Worst Write-A-Palooza Ever!
If any of you were checking my word meter over the past week, you’ve seen that my write-a-palooza beach trip didn’t exactly go as planned. To say the least!
I was so excited about this trip. Being a stay-at-home-mom and also trying to write two books at once is no easy task, but the thought of five days at the beach with beautiful weather and a husband willing to take on extra baby duty to help give me time to write sounded AMAZING. I’ve seriously been looking forward to this for months.
Then bam… about half-way into our drive to Myrtle Beach my little guy threw up. All over the back seat. We pulled over, did the best we could to clean him and the car and once he seemed to calm down, got back on the road. We thought maybe it was just motion sickness. He’d recently had a virus too, but he was over it, so we thought maybe it could be something residual from that? Surely everything would be fine once we got to the hotel.
No. Everything was not fine! Andrew was sick the entire time we were there. He didn’t sleep well, had an upset tummy, a fever, and generally was super fussy and crying most of the entire time. We hated to turn around a drive back home because the car ride would only make it worse, so we decided to bunk down in the hotel room and wait it out, doing our best to make him comfortable and praying it would only last 24 hours. We only made it down to the beach once the whole time and that was only for about an hour.
Needless to say, I also didn’t get any writing done. When Andrew was awake, he wanted to be held or he needed to be changed or cleaned up or whatever. When he finally would fall asleep, I was so exhausted, I had to sleep too. It was the trip from hell. We finally thought he was feeling better last night and he got some decent rest, but he woke up super early this morning throwing up again. The doctor says all we can do is just let it pass through his system and do our best to keep him hydrated.
We made it home with him thankfully sleeping most of the way, but it’s been a rough few days and was not at all the writing trip I’d hoped it would be. This is definitely something that is difficult to deal with as a mom. Andrew is my number one priority and I want to be there for him all the time. On the other hand, I love writing and want so badly to be able to get books out faster and tell these stories in my head. Finding balance between the two is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. If you’re a mom and you’ve figured out how to do it, I’m all ears!!
Anyway, sorry for the disappointing big fat zero on the word meter. I’m going to delete it and move on, hoping that once Andrew starts feeling better I can do a weekend write-a-palooza to catch up.
Oh dear poor wee thing, and poor you that must have been hard! I hope your wee man gets better soon!
I’m a mom too. The balance is not easy, but when things like sick children pop up, you are only a mother. I have days set aside with a sitter for two-three hour chunks of time to allow me to write. I know that I can edit with a house full of crazy, but writing is completely different. Getting away to write is a great idea, but maybe next time leave the husband and the kid behind. Set up support for him if you think he needs it, like someone to call or to make sure he gets a good meal or two while you are gone and turn your phone off. Give him the hotel number in case of an emergency, but take the time to yourself. The only way I have found to balance it without letting things slip through the cracks is to schedule in “kid free” time. Sounds silly, and I know a lot of my childless friends think I am nuts, but it has been the only thing that has let me balance the two kids, my writing, my photography business, and taking an online class.
I hope your little man feels better and don’t beat yourself up over taking care of him. You may be a kick ass author, but you are a mom first. You will get your books written and they will be amazing. You just have to find your balance is all.
I feel so sad for you! I know how bad you wanted to get some work done on this trip. It will happen! It WILL happen! Hope Ender is feeling better.
Feel better. Motherhood is the most important job in the world. Working during naps and some of play time will get you there, but when kids are knock down drag out sick, life stops, at least temporarily. Hang in there and nap with that baby.
This sounds a lot like when we went to Disney World and my little one got sick halfway through our vacation. Talk about being miserable. Fever, throwing up, and coughing. I felt horrible when she said, “Mommy, wanna go to Mickey’s castle” when we knew that wasn’t the best place for her to be with a fever. Still, she wanted to go because she had been dreaming about it for weeks.
As the little man gets older, finding the balance will get easier. The good news is you have a very supportive husband to lean on just like I have my mom. 🙂 Family like that is invaluable. My little one is three now, but when she was Andrew’s age, I never thought I’d ever get back to writing again. I was wrong. It was just a matter of learning her patterns and sneaking in writing time whenever I could. Sadly, even if it meant taking the netbook to the bathroom. Yes, I’ve done it and I’m not ashamed of it. 😀