, Christie. I think you're right. (As usual. 8) ) I'm going to use my "old" blog Happymaking for off-topic SAHM-interest and family posts.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree, Sire is hilarious.
Hey Christie, I reckon it's the Aussie in me, we tend to have a unique sense of humor. You should see the things going on in my head when ACDC's Big Balls comes on the radio. :D
ReplyDeleteNice post Heather. I don't know why it's reminding me of a secretary for someone important who always had to ask permission to go to the bathroom (I would never do her job!)
ReplyDeleteI read quite a religious post yesterday that Rachelle tweeted about saying no to things especially around christmas time. Nice reminder of what is important :) (It would have been so helpful if I'd had the link oh well!)