My friend WM is trying to get me to do this NoBloPoMo or whatever it is, with her. For the uninitiated (both of you), that means you post every day in the month of November. Every single day.
You’ll be happy to know I’m not even going to try, and not just because it‘s already the 3rd. I have a hard enough time posting regularly. Me feeling I had to post something every single day would lead to a lot of mind-numbingly-dull posts, I’m sure. And you would all take me off bloglines, and my stats would plummet, and I would be foul-mooded (I invent words with wild abandon on this blog) and darken with the darkening days, and my family would suffer.
Unless you really do care what I had for lunch. (Spicy African Peanut-Chicken Soup and bread; followed by slices of apple and pear…just in case)
But I defy the internet to run my life. Some days are just too busy to even read other’s blogs, much less create something to put on my own.
This week, for example, was pleasantly busy, but not the sort of thing of which fascinating posts are made. We were very social, hanging out with others over a meal 3 out of 5 evenings, plus 2 lunches. Today we drove out into the wilderness, stopping by a working mill (it grinds grist. Hence the expression) and driving on to glorious views of Mt. St. Helens, busy rebuilding itself, one small eruption at a time, after blowing its top nearly 30 years ago. On top of that, we’re homeschoolers now. It’s a whole ‘nother world.
For those of you who have never tried home schooling, I don’t recommend it. It takes your life.
I’ll tell you how I imagined it. Every morning, in a quiet house, the only sound the light whisper of pen moving across paper, the kids would do school. I would make more coffee and work on my book. (it’s my goal this year to write a book about our time in Mauritania. I want to finish it before we go to Morocco, where I’ll start a whole new set of cross-cultural impressions and adventures.) When I’d put in a solid two hours work on my book, I imagined, I’d blog lightly, then go out for coffee with my friends. All the time in the world would be at my disposal.
Well, mornings chez nous don’t exactly look like that. The coffee part is right. But the rest of it is rather like a 3-ring circus. Make that 4 rings.
In one ring is Elliot, working away at the computer. His course is all online, so he hogs–I mean works diligently–at the computer. The twins work upstairs in their own rooms, which although they are right next door to each other means that I can get all the way back downstairs before the call of “Mom! I need you!” comes again.
Which has got to be good for my thighs, all that running up and down stairs. My own personal StairMaster. Too bad it’s not 3 stories instead of one.
But they have to do Spanish downstairs, on the computer’s CD player, and then they have to take turns recording audio cassettes for their oral exams. Plus they are all sharing a dictionary.
The 4th ring would be the phone and my husband, wanting my opinion on various things. These things are fine, but not exactly conducive to book-writing. Not to mention the fact that Elliot is on my computer.
The good news is that CNED seems like a great system. It’s laid out beautifully, and the kids are learning how to work independently.
The bad news is that I’ve only written one-and-a-half pages of the book so far, not counting the stuff I wrote while still in Mauritania. And I haven’t even started looking for an agent.
So no, there’s no way I’m going to try to post every day.
12 comments
November 4, 2007 at 2:19 am
Caffienated Cowgirl
LOL…I am with you on this one. Occasionally I have a burst of writing energy and can post every day…but it is very occasional. Even if I wanted to let the internet run my life, I would have my little one screaming like a banshee in the background as protest.
November 4, 2007 at 4:05 am
Antique Mommy
I’m saying NO to NoMoBloPoMoPloBlo — whatever — for all the same reasons. If I wanted pressure, I would get a job that pays.
A book about your time in Mauritania would be fabulous. I’ll be the first one in line to buy it.
November 4, 2007 at 5:23 am
Veronica Mitchell
That’s pretty much why I don’t want to homeschool.
November 4, 2007 at 7:12 am
Michelle
I think there’ll be some competition to be the first one to buy your book. I can’t wait!!
November 4, 2007 at 10:13 am
Jeanne A
I homeschooled for 3 years. I only homeschooled 2 of my kids and only for one of those years were they both home did they overlap. I thought I’d loose my mind.
Now my youngest daughter (10) is asking to be homeschooled. I might have to—but PLEASE NOOOOOO!
November 4, 2007 at 4:05 pm
gretchen from lifenut
I’m another just saying “NO” to the idea.
I’m not about to hand my blog a whip. Plus, I’m just not a joiner.
November 5, 2007 at 10:55 am
suz
Just had to send a Hello and tell you your BLOG is the best and I too
will be in line for your book..
November 5, 2007 at 11:34 am
Wacky Mommy
Cluck cluck cluck…
November 5, 2007 at 1:23 pm
cce
I couldn’t agree more…can’t commit to daily postings. Never ever want to feel that my blog is an albatross. I’d rather it be a helpful tool, a practice, like doing chords before playing the magnum opus.
As for the home schooling, I bow down to your selflessness and then I breath a great big sigh of relief that it is you and not I running those stairs.
November 5, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Kit
I chickened out of NaBloPoMo this year, having done it last year – it was fun then, but I have a whole load more work things on my plate this year and I want to keep enjoying my blog, so didn’t want to add any pressure.
Good Luck with your book – I think you’ll have plenty of readers. I think a lap-top would be a big boon, then you could sit on the landing and write, saving all that stairwork!
November 7, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Carrie
PleasepleasePLEASE work on a book!!!! I love your blog, but a book about the red planet?? 🙂 That would be even better! Here’s to making time for creative outlets! Now if I can only find time to pick up my paintbrush. . .
November 9, 2007 at 8:56 am
deniseweav
First of all, nearly 30 years ago?!!!!! I am so OLD!! I remember standing on my parent’s beach, watching the ash plume from St. Helens. But you are right. It was May 1980. I’m old.
Second, yay for no NaBloMoRamaLangaDingDong! I am like you–I can’t even keep up with my blog reading let alone writing. Today is a mad dash through bloglines because I am so behind!