Warming the instrument...

Okay, so I was sitting in my kitchen this morning in my trackies and purple dressing gown with the white stars on it. I made a coffee but then realised it’s a decaf but I’m drinking it anyway. I went to type the name of a local department store into my Google search and spelt it so dyslexically (see another one) I wondered what was wrong with my brain. I was looking for the times to take my kids for a Santa picture. That should have told me something was wrong straight away.

Just like athletes who warm their muscles, like singers who warm their vocals, like musicians who warm their instruments (I think), maybe I need to take the time to warm my brain? So this post is exactly that. I really want to spend the morning writing but if I open my document right away, the first page will be filled with crap. Already my fingers are flying faster and more accurately. Now all I have to do is think of some big words and then spell them right the first time round, then I’ll be set.

Tell me something? Is everything harder now that we’re less than two weeks away from Christmas? It is for me. My oldest is only four but this last term with her in half days of kindy was awesome. I never realised just how blissful the peace is when there’s only one to make the noise. But now, sadly, school holidays are upon us and for a lot of my friends, they’re going to be hit so much harder.

It’s times like these, when I’m handing over all my hard earned money to buy the presents, while I’m trying to find things for the kids to do that doesn’t send us bankrupt that I’m glad I stopped at two. And girls at that! Most of you know that I’m a supermarket manager by night and let me tell you, I feel sorry for you. I’m sorry if that’s condescending or mean, but those of you with boys, any amount of boys but especially the women who has four under five. Or those with more than four kids? I don’t know how you do it! I would be spending my time curled up in the foetal position pulling my hair out by the roots. Maybe it’s just me and I missed the boat when God was handing out patience. (I typed that patients and then typed tuped. Not warm enough yet.)

For the empty-nesters among us, do you miss the holidays? Or do you submerge yourself into your writing and cooking and enjoying the quiet before the storm? I like to think so. I don’t want my girls to grow up too quick and fly the coup but it’s busy times and impatient times that I dream about being on my own during the day, cosy dinners at night where my partner and I actually get to have a discussion uninterrupted and talk about something more pressing than how bratty the brats are. The whole time I’ve been warming my brain and writing this, they’ve had a huge fight over Upsey Daisy and now they are squealing running after each other. In a minute, it’s going to end in tears and blood, so I better wrap it up.

A piece of good news for you before I go… I’m finally a finalist in a competition. The Season Blog ran a pitching competition earlier this week so I pitched Scandal’s Mistress and it won. I move onto the next round, so my first three pages went out to Editor, Peter Senftleben at Kensington! I’m so excited. This is the first time I’ve actually moved onto the next round with my writing. I keep missing out by one or two or twenty.

So wish me luck as I wish you luck with your own successes as we dive headlong into the Christmas Season =)