A day in the life of a frustrated time-poor writer...

For some deluded reason I thought by this time in my life as a mum and wife and author, I would have a better handle on the day to day stuff. I was so wrong… (If you feel a semi-rant coming on, you would be nearly right but I'll to keep it clean.)

Here’s what my weekdays look like right now.

5:00 wake up if I need a shower (because want has no place here.)

5:30 if I need those precious few extra minutes.

Oh wait, I forgot, when hubby’s first alarm goes off, it’s 4:00. He tries not to wake me (some mornings) but I’m a light sleeper. I snooze while he showers (every day, lucky bastard) and goes about getting ready to leave for work at 5:00.

So he slams the front door and I’m up.

6:00 get the kids up (if the door slam didn't already) and get them ready for school minus breakfast.

6:50 we leave for out of school hours care where they get breakfast and get looked after until school starts.

7:30 I start work as a bakery manager in a supermarket.

14:00 I finish a hard days work. I actually pull my finger out and get the jobs done and I don't faff about. I only take a 30 minute lunch break so I’ve been on my feet for a while and awake since 4:00.

15:00 get to school for 15:15 pick up. If I’m even a few minutes late, I can’t find a close carpark and my feet don’t like that.

15:45 get home from school after listening to the kids fight all the way home.

16:00 I’m checking the rabbits and doing a few things that need to be done, like taking the washing in (if I got it out to start with).

16:30 I try to take 30 minutes for a cup of tea and scrabble shots on facebook if the kids don’t need a bath or shower to wash their hair. (There’s that need over want again.)

17:00 in the kitchen getting dinner going.

18:00 eat tea while yelling at the kids to stop talking and touching and dropping food on the floor.

19:00 kids are supposed to be in bed.

19:30 finally get to sit down and breathe a sigh of relief that all is quiet and right with the world. (Mondays and Thursdays, I’m getting ready for yoga 19:45 - 21:00)

But. By this time, I may have managed to pack the dishwasher with yesterday’s dishes, I haven’t done any washing or cleaned anything or picked anything up.

20:30-21:30 sometimes I clean up or fold washing, most of the time I watch the telly for an hour (I love Bones and The Mentalist). Still no new washing though.

21:30 If I’m not in bed by now, I’m so tired, I have nothing left. I can’t write, I can barely keep my eyes open.

This is what I do three days a week. On the fourth I get two hours in the afternoon before school pick up to run errands or do the shopping (still at work) go to the bank, whatever I have left till the last minute because I couldn’t do it with the kids after school. So, minus the weekend because they are never productive, I have one day to write. One day to get my head back into the book and try to get myself back in. Occasionally I steal a few hours on the weekend but the kids want to spend time with me and go out and my hubby works six days a week so he’s not much help.

It’s slow going right now so I hope you’ll bear with me. If you’re a publisher waiting on my next book, it’s coming. It’s good too but it needs to be better. I do have a short contemporary submission in with a publisher and another one requested so I’m still plugging away…

God, I hope 2013 looks better than this! Can we add a few hours to the clock? Or maybe figure out how not to sleep? Anyone know any vampires?    

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