Today in Mommy-Land
We are now four days deep into the joyful awesomeness that is the hubby’s preliminary intern year at UMASS (first year of being a paid doctor, but four years shy of learning one’s specialty, in his case, Neurology). It’s been quite the ride so far, but I think we’re beginning to settle in to the routine, such as it is. We’ve only got the one car, so the Little Man and I have been walking a lot (thankfully there’s a grocery store and several parks within walking distance, which is great!) on the nice days. It does mean–due to his crazy hours–that I’m definitely single-parenting it for the time being. He usually has to get up before the Little Man does, and definitely comes home after he’s been in bed (often for several hours). That in and of itself is a bit challenging, as I’ve gotten quite spoiled being so close to my folks the past two years, that single-handedly taking care of the kiddo is something of my own Mothering Residency: long hours, not yet confident in what I’m doing, and taking a lot of (in my case, mental) notes.
But in more fun news, we got to hang out with a fellow med-spouse on the lake, which was LOTS of fun for both of us (him, because he got to play in a lake for the first time ever, and wake waves and throwing Mom’s sandals in the water are HILARIOUS! Me, because I got to enjoy the company of an adult who also writes! So nice.). Then we came home, made pea soup (mmmm, the Cook’s Illustrated pea soup is delicious, fresh, and sweet–so good.) Then it was play time and bath time, and then finally bedtime, and he’s now down for the night, and I’m going to get the rest of the place de-disasterized for my sanity.
Today in Writer-Land
The Little Man is right on the way to establishing a single nap around 10-11am most days, which typically lasts an hour and a half to two hours (sometimes, delightfully more!), during which I can get some of those important things done (like writing, reading, playing Minecraft, oh yeah! and showering…you know XD) Now that the hubby is away during the day, that does leave me with a bit more open time during those precious napping hours.
Today alone, I managed 1400 new words, so I’m pretty stoked about that! It’s been a while since I focused on new-word production rather than editing/cutting. I like it! Now just to up my book-reading intake…
Goals for the month: Finish a novella I started years ago that I still return to and enjoy, and get the novel rewrite to a point where I can start tackling the physical new/renewed words portion in the coming months. Oh, and brace for Chekhov half-year. :)
Maggie Slater 