My life has gotten out-of-control busy lately. I'm a stay-at-home mom/writer, and still my house looks like a hurricane just swept through and my To Do list is as long as my arm. I hate being busy like that. Things slip through the cracks, phone calls don't get returned, appointments get missed, and I don't get my "me time." Gasp! My family can tell you that's never a good thing.
So on Monday, I rebelled. The To Do list was still there, the phone calls still needed to be made, my wip was still crying out to me, but I put everything aside and...baked. I baked four batches of banana muffins (lots of overripe bananas hanging around the kitchen) and a double batch of chocolate chip cookies. And I felt so much better when I was done, ready to conquer that to-do list and, more importantly, spend some one-on-one time with my wip. Yes, some things did get missed that day, but that little bit of battery recharging went a long way towards improving my attitude and making me enjoy the rat race that is my life again.
How about you? What do you do when you "rebel"? What recharges your batteries?
45 comments:
Sleep!! Actually, when I get frazzled, just sitting down for an afternoon with no interuption and reading a good book makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. (And relaxed).
~JD
Ooo banana muffins sound amazing right now!! Can you tell I'm hungry!! Sleep or a nice walk and yes baking also helps!!! Just to get away for awhile!
Justine - I actually nap everyday. I guess I shouldn't complain about my busy life too much when I get a nap everyday, but I also don't sleep much at night. Isn't a good book wonderful? I didn't used to make much time to read, but since I've become more serious about my writing, I reserve my before bed time for reading every night.
Jen - I do love a good banana muffin! I walk everyday (I've got an over-excited Golden Retriever, so I really don't have a choice - we've got to get that energy out somehow), and I find the walks do me even more good than they do her. I come up with the best ideas while I'm walking, usually about writing, but a lot of times just about whatever's going on in my life at the time. And exercise to boot - can't beat that!
Hi
Oh Susan, I bake. I bake like the wind!! Are those your banana muffins - oh they look lovely!!
Yes, baking - nothing like it. I think for me it's because unless something goes completely awry (like my fabled hot cross buns!! LOL!) the results are like a completed story that I could be very, very, very proud of. Oh and eat! :-)
take care
x
Those look delicious.
I rebelled yesterday. I never just sit and do nothing. But it was a beautiful day yesterday and I made myself sit outside and close my eyes and do nothing in the sun for 45 minutes! It was so nice!!
My rebellion consists of doing the opposite of whatever I did before that took up so much time. If it's cooking & cleaning, then I like to lay down and read two books in a row. If it's writing & editing, then I like to cook and clean! If it's wip writing, then I like to blog. No consistency here.
I play games on the computer. Mostly mindless ones. Sometimes I spend hours on the phone with a good friend. Both work to get me recharged.
I rebel by spending too much time surfing the Net - that way I can say I'm at my computer should inspiration strike (I know, it's only an excuse in my mind).
Once golf season opens though, I'm going to have to give up this rebellion and get the words in so I can hit the course.
Rebellion for me is a movie. Or two. I lay down on my bed and watch my favorites over and over.
PS There's an award with your name on it on one of my post's this week. (Sorry I don't have the linky link.)
I like to bake too. I also like to hibernate and read.
Those muffins look SO GOOD!
When I rebel, I lay down on my bed in patch of sun (if there is one!) and read a book. Sigh.
I'm rebelling right now...I'm giving myself a 10 minutes blog reading break...I should be cleaning for our get-together tomorrow night, but I've spent 1.5 hours making up the menu, making the shopping list and digging through coupons. So I'm rewarding myself by exploring your blog posters. :) Then start cleaning. Thankfully, K has the day off tomorrow and is willing to help me. :) Have a great one, Susan!
Luckily for me, working on my ms is me time. Unfortunately, I'm not getting so much of that done as I had hoped. My house also looks like a hurricane hit it. But apparently that's my fourth child's fault. Funny, I don't remember giving birth to Not Me, but I guess I must have. And boy is Not Me ever messy. ;)
Old Kitty - maybe you're onto something there. Baking is a good balance for writing because you get a finished product right away, no revising, submitting, waiting... (well, a little bit, but at least you know the oven's not going to reject you!) And I still think your hot cross buns would have been perfect with a little icing on top. :)
Kelly - Are you having a gorgeous spring, too? Doesn't that sun make you just want to sit outside and soak it up? A little rebellion goes a long way, doesn't it?
Karen - Variety is the spice of life!
Susan - A long phone call with a good friend is one of the best forms of rebellion, I agree! I try to stay away from computer games, though - too addicting for me.
Jaydee - The internet is a constant source of rebellion for me. So much so I may have to rebel against my rebellion and take the internet off my laptop! I honestly have considered that before, but I'm trying to develop more self-control before I go that far.
Anne - I love movies. On laundry days, I watch movies while I fold. Not quite rebellion, but it does make laundry a lot more fun. I've been over to your blog to accept my award - thanks so much! I'll be doing an award post soon, so look out - there will be one coming your way!
Bish - baking, hibernating, and reading - I love them all!
Talli - You can't beat a good book and a batch of sunlight. I love when I get a book that's so good I can't put it down, even when I'm brushing my teeth. I hope someone feels like that about one of my books someday!
Sharon - 1.5 hours to plan a menu? This must be some get-together! Have fun! My friend Angie and I are taking Jillian and a couple of her friends to the Lake of the Ozarks for her birthday on Friday. The best part - I don't have to clean!
Stina - I have a Not Me, too! Sometimes I wish I'd had just one child so there wouldn't be anyone to point fingers at.
Well, I certainly can't cook, but when I rebel I simply go outside and walk/run around, sometimes for hours. Everyone is different when they are in nature, so I make myself different, and I am calmed.
Good for you, rebellious baker! I'm proud of you. :) My little girls have been sick lately and have been wandering around the house crying. We all needed a break, so when my big kids came home from school the other day, I just let the house stay a mess, didn't think about dinner, and broke out the Clue game. I had to be the game assistant because only one of my children can read ... and I also had to hold the baby the whole time to keep her from taking out the who-dunnit cards. But it was a nice change of pace and my wonderful hubby took us to Pizza Hut for dinner. He's so great.
I'm glad you got to recharge your batteries!
Sometimes, it's just making time to write or getting out on my own.
I didn't clean the toilet this weekend or iron my husband's clothes, so my house is falling apart!
I rebel by going shopping. Most of the time I don't even buy anything, but since I work from home just getting out of the house seems like a big deal.
I make my husband take me out for dinner - just us, no kids! :-)
a nap usually recharges me .. but if there's no time for that, ice cream will do.
I had two days off where I was supposed to finally get a chunk of my rewrite done for an agent. Instead I spent it kayaking. Recharged now!
I've felt the same! Exercise helps a lot ... after which, I'd really like one of those banana muffins! YUM! (We've got a freezer full of ripe bananas ... we save them there for banana bread ... may have to do some muffins instead!).
A good walk along a sandy beach can sometimes clear the head. I'm lucky to have one around the corner from my home.
Opening a nice bottle of red and saying to myself, 'to hell with the 'To Do' list'.
Giving my three Shih Tzu's a brush.
Or diving into a good book and forgetting my own troubles - if only for an hour or so :)
Thanks for following my blog! I love the colors here.
Baking is the best therapy there is!
I so get it! I often wonder how I can seemingly get so little done during the day. Then I look around and realize that all those little routine everyday things (dishes, take the dogs out, pick up mess) eat up so much time.
I work out in the garden for a recharge :)
Stephanie - I love a good walk to put things in perspective and chill out. You're right, nature has a calming effect.
Amy - Playing games with my kids is one of my favorite activities. Luckily they're old enough now they can all play most any game (and beat me at them, too!) I'm glad you had a night out, that can really lift the spirits!
Theresa - I don't always clean the toilet either, and I never iron my husband's shirts. Luckily he's an engineer, I don't think anyone expects him to look too ironed. :)
Amy - Shopping is one of my favorite escapes! Unfortunately, I do usually buy stuff, so that's one I have to use sparingly.
Shannon - Parent's Night Out, those can be a lifesaver! You know, I always thought once my kids were old enough to stay home alone we'd go out all the time, but we rarely do. Getting old I guess...
Tess - I like the way you think! :)
Terry - Those two days of kayaking will keep you going through the rewrite ahead, just wait and see!
Kelly - Yes, I need to make exercise more of a priority. That's always the first thing to go when the schedule gets overloaded. Sometimes I make banana break, but muffins don't bake as long, so I usually go with that (especially when I have multiple batches.)
Wendy - Can I come walk on your sandy beach? When I was in high school, we had a public campground with a beautiful Lake Michigan beach at the end of my street. How I miss Lake Michigan!
Jonathon - Funny you should mention the colors, I was thinking just today of changing the pink to maybe yellow or blue. Guess I'll go with the pink a while longer!
Betty - I'm surprised how many other people cook to "rebel". I think I like it because I'm doing something I love and getting an immediate reward (so unlike writing!)
Tara - That is so true, just living life takes a lot of time (which, I've found, is directly proportional to the amount of other living creatures - children, husband, pets, etc. living in your house.) I wish I were a gardener, that seems like a great way to recharge, but I'm just not.
Bubble bath. Works every time and I sleep so well that night too.
Jai
Jai - Oh, I haven't taken a bubble bath in ages! That sounds like a wonderful "rebellion"!
I pretty much do the same thing - minus the baking part :) I just drop everything, guilt-free, and do wnatever I want at that moment. Then, once I've calmed down, its easier to get all the ducks in back a row again.
i jog. i find it clears my head and i'm able to bring a focus back to my writing. good post. :)
jeannie
The Character Therapist
I try to ignore the cleaning and just sit with a book to read or actually work on WIP for a change. But lately I keep getting people popping in for a cuppa (probably because it's school holidays) so I get embarrassed because when my house is messy, boy is it messy!
Thanks for entering the book giveaway on my blog Susan, don't worry about the form submitting early - I'll chase you up if you're the lucky winner :-)
Reading is my guilty pleasure, and I indulge more often than I should.
Go for a walk.
I like to take a leisurely walk through my neighborhood, especially in spring, and admire the beginnings of new gardens. And then go to the library and browse mindlessly, without a list of books in my hand...
Good for you! Those muffins and cookies look delish, so your family scored as well. ;)
I love going to the movies, reading, or going to the coffee shop with my kids, hubby, or a friend.
MMMmmmmm!!
I have lunch with friends, or lay in the sun and read, or flop on the couch and watch comfort movies (rainy day rebel-time).
I left you a little something on my blog today. :o)
Happy Weekend,
Lola
Reading a new or old book by one of my favorite authors as I pet my cat, Gypsy, purring on my lap. And I do need to recharge my batteries. I've driven 900 miles and gotten 7 hours sleep total for these past three days as I've sped the interstates and lonely country roads delivering rare blood.
I've written a snippet of a Sci_Fi short story that explains a bit more of what a blood courier does on my latest post.
Have a healing weekend. Me? It's going to be Roger Zelazny, Jim Butcher, and Gypsy for me -- with Enya in the background. Roland
I watch lots of TV, since I don't do too much of that when I'm busy working on my WIP.
Thanks Susan! Your so sweet. Congrats on all the awards!
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