I have been spending time with the book, Writer Mama, by Christina Katz.

In chapter one she writes about finding ideas to write about in your everyday life. She advises that I can come up with 100 ideas in just one day if I’m paying attention. So let’s look at today.

I slept late. I had stale coffee that my husband brewed this morning. It had to be microwaved. Maybe I should find a solution to hours old coffee tasting hours old and write an article for some women’s magazine.

I showered and while I was in the shower I thought a lot about the dirty family in my life and how I’m always afraid my kids will catch lice from them even though “experts” say that isn’t how lice is spread. I only know that my mother forbid me to play with the dirty kids at school and I never got lice. I’ve only personally known one family that had lice and it was the dirty family. I’m not sure how I can get an article out of this but the dirty family is often on my mind, causing much grief and worry. Maybe there are other mothers that avoid social events out of concern that the dirty family in their circle will show up. Maybe there are other mothers that tell their kids to claim food allergies in order to avoid eating anything the dirty family brought to a pot-luck. Maybe there’s an article there, How to Avoid Eating Food from Dirty Kitchens at Pot-Lucks.

This afternoon I have to go buy cat food and litter. This reminds me that I’m still not satisfied with the brand of cat food I buy. I switched dozens of times during the Great Pet Food Poisoning of 2007. I tried making my own pet food at great expense. I still have the food processor, the stock pot, and dozens of freezer containers that were to store the food in. I made cat food once. I boiled whole chickens, sauteed liver, ground it all up, and then they wouldn’t eat it. Thinking of all this pisses me off at China again for their melamine and lead. There must be an article in there somewhere.

I have to do the dishes, do some laundry, balance the checkbook, and pay bills. Those are all pretty boring. No article there. I have to do some schoolwork with my daughter. That reminds me that I want to write some articles for a new secular homeschooling magazine. I ordered issue one and was very impressed with the magazine and its editor. The problem is that I’m not really obsessed with homeschooling. It’s what we do but I don’t live and breathe it every minute of every day like so many other homeschoolers do. To me it’s about as interesting as the dishes and laundry.

The kids are playing with their new Christmas toys. Perhaps I should write about which toys were a hit and which ones were duds. I don’t really know how to write a review though. Perhaps it’s time to learn. One item sucks so badly that it is probably my duty to get the word out to other moms. Another surprised me. I thought it would be an expensive disappointment but it has turned out to be worth it’s price.

I don’t think there are 100 ideas in my day but at least it’s a start. And now I have to go get after those dishes.