Something to Write About

There's so much going on, I'm not sure where to start.

I'm in the process of trying to simplify my life, clearing out the clutter, making things more efficient. Why, you ask? Because I'm gearing up for November, which is NaNoWriMo.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. As you may or may not know, I'm not just a mommy-blogger, I'm also an aspiring novelist. And this November I'm going to attempt to write an entire novel in 30 short days. I know, I know, that's crazy. But I'm nothing if not crazy so, of course, I signed up.

I've got to complete at least 50,000 words between November 1st and November 30th. That sounds really daunting, and it is. But the good thing is that content and structure and even plot don't matter. The only thing that matters is getting the novel written so you end up with a rough (very rough) first draft of your novel. This rough (very rough) draft will then be a jumping off point for you to begin the long (very long) editing process.

So in order for me to be able to accomplish this feat, I must have a clear mind. And in order for me to have a clear mind, I must have a clear house - or, at the very least, a clear pathway to the bathroom.

But I digress.

Ahem ...

This clearing out means completely changing my surroundings - everything from the shower curtain in the bathroom to the sheets on the bed. The old throw rugs are getting tossed, as are the drapes in the living room. Out goes the old bed frame, and in comes the handwritten wall decal as a headboard. I even change the scent in my plug-in oil warmers.

Clearing everything out gives me a chance to periodically re-order my life. It's like a reset button or, (wait for it ...), a fresh piece of paper upon which I can write my prose.

(Don't you just love when you come full-circle like that?)

Aside from all the reorganizing and decluttering, there's lots of baby stuff going on. (This is a mom-blog you know.)

Baby boy is getting so big and hitting all kinds of milestones. He's crawling all over the place and even pulling himself up onto furniture already. I thought I had another 4 or 5 months before this stuff started happening! He's only 5 months old! We just had our first family photo shoot, and it was wonderful to be able to capture what a rambunctious little boy he is.

As for his appetite, solids are now on the menu. His faves at the moment are sweet potatoes, pears and applesauce. He's not a big fan of peas and squash just yet, but we're going to try again soon.

Other than that, my main concern is keeping him occupied and engaged. I'm constantly getting him new books and toys so he won't get bored. His favorite toy hands-down is his stuffed lion from his daddy's alma mater. He absolutely loves it. He also loves playing with his basketball and the pully-frog thing that hangs from his bouncy.

Hitting all these milestones is hard work so it's not hard to believe that we literally have to wake him up in the morning. He's so happy, and he sleeps so soundly and peacefully that I know we've got to be doing something right.

Now that's something to write about.