tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66701996714331290892024-03-05T04:12:27.796+00:00The Tales of Missus P.The Tales of Missus P.Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.comBlogger454125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-66258754842981413572022-01-22T16:16:00.001+00:002022-01-22T16:16:39.434+00:00Published: My Dark Vanessa is a similar situation in the victim’s perspective.I published <a href="https://medium.com/@suzelibrarian/my-dark-vanessa-is-a-similar-situation-in-the-victims-perspective-c6c489892b2f?source=ifttt--------------3">My Dark Vanessa is a similar situation in the victim’s perspective.</a> on <a href="https://medium.com">Medium</a>.
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-7266586924887621732022-01-16T19:16:00.001+00:002022-01-16T19:16:57.592+00:00Published: Making plans after a couple of uncertain yearsI published <a href="https://medium.com/@suzelibrarian/making-plans-after-a-couple-of-uncertain-years-c6c9100199ff?source=ifttt--------------3">Making plans after a couple of uncertain years</a> on <a href="https://medium.com">Medium</a>.
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-47445082897746263462021-12-31T17:31:00.001+00:002021-12-31T17:31:00.238+00:00An update for December 2021<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/51496458140/in/dateposted-public/" title="Truth telling"><img alt="Truth telling" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51496458140_5a57c0a2af_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> </p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Bitstream Charter", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The posts are getting fewer and further between, I know. I only decided to post something today because, with all the usual expectations of New Year’s resolutions, it’s normal to feel ready and eager to get back to starting fresh.</p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Bitstream Charter", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For a while now, I’ve accepted that I’m just not who I used to be and I’m growing and changing into this mother role and the wishy-washy “goals” that I never reach, should just be scrapped from the table. I don’t have time anymore to go, “Well, I’d like to write 50k words but I’ll settle for 10k.”</p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Bitstream Charter", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What I’m focusing on, or plan to, in 2022 is just doing things for me when I can. It occurred to me yesterday that I was letting the schedule of parenting beat me and I wasn’t fighting hard enough for my own space. Now, this is not something to take lightly because parenting a toddler is tough work. There isn’t a moment’s rest when you’re on duty (literally, sitting down it out of the question) so I give myself complete slack because I’m working on a new level of self-awareness.</p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Bitstream Charter", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So, with that said, here’s what I’d like to accomplish, set my sights on, work at, whatever you want to call it, for next year:</p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Bitstream Charter", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">* Be a good mom (that’s a given) * Stick to my SlimmingWorld plan (and go to meetings) * Eat less meat (more vegetarian options) * Take more walks</p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Bitstream Charter", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There were more things I was going to add but I’m sort of at a loss regarding writing and reading plans. They never get accomplished so I’m not going to even entertain the idea that I’ll get a certain task finished.</p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Bitstream Charter", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Before I go, let me add that I detest WordPress’s block editor. Happy 2022, y’all!</p>
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-90213189357439719742021-11-29T17:00:00.007+00:002021-11-29T17:00:00.179+00:00An update for November 2021<p><a title="Quayside" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/51496458030/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51496458030_42ac099b09_z.jpg" alt="Quayside" width="640" height="640" /></a></p>
<p>Well,I missed a whole month and didn't update for October. At least not here, I didn't.</p>
<p>Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is upon us. I have done absolutely nothing other than look after Jack, which is fulfilling in itself and I stopped worrying about not being able to work on my book or doodle in my bullet journal. There just isn't time when you're chasing an almost 2 year old around. (And I do mean chase.)</p>
<p>I didn't do NaNoWriMo. I didn't finish the online business classes I signed up for. We haven't done any holidays. We've had a few days to ourselves (me and Steve, I mean) and the rest of the time has been the routine of the household and the keeping of things functioning as normal.</p>
<p>I did, however, update the <a href="https://anchor.fm/jacksmum">Jack's Mum Podcast</a> yesterday and I primarily update short entries at <a href="https://suzanne.micro.blog">suzanne.micro.blog</a> when I think of something quick to jot down. Other than that, I'll write something more in December maybe, but until then, I hope everyone is winding down 2021 well.</p>
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<!-- /wp:paragraph -->Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-56330082669509142662021-09-28T11:31:00.001+01:002021-09-28T11:31:00.251+01:00An update for September 2021<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/51494740977/in/dateposted-public/" title="On the bridge"><img alt="On the bridge" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51494740977_981a0990e6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
<p>
Yesterday was my 45th birthday, so I figured I should commemorate the day with an update.
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Last week, Mister Pick and I spent a day for ourselves while Jack was at nursery. It was a glorious day so we walked across the Tyne, had breakfast at Quay Ingredient, visited Eldon Square, Grainger Market, and Stack. It was such a nice way to spend the day because we hadn't gone into town just to have a look around in a long time. (Not until before I was pregnant, that's for sure.)
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I updated the podcast recently to mention what a hard time I was having with letting Jack stay at nursery for full days now. I was glad to have the time to ourselves, but the guilty of being at work made me feel that I loved money just that little bit more than my own child. But I am going to work part time again and just trying to keep my chin up and hope that nursery is helping Jack with his development as people keep telling me. (He has a lovely nursery and a great key worker, so I know he's in kind, capable hands. I just miss him during the day, which I'm assuming is extremely normal.)
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Other than my mummy updates, I'm still working on my Team Leader class at work and that, hopefully, will be done by the end of the year. I've also decided to do some business classes online, just to give myself plenty of credentials on my resume. It's funny to think that as much as I hated school when I was young, I still keep wanting to be in education in my 40s.
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Writing wise, I've still been slowly working on the first in my young adult romance series. Bullet journal wise has been slow as well, but I did purchase a new notebook for my birthday which is made with kraft paper rather than regular 160 gsm dotted paper. (I'm actually really excited about this one.)
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Travel wise, we've been to Stephenson Railway, Lightwater Valley, East Grange Farm for the sunflower trail, and the Art Adventures summer term sessions. I'm so grateful that we can go places as a family after a long time of not being able to do anything outside of the house.
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For October, we have Halloween, pick your own pumpkins, and continuing autumn term toddler classes to look forward to. I'm excited for the falling leaves, the crisp air, and the anticipation for Christmas that's less than 100 days away.
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Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-20415809915470028052021-07-26T20:45:00.000+01:002021-07-26T20:45:00.225+01:00 <p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/51320847442/in/dateposted-public/" title="Sunny coast"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51320847442_1258d0240c_z.jpg" width="640" height="640" alt="Sunny coast"></a></p>
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<p>It’s Monday and the last day of my self isolation. I got pinged last Tuesday right as I sat down for lunch at the library. It said I’d come in close contact with someone who tested positive. The only place I’ve used my app is at baby classes because that’s the only place we really go for extended periods of time, so I assume I came in contact at the activity centre.<br>Steve is still working from home and Jack is back at nursery. It’s summer term so I’m trying to find things for us to do while he’s off at nursery for a couple of weeks.<br>I guess it’s silly to post on a blog that you’re tired of the internet and social media, but it’s the truth. This has been about my only hobby I’ve had consistently for a long time and it’s started to make me anxious and frustrated. I told Steve that it makes the real world feel slow when everything we could possibly want to be engaged in is right in our hand in one device. I uploaded an Off Screen app to try and limit how much I use my phone at home. I know it’s the easiest, go to relaxation tactic but when it’s getting more of a nuisance than anything, it’s time to step back.<br>I don’t really look at my Twitter feed anymore. My Instagram I look at occasionally. My Facebook is my prime app that gets used because I know people in real life and I care about keeping in touch with them.<br>The other past time is shopping online which doesn’t really prove as anything other than frustrating because I’m working part time now and don’t have much of a budget to buy Willy-Nilly anymore.<br>Writing my books is a big goal now that I’m a little past half way through the draft of the first book in the series. I know the main goal of having the series done is way off but I call it a personally goal to have a lot of it done (and not hate it).<br>Also, the <a href="https://jacksmum.co.uk">podcast and the mummy blog </a>is one I want to start and call myself a blogger.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0Newcastle upon Tyne, UK54.978252 -1.6177849.432955528325913 -10.4068425 60.523548471674083 7.1712825tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-44498002643189000192021-06-07T19:31:00.003+01:002021-06-07T19:31:00.214+01:00An update for June 2021<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/51216133859/in/dateposted-public/" title="Sunny view"><img alt="Sunny view" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51216133859_fa94dac0c2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
<div>It’s been hot up north lately which is lovely for England because we don’t squander our days in the sun. Most of the time we’ve been playing with Jack in the garden or taking him on walks with his trike.</div>
<div>Steve’s birthday was on the 1st and we had our first date (breakfast by the river) since 2019. The rest of that weekend we spent as a family hanging out then Jack got sick had to stay home from nursery (and get a Covid test — negative).</div>
<div>I really need to start back up with the podcast because I have lots of stuff to talk about with taking a toddler out and about how that lockdown has eased. We’ve done two restaurants outside and lots of kid-friendly events like the farm, a sensory room, swim lessons, and walks. We even got him a new trike but quickly discovered those are not for long trips when the child gets tired because the one we have doesn’t recline. (It was also the only one decent-rated online that was available: a Kingerkraft Aston.)</div>
<div>Other than that, we’re getting on as we do. Steve is still working from home and I’m doing my management course at work so hopefully, I can get that done by the autumn of this year.</div>
<div>Still no official word about our trip to Florida, but we still plan on seeing the Picks next month for Jack’s christening. It will be two years since we’ve seen our families.</div>
<div> </div>Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-67717165729706657982021-01-30T23:39:00.002+00:002021-01-30T23:39:01.871+00:00Starting nursery and back to work at the library<p> <a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/50876827003/in/dateposted-public/" title="Stopped off on the way home. 😇"><img alt="Stopped off on the way home. 😇" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50876827003_f408a0382d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></p>
<p>Guys, it's just been a week.</p>
<p>We took Jack to nursery for the first time. That was a nightmare and a half. He did fine, aside from the crying at the beginning and end of the sessions, but I cried and cried. I don't know how many other mothers right now are feeling completely overwhelmed and completely helpless to all that's going on right now. It's hard enough having to leave your child, but without any family nearby, and no ability to see friends or co-workers, we've had no one else around that baby but us.</p>
<p>Granted, he's had some baby classes, which I'm really thankful for, but letting someone else hold him and cuddle him made me sick to my stomach. How was that child going to handle that?</p>
<p>Everyone told me that this was all going to be harder on me and that babies are really resilient and they handle things like nursery quite well. But after seeing him reach out to me on our last visit, and I had to walk away from him, I don't know if they just realize that their parents doesn't care and isn't going to help them, so they have to just deal with the situation.</p>
<p>Like the idea of them self-soothing and crying it out when you figure the baby just gives up on anyone coming to help them. (At least, that's what I always feared.)</p>
<p>With all of this going on, I have to get ready to go back to work on Monday. I honestly am excited to see people again and not be on mummy duty all day, but <i>how</i> am I going to handle not being on mummy duty? I'm always on mummy duty!</p>
<p>Steve is going to split his working from home days so he has afternoons with Jack while I'm at work. This is only going to be for three days, which seems like an eternity, so we'll see how that goes.</p>
<p>I'm also worried about bring Covid into the house because I've been in my safe home bubble for a year. Also, Jack's developed a cold, so he's not sleeping well and feeling crappy, so this is all terribly stressful.</p>
<p>Now that it's the end of my maternity leave, I'm really sad that my magical year with Jack is over. It's been tougher than I ever imagined, but I've enjoyed being a stay at home mum. I've wanted to run away from the house screaming (and did during the first lockdown, if we're being honest) but I've been so grateful to have all this time with him. </p>
<p>So, I'll miss him and I think that's the hardest part. I'll miss spending my day chatting with him and chasing him and wondering when I'll ever be able to sit down again. I won't know what to do with myself.</p>
<p>I was really convinced that I was going to write a lot and be really productive this year, but I just wasn't. I focused on the one thing that was the most important and that was raising a happy little guy.</p>Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-81236951350394042972021-01-20T09:22:00.005+00:002021-01-20T09:22:36.644+00:00A blog update for 19 January 2021<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/50791252258/in/dateposted-public/" title="Evening walking path"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50791252258_a0816dd268_z.jpg" width="640" height="640" alt="Evening walking path"></a>
I’m writing this at 9:30 at night while I’m holding Jack. We’ve had a power cut and this poor sweaty child hasn’t had a bath. It doesn’t help that he decorated himself with apple sauce at lunchtime, but never mind.
Steve had to light the gas stove with a match to get some water boiled to make a bottle for Jack. I was tempted to go across the street and ask someone to heat a bottle for him in one of the neighbors’ microwaves but I didn’t have to.
Poor kid still is dirty.
I go back to work in two weeks. I am not pleased by this just because I feel like I’m abandoning Jack. Steve sees this as an opportunity for Jack to be somewhere else, playing with other kids, being part of the world, learning and doing and not being stuck in the house all day with us.
- LATER -
It is now Tuesday. The electricity went on at 10PM last night, so luckily we had some heat through the night. I'll be so ready to get this baby into the bath tonight (and myself into the shower!)
I had a nice chat with one of the girls at work today, so they know to expect me in a couple of weeks. (My poor baby!)
It's still raining and I doubt a family walk with by on the cards for the evening. This is all we can do -- take walks when Jack isn't napping or when the weather approves (so, rare).
I'm still struggling to get any real writing done, so 200 words a day is the best I can aim for. I want to get the YA series out of the door but, alas, time isn't really a thing anymore. (And, yes, I know people say that's not an excuse but when you have a one year old, that is the only thing you can concentrate on.)
Well, I'm being summoned once again by the man of the house, so here's to randomly updated blog posts.
Oh! And I have a podcast now! <a href="https://anchor.fm/jacksmum">Jack's Mum</a> is where I talk all about mummying.Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-10566525337080517772020-12-28T15:45:00.001+00:002020-12-28T15:45:06.783+00:00After Christmas and before New Year's 2021<p><a title="Santa and Mrs. Claus @beamish_museum 🎅" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/50738861323/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50738861323_be286e427b_z.jpg" alt="Santa and Mrs. Claus @beamish_museum 🎅" width="640" height="640" /></a></p>
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<p>Tomorrow my baby with be one year old. It is insane and amazing. I’m excited, proud, and sad. This means that the magical year of being together is over. It means the tiny newborn who needed me with him constantly will soon have to go to nursery and not know where I am. I honestly don’t even know how I’m going to cope being away from him.</p>
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<p>Luckily, my work has allowed me to return part time on a trial basis, so I have three days in the library office abs four days at home. Steve is working from home anyway, so he can work a staggered schedule while Jack is down the street playing and painting and making friends. (At least, this is what I tell myself.)</p>
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<p>I did not finish a book this year. Most days I barely had time to take a shower or even find time to eat. I did some things that I consider progress because I found a niche for my book series and started working on it. However, I’m not even half way through the first draft of the first of four books. But that’s just how it is and at least I have focus and a goal which is a <em>lot</em> better than where I was before. In 2019 I was pregnant and too exhausted to do anything and I didn’t even know what I was going to write when I had this whole year off.</p>
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<p>I didn’t finish reading a book either. I have loads of books that need reading and/or reviewing but that is way down on my list of priorities.</p>
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<p>So what am I looking forward to in 2021? What can we look forward to, really? I can hope that lockdown eases up a bit, so Jack and I can go play together. I hope that Florida gets its act together so we can visit my parents.</p>
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<p>I have planned on a mummy blog and a podcast for the future, so that’s something to focus on. Aside from my family, there’s nothing really meaningful or mentally distracting to get involved with in 2021.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-68867290389980542272020-12-14T17:53:00.001+00:002020-12-14T17:53:02.991+00:00An Update for December 2020<a title="Obviously, I named him Buddy. #elfontheshelf #babysfirstchristmas" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/50671621897/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50671621897_80ee8d3a4a_z.jpg" alt="Obviously, I named him Buddy. #elfontheshelf #babysfirstchristmas" width="640" height="640" /></a>
It's 10 days until Christmas Eve.
It will be Jack's first Christmas, followed by his first birthday. This week we have plans to see Santa, attend a Christmas "party," and listen to Christmas stories. I'm hoping all of it is as traditional as possible because right now, it feels weird celebrating the season when we've been at home all year anyway.
But no matter, it will be fun because it will be Jack's first, so we'll enjoy that part.
As of this week, I'm not longer on maternity leave but am on annual leave until February. It seems quite surreal as well because I've not been home for a year and I have a little boy moreso than a little baby. (Insert crying emoji.)
I got to about 15K words for NaNoWriMo this year, so it wasn't a complete bust. I was going to cut my losses and make the book a novella since it's the first in a new series, but I've decided to aim for at least 45K or so.
It's been really hard with mummying 24/7 but I think any writing I've done (and the planning for the series) is a win. The year has been productive as far as my personal writing hobby is concerned.
I've also been toying with making a Mummy blog because the world doesn't have enough of them. Seriously, it makes sense when you're focusing on being a mother all day, your instinct is to write about your experiences. I'd started posting on Medium, but I think I'll go all in and make a site all of my own.
For my bullet journal, I've watched so many great videos but by the time I sat down to work on a weekly spread, I was totally zapped of ideas. Today, I started working on this week's layout and decided to just make it how I wanted and not worry as much about perfection because it's my journal and no one else is going to see it (except my family).
Other than that, it's just all Pick all the time over here. We're hanging in there as the rest of us are and just taking each day as it comes.Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-58998028942533456602020-11-14T17:33:00.001+00:002020-11-14T17:33:01.893+00:00An Update for November 2020<a title="Flower by the river" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/50575957833/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50575957833_c7e22a3a00_z.jpg" alt="Flower by the river" width="640" height="640" /></a>
Halloween is over. It's time to get the Christmas lights up and prepare for Thanksgiving.
In England, we're still in Lockdown 2.0 so there are limits on what Jack and I can do this month. Luckily, we're allowed to go back to one of his baby classes so we have that to look forward to each week. Plus, it's good for him to keep seeing other kids, I think.
Mister Pick and I have already started getting ready for Christmas because, like many people this month, we figure why not celebrate early and enjoy the season after the crazy year we've had?
I can't go to any Keeping in Touch days at work and I haven't ventured to even walk around the mostly-closed mall. I've just been taking walks with the family and keeping our heads above water. At least this lockdown was something we could prepare for and knew what to expect.
I'm still trying to keep up with NaNoWriMo 2020 but today I discovered I lost a chapter from yesterday. It's not great literature, but it did make me feel like I'll never get anything accomplished. It's tough to steal moments to write, so it's that much tougher than it would be if I wasn't mummying 24/7.
It's also tough to keep up the bullet journal but I did at least start a November spread today (even though I'm a couple weeks late).
I've considered starting a blog just devoted to writing with tips and activities, prompts and writer interviews but, again, I don't know when I'll have the time to get that together. I at least got <a href="https://bookblogarama.com">bookblogarama </a>active again after being on hiatus for a long time.
And with that said, I'll close this update because block editor in Wordpress has just deleted text from this entry. (I'm doing well with technology today!) It isn't a riveting post but I hope everyone is keeping well and getting their writing done.
Happy November!Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-76521177557822799552020-10-30T17:33:00.001+00:002020-10-30T17:33:00.875+00:00An Update on Halloween's Eve<a title="Green window" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/50387318268/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50387318268_7c8c4339b7_z.jpg" alt="Green window" width="640" height="640" /></a>
It's been a slow couple of weeks.
Jack got sick last Sunday. It was a cold coupled with throwing up, so I spent a few nights holding him a lot and trying to get him some rest.
Luckily, he's feeling better now but I'm still worse for wear. I have a runny nose, cough, and sinus headache. I did have a fever. I also had a loss of smell. But all of this is from the stuffy nose and the cold. I didn't feel it necessary to get a test. I've had many colds in my life, and this is one of them.
What troubles me is that with all the social distancing and super hygienic conditions that these places supposedly have these days, Jack still got sick. If we can catch a cold, we can catch Covid.
I've wanted to keep taking him to classes just to get him used to other kids because, unfortunately, I'll have to go back to work next year and he'll have to go to nursery. I worry about this constantly, and I want to make that transition as easy as possible for him. (I'll be a wreck. There's no way around that one.)
Despite this illness in the house, I've been able to write a bit in snippets, which keeps me sane and makes me feel productive in some respects. I've posted to Medium (the <a href="https://medium.com/@suzelibrarian/baby-swimming-blues-55985781bc24">last article</a> was on the subject of said baby illness) and worked on my book.
I don't know why I say "book" when I have about four I dip in and out of. I love beginnings of stories, then slog through the rest.
What I'm doing is something along the lines of YA romance, and I've found <a href="https://jamigold.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Romance-Beat-Sheet-Sample.jpg">Jami Gold's Romance Beat Sheet.</a>
This has helped me plot a little better than I usually do because I have always been a pantser and I end up not knowing how to steer the story back to where I wanted it to go. Does anyone else have this problem? I'm so impatient and I really want to crank out a decent 1st draft, then edit it without having to totally rewrite the story. This is why I'm amazed that people can churn out a book a month.
Today is Mandalorian Season 2 day, Halloween's Eve, and the day before I do another Keeping in Touch Day at the library. We've not been able to find pumpkins anywhere nearby, so this may be the most subdued Halloween we've ever had. But it's 2020, so what else can we expect?
If anyone else is taking part in NaNoWriMo next month, good luck to you!Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-13542998647763646552020-10-05T17:34:00.000+01:002020-10-05T17:34:00.997+01:00An update for October 2020<a title="It’s been a good day. 🎂 #ThisIs44" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/50386309837/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50386309837_fb6983f7fa_z.jpg" alt="It’s been a good day. 🎂 #ThisIs44" width="640" height="640" /></a>
<div>I'll start off with my important public announcement: don’t get gel manicures unless you want to pay to get one every month. My nails are completely ruined from that polish chipping and ripping a layer of nail off.</div>
<div>Jack is 9 months now and I’ve started Keeping in Touch days at work. There’s not a load of IT going on and no one-to-one sessions for me to do with customers so I’m just a gal in the library.</div>
<div>(I’m learning what I can and cannot touch in there too.)</div>
<div>These days my life is based on keeping Jack entertained, bottles, naps, and so many nappy changes. I try to keep up with my reading and have opted for lighthearted, fun YA rom-coms by indie authors. Of course, I still have Midnight Sun to get back to.</div>
<div>I finally bought an Archer and Olive B6 dotted journal, so the new bullet journal is taking shape very slowly. Steve told me to stop worrying about how wonky everything looks and just do it for myself. Sound advice. I am not a good artist and my spreads are simple but I enjoy it, and now with a journal with thicker paper, I can try watercolor pens. I’ve always envied the people who could go to art supply stores and buy things they would use. Now I can be one of those people.</div>
<div>I’m wondering about getting an Instax camera for Christmas. I’ve looked at them loads of times, but never bought one. Since we tend to go to National Trust places (or, at least we used to) and walks, I thought it would be a good idea to use for mini pictures in my bullet journal. I guess that makes it sort of a scrapbook of sorts as well. I like that idea.</div>
<div>My birthday was good, despite the lack of Florida trips or restaurants or anything other than hanging out at home with takeaways, presents, and my family. But, honestly, that’s what made it a great day.</div>
<div>Writing has been. I have things in motion more than I had in a lot of recent months, so I’m glad of that. I still only have little snippets of time when Jack is napping or Steve’s looking after him, so I don’t get a lot done. Also, as always, I’ve rethought my approach for the current WIP so I can either start from the beginning or keep on with my new ideas.</div>
<div>And with spooky season on its way, get out there, grab your pumpkins, and do your best to enjoy October.</div>
<div></div>Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-17776286356302311652020-05-31T12:04:00.001+01:002020-05-31T12:04:22.666+01:00An update for May 2020<p><a title="Afternoon walk in the sunshine ☀️" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/49938731898/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img width="640" height="640" alt="Afternoon walk in the sunshine ☀️" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49938731898_814532a033_z.jpg"></a><br></p>
<p>I'm trying out my new keyboard. It's red with typewriter type keys. I never thought about getting one of these before until I saw a post where a girl had a pink, compact one for her iPad. (I need one of those too.) </p><p>It’s been so long since I’ve used the computer, and right now, Steve is watching Jack while I get ready for Steve’s birthday tomorrow. (I found his cards! Hooray!)</p><p>We’re still under lockdown here, unlike the US apparently who have restaurants open and like is “back to normal.” I still haven’t been to the shops since March, I’m guessing, so the only thing we’ve done is take walks. Sometimes I’ll take a ride in the car with Jack, just for a change of scenery, but that’s it.</p><p>To be honest, I don’t know what else I could be doing with the baby other than taking classes or going to the zoo, visiting the library, or other little activities just to pass the time. I worried a lot about “wasting” my maternity leave under lockdown, but I’ve accepted that there’s nothing I can do about it, and Jack’s happy with us, so it’s fine. </p><p>Jack has been sleeping better at night (touch wood), so I started journaling and bullet journaling again. I’ve also looked into working on my current WIP (at least I <em>chose</em> one) to keep up with and can tie into <a href="https://junowrimo.com/">JuNoWriMo</a>.</p><p>Anyone else doing that? Or has lockdown just been one big writing fest for everyone else? I’m so out of the loop and full of baby life that nothing else really is important.</p><p>I’ve messed around on the phone during Jack’s naptimes and want to work more on my author page and my imprint for when I do get my books back to publishing form. (I’ve been saying this for years, haven’t I?) I have only eight more months to be at home so maybe I can get something done but, again, I can’t really worry about that. There is just hardly any time with Jack’s schedule.</p><p>The funny thing is, I really thought I would have time to write this year. Yeah, not going to happen. Oh well!</p><p>I hope you all are writing and keeping safe. Here’s to a good June!</p>Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-1863546621526252262020-04-07T11:50:00.000+01:002020-04-07T11:50:03.322+01:00An update for April 2020<p><a title="Today was a beautiful day. ☀️" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/49698737121/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img width="640" height="640" alt="Today was a beautiful day. ☀️" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49698737121_213e878145_z.jpg"></a><br></p>
<p>I am writing this post on my phone while I sit in bed. Jack has been fed and is sleeping in my lap on his Boppy. The weather isn’t as cold as it had been recently and the sun is peaking through the clouds. It’s a nice day and I plan on taking a walk with him before the sun sets.<p>But that’s all I can do with him outside of these walls.<p>I can’t say I’m completely feeling the effect of this pandemic or the lockdown because I’ve been out of the loop for so long. <p>Once I had Jack, I was in a fog of exhaustion and feeding. I finally started taking him to baby classes when he was 10 weeks old. That was late compared to the other babies there. We were both shy about it and I tried a few classes until we found what we really enjoyed. Jack started to look at other babies with curiosity and would coo at his playgroup instructors. (He was also the star of the show at my first Weight Watchers meeting since becoming pregnant.)<p>Then it was all taken from us again. <p>Steve started working from home as well so he’s in a semi paternity leave again. He gives Jack bottles during conference calls and luckily our house is big enough that he can work without us (me, the baby, the cats, and the dog) getting in his way.<p>It’s such a relief to have him home though. Not only because I don’t have to worry about him getting sick, but because I have company in the daytime. <p>Mothers will tell people without children how hard it is. It’s all true and then some. While I do have feelings of isolation that doesn’t mean it necessarily has to do with lockdown. I was alone after Steve went to work and imagined a red X marking off the first day of my prison sentence. How was I going to go anywhere with this baby? Did I have the energy? Why is the pram and car seat so fiddly? Is it even worth going outside in the first place if we’re only out for an hour?<p>At first I slept sitting up with him and worried about it constantly since you’re not supposed to do that. Then I tried the GroSnug and had him swaddled. Low and behold, he slept in his cot for five hours so I could sleep lying down in the bed. Eventually I decided I didn’t want Jack to sit at home like a bump on a log all day. Also, supposedly those classes were for moms not to go insane from lack of adult human companionship. <p>I went to a few classes, enjoyed them, and realised how out of shape my body still is because I can’t crawl in the floor with my bad knees. But I felt better. I had a schedule of things to do with Jack, some days to visit the library with him for Bounce and Rhyme and even afternoon tea with the librarians. <p>Then the pandemic happened. Even before the lockdown I decided not to go to the library to visit anyone. I stopped going to the classes that were cancelled days later anyway. Steve started working from home earlier than most and we just went back to being together in the house.<p>I took Jack to the park before the one hour of exercise and don’t drive to a destination was enforced. Now all I can do is take him around the block or to the river walk.<p>The weeks have been tough. I am on duty 24/7, trying to be Wonder Woman and finally broke down and told Steve I needed help with the baby because I was mentally and physically exhausted. <p>Jack’s gone through what I presume is a growth spurt because he’s been eating every two hours and won’t sleep from 12-5AM like he had been.<p>I’ve gone back to sleeping and holding him. I don’t know if I should still be using the GroSnug or not. <p>I’m so full of worry about him when it comes to sleep safety that I think he’ll have to be 43 before I stop worrying. Maybe. I won’t count on it.Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-89039091793041608842020-02-09T16:03:00.000+00:002020-02-09T16:03:03.146+00:00An update for February 2020<p><a title="Saltwell Towers" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/49469156581/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img width="640" height="640" alt="Saltwell Towers" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469156581_74a121b635_z.jpg"></a><br></p>
<p>Jack has arrived! </p><p>Our boy was born on the 29th of December and I’ve been in a whirlwind of baby ever since.</p><p>Right now, I’m holding him with one hand and trying to type with the other. Motherhood will make you learn to improvise all sorts of things, I’ve noticed. (Eating with one hand. Sleeping with your hand in a cot. Having your husband hold the baby while you go to anywhere other than the bed because, otherwise, the baby cries when you set him down. Etc.)</p><p>Aside from trying to keep the baby’s weight up, which is ironic since my whole pregnancy was devoted to worrying about what a big baby he was, I have been trying to get out and about and stay active. This photo was taken during our first walk at the park.</p><p>Now, since I am pretty much stuck to the house and can’t really do much more than watch TV while I feed the boy, I have plans on how to keep myself sane during my maternity leave.</p><p>First: exercise. The easiest thing to do now, aside from sitting in bed all day, is to walk with the baby in the pram. I try to find places to take him during the week while Mister P. is at work, so that the day differentiates to the night. </p><p>Second: writing. Now, this is tricky because I can only type one handed at the moment (Jack hates the baby bouncer I have in the computer room, otherwise, I’d let him sit in there for a few minutes and give myself typing time.) So, its going to have to be me taking the laptop to a café and letting him sit in the pram.</p><p>I’ve decided to start with the basics, such as the blog (ta dah!) and maybe start some <a href="https://medium.com/@suzelibrarian">Medium</a> stories. I was planning on writing something in draft form for <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/user/suzanneschultzpick">Wattpad</a> but I’ve also discovered <a href="https://suzanne.substack.com">Substack</a> and <a href="https://www.scribophile.com/authors/suzanne-pick/">Scribophile</a>. (Has anyone used either?)</p><p>Third: bullet journal. This may not seem important on one’s list of to-dos but I dearly miss it. I’ve tried to grab snippets of time when I can use both hands for a quick weekly spread, or a list of TV shows to watch (because that’s pretty much <em>all</em> I do these days). But without the zen-like ability to quietly sit at my desk while I find the perfect washi tape, or look at tutorials on YouTube for making great Valentine’s Day doodles, it’s just not as fulfilling as it could be. Still, I’m grateful for whatever time I can use for organization and preparedness.</p><p>Fourth: reading. Well, this one does have options that I’m pleased about. I have the Kindle app on my phone, so I don’t have to go digging around for my Kindle or the book at the side of my bed. The trouble is, I’m only going to read a page at a time before I either get distracted by the baby or I start to nod off. Still, plenty of time to read for a few minutes when I’m said somewhere with the pram.</p><p>And those are my main objectives for the next bunch of months. Nothing new and nothing out of the ordinary. I suppose they’re resolutions of sorts but all of them take the back seat when it comes to being a mother and focusing my attention on Baby Jack.</p><p>But with that said, I hope everyone had a fab Christmas and a Happy New Year!</p>Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-84281204018470743102019-12-22T23:45:00.000+00:002019-12-22T23:45:05.960+00:00Update before Christmas 2019<p><a title="Christmas trees outside of the library. " href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/49177984066/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img width="640" height="640" alt="Christmas trees outside of the library. " src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49177984066_af3c8858ca_z.jpg"></a><br></p>
<p>We're now 3 days away from Christmas and I’ve been on maternity leave from the library since the 14th of December. I spent my last evening at a work Christmas party so I wasn’t as melancholy about being away from my regular people as much as I could have been. However, it was insanely weird to not be at the library on Monday and not be <em>expected</em> to be at work all last week. I got listless and bored quickly, but being as heavily pregnant as I am now (only 1 week and 3 days left until my due date) I am way too tired to even consider being on my feet in the office or the library anymore.<p>For example, today I took two naps and it’s not even 11:30PM.<p>But everything is fine with Baby Pick. He is estimated to be 9.9lbs according to our last scan/ultrasound, so once we speak to the doctor on Christmas Eve, we’ll have a plan as to what to do as far as delivery is concerned. I think they’re gunning for induction the week of New Year’s, which I’m not keen on, but we’ll see what they say.<p>While I’ve been home, I’ve gotten a lot of Christmas wrapping done in case I’m otherwise engaged at the hospital or something. We bought all of our groceries last Friday so the house is full of snacks and everything we need for a traditional Christmas dinner (turkey crown, turkey gravy, rolls, parsnips, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, carrots, pigs in blankets, stuffing balls, and brussel sprouts). I haven’t done anything really and I feel incredibly bad that Mister Pick has had to do all the things to get ready for Baby and the holidays. Fingers crossed I recover quickly after Baby arrives. I miss walking the dog in the mornings.<p>Now that I’m off work and have some waiting around time, I’ve picked up <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30969755-the-cheerleaders">The Cheerleaders</a><em></em> as my current Kindle read. I also want to get back to writing and I’m itching to start crafting a project. I have the idea that I’ll just write all the books and so many authors who are writing all genres of YA and MG just make me all the more motivated to get back to the task of creativity. It’s something I really do miss. <p>And it’s not like I don’t have tons of ideas and topics I’ve jotted down over the last year to keep me busy. The idea of flexing and toning those muscles of creativity really is true and when you get out of the groove of it because of life and whatnot, it’s even more daunting to get back to it.<p>With Baby on the way and New Year’s approaching, I’ve also been in the mindset of setting some goals for 2020. I admit that it’s all very traditional: be a good mom, be a good wife, get back to a healthy weight, run my 5K again, write all the books, and things like that.<p>So hopefully during my next post I can update everyone on how that’s going and maybe Baby Pick will have shown up in the world to give me a little more motivation and a little more understanding of what’s most important in the world. Until then, Merry Christmas!</p>Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-61442573496918944922019-10-06T17:02:00.000+01:002019-10-06T17:02:04.445+01:00October prepping and returning from vacation<p><a title="Photo" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/48755576958/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img width="640" height="640" alt="Photo" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48755576958_de02a0d77c_z.jpg"></a><br></p>
<p>It's October! We're back from our holidays and went from 35C/95F temperatures to 8C/48F. It's appropriately autumnal in Newcastle with the fog and the rain, as is expected. While we were away it only rained maybe a couple of times and we spent two glorious weeks in Disney, Universal, and Cocoa Beach. </p>
<p>What I took home from the trip were a couple of bags of flavored coffee, some Christmas ornaments (because this year will be quite special), some baby onesies, and a cold. So going back to work this week with jet lag, a tiredness that comes from being six months pregnant, and a stuffy nose has not been that pleasant. However, after sleeping a lot this weekend, I think I'll be ready to take on the next 10 weeks of work before my maternity leave.</p>
<p>Ten. Weeks. That's all I have left. I think that freaks me out more than labor and delivery at this point, as well as being off of work for a whole year. I keep being assured that I won't care about the goings on at the library while I'm away, but I'm a control freak and have severe FOMO, so if Baby Pick supersedes all of that, I'll be pleasantly surprised.</p>
<p>What I noticed about holidaying in the Central Florida area is that Disney is just so much better than the other parks. I know I'm a Disney fan girl and all, but the amount of rude staff we came across during our one day at Volcano Bay water park and the severe lack of organization we encountered at Sea World just proves that Disney sets a higher bar for customer service.<p>
<p>For example: Preferred Parking at Sea World costs $35 and regular parking costs $25. Everyone was parking in the same rows in the same area so we wasted $10 on that. Plus, the queue to get in was miles long, including the self service kiosk, so it would have taken ages just to get into the park. I investigated buying the tickets online, but unlike Disney, it didn't tell you up front before you paid, what dates the tickets were valid for. It's not until you leave the tickets in your cart and you get an email later saying, "Don't you want these tickets that let you go into the park three days after purchase?" If I had bought them and tried to go into the park the next day, as we intended, I would have been even more disappointed because we tried to go over on our last weekend in Florida.</p>
<p>Mister Pick was bummed out about this because he wanted to see the new <a href="https://seaworld.com/orlando/sesame-street/">Sesame Street land</a>, the Halloween events, and experience the beer festival, but I think that was the reason so many people were trying to get into the park at the same time. Other people in our parking row did the same thing we did, got to the gate then realized it wasn't worth it, and turned around and went home having wasted $25-$35 on parking. (We did sent an email to Sea World about this and we got a parking pass for next year.)</p>
<p>With <a href="https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/theme-parks/volcano-bay">Volcano Bay</a>, Mister Pick went as far as to write an email of complaint about the rude staff. A lot of the time there was no please or thank you, there was no finesse or love for their job that you see at Disney. There was, "You need to move the line here!" or even having rafts for the rides thrown at customers. What irritated me the most was the couple of bits of wrong information we received. I specifically asked at one of the lunch cafeterias if the park unlimited drinks cups could be used at the adjacent hotel, <a href="https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/places-to-stay/universals-cabana-bay-beach-resort">Cabana Bay</a>, where we were staying. We were told, "yes," only to find out that was just wrong. Also, when we left the park, there was a staff member blowing bubbles (because that makes it seem fun to be there!) and she didn't stop when I approached her, then gave me wrong directions to get back to the hotel.</p>
<p>It wasn't anything major, and we did enjoy our time there. I loved the wave pool and Mister Pick had a fine time on all of the slides, especially the lazy river, but it was just that little attention to detail when it comes to customer service. As someone who works in customer service day in and day out, I can tell you full well how high expectations result in higher quality treatment of customers. </p>
<p>Aside from that, everything was good. We did experience the drunken nightmare that is <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_GB/events-tours/epcot/epcot-international-food-and-wine-festival/">EPCOT Food and Wine Festival</a> on a Saturday and I can safely say I will never do that again. People just loud, shouty, and making a point to draw attention to themselves. I even saw two women cursing each other out in a line for the ladies' toilets, children in tow, all because they were off their face at two o'clock in the afternoon. It was so busy and so hot and if you go there just to enjoy the park, a weekday is your best bet because, wow. Those Florida Passholders treat that like a bachelorette/bachelor party on a weekend. (Most importantly, not a time to bring children unless you want them to experience brawls and lack of security.)</p>
<p>Other than that, it was great. We saw a lot of my parents who are doing well (except my dad caught my cold, poor guy). We went to <a href="http://www.disneyholidays.co.uk/walt-disney-world/star-wars-galaxys-edge/">Galaxy’s Edge</a> (!!!) and saw the new <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_GB/destinations/hollywood-studios/toy-story-land/">Toy Story Land</a>. I didn't go overboard with the eating because I had my glucose test when I came back home (still waiting to hear results of that), but I enjoyed cake and (low carb) ice cream on my birthday. I wasn't in the mood for a lot of shopping either, but I managed to bring back the essential snacks, and souvenirs for my co-workers, as well as my own gifts mentioned above.</p>
<p>Oh, and I didn't spend <em>too</em> much at <a href="https://www.michaels.com/">Michaels</a>. I was very proud of myself, considering that I was in <a href="https://www.michaels.com/planners/the-happy-planner/865290304">Happy Planner Heaven</a> and would only have that chance once. </p>
<p>So now that I have all of the planners, including my <a href="https://passionplanner.com/academic/">Academic Passion Planner</a> that's on the way, I'll be prepped for some time with Baby and being at home for, hopefully, some creative time. I'd love to do even 25k words for <a href="https://www.nanowrimo.org/participants/suzannepick">Nanowrimo</a> this year, but the more I don't write, the more daunting it seems. I keep hearing about people on social media who are fast typers and they write a book in a month anyway. I used to do that but they weren't good and it was the editing that was more frustrating than anything. That means I'd like to have a more organized approach to what I'm going to work on and at least have some sort of plot structure in place before I try to work through the story.</p>
<p>But October is here! Soon it will be Halloween, with Thanksgiving around the corner. I don't look forward to the frost coming in because I'm terrified of slipping and falling as it is, let alone being ungraceful and pregnant, but I'll take precautions and take it easy.</p>
<p>In the meantime, I hope everyone is choosing their costumes, reading spooky books, stockpiling their candy and having a fab month so far.</p>Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-46756080021985937312019-09-01T21:31:00.000+01:002019-09-01T21:31:09.334+01:00Author podcasts and finding Baby's gender<a title="Bee on flower" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/48617417866/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48617417866_e1582811aa_z.jpg" alt="Bee on flower" width="640" height="640" /></a>
Well, we're having a boy!
I'm sure it will thrill our son that I've already shared our pictures on Facebook, so to spare him the further humiliation, I've not posted the prize-winning scan photo on my blog.
It's not long now until we head to Florida for our holiday. I am so ready for this. I'm sure it's the pregnancy hormones, but I get so overwhelmed during the day with the running around, the people, and the being up for over 8 hours.
So, I have four months left until Baby arrives. I sort of seems like plenty of time and it also sort of seems like it's coming up very shortly.
In order to prepare for my upcoming maternity leave, I'm working on being prepared for getting a book done (at least one) while I'm spending most of the time at home, not sleeping. The ways that I've done this are taking notes on my phone, setting up <a href="https://bookfunnel.com">BookFunnel</a>, and listening to my author/writer/creative podcasts.
Here's a list of what podcasts I've been listening to:
<ul>
<li>Create If Writing</li>
<li>Stop Writing Alone</li>
<li>Don't Keep Your Day Job</li>
<li>The Creative Penn</li>
<li>The Writer Files</li>
<li>Write Now</li>
<li>Write-Minded</li>
<li>Writing Excuses</li>
<li>Smart Podcast, Trashy Books</li>
<li>You're Welcome with Hilary Rushford</li>
<li>You're Booked</li>
</ul>
I commute a lot so having lots of options for motivation and inspiration is a big plus when the rest of the day is spent on the day job. What I find so helpful is that all of these podcasts have little gems of insight into how you want your author brand and writing to work. If one isn't fitting your mood or your needs for the day, you can always go to something else and come back to the episode later.
I love music, but having a little bit of chatter in the background breaks the monotony. Plus, it keeps your brain interested in your creative endeavours even if you can't sit and work on your current project.
We've also been in our house for over a year now. That flew by, but we're still in love with the place.
Pick Manor is being slowly transformed into a place for a child to live. We have paint, we have nursery items, we have lampshades, and we have a new kitchen sideboard for bottles and baby feeding items. I still don't know how we'll be ready as I'm starting to feel like I'm training for a marathon.
Steve has been working overtime and I'm exhausted all the time, so it limits our daily excursions. Still, the nice September air has crept in this morning, so I feel autumn is upon us.
I hope everyone has a fantastic September. See you in October!
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-4564004390258796532019-07-07T23:53:00.000+01:002019-07-07T23:53:01.102+01:00From the end spring new beginnings<p><a title="Baby Pick is due 1st January 2020! ❤️" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/48153156782/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img width="640" height="592" alt="Baby Pick is due 1st January 2020! ❤️" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48153156782_4ac2eae378_z.jpg"></a><br></p>
<p>It is my pleasure to report that we’re expecting a Baby Pick on 1st January 2020! We’ve been wanting a baby for a while so the blessing of a child is all the more special for us.
</p><p>Now, in preparation for the oncoming maternity leave I’m trying to decide at least how I’m going to use the time wisely in terms of writing.
It’s been ages since I’ve outlined or attempted to work on scenes that I’ve already written and rewritten, but I’m really eager to get back into it.</p>
<p>And, yes, the time will be up at all hours, tending to a newborn and I’ll probably be too tired to even consider writing. But in case it’s not as awful as all that and I do have some time to be productive, I want to be ready.
Of course I also want to get back to the gym and Weight Watchers and yeah, maybe I’m being way too ambitious on this one.</p><p>So my question is how? How do I get prepared for nine months to potentially a year of looking after baby and getting back into writing? So far, the only decent plan I have is, is to get an outline ready. Now, this is probably pretty standard for writing in any situation for most of you, but I am <em>terrible</em> at plots and outlines. I have good ideas for scenes, the beginning, and the end. What happens in the middle? What builds tension? How will the story be structured? Who knows?</p><p>I took it upon myself to order a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/writegear/page-one-the-writers-notebook">Page One Writer’s Notebook</a> to see if that helped with my characterization, plot, scenes, research, outline, etc. Of course there’s always Scrivener, but in the tradition of using my bullet journal (again), I thought something tactile would be a little refreshing. </p><p>I’ve heard on a couple of occasions that social media is our reason for being too impatient and too tired to read and write. I’ve struggled with this for ages now and I couldn’t put my finger on what the problem was. I haven’t read much in a long time but I never equated it to a patience issues, I just thought I was too tired from work. However, when I was commuting on the bus, I read a lot more, so putting the phone away for a while and focusing on a book is possible.</p><p>That means my next six months will be not only preparing for an infant, but also having a go-to plan so if I am able to steal some minutes in the day, I will have something to work from. Maybe I’ll even get into a routine of sorts? Is that too much to hope for?</p><p>First draft in 2020? Surely this is a possibility.</p><p>New Year, new member of the family, and a new outlook on life? Most definitely.</p>Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-44492550744588300582019-06-25T16:00:00.000+01:002019-06-25T16:00:05.197+01:00The Picks in The Wirral, the beginning of summer, and blogging more often<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/48069005172/in/dateposted-public/" title="Red Rocks"><img alt="Red Rocks" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48069005172_f956fcbe94_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
It's with a heavy heart that I write this post. We lost my mother-in-law, the head of the Pick family, this week.<br />
We saw her over Easter and she wasn't well, then she was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Luckily, we visited her one last time when she was feeling well; this was before Mister Pick went down on his own to see her a final time.<br />
Obviously, I won't dwell on her illness or the details of the effect it's had on the family because, unfortunately, most people can imagine from first-hand knowledge, what a tragedy it all is.<br />
But when we were down to The Wirral together the last time, we had a good visit, and Daisy was the star of the show, as always. She had her cousin dog, Tilly, to run about with, and then found some friends at Queen's Park. This was the first time we took her off the lead, and she didn't disappoint us. (That dog loved to play with other dogs and is crazy about getting attention from other doggy parents.)<br />
This photo was taken at Red Rocks right after Daisy rolled around in the sand before heading back to the hotel. She got to sleep in the bed with us and made sure that everyone who came and went through the hallways all evening knew of her presence.<br />
Unfortunately, when we go back for the service, Daisy will be staying the night somewhere as we have siblings to help out and a wake to cater for. The Pick Kids were told to "expect a big turn out," for their mother's wake because she was a well-liked woman in her town. I expect nothing less.<br />
Other than that, our drive down was filled with rain, as it does in England (why is it all the time?!) but it's been glorious on the way back home. Here's hoping that we get to embrace the summer, finally, and can get outside again.<br />
While all of this family business was unfolding, I was still at work, finishing up my first unit for the management apprenticeship I'm doing. It was confusing at first to get the grasp of what evidence I needed to produce in my folder because we only go to workshops once every couple of months. However, the tutor was really good and helped us out, but she's left the company so now we have a new tutor to meet with next month.
<br />
In the meantime, I'm working on an epub book for a story contest at the library. This is something I haven't looked into for ages because, let's be honest, I'm severely lacking in my self-publishing productivity anymore. So, it's good practice for me and gets me thinking about writing, editing, formatting, and publishing again.
<br />
Finally, I'm sure I've said this before, but I'm hoping to rekindle my blog posting updates more regularly, just to keep myself involved in something I enjoy doing. The 9-5ness and the school work sort of takes over most of my brain and I miss doing to me things that I enjoy. (And I'm so out of practice! Gah!)
<br />
And, unfortunately, I had to start my blog posts for the summer off on a sad note, but Mum Pick would want us to "get your head down and get on with it," as she'd say, so that's what we do.
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Happy first week of summer to you all. I hope you take some time to enjoy it.
Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0Newcastle upon Tyne, UK54.978252 -1.617780000000038954.8325385 -1.9405035000000388 55.1239655 -1.2950565000000389tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-26672425165114862452019-04-28T14:39:00.000+01:002019-04-28T14:39:08.710+01:00An April visit to Fountains Abbey, Chirk Castle, and Lyme Park<p><a title="Mr. Darcy was here! #pemberley #prideandprejudice" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/40729909033/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img width="640" height="640" alt="Mr. Darcy was here! #pemberley #prideandprejudice" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40729909033_29f992db68_z.jpg"></a><br></p>
<p>This is, hand's down, my favourite photograph. I took it last week at Lyme Park, AKA Pemberley. The pond should look familiar to any of you who have swooned when Mr. Darcy emerged from it in the <a href="https://youtu.be/hasKmDr1yrA">BBC mini series version of Pride and Prejudice</a>.</p>
<p>We spent the last couple of days travelling to <a href="https://www.visitwirral.com/">The Wirral</a> (or, Liverpool if it's easier although the Picks aren't from Liverpool, proper). On our way, we had to leave Daisy at the kennels, which I hated to do because she didn't know the place or the other dogs. However, it was a chance to have some together time that didn't include avoiding cafes, museums, or other such establishments because of a giant dog in tow.</p>
<p>On our way from Newcastle, we stopped in <a href="https://www.yorkshire.com/places/north-yorkshire/harrogate/ripon">Ripon</a> because A. I believe I live at Downtown Abbey and B. There was a cool place to visit through our National Trust membership.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.yorkshire.com/view/attractions/ripon/fountains-abbey-125429">Fountains Abbey</a> was the biggest abbey we had seen that was still intact. As an American, I just cannot get over how old things are and are still sitting about for people to see, touch, experience, etc. There were Water Gardens on the property too, but we only had time for a walk, a quick look at the abbey, lunch, then back on the road. However, this just means that I plan on us going back sometime soon because there was plenty to see there, especially if you have a dog to walk.</p>
<p>We caught up with the Picks later that day, and spent our second day down there travelling to Wales -- a place I had never been and a place where Mister Pick went to school and worked for a collective of about 8 years. (Before I graced him with my presence, obviously.) Wales is beautiful and the only equivalent I can give it would be a kind of wandering Virginia countryside drive. It's very green, the air is fresh, and it was suitably rainy that day. We took our time exploring <a href="https://www.viewbritain.com/wales/chirk-castle">Chirk Castle</a> which is really impressive. The place has a dungeon, so now I know what that feels like. (Hint: it's dark and they don't even have proper windows, so it's as dyer as you'd imagine.) The other parts of the castle were renovated into a proper estate house, so the rooms were lush and impressive -- some of the ceilings had Greek gods and goddesses depicted in the plasterwork. There were portraits of royals and noblemen and women. There was huge fireplaces, and even big, comfy couches that, looked modern in a 1940s, post-war way. I loved the gardens though because you could walk through there and not even realize there was a giant castle behind the trees. It was so relaxing and nice to wander around there, listening to the birds, and looking at all of the flowers and trees that were planted there.</p>
<p>I absolutely loved it.</p>
<p>After our visit with The Picks, we took a little detour to <a href="https://www.visitpeakdistrict.com/things-to-do/lyme-park-house-and-garden-p676721">Lyme Park</a> as posted above. Unfortunately, the house was closed the day that we got there and instead of going to the less cool tea rooms. (The brochure showed women in Austen-esque dresses with bonnets, sipping tea. Of course, if that wasn't an option, I wasn't as interested.) I did also look through the house's book sale books, and chose a 1933 edition of Dicken's <em>Our Mutual Friend</em>.</p>
<p>Upon our return, in order to avoid traffic, we took a long drive through the countryside, which Mister Pick did because I detest driving in unknown places that include roundabouts, mountains, empty fields, steep declines, and anything remotely tricky. However, it was worth it, because we rescued poor Daisy Doodle from her confinement before 6PM. The lad who worked at the kennels was very nice, but he said Daisy was timid with him because she didn't know any of the staff. Daisy is not timid, so I don't know if she'll settle in better on a longer stay. The place is highly recommended and people reuse them often, so it's not like it's a bad place to take her -- I just hated her being in a cage.</p>
<p>But everyone is back home now and although I worked yesterday, I'm still enjoying the last bits of my holiday today with Mister Pick, Daisy, and the cats who keep staring at me as I type this. </p><p>Also, it’s Sunday, which means I’m keeping off social media as best I can. Old habits die hard and I have to stop myself from just picking up my phone and checking Twitter throughout the day. It’s just one of the little things I’m making a habit of just to clear my head, give my eyes a rest, and focus a little more about being at home.</p>
<p>And with that said, I hope everyone has had a nice Easter and a great April, so let's get on to May 2019. </p>Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-9885731805351598642019-04-21T13:50:00.000+01:002019-04-21T13:50:03.845+01:00Easter bank holiday wind down and catch up<p><a title=" " href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/47651182351/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img width="640" height="640" alt=" " src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47651182351_face774bde_z.jpg"></a><br></p>
<p>Good afternoon and Happy Easter Sunday!</p><p>It’s been a nice break from the daily grind these past few days and we’ve actually taken next week off as well to enjoy some traveling to go along with our rest and relaxation.</p><p>On Friday we were going to go to Sunderland Museum and Gardens (and library!) for the <a href="https://www.seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk/leonardo-da-vinci-life-drawing">da Vinci drawings exhibit</a>. However, once we got onto the highway, we realized that everyone and their mother was out cruising, so we headed to IKEA (why not) and bought patio furniture instead.</p><p><a title="Sorted. ☀️ #ikea" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/47591155932/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img width="640" height="640" alt="Sorted. ☀️ #ikea" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47591155932_fac5319436_z.jpg"></a><br></p>
<p>Afterwards, we hung out on the back patio and enjoyed the warm weather. It was in the 70s this weekend, and was actually very warm for people like us who are used to wearing quilted coats and woolly hats every day.</p><p>On Saturday, we headed to our favorite place – Beamish (as seen in the main photo above). Now, I was all gung-ho about the fish and chips and the walking and the sunshine … until I got overheated and sick. Being overheated is just weird. You’re not physically too hot. I wasn’t sweating to death or feeling hot, I just realized how dizzy and nauseous as we trekked around, so I had to cut the exploration short. I mean, we enjoyed the time we spent out, but I was really happy to be back in the car with the air conditioning.</p><p>Today is Easter Sunday! We started off with pancakes and a cuppa at our new patio set. Daisy has a pool that she’s still not completely sure about, but it feels nice to paddle around in when you’re wanting to cool down. Right now, Mister Pick is working on mounting our old TV up in the bedroom (we’re still technically moving in). We have the windows open and the cats are hanging out upstairs in the windowsills. All and all, it’s a perfect day.</p><p>I’ve been making my list of goals because I’m still working on the question of what I want to do with myself and where I see myself in ten years. (Anyone else who has the <a href="https://thechicsite.com/2018/11/11/how-does-the-start-today-journal-work/">Rachel Hollis Start Today Journal</a><em> </em>knows what I’m talking about.) So, I’m looking up authors I admire and writing down places I’d like to go and really trying to wind down and focus on how I want to propel myself forward into the rest of the year.</p><p>Tomorrow is still up in the air, but we’ll make the most of it. After that, it’ll be traveling time and we’ll head to see The Pick family down in The Wirral for a bit.</p><p>In the meantime, I hope everyone has a fantastic Easter break! </p>Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670199671433129089.post-6785147392865201112019-04-10T19:43:00.000+01:002019-04-21T11:53:16.047+01:00Bullet journals, Wallington, and not being discouraged<p><a title="Photo" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/schultzstm/47550206401/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img width="640" height="640" alt="Photo" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/7870/47550206401_5000de953b_z.jpg"></a><br></p>
<p>Well, this blog certainly isn't getting updated very often, even if I really want to post something, I never get around to it.</p>
<p>Since last time, I've started an apprenticeship for Team Leading and Management at work. That means I have a manager who mentors me and whom I shadow at one of the libraries along with my coursework that I need to do. I really like it so far and I'm happy that I decided to apply for it because I feel mentally challenged and satisfied doing this kind of work. Not that I'm not pleased at how much I help people with my regular IT teaching job in the libraries, I'm just happy that I have something else to add to my list of things I can do.</p><p>There were Team Leader jobs as secondments available this year but I do like where I am and I wanted to spend my extra energy in focusing on my apprenticeship. I’m sure the job would have helped me gather evidence for my course, but, again, I’d rather stay doing what I do because I think I help people.</p><p>Helping myself is another story. I’ve been trying to do the diet and exercise thing but, man, am I so tired these days. I was okay for a bit when I got my bicycle because I was ready for sun and summertime, but now I’m not doing as well as I hoped.</p><p>I’ve been writing a book, I guess, about how these things have caught up with me. I’ve never been so stinking frustrated with trying to write, blog, work, exercise, lose weight, spend time with Mister Pick, enjoy my time at home, and do things outside of the house so I don’t end up being a hermit. (Although, being a hermit isn’t looking so bad these days.) I listened to a podcast yesterday that said if we keep stepping over the crap that’s flung onto us, we’ll eventually get out of the pit. Good advice and I have to take that all to heart when I’m feeling like the me I’m trying to build just isn’t showing up.</p><p>I mean, surely everyone feels like there’s just too much we <em>should</em> be doing, don’t they? I had to make Sundays be my non-social media days because I was getting overwhelmed with the comparisons. I should be writing my book. I should be traveling. I should be making a business. I should be starting a podcast. I <em>should </em>be engaging on social media.</p><p>The funny thing is, once I stopped using social media as much, I realized how much I don’t need it. It’s a useful tool, don’t get me wrong, but because I’m kind of a special creature – American, in England, still don’t know what I’m doing, the usual stuff – I get really down when I see people appearing to know what they want and doing it.</p><p>But, alas, that’s still one to work on this year. 42 is definitely an interesting one, I tell you.</p><p>Also, I’m still watching videos about bullet journaling and although I have my <a href="https://passionplanner.com/">Passion Planner</a> (one for daily agendas and one more for academic tasks), I was curious about all the binder planners that people were posting on Instagram. I was going to get one online but I happened to see an <a href="https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-sentiments-organiser-a5/p/0476931">A5 agenda binder at Wilko’s</a> after work this week, so I’m going to print some free planner sheets to add to it. I even bought a small 6 ring hole punch to get working on these. I’m wanting habit trackers and while it takes all the artistic design out of making my own for my bullet journal, having ready-made pages may really help me in the long run.</p><p>The photo above was from our recent trip to <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wallington">Wallington</a>. We’d been before, years ago, before we had Daisy, so we took her to explore the vast farmland. Of course the sheep weren’t interested in a giant barking goldendoodle but, hey, who can blame them?</p><p>I have another week of work before Easter and our break to Liverpool and Hoylake so I’ll be sure to update on that trip to see the Pick family. Until then, grab your eggs and your bunnies and enjoy the upcoming holiday.</p>Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07337839645455551325noreply@blogger.com0