A Puppy Named Procrastination

Having a new puppy is a lot like having a baby in the house.

Now, before you go getting upset with me, I have three young kids. I know about having babies (of all ages) in the house. And there really are a lot of similarities at work here.

Such as the fact that my time is suddenly not my own. Yes, we are crate training her, which is something you really can't do with a baby (unless you count the crib, the pack-n-play, the bouncy seat, the exer-saucer, the car seat...) But just like a baby, I like to keep her near me during the day. If I'm up, she can be up. And when she naps... I can take a shower. Just like being a new mom.

And where did the writing time go? For the last three days there has been none. None at all. Well, Monday I polished off a synopsis to send out with a manuscript. But she slept more on Monday (since she was crying the cage all night Sunday.) She's slept through the night for the last few nights. Granted, we're up at 4:30 a.m., but that's still a good 5 or 6 hours of straight sleep. (More than I got from the kids during their first months!)

I didn't start writing fiction until all my kids were in school full-time (thank the heavens for full-day kindergarten.) I have trouble listening to my characters when there are live characters demanding my attention. Now there's a puppy lying at my feet making cute puppy moaning sounds in her post-breakfast snooze.

When the kids were young, my mother always advised me to time things for nap times. Anything I wanted to get done should wait until then. And when I'd sound too tired on the phone she'd remind me to sleep when the baby was asleep. (A trick which only works when there's not an extra toddler hanging around, waiting for the chance to grab your undivided attention.)

Puppies nap as much as babies do. My pup's little body is busy growing, a tiring business if ever there was one. She's already fast asleep as I type this. Maybe Mom's right and I just need to time things for nap time. Writing in two hour bursts could work, right?

As long as I don't spend every two-hour slot adding new puppy photos to my Facebook page!

What do you think? How do you adjust your schedule around your kids, pets, and other responsibilities? I'm sure everyone needs a new trick to add to their repertoire! How do you find time for yourself?