The World According to Leslie

On Saturday, we packed up our stuff and my parents’ stuff and headed to Myrtle Beach.   When we arrived, we discovered that the place we had rented was NOTHING like they described it on the internet, so we ended up repacking the car and getting the rental place to give us a different place.   It was nicer, but still not what was explained on the internet.   There was no internet access, so I had to use the hot spot on my phone. That lead to my internet freezing up.   Today, we packed everything up and came back home. Now I need a vacation from my vacation!     There will be pics of vacation soon.   Right now, I have to catch up some writing…since there was no internet and I couldn’t get anything done there.    And… I need to get some rest. Vacations are the worst for making you tired.  Right?

Wow! So I have to get used to getting up early again! I am SO not a morning person!   For the past two days, I have gotten up early for a class I have to take for work. You know “they” (whoever that is) say that teachers are continuous, lifelong learners. That’s true! It’s especially true when they REQUIRE classes.   This class has a two-day component over the summer. Then there are three days during the school year. They will be in September…right after school starts.  My kids are going to LOVE that I am not there!   I promise to leave LOTS of work to be completed.      Anyways…. I have also had some other work to take care of while in the evenings.   Last night we went for the Meet and Greet of the new principal for the Princess’s new school. The Princess seems to like her. I will take some time to get to know her. No snap judgments. (It could all be a show!)    Tonight, the Princess has a try-out for a softball team. We will see how that goes. If she makes the te

Friday, I wrote about 1500 words. Saturday, I wrote about 2000 words. Sunday,  I wrote over 3000 words. But none of those words were as important as the ones my mom said on Sunday morning.   Recently, Tony, the Princess, and I have been on a “church tour” as my bloggy friend from over at Single Infertile Female calls it. I like that better than the term “church hopping” that my parents use. And, “church shopping” just sounds wrong.   So anyways, we aren’t going to church with my parents any more. This is a huge deal for me. I have always gone to church with my parents, except when I first got married and didn’t live close enough. We had been at this church for 10 years. We started attending in June 2003, and we left in June 2013.   So, I don’t get to see my parents at church, but we usually see them for lunch afterwards. Yesterday, mom called about 8:30am and said that a friend of ours, Todd, was in the hospital. He and his wife and their two sons are on vacation abo

Yesterday, I spent all day rewriting articles I had written the day before. I used the information I was given and wrote them the best way that I knew how. Then the client changed his mind and decided that he wanted something different. I changed them. All 10 of them! They were easier the second way..wish he had said that the first time!     Today, I wrote and article to get it approved for a huge project of 45 articles.   As soon as that was submitted the client send me a huge project of 2000+ words that have to be re-researched and rewritten. I didn’t write the first one. So I have to read it, find what I can in it and then re-research and rewrite the whole thing. I think it is a short ebook about something.  I have 2 days for that.   So now I’m working on that. Waiting for the other approval. And starting to stress again!   But…. I will get it done. I always do!

Today was pretty productive.    Until… Let’s start with this morning.  I got up around 8am, finished a Newsletter I needed to finish and submitted it.   I wrote another article (1500 words) and submitted it.   Then it was 11am!   I wrote a 900 word Press Release.   Then… I took a shower and ate lunch. Now, I just can’t get going again.  I should have done the shower thing at 8am so I wouldn’t have to stop during the day, but I didn’t.   I should have had the Princess bring me a sandwich to the office so I could keep going.   Now I have 5000 words due before midnight, and I’m a little worried about that.  :/  Should have just kept working.   Productivity Rule #1: Never stop when you are making great progress!

Here in the great state of NC, it has been raining almost every day since….. well, I don’t remember when it started.  I just know that we have had rain every day—with the exception of 2-3 days.  (NEVER in a row though!)   Anyways, this weekend has been soggy.  Mom, the Princess and I went to get her uniforms.  It sprinkled on the way up there.  Then on the way back, it poured.  However…the sun was still shining. Since my eyes are sensitive to light, I had on my sunglasses in the pouring rain.  (Sure, I looked like and idiot!)      Today, Tony had to work.  (Good for pay, but bad for family! lol)  The Princess and I missed church because neither of us felt well.   I feel some better; it was just a headache.  The Princess, however, still feels rotten.     Yesterday, when the Princess and I were waiting for Tony to get home from work, it was raining so hard that it was sideways.  The windows on the side of the house were not getting wet because of the angle of the rain.  Today

Today, we have to go try-on and order school uniforms for the Princess.  There are still a few weeks of summer vacation left, but if we don’t order by Monday, we aren’t guaranteed to get them before school starts.    Drawbacks to these uniforms: 1. Price—I am going to spend a couple hundred dollars today. 2. Location—I have to drive almost an hour away for the Princess to try on the uniforms and to order them.  Then when they come in, I have to scoot back up there to pick them up.  (Not loving this!) 3. Timing—We are supposed to go on vacation with my parents (and siblings and their families) in two weeks.  I could use this money then for that!   Anyways, I guess I can just stop complaining.  Nothing is going to change about it.  I just wish these things were different.  Actually, I’m hoping that before it is all said and done the school will find a store with a more central location for uniform purchasing, but if not….. let’s hope the Princess doesn’t outgrow these any t

I have always been horrible at time management.  If I think it is going to take 20 minutes to do something, I plan for 60!  Seriously!  (Sometimes, miraculously, I have a little time left over!)   I could never been one of the people to give estimates for time and labor (i.e. construction planner).  I would always be WRONG!     Anyways, I have three writing contracts going at the same time.  One allows me to pick my topics and write 6 articles a week.  One normally gives me a niche and says write ## articles. One gave me a list and told me to pick and write articles.   That should all work well…right?  EXCEPT….. Yesterday, the middle client (from above) sent me a message on Skype that I had 30 minutes to complete a project.  Finished it.  Then he sent me a 5 part project and said I had 1.5 hours.  Almost finished it, but it is done now…..because at 1 hour and 15 minutes he said….stop!  You have 30 minutes to finish this new project!  Then you can finish the other toni

Today, my parents tell me they want to stay at the beach longer when we go in a couple of weeks.  This means that Tony has to get time approved from work.  Right now, he’s got almost 30 hours in for this week already! They are not going to want him to be gone longer!      Anyways….  today, the Princess and I played Monopoly!  Do you know how long that game takes?  Ohmygeee!!!!  We played for two hours, but we still aren’t finished.  I guess we will play tomorrow….since it’s a little late tonight!      I have been completing a trial for a writing client.  Last night (this morning) on Skype he told me the trial was over and he needed me on the team.   Right before July 4th, I completed a single article trial for a different writing team.  They emailed me today to let me know they want me on their team.  I am excited.    Yesterday, I sent a message to my sister-in-law/tax preparer to ask her what I needed to do about taxes since I am getting paid to write.   Are you gu

Have you ever started something and thought “Oh, this won’t take long”?  Then it takes you 500X longer?   I did that today.  I have a TO DO LIST with 10 things on it.  I have only completed 3 because #4 took forever.  I had 3 review articles to write.  I started one of them at 1pm.  I finally finished it at 5:45pm.  Really over FOUR hours?  I submitted it to make sure it is what the client wants.    Now I have an article to edit…so I can get paid (#5 on the list).   Two more articles to write TONIGHT!  (#10)   Good thing I can do the list out of order like that!     I really need to figure out how long things are going to take when  I do them!

Did I get you?  lol    No!  We aren’t moving again!  Hopefully for a VEEEEERRRRYYYY long time!  I hate moving!    Anyways… our house has 3 bedrooms and a bonus room.  When we moved in, we told the Princess she could use the Bonus Room as her play room.  After getting everything in, we realized that our office (the third bedroom) was so very cramped.  The Princess was only used 1/2 of the Bonus Room for toys.   We decided to switch it.    So, we did!   Yesterday!   I went through boxes that had still been packed since November.  Much of the stuff that we are keeping fit into smaller boxes or tubs.   Most of the stuff in the boxes became “recylcables”  or “donatables”.  We have TWO huge boxes of stuff that need to be recycled.  We have a big box and a couple of little boxes of things that need to be donated.    LOVE IT!  So glad we are doing this.  Right now, I’m sitting in the new office, but we can’t find the carpet because of all the stuff we still have to

Yesterday (July 3rd), I spent all day in front of my computer.  I have been working on more articles.  I am finishing another trial set soon.  I am not sure I want to keep writing for this person.  The deadlines keep changing….giving me less time to write.   Today, (July 4th) Tony, the Princess and I are all at home together!  We have a long, 4 day weekend.    What shall we do?   I have 4 more articles due tomorrow—no TODAY!  (Sorry!  12:16am always confuses me! LOL)   We are going to work on changing the playroom into the office and the office into the playroom.  Long story!    Friday, I will probably have more articles due.  Then we will do NOTHNG!  HA!  Yeah, right!  I’m sure we will come up with something to do.  Of course, if it ever stops raining, Tony will do the yard work.  But… according to the forecast, it is going to be raining ALL week—like 80% chance!  Hopefully all the rain this summer means a very SNOWY winter!   I’d L O V E love that!     If it i

As promised, here are some of the pics from Hilton Head.  We arrived on Friday to this room.  Nice…right?  The only problem was that we were supposed to have queen beds.  We had doubles.  (A little short, but they worked!)   That evening, Tony and the Princess walked to the beach.  It was a little far for me.  My legs and back were hurting from being in the car for so long.   In order to get the fabulous deal we got, we had to go to a 90-120 minute presentation on Saturday at noon.  It started at noon, and we were back in the car by 2pm.  If we were going to buy a timeshare, these would be the people to deal with.  They weren’t pushy.  When we said “no,” they did make ONE more effort (change price, down payment, etc.).  BUT…after we said “no” again, they shook our hands and took us back to the front door.  Friendly.  Polite.  Did not seem upset that we did not purchase.  Nice. When we were finished with the presentation, we decided to go to the Harbor Town Lighthous

Wow!  I can’t believe another weekend is gone.  Time flies by so quickly!  June is over.  Today is July 1st!    July 1st means I have a new boss.  My principal from this past school year is taking a different job (a higher job) with the school system.  One of the assistant principals is becoming the principal today!  I’m excited.  She is great to work with.   On Saturday, we got up early and went to SC.  Their was a death in Tony’s family, so we went to the memorial service. Then we had time to spend with family we hadn’t seen in a couple of years.   That’s always good.  That makes for interesting Facebook pictures!   Saturday morning, Tony found a tick on his hip.  He pulled it off, treated the area, and kept the tick.  Yesterday, he went to Urgent Care to get checked out…as a precaution.  Doc said to just keep an eye on it for a couple of weeks, gave him a Tetanus shot, and sent him on his way.   For the past week almost, we have had rain every night!  Friday night it