i never learned to juggle

i have 2-3 freelance jobs right now and, while i'm totally digging the idea of contributing money to the bottom line (other than the unemployment) i have not figured out how to juggle working on said projects w/ having the kids around. it is different when they are in school and i can work until 2pm totally uninterrupted. today a good chunk of the middle of the day was devoted to this freelancing thing. the boy was off at a friend's house and the girl was here, wandering in to the kitchen every 30 minutes or so asking if i was done. or sitting across from me and looking at me. or saying, i know you're working and all but....

i have also discovered that w/out an office to go to where my day is outlined (from the hours of 9-5 i am in work mode) i have a hard time segregating work from non-work. for example, if i check my email and there is a work related thing in there i will read it, respond and/or work on the work or be thinking about the work if i'm not.

any tips for those of you out there who have done/are doing this and have figured out how to make it work?

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i cannot believe my kids go back to school this coming wednesday. part of me is glad (for the above reason) but another part of me realizes that when i find a job (and i will) these last two summers will probably be the last i have w/ my kids like that.

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a former co-worker is starting this project and she's soliciting me and several other writers to possibly work on it. so far it is in the planning stages, but essentially the idea is to offer businesses/retailers/etc. our services as bloggers (like ghost writing). i like the idea but as i said, it is in the early stages. anywho--she asked everyone for their pics, bios, links to published work etc. when i was looking through the other people's bios many of them tout themselves as experts in xyz field. one in particular has roughly the same work experience i do, minus about 5 yrs, and she touts herself as an expert. i don't consider myself an expert in anything. how do people do that?

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i love getting every last drop of something out of a container. it is almost like a mission for me. shampoo and conditioner bottles? bring it on. my kids can have 3-4 different bottles in their bathroom and claim they are empty. oh, i disagree. i can easily get another week's worth of product out of those containers. i am the same w/ dish soap (and any liquid soap), stuff in cans, etc. however, i cannot use liquid laundry detergent because i feel like i'm not getting everything out of there. strange no?

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for the life of me i cannot properly whistle. the boy says i make a funny face when i try.

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i think perhaps, besides getting work done peacefully, i might also start having more sex once the kids go back to school. having them home 24/7 has put a damper on nooners.

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i am still reading two books (heart shaped box by joe hill and eat, pray, love). i am pacing myself on the latter because i was becoming a bit too obsessed about it. like thinking we needed to move to italy obsessed. like wondering how the fuck people actually get a gig writing a book and get paid to spend a year traveling to three different countries. sort of like that girl who blogged about julia child and got a book/movie deal. why the hell can't i fall into a piece of that?

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speaking of blogging. i have been brooding over the idea of doing a public blog, like w/ my name on it and everything. more and more employers are asking if i have a website or blog, etc. in my head i'm screaming, uh, dude, i've been doing this for 5-6 years now, yeah, i know how. but then that would open up a whole can of worms i have no desire to open. but the more i think about the prospect the more i realize that i'm pretty much a wuss and would worry about putting my name on a blog. i mean because people might disagree w/ me. or heckle me. etc. or not read me. at least with this blog i have a handful of loyal (though quiet as of late) readers and i use it as an emotional waste dump.

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the other night i caught the last 45 mins or so of purple rain. omg. it quite possibly could be labeled one of the worst movies ever, but the parts where prince performed were worth sitting through the other crap. i'm at least 20 years older than i was the first time i saw it and i still sat there and thought--dayum...he's sexy. sexy in a skinny boy/androgynous sort of way. and, i don't think he ever received the recognition he deserved for his work.