Happy 2007!!
Nothing like ringing in the New Year with a release! Nelson In Command, the second installemnt in my McKade Brothers series hits the shelves this month. And to celebrate I'm running a new contest on my website--Name that Rooster! Check out www.marinthomas.com and click on "Marin's Attic" for more information on this quirky new contest :-)
Ah, another New Year. I'm not one for making resolutions, but I do take time each year to reflect on what I'm most thankful for. And near the top of my list--having a fulfilling career while being a stay-at-home mom...
"Hey, Mom, did you wash my P.E. shorts?"
And they lived happily ever after….
"Check your dresser!"
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself a stay-at-home mom who writes romance novels for a living. Am I complaining--heck, no! Shh…don't tell my husband, but I admit I've got a good thing going here.
I'm home to nurture, support, care…or as my teenage son and daughter prefer….nag, monitor and interfere in their daily lives. After those tasks are accomplished and the kids hop on the school bus each morning I spend the next several hours creating stories about what I love most: home, hearth and happiness! Sounds like a dream job, right? Not always.
I suppose I can't convince you that sitting in a chair writing while munching Fritos and drinking Pepsi is a demanding job, but cut me some slack here. I've got only a few hours before the darn bus returns to make my stubborn hero (I'm married to one, so I have plenty of experience with this kind of man) come to his senses and admit he loves my spirited, independent and determined heroine (that's who I want to be when I grow up).
Okay, so that's the fun part of my job--if my subconscious cooperates… "There's mold growing in the toilets!," it nags. "The dirty clothes in the laundry room won’t jump into the wash machine on their own!" And the worst offender…the treadmill--"Hey, baby, remember what you looked like at twenty-two? Give me a half-hour a day and I'll turn you into a sex goddess!"
I attempt to convince the nagging voice in my head that I'm saving those activities for when I suffer writer's block--which happens often enough to add a little extra stress to my life. On those days, hubby comes home, takes one look at the clean house and says, "Tough day at the office, honey?" Grrr!
If a nagging subconscious isn't enough to distract a serious writer, then the occasional unexpected phone call…Teen number one: "Mom, I forgot my English paper would you please bring it to school so I don't get an F?"
Shoot, now I have to actually wash my face, put on makeup and change out of my tattered sweats because I have to go into the school to drop off the paper at the principal's office. Of course, I get a dirty look from the secretary that says, "Haven’t you taught your child better?" I schlep back home wondering what good it does to be a stay-at-home mom if I can't even teach my own kids responsibility? Well, you can darn betcha the kid in my next book will tow the line!
Writing and being a stay-at-home mom is challenging, but I can’t imagine my life any other way. I count my blessings that I'm able to work in my home at a career that inspires me and allows a certain amount of freedom. In a few years my teens will leave the nest and then I'll grumble that the house is too quiet, that I miss the chaos and heaven forbid, that I'm lonely.
And one day if my daughter or daughter-in-law asks me to care for their children so they can pursue a career, well, I'll just say…"Have you considered writing romances?"
Tell me, what are you most thankful for?
Happy Writing and Reading!
Marin Thomas
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
OMG, Marin, I think we're twins! And what an inspirational post for me, a prepubbed stay-at-home mom. This is my life in a nutshell, and sometimes I feel like I have to complain a little to my husband just so he doesn't realize how great I've got it and try to make my life harder. ;)
Now, off to work, even though the kids don't go back to school until Thurday. Ugh!
Cindy
Glad to know I've got a friend out there who understands
I will say things get a bit easier as the kids get older and become more self-sifficient. But boy those elementary-school years were rough. Trying to squeeze in writing time was next to impossible. Back then I was a substitute teacher and volunteered for everything from fundraisers, to lunch monitor, to homeroom mom, fieldtrips, brownies...
Looking back on those years, I wouldn't change a thing--not even to get more writing time. And don't ever believe your kids if they say it doesn't matter if you're home or not after school, because even now the first thing out of my teen's mouth when he walks in the door is, "Hey, Mom, I'm home. Where are you?"
Someday I know I'll miss hearing those words.
Post a Comment