11 responses to “Classic Authors on Motherhood and the Juggling Act, Part 2; Book Giveaway”

  1. Kate @ Teaching What Is Good

    As a mom of 8, I find it hard sometimes to get quiet enough time to pull my thoughts together to write AND I make sure and take care of everyone else before I “do” me. A number of years ago our entire family (yep, all 10 of us) did NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month) and we all wrote novels. I was the one who almost didn’t finish because I tend to put ME last.

    These are wonderful posts! Thanks so much for sharing them. If I don’t win, I’ll sure be looking for this book.

  2. Kate @ Teaching What Is Good

    It’s Tweeted!

  3. Christine

    I just can’t find the time! I simply can’t get up earlier to write – I can barely get out of bed for work as it is! Then after work there is dinner to make and eat, pets to care for, toddler and teen to care for, chores to be done, and if I’m lucky I don’t fall asleep on the couch while watching a TV show with my husband. To write, I need quiet. It no longer exists in my house. If I try to make the time, I feel so guilty that baby is crying for Mama that I just give up for the day.

  4. Liz

    It’s a day by day thing. I like what Madeline L’Engle said about how her kids/family noticed she was better when she was writing. I think that’s true for me, too. It’s all about the balance.

  5. Liz

    And there went my Tweet!

  6. Tia

    I tweeted this earlier, too. Such a great two-parter.

    Some days, I find balance and others I don’t. My problem is the guilt. Guilty when I’m working but not engaging my kids. Guilty when I’m enjoying the kids and work sits. I hate unaccomplished tasks (even if it’s laundry sitting). I have to work on my expectations on myself.

    But this is all new to me. When we were writing the novel, we did it at our own speed around baby schedules. It took us 10 years from idea to completion.

    Thanks for sharing this post (and for your blog in general).

  7. Jenni Derryberry Mann

    My weakness as a writer: getting started and staying focused. It’s generally waaaay past my bedtime before the words really start to flow. And this might seem obvious to some, but it’s really taken me the better part of 5 years to figure out that there is a direct cause-and-effect between my lack of sleep and a day of crummy parenting. Doh!

  8. Jenni Derryberry Mann

    Tweeted!

  9. Autumn

    Like I said earlier, there is just never enough of me to go around! My husband needs me, my kids need me, my boss needs me, and I need me. With everyone being so needy, it’s hard for me to find time for ME. I sure try, but when I do, I feel bad that I’m not spending the time with my kids, or with my husband. Jan, I like what you said about the seasons of our lives. I think I’m my least favorite season, trying to find the balance between everything. Hopefully I’ll find it soon!!

    I tweeted earlier, and I can’t wait for the giveaway!

  10. Cara @ WhimsySmitten

    I loved what Madeleine L’Engle said. There are many people out there that believe we cannot effectively dedicate time to writing when we have children, or that those years should be spent in “practice” without pursuing publication or getting your writing out there. I disagree. I know myself to know that writing is something I am hard-wired to do. Without making time for it, I am less the mother I could be. Writing also provides valuable opportunity for reflection, often allowing me to walk myself through a parenting puzzle I’m struggling with, or to see a child’s outlook in a whole new light, by considering and “chewing on it” awhile. That quote encouraged me — thanks for sharing it!

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