On Luck

You're lucky that writing has worked out so easily for you. 


Most people have to work much harder than you to even get the slightest whiff of interest. 



An editor replied within hours of a query? An editor you didn't know? Unheard of!

Who do you know?

Some days I think I am lucky. Some days I think it's mere fate that my writing, fiction and non-fiction, has been published with some regularity. Some days I wonder when my luck will run out and this 'writing thing' will grow stale and I'll stop receiving interest in my words.

But then I remember:


I have been blessed- I cannot deny that. God has allowed me to carve out a successful writing/editing career; a career that sometimes surprises me. But that doesn't mean I don't deserve it and that doesn't mean I haven't worked hard for this. I fully admit that I am often the most flippant about my abilities.

Oh, I just wrote it and sent it in and voila! published.

But the truth is that I have been writing for years. I have been cultivating and learning and failing (a lot). I have been scared and received negative feedback and given up. I have stopped writing for years at a time. I haven't had all 'good luck'.

I think that, when someone else is succeeding (even for a short period of time), it is natural to 'blame' this success on luck, when we should really be 'blaming' this success on preparation, readiness, and talent. Yes, there is a little bit of 'right time right place' involved...but there is a whole lot more of hard work to be found behind any single success.

Luck. It's a good thing. It has sometimes made all the difference in having my words accepted versus rejected. But LUCK doesn't happen by chance and it rarely comes to the unprepared. That's what I'm hanging my hat on today.

Confession: I Used Lysol

Remember back at the beginning of the year when I so boldly stated that I wanted our home to be chemical-free? That I was going to make my own cleaning products for our home? Remember that??

Well, I did it. For three months I was completely natural in my home. I made all my cleaning products- nary a chemical in sight. And you know what? My house looked like crap. It looked dirty. There's no way around it- I could not for the life of me find a 'natural' cleaning product that really did the job. That cleaned the messes left by two little boys, one grown boy, one (very clean and perfect) female and a cat.

We spent the entire winter being sick. Passed from one person to the next, we went through colds and flus followed up by colds and flus. It was a nightmare. I was disinfecting with vinegar and water. I was using baking soda scrubs. I spent hours looking up solutions on the internet. I squeezed lemons (fyi: when you clean with lemon juice it is very very sticky) and cooked up concoctions on my stovetop. I scrubbed and scoured and used all the 'extra elbow grease' that natural cleaning sites advised me was necessary. I did it. I tried.

But last week, I bought an industrial sized box of lysol wipes, because I just couldn't take it anymore. Nothing LOOKED clean. Nothing FELT clean. So I started wiping and de-germing and disinfecting...and my house looks better and feels cleaner and we seem (knock on wood) to have finally rid the household of the germs that took up residence all winter long.

I'm not done with natural cleaners. I actually really like my spray bottle of vinegar and water- it's perfect for a daily kitchen clean-up and bathroom shine. I use hot water and vinegar on my floors and they look fantastic. I don't even mind a squeeze of lemon here and there. But lysol wipes are back for those germy messes. And I bought some toilet bowl cleaner because I live in a house of boys who DESTROY the toilet on a regular basis. And I grabbed some bleach too.

I want my household to be as natural and healthy as possible- I truly truly do. I desire for my kids to be as healthy as possible and to grow up as free from harmful chemicals as I can. But at the same time, I need a clean house; baking soda paste and a scrub brush just were not cutting it, no matter how hard I tried.

So, I ask, how naturally do you clean? How can I balance the need for a clean household (not just a sparkly house but a literally CLEAN home) with the desire to be as chemical-free as possible? How do all you moms out there do it?

SPA WEEK!


Spa Week® by WaySpa is coming to Canada this spring, offering consumers access to the
largest spa & wellness marketing event in the history of the spa industry. This North American phenomenon will be launching in Toronto from April 15 – 21, 2013, allowing Torontonians to enjoy luxury spa packages from various spas across the GTA for just $50.
Since its North American inception in 2004, Spa Week Media Group has been a true pioneer in the spa and wellness industry. Spa Week has made it possible for millions of people across North America to experience the healing and therapeutic benefits of the spa with its Spring and Fall Events’ affordable $50 treatments. Following in America’s footsteps, Spa Week by Wayspa plans to play a major role in opening the Canadian spa world to the masses while diminishing its privileged and exclusive reputation.

Spa Week has proven to benefit more than just the consumer’s pocket. Millions of spa-goers will look to these treatments to enrich their personal health and well-being, rather than just pamper themselves. Whether it’s managing chronic physical conditions, decreasing pain and stress, learning healthy eating habits, achieving weight-loss goals, or just simply improving quality of life, Spa Week offers an extensive menu of wellness services for consumers to better themselves on a budget. From the most modern massage and bodywork techniques to cutting- edge skincare procedures, there’s something for everyone on the Spa Week menu.

“For the past nine years, consumers from all walks of life have felt physical and mental relief and gained tools for healthier living by taking advantage of an abundance of spa and wellness treatments at an affordable price, all made possible by Spa Week,” comments Jeremy Creed, President of WaySpa.com. “WaySpa.com is thrilled to be bringing this bi-annual event to Canadians for the first time and believe Toronto is the perfect city to kick things off.”

Moving into its 18th installation in North America, Spa Week’s Spring 2013 Event will take place in multiple markets during the same week, now including Toronto. Consumers will have the option of indulging at many luxury spas across the GTA including The Shizen Spas at the Cosmopolitan and Pantages Hotel, Novo Spa, and Dove Spa to name a few.

The complete directory of participating spas will launch on Wayspa.com on March 11, 2013, allowing consumers to contact the spas directly to book their services. Given the high demand for services, consumers are advised to book their treatment as far in advance as possible to avoid missing out.


Website: http://www.wayspa.com/en/spaweek 
Twitter: @wayspacom 
Hashtag: #SpaWeekTO

On Slut-Shaming

For as long as I can remember, I have written stories. Often in my mind. Occasionally on paper. Sometimes they're good, sometimes they're crap. But they're always there- these stories that at times make it hard for me to think about the real world because my brain is so crowded.

Writing and mothering do not go hand in hand. I need to write when an idea strikes me. 9/10 times, my children need me more than my writing does. Despite this, I am occasionally able to steal a few moments and flesh out an idea- moulding and creating- until it becomes something that strikes me as readable and (if I'm lucky) likeable.

I've had a few brushes with publications. Magazines here and there have picked up a pitch and published my words. I've had two short stories published (the only two I have ever submitted for publication)- one internationally, the second on a smaller scale. I blogged for a national site for two years (was amazing!) and I've had this blog for almost 4 years. Writing is my sanity saver.

A chance twitter interaction with a fellow writer, however, had me rethinking my often stalling writing 'career'. She asked me why I didn't pitch more. Why I didn't TRY harder. Why I wasn't believing in my own worth as a writer. Why I was ok with occasional publication. She pushed me to send out queries to the 'big guys'...to just go for it.

And so I did. Sunday afternoon I snuck away from my hubby and sons and wrote for about an hour. Then I sent it to the biggest guy I could think of.

An hour and a half later I got a one line email in return: 
I can use this.

And with that, I was published in the National Post (both online and in print- page A12 if you're so inclined). And I am so, so thrilled to share my published story (click on the link) with you.  

It was a tough one to write...it was a tough story to hear. I think it is a story that needs to be told, and I am so thankful that I went balls to the wall (as my friend Sherene says) and sent it in. 




Just doing the best we can...

We're sick. Very, very sick. Husband=sick. Wife=sick. Baby=sick. Only our (ALMOST) 4 year old has escaped the plague that has imposed itself on our home...or brought it home to roost. That's more likely.
We're not sick in this picture, but apparently my husband is not into fun, we look like crap self-portraits.
So I put up this one, in which we look tired but human. I assure you we do not look human at home.

The hardest thing about being a parent and being sick, is just that. It is nearly impossible to parent and be sick. It is nearly impossible to be patient and kind and cook nutritious meals and be caring while you're wiping snot by the bucketful and wishing you could curl up in a ball and never wake up.

So I'm giving myself a break. I wish I could be a super mom but this week it's just not happening. I've still worked (my amazing work-at-home job) but I asked for a replacement to attend a meeting on Tuesday night (thank God someone jumped at it!). I've made crackers and cheese a staple. I've let them drink gallons of juice (they need something, right??) and I've let all the TV watching just slide. I don't care what they wear (as long as they're clothed) and I've made bathing necessary and LONNNGGGGGGGGGG, as I lay on the floor of my ensuite and watch and listen to them splash around. I put on makeup and non-sweat pant clothing only to do the school drop-off/pick-up. Everything else? It's sliding.

Being sick is tough on everyone. But it's especially tough when you have a job that doesn't ever stop. So heads-up sick moms and dads. We're all just doing the best we can out there. And our kids love us for it (right? Tell me they do? RIGHT?).

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