Shhh...Don't Tell Chrisa!

Chrisa is busy in the bathroom. I think she's trying to make herself beautiful, so I may have the computer for a loooong time! So I have a chance to tell you all about how awful writers are.

Hey, no stealing my computer! Or insulting me on my new blog! Writers are not awful. It's these people who do nothing but sit on the computer and blog and never write anything interesting: they're the awful ones. I think that people who the only thing they do is blog should be banned!

Only thing I do?? I do a lot of useful, interesting things. I'm not the one who sits in my "home office" (really a bedroom!) all day staring at the computer! I actually go outside every day! I'm not the one with pasty white skin, and I'm not afraid of the sun. Unlike some people I know. Like I said before, writers are weird!

If you do so many useful, interesting things, then why don't you post about those things, instead of the lame posts you do, ranting about writers and professing your love to the dishes. And it is a home office! I actually get work done, unlike some people I know. What do you really do? Sit around and watch TV?

I've decided I'm done with this dump of a blog. You can have it back. You couldn't pay me to keep it. Bye, everyone!

If you want to check out a real blog, look at: chrisathomasstories.blogspot.com

NaNo Nerds Update: Day Four

The NaNo Nerds are still writing like nuts. I don't understand writers...personally, I think they must all be crazy. I mean, think about it...they sit around all day, thinking about people they just made up, and acting like these people are real! My daughter will say that she just found out something about one of her characters, something this character never told her before! Hello?? You made up this character! How can she be *telling* you ANYTHING?? It's like Susan said in the first Narnia movie..."They're beavers! They shouldn't be saying anything!" Don't you agree with me? How can anyone think writers are normal...oh, help! I'm being attacked!! Save me plea....

Hello. This is Chrisa Thomas. I have taken this blog over from that ridiculous woman who ran it (extremely badly) before. Now you'll finally get quality writing on here! I have kidnapped Mrs. Thompson so she will no longer be able to post atrocious lies on this dump of a blog. Talk to you soon for some quality blogging.

Chrisa Thomas

Editor's Note: The Battle of the Blog will continue tomorrow.

Election Day, the Day After

Republicans across the country are celebrating their huge gains today, and those of us in Wisconsin are no exception. Here, the Republicans took the governor's office, as well as winning a comfortable majority in both the senate and the assembly. Those of us with children enrolled in public charter online ("virtual") schools have high hopes that the next legislative session will be good for our schools.

Let the celebrating begin!

Doing My Duty

Today I took my daughter to her school's state testing site. She attends a public charter online school, and one of the duties we parents agree to is that our kids will participate in state testing. I'm no fan of standardized testing, and there were a dozen other things she would have rather done today (like write more on her NaNo story!). But every privilege comes with responsibilities. We are very grateful for this public school option, and so we cheerfully (more or less) went to testing.

I also did my duty as a citizen of my country, my state, and my village this morning and voted. I am excited about several of the candidates I voted for; a couple are just the least worst. But it is a huge privilege to live in a country where we have a say in who our leaders are. And as my father-in-law says, if you don't vote, you don't get to complain. (Actually, he doesn't use the word "complain", but this is a family-friendly blog!)

And now what you all really want to know: how did the NaNo Nerds do on their first day? Excellent! They both exceeded their personal word count goals for the day, and they enjoyed the writing process. As for me and the dog, we took a walk together, then he napped while I read. It's been a long time since I just sat and read a book for pleasure. It was great fun, but I have a feeling it might get old by Day Thirty.

Tune in tomorrow for Day Three!

NaNoWriMo Widowhood: Day One

NaNoWrMo officially started at 12:01 this morning. My daughter actually set her alarm, got up, and wrote for over an hour. Then she went back to bed and wasn't seen until quite a while past her usual wake-up time. (One of the joys of schooling at home..no bus to catch!) And don't think she is unique in this craziness. Several of her writing buddies from around the country were writing at the same time. They even set up a chat room so they could give each other updates. They were jealous of the girl who lives on the east coast, because she got to start writing before the rest of them. (Evil time zones!) And the poor girl in California! Everyone else had gone to bed before she got to start writing!

My husband (who did have a bus to catch this morning) did not get to participate in this party. But he is ready to start the minute he gets home from work this afternoon. So it looks like I'm going to be spending a lot of quality time with the dog for the next 30 days. Wish me luck!

Getting Ready for NaNoWrMo

My husband and daughter are both doing NaNoWrMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year. They are each going to attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in November. So I am preparing to be a NaNo widow. I checked out a stack of library books yesterday and am thinking about what I can do by myself on Saturdays. So far, I've decided to get the oil changed and the tires rotated the first Saturday. I'm hoping I can come up with better ideas for the rest of the month!

My daughter wanted me to do NaNoWrMo as well, but I know my limits. I've attempted fiction writing, and it's not something I really enjoy. So now she's trying to get me to do BlogOWrMo, and write an entry on my blog every day in November. I also have a friend who recently started posting an entry on her blog every day, and told me I should do the same. This friend has six kids, so she's not buying the "I'm too busy" line from me. And it is fun to read her blog every day.

So I am giving in to the pressure. Starting next Monday, Nov. 1, I will post something every day. So don't expect any deep thoughts...I can't come up with one of those every 24 hours! And I'm also going to have to figure out how to post photos here. My friend sometimes posts a photo of one of her kids doing something funny or interesting with a caption. That seems like an easy way to get in a daily post. Of course, my photos won't be so good, because the rest of my family will be sitting in front of computers all month...that doesn't make for an interesting picture! But I'll come up with something.

See you in November!

Counting the Cost

We moved into our home nine years ago. Nine years of family living can wear out the best of homes, and ours is starting to show "laugh lines". So I decided to paint the entire place. I foolishly thought it would be easy, something I could do in my spare time. My husband, who once had a job painting apartments, warned me that it was more work than it seemed. But I blithely went ahead. I figured I could paint the entryway and kitchen in one morning, then do the bathroom the next morning, and move on from there. Well, two long days later, and I'm still not completely done with the kitchen! What I have finished does look great, and that motivates me to carry on. But I'm a wiser, more humble painter now!

Jesus warned those who wished to follow Him to count the cost first, because He knew it was human nature to to get excited about something, jump in with both feet, and only then begin to realize what the costs are. He wants followers who will go with Him all the way and not fall away when the going gets tough. We need to be wise and humble followers, ones who know what the costs are and still choose to pay them, knowing He is worth everything.