Writing with Kids

After a two month absence from this blog, it would appear that I've abandoned it. Not so. What happened you might ask? Well, I'll tell you. School ended and I moved, so life has been slightly chaotic. Having the four older children home during the summer didn't just create four times more noise and work, more like 256 times. That's in addition to the two toddlers. So, to harness the synergy from so many bodies constantly in motion, we've done a lot of activities. However, I've come to realize that I can't write when I never get quiet time. I've tried a few times and I'll get a paragraph written and then MOMMMM! He hit me. Or, he took my toy. Or, I'm hungry. Or, I need toilet paper. You get the idea. This happens nonstop. I cannot wait for school to start. Then perhaps I'll get my writing momentum back.

In the midst of my frustration, I tried to find tips on how to write with kids. There were hardly any. This leads me to believe that I'm one of the few crazy enough to try to write with kids underfoot and that other writers either don't have any, their kids are grown, or they cart their kids to the babysitters. Ah well, I only have three more years to cuddle with my baby before he starts kindergarten. In the mean time, my lofty goal is to write for one hour each day. Pathetic, I know, but anything more would be out of reach right now. Just to illustrate, eleven interruptions and one toddler spat accompanied this post.