I'm A Book Reviewer Now - Do I Have Time For It?

I feel like I've gotten myself into a bit of a conundrum.  I don't know if you, my faithful readers, remember a post I created a few months ago about "What's my brand?" (you can click and it'll take you to the post), but I basically said I didn't want to pick a brand because I just post about whatever I feel like.  And then I went on about how much other stuff goes on in the blogging world.

Well since then I haven't done anything about a "Brand" and I've continued to post whatever I want whenever I want.  So I stuck to my guns there.

But what I did do was express more of an interest in reading and doing book reviews.  I even put my name in a database of sorts so people can contact me to read their book.  All well intentioned, but now I have 6 books coming my way (in the mail, I don't like e-reading) and I hope they are all pretty good because I often find it hard to stumble through a book I'm not really into.

Luckily I made a claim that I sometimes am a slow reader (relative to pre-kids and husband) and they can't really pressure me to get things read super quickly.  In fact everyone that has approached me has actually stated in their emails that as long as I do read them and create some sort of review there really isn't a timeline attached.  I'm very grateful that people can be quite understanding.

I love the idea of getting new books (for free!) and especially that some of them are not available to purchase yet, and some the authors will sign their books for me as keepsakes.  And I like the flexibility of reading on my own time and creating a review without so much pressure.  But I'm going to have to start scheduling and replying to these people with something like "I have 6 books ahead of yours, I would love to read yours too but it will be a month before I can even start it."

Here's an oxymoron for ya: I don't want my blogging to be a business, but I would still like to make money and/or get these free things to review.  All I mean by that is I can't take away from my family time with blog-related stuff (especially if there's no payment involved!)  If this interest in my reviewing continues I will eventually have to say no.  Or at least "Not right now."

Today I am excited knowing that 6 books (4 are a set) are on their way to me.  Although I do have about 20 books already in my house that I've borrowed or been given to read, that just makes me feel like I'll have to instate "Mom's Reading Time" in which I get 30 minutes uninterrupted.  Ya, right - like that will happen!

If you're reading this and you have a book you'd like to send (or a product to review), drop me a line at iamjess@gmail.com and I will reply.  I may tell you I need 30 days before I can even look at it, but we can be candid with each other, right?  I'm always grateful for people who give me these opportunities!

~Jess

Some Weeks Are Busier Than Others

For some reason this week has been over-busy.  This weekend we're going to a hotel for an overnight and a swim.  I can't wait - even though it means we all go to bed at about 8pm in the same room...

So last weekend I somehow had 2 days of me and the girls without another parent for at least half of each day.  A normal weekend is us with the girls on Saturday (dance class, then groceries or other errands, and if we're lucky home by lunch then they play in the afternoon), and then Sunday they go off with their Nanny for church and day with her.

This week hubby had to work both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.  Not a big deal as I thought I'd get a day (or at least an afternoon) all to myself - lots of time for laundry and other housework and then I thought I'd throw in an hour of reading or some other quiet time activity.  It didn't happen.  Sadly, hubby's grandma passed away Sunday morning (not totally unexpected) so Nanny, whose Mom it was, was naturally occupied enough without taking the girls for the day!

Again, not a big deal, but then I had to fill a second afternoon with something interesting for the girls to do.  Luckily our friends across the street were home, so the girls had their friend over for most of the day while we were home.  I was able to get some laundry done and I baked some cookies that the girls loved!

Monday night we needed a babysitter to "get" the girls after daycare - was going to be Nanny, but situation as it was we had to get out regular babysitter to bring them home.  The girls had a great night, and I got to go to dance (which I volunteered to skip so I could be home sooner) while hubby was at his board meeting.  So I didn't see the girls that night.

Tuesday we had to go to the visitation for Great Grandma after dinner.  That was nice, but again busy - the girls stayed up too late and then Rose and I had a rough night for sleep.  And I'm not going to talk about our terrible drive home in the snow squalls!

Wednesday we collected the kids early from school (right after lunch) and then drove to the funeral.  Again a really busy day, and full of questions from the 4 year old.  Nice seeing everyone and having a visit, but I was wiped by the time we got home.  Then Emma had to go to dance class for 2 hours!  Luckily I got to stay home with Rose and relax for a bit.

Then yesterday (Thursday) we needed a babysitter yet again - hubby had to work and I work til 6 (daycare "ends" at 5:30) - so our regular gal brought them home again.  Since she was fine to do that I had made a salon appointment to get my hair cut.  I really enjoyed that.  My stylist is awesome and it's really nice to do something just for me, you know?  So a good night, but still busy and tired by the end of the day,

Tonight I got to chill with the girls and without hubby yet again as he's working again (same stuff as last night).  We had to be sure to get a bath in tonight before our weekend away.  It can be rough washing them both up without a second person as Rose gets impatient, and then she's freezing when you take her out.  I had to leave Emma to try to rinse out her own hair while I got Rose in her pjs and warmed up.  She can be pretty demanding.

Everyone's asleep now, and I'm thinking about heading in that direction myself.  I decided I'd whip up this post first.  Then I'll spend a good 45 minutes sharing it around on my social media, but I do enjoy this blogging stuff.  And I'm watching MuchMusic so all is well with the world.  If I can be in bed by 9:30 today will be a success.

Tomorrow it's off to dance class for Rose (and art for Emma and myself) and then we're off to the big city for a (relaxing?) hotel evening.  I've even got the bags mostly packed.  If I'm lucky I'll find some inspiration for another post I can create early next week.  Stay tuned to find out!

Do you have unexpected busy weeks sometimes?  Looking at the family calendar there is nothing written down on next week, but this week had something every day.  Why does that happen?  Leave me a comment about your busy life - or what you think of my busy week.

'Til next post!
~Jess

Making Time To Blog Is Hard - I Need Help!

When do you blog?  I was going great gangbusters when I started this blog (in the spring and early summer) but now that we're back to school and other life is happening I don't feel like I have time!

Currently I've spent a lot of time increasing my Twitter followers (and following) and trying to share my FB page with more folks.  I've been checking my affiliate sites, reading other blogs, and also trying to have a home life.  All that seems to have eaten into my blogging time.

Also we just had Thanksgiving, so that ate up an entire (long) weekend.  Don't get me wrong, it was a delicious, beautiful, family-type weekend, but it didn't leave me much quiet time.

I know scheduling is key when trying to build up a blog.  The problem I'm having is one part writers block and one part hoping to have time to me - and just to me, not blogging, gardening, cooking, laundry doing, working etc.  Those moments are hard to find.

My schedule currently involves working 4 eight-hour days, with one day off for me to get stuff done.  This week I have appointments on my day off, and I need to get stuff together for my daughter's Halloween party next weekend, as well as my foray into a live Rocky Horror Picture Show performance - think costumes, hair, props, the works!  And I'd like to get groceries and do laundry - regular mom stuff.

So then there's evenings after work.  I get home (at 5:30 or 6:30 depending on the shift) and either make, or just eat, dinner.  Try to get Emma to do homework before Rose has to go to bed (at 7:00) and then get Emma to bed by 8.  All that is often accomplished by 8:30 and then it's "my time."  So I clean up dinner, do dishwasher stuff, start or switch laundry, and sweep the dinner mess off the floor, if I didn't get that done before bedtime starts.  Some nights I also clean up toys and then, if I'm lucky, I sit down.  Hubby will have the tv on but I'm only good for maybe an hour before I fall asleep on the couch.

I try, often, to blog while the tv is on.  Some nights it works, some nights it really does not.  Depends on what's on, or how tired I am.  I'm one of those people that needs 8 hours of sleep almost every night to be functional the next day.  Yes, the newborn and baby years were hell-on-earth for me.  Luckily my sleeps are much less disturbed these days, so I can pull a few later nights if I have to.  But when I'm tired I can't form coherent thoughts, let alone interesting blog posts!

Tonight I've been crafting this post while the girls eat dinner - I've had an upset tummy all day, so no loss to me if I'm not eating with them - and now they're watching some tv and looking through the costume bin and Halloween decorations.  By the time I'm done here I figure I will have been "writing" for 45 minutes.  And really, what have I written about?  Mostly nothing.  No deep thoughts or well-researched articles.  Just fluff about how I don't have time to post anything!

So share with me your schedules, or routines.  How do you blog (and promote!), as well as do affiliate stuff and keep up with other blogs - and be moms or dads, husbands or wives, or any other functioning members of society?  Maybe with the cooler weather creeping in I may have less desire to be outside, or be doing anything else, frankly.

Really I'm just desperately curious to hear how fellow bloggers manage it all.  I really thought I'd just be writing stuff, I did not realize so much came with blogging (if you want people to actually read your stuff!)

7 Things I Forget When September Rolls Around Again

Back to school is always a busy time.  It was busier than normal for me this year because little Rose started JK this year.  She seems to be enjoying it so far.  No fights with either of them in the mornings (yet - I'm sure they'll happen somewhere along the way.)

This September I've managed to forget everything we were doing in June, as it pertained to school.  Here are a few of things I forgot about during the carefree days of summer this year:

1. The bus comes early.  And I mean really early.  We have to leave the house by 7:40 so we aren't late.  So I have to get the kids up at 6:30.  That is also early.
2. My kids don't really eat lunch.  During the lazy days of summer they often just graze, and we don't have to prepare a "main course" style lunch.  At school I've had notes sent home in the past that suggested Emma didn't have a "lunch" when I packed many different snack options in the hope she'd actually eat something.  So far this year lunch has gone alright. *fingers crossed*
3. Library days (and library books).  Emma managed to lose track of her first book she brought home from the school library this year.  Luckily we located it, but where do I keep these books that are "theirs" but not "ours" without losing them in the mountains of books we have at home?
4. How tired kids can be after being at school all day.  I'm pretty sure Rose could go to bed at 6 most nights now.  Granted, she's still adjusting to the whole school idea, and a 6pm bedtime would be a 5am wake-up so we won't go there, but she's so tired!
5. How small my big kids are.  Rose in a backpack looks so tiny!  And once you put a full lunch pail, her communication book and a water bottle in there she can barely walk in it.  But also it's super cute.
6. Germs!  We are two weeks into school and we've already had one bout of night-time vomiting, and right now both girls are working on colds.  Now my kids go to daycare during the summer months full time, so I feel like we should be somewhat immune to the early colds, but we're not.  Also I work in a pharmacy so I must bring home all sorts of crazy bugs, but still September is the start of everyone rotating through colds all fall and winter.

What school- or routine-related things trip you up in September?  I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who lets things slide until 2 days before school starts, am I?  I am actually surprised how smoothly things have been going so far this year. *touch wood*  Now we're amping back up into ballet lessons, and this modelling stuff has events right now so I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed in all of the extra-curriculars as well.  I know it will all become routine before long, it's just a matter of getting settled into it, right??

Working Mom Stress

I am currently quite content with my work life/home life balance.  I work 4 days a week with my day off being Wednesday, which breaks up the week quite nicely.  I use my day off for fun things like laundry, groceries, vacuumming, general tidying and sometimes (only sometimes mind you) a haircut or waxing appointment. The kids are at school and daycare, but I usually collect them early so we can get homework done and have some time together.  It's been working out very nicely.

Now one of the girls at work has given her notice and we will be short staffed on Wednesdays.  Logical that I would jump back into the Wednesday shifts I worked a year or more ago.  But I don't want to - and I have a boss who asks your opinion (usually) before big changes are made, which is great, but saying I don't want to work Wednesdays does not mean I will not get scheduled on Wednesdays.  I've already given a list of days I'm unavailable, based on appointments and plans made earlier under the assumption that I wouldn't be working those days - and that actually turned out to be almost half the Wednesdays of the summer.  I do hope boss-man does think about hiring someone part-time.  I'm feeling serious anxiety about the whole thing.

To top it off, eldest daughter is enrolled in a modelling/acting/talent course at an agency, and when she completes that (at the end of July) they will be marketing her for jobs in that arena.  That means there's the potential for auditions and such in Toronto or other areas that we would have to plan around with short notice.  Also not looking good for short-staff problems at my workplace.  I did inform boss-man of this as well, in hopes of enticing him to think seriously about hiring other help.

Toodles!

This Mom's Week

A normal week for me consists of working Mondays and Thursdays 9:30 til 6; Tuesday 8:30 til 5; and Friday 9:30 til 6.  Sometimes these hours change, occasionally there's a Saturday shift, but generally Wednesdays are my day for myself (and by that I mean my day to catch up on housework and grocery shopping).

On Saturdays my youngest has her dance class at 10:30am.  The rest of the day is "free."  On Sundays the girl's Nanny takes them to church and often keeps them for the day, so more "free time" until dinner when the family gathers to eat together - which I think is a great tradition to continue.  Monday nights I leave work and pick up my oldest from her 2 hours of dance class which ends at 6:30 and then whisk her home to eat and do homework and whatever other evening tasks are necessary before 8pm bedtime.  Luckily my husband keeps my 4 year old and gets her to bed before we even make it home.  Tuesdays are similar where my eldest goes to her "modelling class" until 6:30 and then I have to get the girls (hubby keeps the younger one with him at work), do dinner for both the girls and get the younger to bed before meltdown time (which is anytime between 7 and 7:30).  The rest of the week is usually more relaxed, thankfully, and I can actually spend time with the girls.

I've gotta get to work - more later!

Toodles!