Thursday, May 9, 2013

Finish The Sentence: Don't Forget The Fun Stuff

     When I lead youth group with my husband, I've often told the teens that I've never been as busy as
I was in high school. And that was totally true.

     Until now.
What's up with this photo?

     I spent the first five years of my motherhood journey as a stay-at-home mom in a single-car family. We didn't get out much, as you can imagine. And with a special-needs baby and kids who caught ten colds a year, that scheduled worked out fine for us.

     Then I started homeschooling. We got a second car. I started a small business leading acadmic clubs. Things were busy, but comfortable.

     Then I started writing again.

     I have to admit I'm still on some kind of adrenaline rush from publishing The Beloved Daughter. I'm already daydreaming and plotting my next novel. I don't want to stop.

     My husband works exceptionally hard so I can remain a stay-at-home mom, and I don't want to shirk my duties raising and educating my children, no matter how exciting the writing life may be. So this summer, I want to be sure to play lots of games, go on lots of bike rides, explore lots of trails, read lots of books, and study lots of things with my boys. I know it sounds cheesy, but I even made a little code on the calendar to make sure that I'm staying as involved with them as a I should. I keep track of how many days we do reading, history, and science, but I'm also tracking the really fun stuff like hikes and bike rides and field trips and park play dates.

     Our summers up here are short, but oh so sweet, and there's no way I want to blow our whole six weeks of beautiful, gorgeous, perfect weather sitting indoors writing a book.

     No matter how fun I think that would be.

Blog Love: Today's Finish the Sentence Friday prompt was, "This summer, I plan to..." Thanks to Finish the Sentence Friday Hosts: Kate of Can I Get Another Bottle of Whine…, Janine of Janine’s Confessions of a Mommyaholic, Stephanie of Mommy, for Real and Dawn of Dawn's Disaster!

Random Fact #24: The hottest temperature I've been in was about 115 F. The coldest was negative 50.

In Case You Missed It: The Beloved Daughter is a suspense novel about a young girl sent to a North Korean prison camp. Be sure to check it out if you haven't already! Available in ebook or paperback.

17 comments:

  1. I am truly with you on not wanting to spend the entire summer in the house writing (as much as I do love it, too). So, I am truly going to spend as much time outdoors with my family as I can and enjoy the warm weather while it is here, as well. Thanks as always for linking up with us and congrats on your novel. Sounds so exciting!! :)

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    1. Thanks so much Janine! I hope you guys have a wonderful summer outside with the kids too!

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  2. Hi Alana! I can identify totally! Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment on Amanda's Books and More. I have a Christian mom blog that you could read like a devotional, if you're interested. The posts are short, because we moms live such busy lives. I've not added to it in a while, but there's lots there and it's based on my e-book.
    Blessings,
    Tina - American mom raising 4 kids in South Africa
    http://happymomshappyhomes.blogspot.com

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  3. It is always nice to have a plan, how you are planning on 6 weeks of wonderful weather is beyond me. But I like the plan :)

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    1. Well, summer is so short 6 weeks is about all we're allotted! :)

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  4. I don't blame you a bit for not wanting to spend your six weeks of summer indoors writing a book. Although, you're right - it would be fun. I think your calendar code is brilliant!

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    1. Thanks Kristi, so far I've only kept the calendar up about half the time, but it's still been helpful.

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  5. The summers with your children are short and won't last that many years. I hope you find time to totally enjoy these times, and get some writing down for yourself. It is important to have a balance. I hope you have a fantastic summer!!


    http://agutandabutt.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thank you so much, Betty. You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned the need for balance!

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  6. That sounds amazing. Go for it. Bike rides-a-go-go. And maybe write for half an hour a day, then at least you don't fall behind.

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    1. Thanks for the good advice! I do hope to keep writing. It's sometimes hard not to get too consumed, though!

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  7. Agreed. Just on an average day, writing (and reading) is so addicting, I occasionally have to stop myself and think - go hang out with your babies. You're missing something today. And then sneak in some writing time at midnight. Kinda like I'm doing now :)

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    1. Yeah, I sometimes get even more absorbed in reading than writing. I limit my novel-reading to weekends when possible. Happy midnight writing to you. Who needs sleep, right?

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  8. LingOL at myself. I read both this post and the Thursday post this morning from my email, then clicked over to comment. Well, I mixed up the blogs in my mind and put my comment for this post on Thursday's post. *giggle, facepalm* Well, I guess I'll put my comment for Thursday on this post. *ahem*

    I'll have to check out The Zion Chronicles. :-)

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  9. Your plans for summer sound great and I dig the idea of you calendar code! I am with you that it is important to do as much outside while the weather is good.

    I would love to see some pictures of where you live because I believe the landscape must be breathtaking? Or is that just a cliché in my head?

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