Writer’s Block Buster: 5 Favorites Tag

Writer’s Block

I’ve had a bit of writer’s block lately.

With lots more time on my hands now that the boys are in school, I find there’s a lot more I want/need to get done.  Really, there are the same amount of things, I just now feel like I don’t have any excuses when they don’t happen. Like dinner. Or laundry. Or a clean house.

Then, I don’t even know where to start.

When I’m writing, I feel like I should be doing laundry. When I’m cleaning, I feel like I should be writing.  When I’m sitting on the couch watching The Chew, I feel like I should be doing anything else.

I’m just a little overwhelmed, and then feel guilty about that.

But, then I remember that it is a big change for me. I’ve given my boys time to adjust to their new schedule, so I need to do the same thing for myself. I need to find my groove and new routine.

So, with all the chaos in my head, there’s not much room for creativity. Instead of letting that stop me, I decided to take a new approach.

Writer’s Block Buster

I find that when I can’t come up with a brilliant idea of my own, I do some research. I read other blogs, browse Pinterest, and scroll through Facebook.

As I was reading through some of my favorite blogs the other morning, I came across this post from Beth at The Beth Next Door. She had been tagged by a fellow blogger to name some of her favorite things.

This was perfect.

A little bit of structure. Plus, I enjoy learning new things about the writers behind blogs, so I thought you might enjoy learning a little about me too.

It’s a collection of 5 Favorite things across various categories. Some of them were pretty easy, while others were hard to narrow down to just 5. So, I didn’t. Is that cheating? Oh well.

It helped me beat my writer’s block today, and also gave me some ideas for the future. Win. Win.

5 Favorites

5 Favorite Things to Do:

1. Dance (Ballet is my favorite, followed by Modern at a close second. Dancing in the living room is also the best.)
2. Nap (I’m not very good at sleeping at night, but I can nap like a champ.)
3. Shop (Online or in Stores, but NEVER at full price!)
4. Read
5. Play Spider Solitaire while watching TV (I can’t sit still and do just ONE thing at a time.)

Bonus: Sing. Only in the shower or the car. And at the top of my lungs.

5 Favorite Movies (I’m going with ones I can watch over and over and still enjoy):

1. Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael
2. That Thing Called Love
3. Pan’s Labyrinth (My husband took me to this on one of our first dates. He had no idea it was subtitled.)
4. Amelie
5. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

Bonus: The movie I can watch over and over with my kids is Judy Moody and The Not Bummer Summer. Super cute.

5 Favorite TV Shows

1. The Flash (It’s a super good show, but my favorite part is that me and Mr. B both love it and watch it together.)
2. Younger
3. You’re the Worst
4. Jane the Virgin
5. The Man in the High Castle

Bonus: Any cheesy, crazy, drama filled reality show. See: Bachelor in Paradise, Real Housewives of Orange County/New York, The Challenge

5 Favorite Songs of the Moment

1. Acid Tongue by Jenny Lewis (Honestly, all of her songs are my favorite. She is a phenomenal singer/songwriter.)
2. Bar Lights by Whiskeytown
3. You Don’t Know Me by Ben Folds featuring Regina Spektor
4. Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth featuring Emeli Sande’
5. Feel It Still by Portigal. The Man.

5 Favorite Blogs to Read

1. Stranded In Chaos
2. Mosswood Connections
3. Healthy Happy Thrifty Family
4. My Pixie Blog
5. The Flynnigans

Bonus: Since I already mentioned her at the top, I figured you knew it was a favorite. Just in case, check out The Beth Next Door HERE

5 Things I’m Looking Forward to in the next year

1. The boys not being hungry/cranky/tired when they come home from school. It will happen eventually, even if it’s the last month of school.
2. Getting into my own groove and enjoying my time at home.
3. Having beautiful weather for our 5th year as a team Marching for Babies. (I know I can’t control the weather, but we’re due for a nice day. It’s been 4 years of cold and rain.)
4. Dancing on stage, and watching my students dance on stage in their Showcase.
5. Some type of family vacation, girl’s trip, or both. I’m voting for both.

5 Personal Facts About Me

1. I’m always changing my hair. Long, short. Dark, light. Straight, curly. What should I do next?
2. I thought I would love pregnancy (eating whatever you want and getting to be fat!) but I hated it. I was super sick for both pregnancies, plus got chronic UTI’s that landed me in the hospital with my first. My second was filled with complications, as you know. I DO love my boys, though.
3. I LOVE shopping, but hated shopping for my wedding dress. So much so, I answered an ad, and ended up getting my dress on the Rachel Ray Show. A story for another post.
4. I HATE roller coasters, and would never, ever sky dive. Even flying in a plane has been scary for me recently.
5. I never had a cavity until I got pregnant. Since, I’ve had many, plus a root canal. Not fun. See what I mean about pregnancy?!

5 Best Memories 

1. Dancing on stage with the Milwaukee Ballet in the Nutcracker
2. Making the Pom Pom/Dance squad my Freshman Year
3. My surprise engagement in New Orleans and my wedding in Lake Geneva.
4. Holding Mr. B after he was born.
5. Hearing that both twins were alive after waking up from the anesthesia during my emergency c-section.

Bonus: The Day Little P came home and we were all finally under the same roof.

Who’s Next?

Ah. That felt good to do fight off that writer’s block. Although, it took me much longer than I expected. It’s hard to choose what to share. Maybe I’ll have to do another one of these sometime!

If you’re fighting some writer’s block, or if you just want to play along, I’d love to read some fun facts about you. Let me know in the comments if you’ll play along.