The Christmas holiday has begun.
I haven’t finished my first draft. I have two short stories to finish. I have a cold - it’s going well so far.
Today I sat my children down and explained to them how things would work over the next two months. I will be working (hopefully on the writing and not improving my mahjong time) from 9am till 11am each morning. During that time they will amuse themselves with play, not come into the office to ask for food or drinks, try not to kill each other, and generally ‘be good’. They responded with a blank stare (the four year old) and a dinosaur roar (the seven year old - we’re hoping it’s a phase).
So that’s my Christmas holiday resolution - get tough with children (I used to amuse myself for hours with only twigs, dirt and a younger brother don’t you know!) and get tough with myself (I will resist the urge to have ‘just one warm up game of mahjong’).
Wish me luck.
Sash.
May your muse visit often and stay long this month. I wish I could tell my seven month old and two year old the same thing, but I know the blank stare would be followed by “Can I have a cookie?”. Good luck!
You’ve inspired me, Sash. If you can do it with little ones, I can do it with the big kids
I’m still trying to explain to my teenagers that it might be holidays for them, but mum’s still got to work for a couple more weeks (Ah the joys of the home office!).
At 15 and above, they’re really more interested in hanging out with friends (on my space or in the real world). But when they’re bored they suddenly require QT with ‘the parents’ - and yes, cookies! Tis the season to feel guilty, tra la la la la etc.