Thankful Thursday

There are so many things to be thankful for every moment of every day. Today, I am thankful for the wonderful people I have in my life.

I have great friends, some who also happen to be family, and some who are not. I have a wonderful husband who knows exactly who I am, and supports me every step of the way in everything I do. I have three beautiful children, who, although drive me bonkers, also know how to give really great hugs and provide me with so much joy and pride that sometimes I wonder how I keep it all in.

Each of these people keep me afloat. They pick me up when I am down, they give me courage to succeed, and they make me laugh even when I don't want to.

Everyone should be so blessed to have these kinds of people in their lives. 

Full Steam Ahead

I'll start off by saying caffeine has been a godsend this week, and I'm sorry for the lack of posts. Unfortunately, life sometimes gets hectic and I have to take a step back and breathe a bit before pushing ahead. In case you're wondering what the heck has been happening to slow me down, I'll share with you the brief outline.

• One sick child, which slowly morphs into three sick children...all home from school...for 5 straight days. 
• Massive undertaking to disinfect the household. 
• One whole day devoted to visiting with a couple of my favorite people :) 
• Writing. Lots and lots of writing. 
• Writing a paper on polynomials and the functions thereof. 
• Tutoring. 
• Hunting down information on Ella Fitzgerald for my 9 year old's book report that's due Tuesday when the library is fresh out of anything and everything Ella Fitzgerald. (If only she had chosen Beyonce Knowles!)
• Maintaining my wavering exercise routine. 
• Reading. 
• Carving out some quality time with the hubby. 

I'm sure there's something I missed in there, but that's basically it in a nutshell. I have to say, I am grateful that I have accomplished any writing at all this week, but I suppose the fact that I roll out of bed at 5 a.m. does help that along a bit :) What can I say, momma had her cape on this week!

 

Thanks for sticking with me, guys!

When is the best time to get creative?

"Creativity -- like human life itself -- begins in darkness." --JULIA CAMERON

Okay, I will be the first to admit that most of the time, as I sit down in front of the computer screen and my fingers hover over the keys, I am distracted. Anything interesting in the old email today? A new review? What's that article all about? I should read it. By the time I realize I have done absolutely nothing, I have wasted an hour (sometimes more) doing absolutely nothing. After a bit of reprimanding has been done, I get serious, open up the right file and just as I get my bearings and my thoughts come together...mommy duty kicks in, and we're back to square one. 

Is this how it goes for you?

My husband tells me he found a quote somewhere that claims creativity is best at night. I get to thinking about this, realizing I can draw some serious lines to this theory from my own experience. You see, I spend a good portion of the day struggling to reign in my thoughts long enough to put out a couple of lines, until I just have to walk away for a bit. In the evening, I tend to come back, put on some music, and try again. And you know what? It flows. 

Why haven't I recognized this pattern before?

I tried Googling it to see if this theory holds any weight, and I found people everywhere asking others the same question, saying that they seem to only be truly creative at night. Then I found an article in The Washington Post saying that if you are a morning person, research shows that you are most likely to be creative at night. On the other end of the spectrum, if you are a night owl, then your creativity should hit you during the morning hours. 

So, the question I pose is, which side do you fall on?