Wow. I knew it had been a while since I last posted, since I sort of “gave up” writing for the summer (at least, non-paid writing), but I didn’t realize it had been quite that long! Sorry for the long absence, I hope to make up for it with increased blogging now that the kids are back to school.

Ahh. I thought I’d be a lot happier that they’re all back in their respective off-site learning environments, but this year, I find myself actually (gasp!) missing them, and it’s only Day Two. Go figure–maybe I spent too much time with them this summer. Usually I think of that as a bad thing, but the strangest thing is happening: the older my children get, the more I like them, like to be around them. It’s not that I didn’t like them before, but let’s face it, it takes a certain kind of personality to really enjoy being around babies and toddlers for 18 hours a day, and I learned a long time ago that that was not my personality type. I am enjoying their ages right now.

All three of them have always had their own unique, distinct personalities, right from the womb, but they are all getting to those magical ages now that they are becoming their own distinct people, complete with riotous senses of humor, rock-solid likes and dislikes, and independent and inventive ways of thinking that are beginning to draw me to them like a moth to a flame. So yeah, I won’t deny it: I miss the little buggers. This is just a preview, I guess, of the day not too far in the future when they will all eventually take permanent flight from our nest, so I guess I’d better get used to it.

The downside of all the pleasure I took in their company this summer was that there are, in fact, only so many hours in a day, and something had to give. I had the opportunity to expand my freelance writing and editing efforts this summer, which was great, since it paid, but I also wanted to create a new face for my freelance business (which I did: new web site, company name, and business cards–ooo! so formal!), which left me the decision of what would give: time with my kids, or my novel and blog.

I think you know which one won.

BUT! It’s another new year, the kids are back to school, and I’m full of inspiration and fresh back-to-school-empty-house-angst, so it’s back to work to fill these newly vacated hours (and, of course, finally get that manuscript to my editor.)

Here we go!