Balancing Family and Writing Career

I know I've told you before that this is definitely the toughest pregnancy I've experienced so far, but the amazing thing is that I've managed to really advance my writing career during this difficult pregnancy. I now go to three to four doctor appointments weekly, and take care of two toddlers, and write -- all while feeling extremely tired and pretty crappy physically (because of this high-risk pregnancy and the medications that my doc has me taking). One word comes to mind: BUSY.

There was a time in my life when I would have said that just making it through these nine months with my sanity intact would have been a big enough feat on its own, much less actually setting and reaching some lofty (for me, at least) writing goals. So I have to say that I am actually quite proud of myself and very grateful for having come to the understanding that I am really capable of doing quite a lot if I set my mind to it, busy or not.

In fact, I think that might be one of the most important things I've been able to do -- realize what is and is not a priority in my life, and then plan - and act - accordingly.

In my case, my family takes precedence over everything. While writing is important to me, it still comes second on the list of priorities. Knowing this, I am able to schedule my days so that I can be a good mother to my kids, spend quality time with hubby, and still have time to write. Granted, I don't always have as much writing time as I would like, but I make it work. And, for me, the pressure of time limitations works a lot better than self-imposed deadlines, so I've managed to remain quite productive.

Unfortunately, this means that I have to be extremely selective with how I use my time. For example, I often find myself in a situation where I have to choose between drafting an article or sending out a pitch versus writing a blog post. Nine times out of ten, I write the article or pitch letter. But it can be disappointing having to do that because I really enjoy blogging.

My goal here isn't to complain, but rather to show that you really do have options -- you can choose to have a writing career while raising kids. And succeed at both. It's a choice. Everyday you make little choices that end up dictating the life that you lead. Those choices reveal what's most important to you, and have a large influence on the person you are and the person you are becoming. These choices allow you to develop and share little bits of yourself with your family, friends, editors, readers, etc.

In a nutshell, I am busy. A busy mom. A busy writer. A busy wife. A busy preggo woman. Would I prefer to be less busy? No way! Because that would mean that I was giving up something that I love.

So are you a busy writer? And would you change anything?

Just Around the Corner

No doubt you all think that I simply dropped off the face of the earth. I have felt like it a bit at times...but I'm still here. You know how I'm always talking about how crazy my life is? Well, the last couple months have been beyond crazy. Let me explain.

First off, my grandmother (who has lived with my family for years and whom I have always been extremely close to) was in and out of the hospital since Christmas day and then passed away in January. It was definitely difficult for me and my family, but I am grateful for all the time that we got to spend with her over the years.

After she passed away, many of my relatives from out of town came and stayed at my house for a week so that they could attend the funeral and wake. They were a huge help in handling the many arrangements involved in a funeral, not to mention, the support of having extended family around was really wonderful.

Then a few weeks later, a very close family friend (who I grew up knowing as a grandfather) passed away. (Both of my actual grandfathers died when I was very young, and I don't have any memories of them.) Thus, losing this close family friend so soon after my grandmother made it only harder to deal with. But again, I thank God for all the wonderful memories that I have with both of these loved ones.

On top of all this, I was having the worst case of morning sickness - that lasted all day and night - that I've ever had with any of my pregnancies. Dealing with this, on top of taking care of two toddlers, and losing two loved ones, and having a bunch of people stay over for awhile, made for some crazy times.

But then, things have gotten even crazier. Because now, my pregnancy is considered high-risk.
After giving birth with a prior pregnancy, I had a pulmonary embolism, which was definitely a frightening experience. So my doctor says that I am at a higher risk of having more blood clots now, and am thus having to give myself daily injections of blood thinner. (Some side effects: increased nausea and a nasty stomach.)

While this probably sounds like an endless list of complaints, all of these events that I have experienced in the past couple of months have really made me appreciate everything that I am so blessed to have in my life: my family, my children, my incredibly supportive hubby, a baby that is growing right along despite the risks involved with this pregnancy, and many wonderful memories with all the people who are so important to me. I truly am grateful!

And even though I feel like I've been through a lot lately, I am reminded that even though Winter comes each year, I know that Spring always follows. And on a perfect day like today, one can't but notice that Spring is just around the corner. :)

Checking In

Hi Everyone.

Again, I kind of disappeared for a while. My apologies! Things have been even more hectic around here than normal.

You see, my grandmother (who has lived with me for about 18 years) has been in and out of the hospital since Christmas. She ended up passing away last week. This was definitely hard on our family, but we are grateful for all the time we were blessed to spend with her over the years.

Her wake was on Thursday and funeral on Friday, so we had some relatives come in from out of town and stay with us. It has been really great getting to spend time with them, and I am extremely appreciative to be so fortunate to have such a large and loving family.

In addition to losing my grandma, I have been having an extremely nasty time with morning sickness that seems to last 24/7. This clearly pales in comparison to losing a family member, but I'm just trying to fill you in on what it's been like around here.

Anyway, life will slowly start getting back to normal, and I will be back in touch soon.

I hope that your writing is going well, and look forward to catching up with you all again soon. Keep up the good work!

Big News!

The other day I said that I was going to set specific goals for the new year and that I would share them with you. Well, I did sit down and determine what I wanted to achieve in 2010 as well as the necessary steps I would need to take to do that...but then I realized that I was too tired this week to start putting my plan into action. Then I realized the reason behind my sudden bout of extreme fatigue: I'm pregnant!

I am extremely excited! And a bit nervous. But very happy! I love my children, and know that I am blessed to be able to give birth to and get to share my life with another little munchkin.

But, I am definitely going to have to re-evaluate my plans for this coming year - just to make sure that they are still realistic in light of this pregnancy. Once I do this, I will then share them with you. :)

Hope you are all having a productive week! See you soon.

Merry Christmas!

I realize that it's a couple days late, but I still wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Hope you are having as wonderful of a time as I am!

I am thoroughly enjoying this holiday time with my family. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays...and it's especially been exciting this year watching my son (who is now 2 and 1/2 years old) experience this holiday season. This year he seems to have a much better grasp of what is going on, and it's been really fun sharing these special moments with him and my daughter. My daughter is about 16 months at this point and even though she doesn't fully understand everything that's happening, she is definitely having fun, too.

Anyway, I vowed that I was going to stay away from my computer for this whole Christmas break, but I figured that a quick blog post never hurt anyone. :) I'd better get back to my munchkins before they come searching for me. Again, I wish you all a very joyful holiday season!

No Time to Write

Life has thrown some unexpected twists in my path recently. Some small and some far too big (and scary) for my liking.

The biggest thing is that my mom has been in and out of the hospital for the last ten days. When we initially took her in, she was on the verge of having a heart attack. Fortunately, we got her there in time, and a heart attack was avoided. Nonetheless, this has been a scary and difficult experience (especially after having lost my dad just five years ago). I am not ready to lose another parent.

I am exhausted beyond belief, so I'm going to make this brief and call it a night. Obviously, with my mom's present state of health, my writing has been put on the back burner. But as soon I get back into the swing of things, I'll be in touch....probably in a few days. I just wanted to check in with everybody and let you know what I have been up to. See you soon!