Real Life Advice for Real Life Writer-Mamas

Don't get me wrong. I love being a mother and I love being a writer. I love the way the two vocations intertwine, and I'm constantly tweaking schedules and making sacrifices so they can work together.

But...there are those days. My compatriots on this wild ride know what I mean. The days where there's a knock at the door and you yell to “throw everything into the basement!” (Inconveniently, I have no basement.) Or the times when you're perfectly aware that your one-year-old is turning the hallway into a fresco, but you're on such a roll writing and after all: she's safe and happy, isn't she?

So here are some real life hints to keep our more sane friends and neighbors and family deluded into thinking we are normal:
  1. Baking soda is the best thing ever. You need to have at least three boxes: one for the kitchen, one for the bathroom and one for the laundry room.
    You know that pan you didn't scrub last night because the baby was actually asleep early so you wanted to work on your outline? Coat the bottom with baking soda and spritz with water; let sit until your scene is finished; scrub; ta-da! Clean pan.
    It also deodorizes everything, eliminating the stench from that onion you were going to finish up but which somehow got pushed to the back of the fridge when you had a great idea for your climax.
    In the bathroom, it can remove odors, scrub out stains in your bathtub, AND—when you didn't have time to run to the grocery store before bedtime—makes a great substitute for toothpaste.
    Then there's laundry... baking soda it can be mixed with detergent to remove stains. Or do you ever put a load of laundry into the washer with optimistic goals one morning and then discover it's still there—reeking--two mornings later (although you do now have an awesome synopsis that you didn't before)? Throw about ¼ cup of baking soda into the dryer with the clothes and they come out perfectly fresh.
  2. Peroxide is...well, the other best thing ever. Mix some with a little detergent for a stain remover even better than baking soda. Of particular interest to writers, it also works on old stains that were missed when you were daydreaming and put the stained jeans into the dryer the last four times.
  3. Another not-so-secret secret: those things called magic erasers really are magic. Seriously, some sort of good wizard brewed wonderful things in a cauldron and out bubbled these little white sponges that are the only things that can turn a fresco painting/crayon mural/sketch-board-where you-just-had-to-jot-down-an-idea-before-you-forgot-it back into a hallway. They're great for about a million other things, too...try searching on Pinterest if you're interested.
  4. Sometimes hairspray will get ink out of your clothes. But if you're like me and ruin every pair of jeans by accidentally writing off the side of your notebook, the best thing to do is stop buying expensive jeans. Get a couple pairs for $3 at Goodwill and recycle them into fun things (see Pinterest again) after you ruin them. It's either that or switch out those gorgeous Micron pens for mechanical pencils, but that's one sacrifice I'm personally not willing to make.

So, share with me, Writer-Mamas (or any other balancing geniuses out there)!  What are your secret life-saving tips?

Comments

  1. Ooh, I'll have to remember your tips about baking soda. I always have something stuck in a pan! One thing my mom showed me was to use Dawn dish detergent to remove stains. Just dab a little on the stain before throwing it in the washer. I'll have to try peroxide, too.

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  2. I'm not a mom but I still have to write and work and keep house and feed my husband. (Wait, isn't having a husband kind of like having a kid??) All these things on your list are perfect. I've never used peroxide as a stain remover, though; I'll have to try that one!

    I love love love the Magic Erasers. I think a someone who graduated from Hogwarts must've invented them! It's the only explanation for such incredibleness. :)

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    1. I think probably all writers have to deal with balancing home life with writing life...except maybe single writers who are already getting paid for their work. But probably even them. :)

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  3. Funny that you only mention cleaning stuff ... you would be appalled at the things stuck to pans and the stains on my clothes. I insist they are clean, and it is sufficient.

    My tip. Do the household duties with the kids. Not only do you teach them valuable life skills -- cooking, cleaning, when you are on deadline, they might even offer to vacuum for you and bring you a sandwich. Of course, sometimes it's best not to know what's between those pieces of bread ...

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    1. Very true on all account. Lucy made me a butter (not peanut butter) and jelly sandwich a couple weeks ago which contained about a quarter stick of butter. Mmmm. ;)

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  4. LOL. Loved reading these. I still remember when my daughter was two (ten years ago - ack!) and she colored all over the living room walls of our apartment. Needless to say, we didn't get our deposit back as I discovered it on the day we were moving out. (I think this was before magic erasers, too!).

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  5. I have a great love of Borax for stains, especially really ground-in dirt.

    And when safe, bleach is awesome. Nothing will get rid to the scary stuff growing under the tub mat faster than bleach. It's also helpful for my porcelain kitchen sink. Three squirts, five minutes, presto!

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  6. I only buy jeans in a dark blue wash. Can't see ink or anything else on 'em. Or you could deliberately draw or write on your jeans. We did this in days of yore. Like the artists who spill gravy on the tablecloth at restaurants and turn it into art. :)

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  7. I love triple antibiotic ointment for just about every boo-boo.

    Hope you didn't get too hard by Sandy. We got snow here in WV--about 7".

    Balancing writing and mom-ming (and homeschooling, for some of us) can be crazy. But in the end, we're doing what we love, and we wouldn't want to be doing anything else!

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