The one where I apologize & then make you laugh & remind you about the giveaway...

I'm truly sorry. I have probably been the worst bloggy friend in blogland lately. Remember those sayings your mother/grandmother used to use? You know the ones..."bitten off more than you can chew"..."burning your candle at both ends". Those ones? Right. I'm pretty sure I finally know exactly what they mean. And what they mean to me is that I'm having an incredibly hard time keeping up with everything. Of course, it could just be that I suck hardcore at time management, but I'm not going to just admit that, right? It could also be that I made a promise before I had my kids that they would always be the most important thing in my life and that no matter what I was doing, when they wanted to talk/hang out/chatter incessantly be with me, I would drop it all to spend time with them. And regardless of the fact that they are now mostly mini-adults, I still feel compelled (guilt-driven) to keep that promise. I do now often have to add "just give me a few minutes to finish this up, okay?". And sometimes my few minutes turns into half an hour, but I still hunt them down and keep my promise.

My house is a mess. I desperately need to get my butt to the grocery store. And I've forgotten what my husband looks like. Mostly because this is his super busy time of year as well and we keep missing each other. If I didn't know he was that snoring lump next to me in bed, I might think he'd been abducted by aliens. Luckily, we've managed to pencil each other in for October sometime. And even more luckily, we've been together long enough to know that this too shall pass and we will have plenty of time to get on each other's nerves later.

"What is taking up all your time Spot? What is more important than us?" I hear you asking. Really, nothing is more important than you (except my kids), but the squeaky wheel gets the grease, you know? And I seem to have a lot of squeaky wheels nowadays. First, they put me on physical therapy for the knee. Three freakin times a week. That may not sound bad, until you factor in a half hour drive to and from. Grr. Then I had CJ home for a visit last week. Which was awesome, we had a great time, but he's not real keen on me being on the computer and ignoring him, so I didn't. Then I had a kidney infection and spent 7 hours in the hospital. Which trust me, is another post.

I'm attending an online convention all month called Coyote Con which is absolutely amazing and it's only the second day!! I've already learned so much and met so many awesome people. Tina from The Clean White Page is attending also and we are having a (virtual) blast! We've also both been asked to submit to Drollerie Press, the wonderful people who are putting on the whole thing. Thank you Deena!! But that does mean that I have to find a hopefully finished story that suits their publishing needs and get it ready for submission. And since writing fiction is my ultimate goal, I'm not going to let that opportunity slip by! Also Tina and I have formed a little writing partnership (since we both right horror) so we edit each other's stories before they get sent anywhere.

And (ready for more? I know that plate's looking pretty full, but you're a big eater, right?) I started working as a freelance writer for a large marketing company. I administrate some social media sites, write newsletters and articles for newsletters and do some email contacting of potential clients. Which is fabulous. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time (thank you Kathryn!) and the stars aligned and presto! I have an interesting job doing what I've always wanted with a more or less stable income. Which in the world of freelancing is almost unheard of, so Kathryn tells me. And it's a great gig. I mostly work when I want, from my own home, and often in my jammies or sweats. Woot to the woot. Except on video conference days. Yeah, my client (boss) is so great he even bought me a webcam so I can be part of the video conferences. How cool is that?

And I still have four busy teenagers to deal with. Yes, I said four...Lu's Dexter is moving in for the month of May. You should see the calendar with every one's schedules on it! Thank goodness we all have our own cars, although the insurance bill is the same as my food bill every month. So basically, I know that I am extremely blessed! I have a family who loves and supports me. I have teenagers who actually want to hang out with their mom and tell her every little detail of their lives, I have an understanding husband who's got his dream job. I have my dream job (freelance writer), I have a shot at publication, I have wonderful encouraging friends, I have my shiny new fancy phone (thank you Radio Shack! More on that later...), and while my health could be better I'm certainly not dying. All in all, I have it very good. I'm just super busy and feeling guilty about not blogging (because I love blogging) and not getting a chance to catch up on all of your blogs!! But hang with me and I promise I will find a balance soon. Now for funny...

Sean and I were driving on Wednesday and Sean reads a billboard~

Sean: "Follow the crowd. 68% of Adams County teens don't drink." Well, I would but my Mom taught me not to be a conformist!! I'm not a follower!

Me: Way to go Sean. Thanks for throwing a life lesson back in my face.

Sean: Hey, at least I listened, right?

And a convo between Lu and Sean after hopping in her car. Her name tag from work hangs from her mirror. It says the store name (DEB) and she has a Fashionista badge.

Sean: I need a name tag for my National Scout Jamboree uniform. I think I'll take your pretty pink one. I want to be a Fashionista. O-M-G! I can't believe you're wearing those flip flops with that shirt!

Lu: You don't even know what DEB stands for.

Sean: *thinks hard* You're right. I can't think of anything dirty for the "E".

Lu: Eww. You're so gross. It's an abbreviation of debutante. You know like in the old days when rich girls had their "coming out" parties.

Sean: In the old days rich people through parties for their lesbian daughters??! What?!

Lu: NO! Not that kind of "coming out"! Like coming into society.

Sean: I'm so lost. So they were sex parties?

Lu: OMG! NO! They were just introducing them to society.

Sean: So, they like hid them in the attic before that. "Look I have a daughter!"

Lu: You're so not getting this. Anyway, now it stands for "doing everything better".

Sean: *Sean convulses with laughter* Really? That might be false advertising.

Lu: Shut up Sean.


***Giveaway Reminder***
For those of you who are new...I'm doing a GIVEAWAY! Yay! All you have to do is visit any of CSNstores (there are over 200) and leave me a comment telling me something you liked and that you'd like to win! Simple as that. Leave a comment on every blog until Wednesday May 7th and I'll give you one entry per comment. On the 7th, Sean will draw a name from a hat and I'll announce the winner. The winner gets a promo code for $60 dollars off their purchase, not including shipping. Easy as that! And welcome all newcomers!!


Well, kids, I have to get to the conference. If anyone is interested it's Coyote Con and it's all online and all free. It's not too late to register. So far, the panelists have been amazing and everyone is super friendly! If you have any interest in writing speculative fiction (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy, mythic, paranormal romance) you should join up. Like I said, there's much to be learned.

Happy Sunday!
♥Spot