Thanks, Rachel and Rachel and Brian

In September, my friend Rachel Hough said, "Hey! I've got a lake house--let's go!" So this weekend we did. 

I've spent the past few months trying to find my new balance. Briley is in the fifth grade (which is the worst grade ever invented if you ask me); Hadley's in her last year of middle school; Brian's busy with teaching and picking up the pieces that I drop as I try to juggle my life. The transition of having my mom at home with us has really been an easy one, but it's a change nonetheless. My last TMI Mom book, Girlfriend Rules, was just published and my next book, Life With Extra Cheese, was moving along slowly.

Normally, once the girls are in bed, I sit down and write a few chapters.

Lately, though, once the girls (including my mom) are in bed, I crawl into my own bed and essentially start drooling before my head hits the pillow. (Don't worry about it, though; the cats lick up my face for me.)

The most common question I'm asked when I am speaking or presenting is "How do you do it all?" Up until recently, I would just shrug my shoulders and say I didn't know. And I really didn't know. It just worked, and it just happened.

The past few months, though, I've felt literally drained. I needed to be revived. I needed some time--just time.

So with a ton of momma (and daughter) guilt, my mom went to stay with my sister, Rachel, Brian wrangled the kids (including one that developed strep throat) and I went to the lake with my friend, Rachel.

 

It was exactly what I needed. We didn't have wi-fi, which was a good thing. We had Taco Doritos and peanut M & Ms, which was also a good thing. I changed into yoga pants on Friday evening and didn't change out of them until this morning. This was a very good thing.

My mind cleared. My shoulders eased. My words flowed.

Ahhh ... it was  good weekend. Thanks, Rachel, Rachel and Brian for letting it happen.

Saturday in the Ozarks with OWL

How was your weekend? Mine? I've had a great, great day! I love any day that I can talk about writing, meet great people and chillax with my family. And all of that happened this weekend.

Ozarks Writers League (OWL) invited me to speak with them today. Last night, we started at Ye Olde English Inn in Hollister. Because my family loves a good adventure, they came along.

Ye Old English Inn really was an amazing place to stay. When I was growing up, my family used to come to the Branson area, and Hollister was just down the road from our little cabin on the Taneycomo. So, getting to stay here made me a little bit nostalgic. But, that was okay because one of my topics today was Telling Your Story: Writing Memoir While Still Living Your Life.

Ye Old English Inn uses these. 

The Daughters had no idea why we would be given a key.

"What's this for?" they asked.

Technology allowed Brian and I to recall the days of yore when you didn't slide a card or punch in numbers in order to unlock doors. Ahhh ... The good ol' days. If only there had been a Bon Jovi concert locally for me to throw the key upon the stage ...

While there was no Bon Jovi, our room did overlooked the outdoor bar where a band was playing. So, we raised those windows, stuck the girls in bed and listened to our own live music show from the comfort of our bed, wearing our pajamas. This was the next best thing to Bon Jovi.

My second presentation was about blogging. Surprise! Y'all know I have a thing for blogging. If blogging were a person, I might be open to having an open marriage. (Not really. Do NOT email with offers and propositions ... unless they include head shots.)

This day? It was fabulous. I loved visiting with the writers of OWL and the other speaker, Christina Butler-Taylor. The people I met today are nothing short of generous with their kindness and welcoming of a fellow spinner of words. If you're a writer in the Ozark area and are looking for encouragement and like-minded writers, you'll find a home with OWL, to be sure.

And me? I'll go to bed satisfied with a great day, and I'll probably send The Daughter to bed with my regaling stories about how we used to think these devices were totes cool.

#OWFI14

Last weekend I was privileged to get to speak at the #OWFI14 conference, which was put together and run by my fabulous friend, The Resident Heretic, aka Denise; aka Christine; aka CD; aka Past President.

I had three presentations. Those are on slide share, and anyone can access them:

The Best Blog in the Blogosphere

Being Everywhere

Balance In Your Writing Life

If you are a writer or would like to be a writer or think you'd like to be a writer, I suggest you go to an OWFI conference. You'll meet cool people who are in the same stage in their writing career, and you'll find a mentor(s) who would love nothing more than to help you pursue your writing dreams.

Also, you can enter the writing contest and whether you win or not, you could get a really helpful (not to mention cool) critique back from the judge! I brought home awards in the categories of Feature Article (second place) and Picture Book (first place!). My picture book is actually sitting in the hands of my wonderful agent, Clelia Gore of Martin Literary. But, the most exciting new of it all was this: TMI Mom Getting Lucky was named 2014 Nonfiction book of the year!

My fabulous editor, Mari Farthing, spooned me!

I'd like to say that I took the day on Sunday to bask in the glory of the weekend. But, alas, there's no rest of the wicked. And on Sunday, my Boos, Julie, Misti and I put on a wicked groovy show. More about that later...

#NaBloPoMo: My Writing Space

I'd love to show you my writing space, it's light-colored walls full of inspiring photos of my family. A bookshelf in a corner holds my favorite books, including every single book of Celia Rivenbark. I sit in a high-back, high-end leather chair, facing my large solid oak desk that is beautifully cluttered with this and that and a paperweight with a four-leaf-clover suspended inside, even though I have a small framed quote that reads Diligence is the mother of luck.

I cannot show you that space, though, because it doesn't exist. We do have an office and a fairly nice desk. But, I only use it if I'm writing something academic. And since I've run the gamut of academia, I never sit in there to write.

Instead, I write on the couch. Much like Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, I nestle myself into my spot on our blue love seat in the living room and I sit down to write.

I'd also love to tell you that the words spew forth from me like vomit from a sick kid on November 1. But, that's not always the case. Sometimes, I can sit and write and write and write.

Most times, however, I sit and get a good ideas then get distracted by, well, The Big Bang Theory.

Yay! It's time to write!

Ooooo ... Great idea!

Oh my goodness ... is The Big Bang Theory on The CW again?

Now, what was I going to do again?

When push comes to shove and I have major writing to do or certain deadlines looming, I'll move into the front room and position myself on the brown leather couch--my favorite couch ever! But, there are hazards being in there as well.

Peep Show-TMI Mom Preview!!

Yesterday I was tagged on Facebook by my fabulous publisher, Malena Lott, of Buzz Books. The challenge I was tagged in was this: Go to page 77 of your own book or manuscript, count down seven lines and then list the seven lines that follow. Well, TMI Mom: Oversharing My Life has not been released yet, but I still have my grubby, little hands on a copy of my manuscript. Woot! So today, I'm giving to you, my loyal readers, a sneak peak of the funny that's about to invade bookstores everywhere in April.

Weekend Update

Where have I been this week?? Well ...

I met with my fellow OKC Mothers, Misti and Julie and we plotted and planned our Listen To Your Mother show. I waxed poetic about it HERE.

I made some not-at-all-snooty sangria over at FunnyNotSlutty.com. Check that out HERE.

Over at the hen house that is Chick-Wit.com, I make a bunch of predictions for the new year. I believe I gave the Long Island Medium a run for her money. Read my forecast HERE.

My column hit the presses at my local newspaper. In this column, I chat it up about the college football bowl games. Find out if I ever see the end HERE.

And finally, I held hands with my girls Stephanie and Mari and we jumped feet first into this new adventure called Oklahoma Women Bloggers. Y'all? It's pretty cool.