“I feel guilt now if I do not write for at least an hour a day. “

How I did it: At first, I put it on my Google Calendar, so it would send me a text message to get off the couch and begin writing.  After awhile, I didn’t need the reminder anymore.  I would get up myself and begin writing, even if it was just a sentence.  However, after writing a sentence, I would want to write more and more.

Lessons & tips:

1. Don’t give up on yourself
2. Don’t think you  have to write a certain amount of words.  Just write, even if it’s just one word. 
3. Don’t let people interrupt you. 
4. Do feel proud if you do write something 
5. Do start a blog or a journal or BOTH 

Resources:

1. Blogging
2. Journal 
3. Google Calendar 

It took me 30 days.

It made me Proud

“Liberating!”

How I did it: I just forced myself to stop feeling guilty, and when I didn’t want to do something, I would say “No.”  Even when people would start whining, I would just leave the situation, so I wouldn’t have to deal with their tantrums.

Resources: “The Solo Partner”  Great book

It took me 60 days.

It made me HAPPY

On Saturday, I had a second date with this Lawyer. I think it was the quickest date that I have ever had. It lasted about ten minutes. When I arrived, he had bought the movie tickets. We sit at our seats and await “Burn After Reading.” The entire day I had been running to this and that place, so I had barely drank a drop of liquid. I turn to him, “Are you thirsty?”

“No, I will get something after the movie.”

I tried to not get upset, but I couldn’t help it because this man was 40, so he should know a little bit better. Do I have to spell out what I am trying to ask for? I waited a few minutes to see if he would grasp that I was thirsty and get me a drink. Nope, nothing doing.

Finally, I turn to him, “Can you give me a ticket stub, so I can buy myself a drink?”

He reaches in his left pocket and hands me the ticket stub without a word. I grab it and walk out of the theater.

At first, I planned on getting myself a drink, but I kept on walking until I had reached my car. He calls me a few minutes later.

“Hey, ummmm….lose my number,” I say.

“Why?”

“I can’t believe that a 40-year old man did not understand that I was thirsty.”

“I was going to get you a drink after the movie.”

I thought about this response for awhile, and then I answered, “I was thirsty at that point, and you didn’t get the hint? Goodbye, don’t contact me again.”

It felt good and liberating. Oh well, back to the dating pool.

The kids and I have been adjusting to our new routine more and more each day. I have been taking them to all of their practices, and I am FINALLY sleeping at a decent time. Not going to lie, yesterday, I let them stay up a little bit. Isabelle and I passed out at 8:45 p.m. cause we were exhausted. I think it was all of the mosquitoes that were kicking our butts when we were watching Cebastian run. We met this nice lady, and we hung out with her the entire time joking around.

Kids need routine, and I think adults do as well. I am glad that I am finally in a routine that I can live with. This weekend is going to be exciting because Cebastian has his first meet, and Isabelle is getting her soccer pictures taken. I plan on going to yoga and body pump in the morning, and then heading to watch her at her game. I will be going incognito because she doesn’t play because she is attached to my hip. I plan to watch Cebastian on Sunday, and I think I might do the 5K charity race for the FPYC. I need the exercise, and I am always up for helping with a good cause.

When this routine is going for a few weeks, I’m going to add a dog to our small family.

Routines are the best, and everyone should have one.

My mother always taught me that if someone gives you a gift, you make sure to thank the person and take the gift with you. If you don’t take the gift or say thank you, then that person will feel like you don’t appreciate them. My best friend doesn’t seem to appreciate anything that the children and I do for her.

Every time we give her something, she conveniently continues to forget it. Isabelle made her the cutest drawing, and a month later, it is still at my house. My parents went to Japan, and I gave her a fan from there. I had to remind her over three times until she finally took it home. Yesterday, I was buying water bottles, and I remembered that she needed one, so I bought her one. She informs me that she forgot it.  On top of forgetting, she never says thank you.  If she finally says it, it is a half ass attempt on a real thank you.

Maybe it’s cause I haven’t slept or I am already irritated on how selfish she is, but I exploded. I didn’t yell or anything, but I let her know that I was tired of the lack of appreciation or respect she has when the kids and I do anything for her. Her flaky friend got her something in Turkey, and she hung it up right away. Her excuse? Her friend took it to her house, which is something that I barely do.

I’m getting tired of having such a selfish, disrespectful friend. Or am I overreacting?

I have been taking the kids to all of their practices. The issue is my daughter Isabelle. She won’t even attempt to play soccer. If you would see the way she is behaving, you would think that I am the one forcing her to play. However, the truth is she was begging me for months to let her play. I was apprehensive after the disaster of trying to get my son Cebastian to play at that age, but I finally agreed. Now, I am fuming because she is constantly crying, standing around, and not listening to the coach. Today I took all of her dresses, which is the only article of clothing that she will wear, out of her room. I said that she needs to play or else she won’t get her dresses back. She said she would play. However, I can’t help but think I am being too harsh. Should I just take is as a loss and not take her to the practices and games? Grrrr….

I have a friend who loves to spend money. Every time I am around her, I am way to frivolous with my money. My 30th birthday is coming up, and I want to do something but now that I am listening to Dave Ramsey, I know that I shouldn’t. On top of that, I want to visit my sister in Okinawa with the kids before she is stationed some place else. Today, my friend tried and tried to get me to commit to go to Paris or another European location. I shocked myself when I said that it wasn’t in my budget, and I was saving my money to go to Japan. She got irritated when I said that, but I finally have some willpower. No means no. I am done spending money. I am already debt free, but I want to have an emergency fund because you never know what will happen in the future. Thank you Dave Ramsey, I don’t know what I would have done without you.

I think I will join the National Writer’s Association or the National Association for Women Writers. Anyone have any advice?

The first day of school didn’t go off with a hitch. You can read more about that here http://dcfemella.com/blog/2008/09/the-bus-fiasco/ . Other than that, the routine is running pretty smoothly. I am getting the kids to their practices, and they are getting to school on time. It’s time to start working on my writing schedule now that they seem to be doing fine. We’ll see how things go when we add homework to the mix.