It's About Danged Time!

*Sinead sticks her head into the virtual room*

"Hallloooooo? Anybody around?"
I wouldn't be at all surprised if everyone has abandoned me by now. I haven't exactly been a good blogger, have I? Well, I do have a few excuses handy for that. Summer and Fall of 2014 were rather busy for me, and Winter has been a bit of a scramble so far. With the passing of the year, though, I'm finally getting the breathing space to catch up on some things, including blogging again.

Since the only things I ever claim expertise in are my own experiences, beliefs and opinions, that's what I blog about. It might not be terribly educational, but it can certainly be entertaining, on occasion. So, here come those excuses.
It's the fourth day of January, twenty-fifteen, and I'm still trying to reconcile the fact that twenty-fourteen is already over. It seemed to happen while I was sleeping…and I'm not even trying to be ironic.

Among the eventful things that happened this—I mean LAST—year: My son was assessed by a panel of pediatric specialists. Their conclusion is that he has ASD and ADHD. That's Autism Spectrum Disorder AND Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for those unfamiliar with the acronyms, (ASD is a fairly new one, used to replace all forms of Autism and Aspberger's).

Mr. Monster, as I've called him since birth, is a cuddly, bouncy, rough-and-tumble boy, and a budding dinosaur expert who seems to have a natural affinity for patterns and numbers. He loves to sing, especially happy music, and he loves to hug. Most of his challenges arise from tactile sensitivity. It affects his diet severely, as food textures are all-important to him. He also has trouble holding a pen or scissors for significant lengths of time. Holding his tongue in the correct position for certain letter sounds is also a trial for him.

So, this assessment has sparked a flurry of specialist appointments, parent-teacher meetings and research into various resources and therapies.

My husband was going through his own challenges in 2014. Having switched family doctors, he was finally able to get some logical answers to the pain he's had since back in 2012. He spent that Halloween in hospital, after his liver nearly shut down twice in two weeks. It seems that his reluctance to see a doctor about his pain allowed some gallstones the time to escape. Those escapees were missed in the removal of the gallbladder itself, which is more common than you'd think. They broke down in his system and the resulting "sand" eventually blocked a valve in his liver, requiring emergency procedures to solve the issue.

In all seriousness, we came closer to losing him than I'd like to contemplate. Those emergency measures, while saving his life, damaged his liver. Since then he's dealt with almost daily bouts of agony. Although there's nothing to do but wait while the liver heals itself over time, just having answers to our many questions is a blessing.

My daughter, the future dictator of her own small country, (or maybe a future vet, there's still time for her to decide), made some great progress last year. She was already reading with help, but can now read independently, for the most part. She's made great strides in her swimming and skating, lost her first tooth, and joined the school choir this year. The choir trip to a local senior's facility in December, to sing Christmas carols, had Miss Monkey excited for weeks before the holidays.

My own 2014 milestones included chaperoning a handful of school trips and functions, and becoming more involved in the education of my children. This was the year my parents sold their home and moved three hours away, and the year my in-laws celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary! On top of that I finished writing and publishing two more books. One is the rather long romantic dramedy, (with a healthy dose of paranormal), Parting Burden . The other is the short, creepy ghost story , A Medium Rare .
I also took part in a few anthologies in 2014: Rise of the Goddess , A Taste of CHBB , and Fractured Fairy Tales .
My greatest achievement this year,  however, was quitting smoking. It happened just the day after Canadian Thanksgiving. I'd had the nasty habit, (off and on, but mostly on), for nearly 30 years.

It was easier to quit than I expected, but still one of the most difficult things I've ever done. Since quitting I've battled frequent, random, involuntary naps; and several other uncomfortable, (and that's putting it mildly), withdrawal symptoms. So part of twenty-fourteen really did pass me by while I was sleeping. I still believe it's worth it, though.

2015 has a lot in store for me. As a mom, I always have a To Do list a mile long. Lessons, therapies, homework, appointments…it's going to be another busy year. If all goes well, I'll get some answers of my own, relating to the chronic back pain that's plagued me for the past decade.

I also have books to polish this year, and more than one or two, (no, I'm not ready to give an exact number, ha-ha). I'm hoping to have at least two more of the Secret Connection Collection books available for my readers before Christmas. Of course, there are always side projects to keep me hopping.

I don't make New Year's Resolutions, but I will endeavor to blog a little more often. I can't guarantee it will be on any kind of regular schedule, and I won't make any promises as to content. I'm sure there will be more rants, personal opinions, and some expounding of my viewpoint. I know there are some people who'll insist that a regular blog is crucial for an author, but I'm not one of them. For me, any time I'm blogging is time taken away from my family,  my writing, or the necessary-evil promotions. I could blog every day, or even once a week, but I'd much rather use that time and effort for my next book-to-be-published.

I'm not knocking anyone who is an steady blogger. Pettiness, jealousy and tearing down others are a far greater waste of creative talent and energy than blogging! Some writers find a blog to be a great sidestep from works in progress. I prefer to write short stories and poems, create book trailers and posters, read, or make some crafts.

At one point I'd thought this blog would be filled with instructional material on writing and promotions, but I felt it made me appear supercilious. I may have studied writing for more than three decades, and I've held several positions where writing was a crucial part of my job, but I still wouldn't want to claim the expertise, or qualifications, to instruct others.

I'm happy to share the things I learn, as I learn them. Just understand that I don't claim to know more than anyone else on the subject. After all…
That's it for me, and today's ramble-on. Here's to 2015: Cheers I'll do my best to keep in touch more.
…
Hmmm…I think I said the same thing last year. *Bwa-ha-ha-ha!*

Drop me a comment and let me know what you'll be doing this year, or look me up on one of my social media accounts. *Hint: You'll find me on Facebook more than the others, with Twitter a somewhat distant second.*