I am often asked, and I also wonder myself, how I find the time to do all the things I do.

I read a lot, I do this blog, I am studying for a degree, I am writing one book and editing another, I am also trying to get some articles out there.

And of course I am doing my big list! Not to mention seeing the blokie, spending time with family and friends and working full time….mmmm

When I see it written down like this it does make me wonder how I do it, I have obviously cut some things down in my life to fit all these other things in. Not big huge things just little things and to be honest I don’t miss them at all.

Firstly I no longer spend my lunch break chatting to friends and staring out the window, now I eat at my desk and work on things. I no longer watch soaps on TV this is something that has happened gradually, I started not bothering with Hollyoaks but it spread and the last to go now is Eastenders. I actually don’t watch TV at all if I am alone, I watch it with blokie at night but it is not on if I’m alone.

I don’t bother with house work… I’m joking… although not really J I have actually really neglected the house lately, and I tend to squeeze the house work around other things for example, if I have Spanish course work to do I will put the audio CD on and clean while listening.

Something that has taken a big hit is my reading I’m actually down to about two books a month. This is a big drop for me when I wasn’t so busy I was reading five to six books a month. My reading for pleasure time has been replaced with coursework reading and of course writing.

I spend my commute being productive too. So there you go, that is how I am managing to squeeze in so much although I know there is still room in my life room which I could use to shuffle things about and make more space for either: doing nothing, reading, shouting at the child….

I could get the CD player in the car fixed and work on Spanish on the school run. I could get up twenty minutes earlier in the morning and use that time, I could even quit one of the things I am doing but I really don’t like that idea.

I think time is there if you look for it and if you really want to make time for things you love. I just hope that when I stop doing all this I wont suddenly become so bored I’ll go crazy…

In the pursuit of getting somewhere with my writing I’m sticking to the plan of:

One in draft, one in the edits, one on sub.

This is kind of working at the moment so I’m pleased with that. I have the WIP being worked on (almost) every week day, I sub at least once a week and I am (very) slowly working through my edits. This plan seems like it should be working but I don’t actually feel like I’m getting anywhere.

I don’t know if this is because I had a lot going on last week and didn’t really manage most of my weekly goals or if it is really because I’m not getting anywhere.

Also linked to the writing goals but moving away from novels, I am trying to write, edit and send out on sub at least one article a week. This includes researching the market so it is quite a big challenge. I often get people ask me where I find the time, I don’t actually know really, maybe this is something I should figure out as well….

I have known for a while that my eyes are getting bad. The TV in my bedroom is pretty huge but I have to have the subtitles read out to me, on my way home through Victoria I can't see which platform my train is going to be at, on these big huge boards:

and last year when I went to the cinema to see Sex and the City 2 I had to have my friend read the subtitles out to me from the cinema screen.

So I knew they were quite bad but I kept putting it off I just thought it wasn't such a big deal but being a good list do-er I went and got my eyes tested and I am pleased I did, The optician  asked me if I had driven to the appointment and when I said I had he told me very firmly I was not to drive home and should not drive anywhere until I had picked up my prescription!

I picked out some nice frames and was impressed with Tesco's prices and buy one pair get one free deal so quite happy. They told me I would have the glasses within a week so off I went home (driving, yeah, yeah I know I'm bad)

When i picked the glasses up I was so surprised what a difference they made to the world I couldn't believe I had been living in such a blurry world everything is clear and I can see, I was so mesmerised by my great eyesight that I followed a car because I could see what the driver in front was doing in his mirror and got lost when I realised I'd turned down a street I didn't know.

I am impressed with my glasses now I just have to start wearing them....

I have 12 followers! 12! You lovely lovely people who made the decision to follow me, I think you are all great, thank you.

(yes this is an adaption of my Oscar speech)

I write this blog about the things I want to do or get done, I think it helps focus me but one amazing person is the reason I actually do things, he makes me want to be a great person and when I'm around him I can do anything at all and sometimes I even do.

The only thing I can't do when I'm with him is miss him, and having had a few days practice I've decided it's a skill I can live without!

So with normal service resuming tonight I just wanted to say a little message to someone fab. Hey you, you're pretty bloody fab!

Ok I have to tell you the story of moving the boat engines.

Before I moved to my current (small) house I lived in a bigger house which was actually quite a lot bigger. Being bigger the house had a lot of space, for junk obviously, and not just my junk, my whole family thought that as I has the space it was their job to fill it!

My cousins left bits of furniture they would 'one day need', my brother thought I was the ideal place for his motorbikes and random tools and my dad just left EVERYTHING that wouldn't fit at his or my mum refused to let him keep.

I should mention here that my dad likes boats, he also likes eBay and buying random things.

So sorry rambling, right, now in my small house with only my junk I was pleased with myself down sizing and all that jazz (we won't go into how much I squeezed into my new loft) when my dad started buying boat engines. It started with one which he put in my back garden then another and then another and before I knew it there were engines all over my garden! He would cone over and visit me fill large bins with water and 'test' them! the engines started to be followed by oars and strange bits of cars and bikes!

Now I should add here that the garden is mess I am planning on sorting it soon but it is such a huge garden and I hate to do it lol

Right when the weather turned warm I told my brother and my dad that in two weeks time I was going to really sort the garden and if the engines weren't moved I would be disposing of them! They nodded and made a few noises then carried on regardless!

Well the two weeks were up and I had, had enough. Nothing had moved! The problem was I am very very weak, I mean seriously I have no upper body strength at all and boat engines weigh A LOT I needed to get all these bloody things down to the garden gate at the bottom of the garden which is around 60 feet!

So nice bright Saturday morning I put my messy clothes on and tried to lift the first engine at it would not budge! I called my brother and told him to come lift it and he promised to come 'some time in the week!' grrrrr

Ok right action is needed and girl power and all that. Now I should mention my very long garden is on a downward slope.

So having figured out I can't lift the bloody things I decided to roll them I gave the first one the biggest shove and off it went!

So using gravity and often sitting on the floor and kicking it I spent the whole day evicting the boat engines from my garden, the whole time muttering under my breath 'you think just coz you don't move them I won't skip them?' then laughing like a loon to myself! Hahahahahahaha!!!!

I was tired, dirty and aching by the end but I did it! I did feel a little bad about it but to be honest I don't think they noticed and my garden while still needing work is at least starting to get there!

Now my dad has started buying tents, I'm a little worried as there is only so many my mum will let him put up in the bedroom...

I keep getting emails telling me I have comments but when I come to my blog there are none there! I'm not sure why this is and if you are commenting I'm not ignoring you honest!

It's back! Seems my motivation wasn't gone it had just wondered off for a rest and is now back! Today is the day I get things done!

I'm going to work on my list all day today. I have nothing in my diary until nine tonight so lots of time for stuff......although right now I am gonna lay in bed and eat toast and drink tea! Morning peeps xx

Sent from Charlee's iPhone

Well it's Friday and I am only a couple of hours away from being released into the weekend. But I am fed up. So fed up in fact that I have lost all motivation to do anything at all. I don't care that I am not making progress today and that makes me even more fed up I should care surely?

I'm hoping this is just a bad day and once let out of the office prison I will find my ompf again, where ever it is hiding....

In the mean time enjoy this video:

I have a very large family but I'm closer to some members then others. My cousin J is a perfect example we grew up together being quite close in age and we used to often socialise together.

The past year however has changed our relationship a lot. I hardly see him, in fact unless I actually go and see him while he is working I do not see him. The last time he came to the pub with me (and his other friends it's not just me he doesn't see) was November.

This is troubling me and I am not going to give up on him. I have decided (perhaps wrongly, but he's family so I'm allowed) that I am going to bug him into submission. I have taken to calling him every morning and the first thing I ask him when he answers is if he has pciked a day or evening when he will come out and see me and all his friends. then we chat about other stuff.

He hasn't given me a day yet, but I'm not giving up, I will continue to phone him and invite him places until I get through or until it becomes ridiculous and I have to take further action.... Not sure what this action is yet but I have a lot of time to cook something up in my brain while I sit at work pretending to be busy....

As for the boost in views on my article I foundout some Persian web site had picked it up and promoted it for me... odd but I'm not complaining

I am wondering how this blogging from email works.

 

If you can read this just ignore me I'm playing around.

 

If you can't never mind.....

Please visit www.thatcardshop.co.uk for interesting cards and gifts

Ok I will admit some of the entries on my list went on already highlighted but that's only because they were part of the list I had running in my head already when I did them, so I want them recorded here on my blog.

I will expand on some of them later but for now a little apology for my little bit of cheating.

I added to my list today and I think that might actually be it my big list of stuff, I quite like it, it's all long and shiny :)

Something very odd happened this morning, my article on women syncing up their periods suddenly became really popular at last count 1,516 views it's only just gone three here so that's in around 10 hours. I have no idea why everyone is suddenly so interested but there you go.... (no one has liked or commented tho hmmm) if you want to see what all the fuss is about, and please do tell me if you figure it out, the article is here: http://scienceray.com/biology/why-do-girls-that-live-together-menstruate-at-the-same-time/

The problem with getting fit is you have to do it all the time and my god it's boring! (or is that just me?)

But enough whining it has to be done so what have I done and what am I going to do?

Well I have discovered that if I leave five minutes earlier in the mornings and the traffic doesn't work against me I can drop my daughter at school and get back to the house and still have (just) enough time to walk to the station instead of driving! that is a good start except I've only managed it once so far. But if anyone has ever tried to hurry up a 12 year old you will understand why leaving early is very difficult!

Well as with everything it's a start although at this rate I might have to change this blog's name to 'before Charlee's 31'

On an unrelated subject, I now have 5 followers! 5!!! You lovely lovely people! And not one of you is my mum or the Blokie you are all actual strangers! :) (although not sure why mum and Blokie aren't following me mmm.....)

I have decided I need to be a bit more focused about this, So along with the big list I will have little mini lists of things that I will get done in March so here it is:

1) I will still keep up with the writing and editing as per my plan.
2) I am going to get fitter! I will walk more and I will just generally be more active!
3) I am going to get ahead in my coursework. I will do this by trying to do a bit every night even if it is only a little bit.
4)I will clean the kitchen bin!

There you go my March mini list in a month's time I hope to have at least four smiley faces wish me luck.

Ok so how did I do in February?

Well....
I have been writing 2000 words a day (mostly) and finished the first draft of the WIP I was working on. yay :)

I have been adding to this blog a bit not a much as I would like but still I'm getting there. I also have 4 followers!!! 4!!! I am over whelmed! :)

I have done absolutly nothing about learning to drive manual again so that definatly is a big fail :(

I cooked the blokie a nice meal and it went down very well :)

I haven't made hardly any progress on the edits I should be doing but I will correct that this month I really will! :(

I haven't cleaned the kitchen bin if anything i've made it worse big big fail :(

I haven't done any exercise at all! oh dear aother one :(

I have increased my collection of articles, proud of this :)

I haven't even started on the photos, oh well can't do everything... :(

I have added to my list a littel yay :)

so final score for February:
:) = 5
:( = 5

A tie! Will do better this month besides February is to short to make any real progress, isn't it?