Getting ready for the cold weather...without wearing a coat!

I have a bit of an odd confession to make. I don't wear coats or jackets...ever. Now, this can be tricky, as I live in Northern New Jersey, (cold) and also spend time at my vacation house in Maine (colder).

This is not new. When I was a kid, I fought with my mom every single day of winter because she insisted coats were necessary, and that when I grew up, I would understand. I'm grown up now, and while I do understand her strong feelings on this topic, and as a good mom, I dutifully put jackets on my own kids, I have not worn one myself since high school.

Even through my twenties, my mother would buy me a new winter coat every year for Christmas, which I would hang in my closet and then donate the following year, tags still on. She finally gave up when I was about 26. That year, my husband insisted on buying me a coat. I think they both kept hoping that if they found just the right coat, I would finally wear one. But I just don't like coats, any coats.

There are several reasons for this. I hate the bulky feeling that jackets and coats give me. I'm pretty bulky myself, and I don't feel adding extra layers really improves the appearance of that. I also like to just be able to get up and go, and I hate having to take the time to find the coat and put it on, then rearrange it in the car, etc. Admittedly, having two babies has also slowed down my get-up-and-go-easily spirit, but there's not much I can do about that.

My aversion to coats has puzzled and alarmed nearly everyone I have come into contact with in the last fifteen or so years. All fall and winter long, people ask me if I'm cold or comment on how freezing I must be. The ironic thing is, I'm usually not. Perhaps I'm used to the cold, or perhaps it's a coping mechanism I've discovered in the last few years.

I knit, alot. BK, or before kids, I knit scores of sweaters. Cardigans, pullovers, all types of complicated designs. I love sweaters. But my two babies severely cut into my sweater knitting time, and I've had to improvise.

For the last few years, I have become obsessed with knitting accessories. I love to knit hats, fingerless gloves, scarves, cowls and legwarmers. These types of projects are quick and easy, not requiring the big chunks of time or concentration that sweaters do, which is good since as I mentioned, these things are now in short supply.

The added benefit to knitting accessories has been that I can now stay warmer in winter, AND seeing me in a scarf, fingerless gloves, and legwarmers comforts those around me with the thought that I might not freeze to death after all!

My Zazzle Store

make custom gifts at Zazzle

This is my new Zazzle store. Hope you get a giggle!

Forcing myself to have structure.

I feel extremely lucky to have the set-up I have. I can stay home with my kids and make a living writing, which is what I've always dreamed of doing. But, as is so often the case in life, my worst enemy is...myself.

Every evening, I make to-do lists for the following day. I'm a listmaker. There are few things in life that give me more satisfaction than a well-organized list with a line neatly drawn through every item. The problem is, the last few months on more days than not, I move the things on todays list to tommorows list, which means things are not getting done that should get done.

Before little Luke was born in April, I had a great routine. Get up, work out, do a bit of writing and take a shower, all before Logan woke up around ten. Then during Logan's three hour nap in the afternoon, I'd work for another hour or two, then knit until he woke up. Everyone was happy. But having a toddler AND a newborn who don't share the same schedule most days yet has made this routine a distant memory.

The problem is me. I need to focus more on what needs to get done. Forcing myself to start getting up early again will go a long way towards helping with this, as some days NOTHING gets done while the kids are awake.

So I am putting it in writing, here, that tommorow, my will power and motivation need to get back on track. If I want to give my kids the future I dream of, I need to be working harder now.

Taking a break from Break Studios

First off, let me say that I have really enjoyed writing for Break Studios. Yes, the pay is less than Demand Media Studios, but the articles can be shorter and are on fun topics, and I liked the editorial process much better. Notice the past tense here. I had published around 55-60 articles with Break since the end of May, and only had a couple of rewrites in that time, and they were my fault for not paying attention to using keyphrases or not using the right format. Other than that, the editors didn't send articles back. Break asks for references only from .org, .edu or .gov, but they didn't absolutely require them if the topic was something like, how to wash dishes or best stripclubs in Florida (these aren't actual article titles, jut examples of the kind of titles Break sometimes has.)

In the last week, I submitted 2 articles for them, and had both sent back for rewrites. One was supposed to be about a TV character, and once I read the rewrite, I just unclaimed the article. The editor asked for a reference for the article, .org. .edu or .gov. Umm, There are no articles on TV characters on those types of websites. Plus, the editor said the article was too short, despite the fact that I checked the word count and their system automatically won't allow anything to submit that is short on words. So I let that one go.

The second article, the rewrite made more sense. I had forgotten to format it correctly. The editor asked me to insert a numbered list for the how to, and to add more info to the first paragraph. A numbered list didn't make sense for this particular article, so I did a bulleted list, also acceptable per their guidelines, and added more to the first paragraph.

This morning, I received another rewrite for the same article, with almost the same instructions. More detail in the intro, and use a numbered list instead of bulleted. The article is on the best way to have a casual relationship, that's not a numbered stepped process. Whatever, I made the changes and hit resubmit, but I think they're getting a little silly now. And there is no spot on the article to leave a comment or explanation for the editor, so I couldn't explain my position.

The end result of all of this is that I decided to take a break from them for a bit. I unclaimed the other articles I had chosen and didn't look for others. I think their articles are fun, but I don't need anymore headaches. Break is where I wrote when I wanted a good afternoon of easy, pleasant writing, and now I'm starting to dread checking my email, so I think I'm going to focus on other sites for the time being.

To Bang or Not to Bang?

I have a habit. When I get stressed or have big decisions to make, I instead focus on small, unimportant things. Like right now. I'm getting my hair cut in the next week or so, and I can't decide whether to get bangs. I feel the need for something new, and this is a less destructive change than some others I could make, but I don't know. Bangs are such a commitment. They require maintenance, and if you the thrill of them wear off, they take FOREVER to grow out. Ask me how I know.

In other news, my husband is supposed to take the kids to visit their grandparent's for the day. If you understood the horror I went through yesterday with them, you'd understand my excitement. Anyway, I think when they're gone, I'm going to work on adding a few articles to my Suite 101 library. Although I like the freedom and community at Suite, the low pay sometimes makes it hard for me to get motivated to write. But this week, they relaxed their editorial guidelines, which I think will make the writing more fun and easier, so I figured I'll write up a few for them and see how it goes. I've been watching my revenue carefully this month, and so far, August is the first month since I started writing for them on New Year's Eve that I haven't had one 0 revenue day. (So far, at least.) Sure a few days revenue has been 3 or 5 cents, but at least it's something.

Hopefully, I'll get all the writing done that I want and still have enough time left over before the fam comes home to watch a scary movie and knit for awhile. It's funny, it's not even so much that the babies cut into the knitting time so much as it is that I can't knit because Logan is too interested in the yarn and needles and wants to try to take them away from me. If he ends up being a knitter, I will probably think that's funny one day, but right now it's just distracting.

I'm back....

I know, I know, I've been gone for months. My second son, Luke was born on April 13, and it turns out that juggling two boys that are only 20 months apart is a bit more challenging than I thought. But I digress. I'm just going to skip that awkward part of trying to explain everything that's happened in the last few months and pick up right now. The new baby, while cute, has seriously cut into my knitting time. I have been working on the same sweater since early June, and it still has no sleeves and a collar that needs to be finished. I designed it myself, and I think I'm going to wear it alot, when it finally gets done. It's (another) shawl collared cardigan. I don't know what it is with me and this type of sweater, but I just love them. I also just started a new pair of "Toasty" by Leslie Friend, and a new pair of leg warmers in a pattern I haven't tried before. Yes, my obsession with fingerless gloves and legwarmers continues.

As far as writing goes, that's also much harder with two babies than one, but I'm starting to get back into the swing of things. My main bread and butter is still Demand Studios, now known as Demand Media Studios. I also have been doing some writing for the Examiner, Suite 101 and Break Studios. I like all of them, for different reasons, but Demand is the one that really pays the bills.

It's another rainy day in New Jersey today, so I'm off to find someplace to take my two year old to run around for awhile. We both need it!