Last August, I made an important mental note and filed it away in the dark recesses of my brain. It went something like this: Every year, you forget how busy the back-to-school season is. You overcommit and over-extend yourself, and you make your family a little crazy, what with all the emotional breakdowns and carryout pizza. Don’t do it again this
year. Simplify, simplify. Clear your schedule. Whatever you do, do NOT–I repeat–DO NOT take on any additional projects in August and September.
Unfortunately, also lurking in the dark recesses of my brain are a bunch of empty Diet Coke cans, reruns of Diff’rent Strokes, and badly-conjugated French verbs. Very important mental notes can get lost in there, as evidenced by my curious decision to write a 350-ish page book in 14 weeks spanning across (yep) August and September.
(It’s going really well, by the way. Melanie and I are managing to carve out big chunks of time at the library, and we’re chugging along. We’ll chug better once the kids are in school, but still, we’re making good headway.)
Our writing schedule, as you might imagine, is pretty rigorous; coupled with the demands of the busy back-to-school month, it’s a lot to manage. I’m going to slip away and take a bit of a blog break, because something really has to give. If something doesn’t give, my kids may very well look back on August 2009 as the The Month That Mom Went Crazy.
I’m stepping away until Labor Day, so I can work on the book, enjoy the last 18 minutes of summer with my favorite people, and elbow my way through the school-supply aisle with the rest of the free world (I am not afraid to FIGHT for twenty-cent bottles of Elmer’s glue). I’ll run a few things from the archives, in the meantime.
Hope to see you back here in September, my friends.
Rocks In My Dryer 
Sometimes something has to give. Good luck getting the rest done.
Happy writing! Keep at it, Shannon, and we’ll see you when you get back!
Good luck with the writing! See you in Sept!
Enjoy your… um… break. 😉
Already looking forward to your return1
Smart decision. I’ll still be here when you return!
Enjoy. Your peeps will be here when you get back. :>)
Blech on the school supply aisle. They oughta just throw everything into a giant pile and let people REALLY go crazy. Haha!
May your break be blessed with plenty of moments of quiet enjoyment and loads of productivity. See you in Sept!
Great for you – sad for us! Enjoy!
You’ll be missed!
If you have a Staples store in your area, stop by there before Wed. Notebook paper is a whopping $0.01/pack. Yep, one cent. There’s a limit of 5 per person, so take the brood with you. Stop in once per day, and be loaded for the whole year! LOL. I still have some from last year, but I picked up more today anyway so I can donate it to the teachers for when kids are not prepared for class.
I will join the ranks here by saying good for you for knowing your limits. You do have some, right? *wink*
I hope the writing project goes even better than you expect it to and hope your family remains your goal.
Take care and enjoy August!
Congratulations on the book!! So awesome!
well, you’ll be missed, but we can’t have anyone going crazy around here now can we?!?
Enjoy your family! Hope the writing continues to go smoothly.
I think you have the right idea! Enjoy your time off:-) Looking forward to hearing about your progress. Good luck with the book!!
Aw…we’ll miss you but SO understand that something has to give! I’m so excited for you about that book (and also your glue bottles of course). 🙂
Best wishes with the book!
I’m subscribed so I’ll look forward to your “return” in September. 🙂
Enjoy August,
Stephanie
You are wise and I applaud! Wildly!
Thank you, Shannon… you speak into my life just by the way you live yours.
I cheer you on with the angels…
All’s grace,
Ann
If you’re still looking for a free and fun Back to School idea (and a way to clear some time in your schedule for writing!), we’re giving away a free month of our online math and reading curriculum to help kids get ready to go back to school. Check out our blog (blog.kaplantutoring.com) for more info!
Best wishes with your book! We look forward to your return in September.
Awwww, hope it goes well, Shannon! I don’t know what I’ll do without my Rocks in the Dryer fix, but I’ll be here when you get back. Enjoy! 🙂
You are a wise woman to simplify. I’ll be around when you get back; I always enjoy your posts.
I took a several month break from my blog just a short while ago to work on other writing projects and focus on my family, and it turned out to be an incredibly productive and refreshing time.
I wish you the best!
We will be here when you return.
Good luck with the book. So exciting!
Cheerfully waiting for your return!
Godspeed!
Good for you for having the courage to do this. You may yet inspire me to do the same…
Great things come from inspiring minds…
I hope you have a relaxing break though it may not be restful with all the projects on your plate!
I found (actual) rocks in my dryer and I remembered your blog. I’m sure to have years of rock sneaking in my dryer as my son is just about 3…
A book! How exciting. I’ll certainly keep your progress in my prayers.
Sorry to hear about your father-in-law. Saw it on Twitter. Your family is in my prayers as well.
God Bless,
Just stopping by to say hi and wish you well on your writing. I just returned from a SCBWI writing conference in Los Angeles and feel refueled and inspired!
Hope your book is going well!
Good luck with the book but hope you realize what a following you lost. I didn’t read that frequently before but officially taking you off the blog roll due to the inactivity and flakey behaviour.