Hi everyone!

This weekend, the girls are staying with their grandparents, so we can focus on ourselves and relax. Of course, I'm also going to write, and hopefully wrap-up the first draft of episode 1 today.

The original idea was to spend yesterday cleaning while they were gone (always easier when they are not around to untidy what we've just tidied) but we ended up chatting and relaxing. In the end, we really needed to chill, so today is going to be a little bit more about housework but mostly about resting.

I notice I usually can do quite a lot but there's always a day when I just need to stop completely and just go with the flow. Not sure if there's a cycle there or if it's after accumulating a certain amount of work and exhaustion, but it always happens at some point. I used to stress over not doing anything really prodcutive for a day, but now I accept it's part of my process and probably the way my body keeps me sane.

How about you? How often do you need to have a real day off? Let me know in the comments.

Color code:

0-10% in red
11-24% in pink
25-39% in orange
40-59% in yellow
60-99% in green
100% in flashy green
Normally, there's also blue for progress and pause in purple, but right now i'll focus on numbers and only goals where progress has been made.

Now for this week: 

WRITING: I'll focus on one project mainly while following completed ones.

"Hour of the Wolf": If the publisher does not decide to release it as part of the collection, I'll probably make it a freebie (ebook and Wattpad). I'm guessing they'll make a decision soon as their collection is to be released in November, so I'll adjust this goal accordingly once I hear from them. 

Sci-fi erotica series Miss Chief in Wonderland: I started writing again and would like to have a few short stories ready for publication in 2021 or 2022. Finally wrting again. =D

• Plan season 1
• Draft episode 1 (July): 67%
• Expand episode 5
• Draft episode 7 (September)
• Draft episode 8 (August)
• Draft episode 9
• Reorganize episodes

WORK: Lots to do here! I'll try and get as much done as possible, though I expect life to keep getting in the way as it has lately. 

Promotion: Over the summer, Hubby and I will build a communication strategy to get more business our way in September (since the summer is always slow). 12%

Online courses: I'll focus on making online tests as I can use it immediately with current student, then I'll go back to making the lessons. Hubby and I will also take a look at a new theme for my business website and also upgrade the webhost (which means my writer's site will be hosted there too). 2 this week.

• Website stuff : upgrade host, new theme, LMS stuff... 
• English - Starters: make tests 24%
• English - Elementary: make tests 22%
• English - Pre-intermediate: make tests 22%
• Hanashimashou: resume making contents ASAP

Quality certification: I can take it easy now but I'll keep doing bite-size tasks weekly.

• cross-referencing document: I'll finish it during the Round. 27%
• tutorials: I'll keep making them, aiming at 2-4 a month, depending on how much material and preparation is needed. 20%

Story Time: I'll keep making baby steps weekly, mostly preparatory work.

• Wizard & Cat: signpost at least 1 episode a week. 24%
• Timmy & the Hungry Monster: make a general plan, list the language, list the material. listing the language/ 100%. Next step: making flashcards.

PUBLISHING: I'll mostly market my books, old and new.

Curiouser & Curiouser (my debut novel, in French only for now): I'll keep track of reviews and sales, while marketing the book some more. 

Red Hot Spring (English): I'll make the final preparations to publish in August and market. 71%

We Missed Each Other (English): I'll start making preparations once Red Hot Spring is ready. 34%

PERSONAL: We'll do some damage control and try and get help while Hubby is stuck with pain in his back. 

House renovation: that's the big question mark as most of the things that need to be done require Hubby or help. In the meantime, we'll focus on what contractors are supposed to do.

• parental suite: still aiming at finishing it this year if we can. For this Round, sealing the tiles in the bathroom would be nice. And why not buy the wooden floor for the bedroom and threshold? 45% We sealed the tiles on Monday and started working on the other bathroom (see below). We might get a contractor to help us move forward while Hubby can't do heavy lifting.
• insulation: we need to get the contractor sent by the insurance company to come and the other ones to give us their estimates.
• original bathroom: 33% we were supposed to take out the carpeting yesterday but decided we needed a day off instead. So probably next week.

Housework: I'll mostly try and keep up what's been settled last Round. Maybe add a couple of new rooms (namely the porch entrance & workshop)  if I can get help from family and friends to get rid of the spiders in there (I'm extremely phobic when it comes to those...). I'll also try and get my office in order before September is here. Overall: 67%

• office: finish reorganizing, archiving and so on. 50%
• porch entrance: get rid of spiders and webs, spray with repulsive product, deep clean, add to cleaning routine, set coat pegs. 90%
• workshop: get rid of spiders and webs, spray with repulsive product, deep clean, reorganize. 80%

Self-improvement: I'll keep learning as a teacher, writer and parent.

• Teaching early years MOOC: I'll be an active participant through the 6 weeks and implement new ideas at home and in my classes. 89% 
• Choose next course in August: probably something about teaching again.

Physical health: I'll try and be more and more active while making sure to give myself enough time to relax too and avoid burning out as a side effect of Hubby's slipped disk.

• Housework: I'll focus my energy on this to stay active on a daily basis. Since the plan includes rooms we are currently not using and that are either being or about to be renovated, my goal is to reach 90%. Currently, 84%
• Stretching: I'll stretch every morning to prevent hurting myself while being active (I have a tendency to sprain) That is definitely becoming a routine as I don't need the reminders so much to it.
• Yoga: I'll try and have a yoga session with my girls at least once a week. For starters, I'll look for the best time slot for this. Still looking for the right time. I'm guessing it will have to be on Sundays as that is the one day we're all home.
• Abs/Fitness: if there's time and energy (ie if Hubby gets better and life stops happening so much), I'll get down to working on fixing my diastasis recti for good, then going back to fitness.

Mental health & journalling: I've started a digital journal and will keep using it daily to keep track of my moods, ideas, learning, etc. Later, I'll schedule a lookback time to make sure this is useful. I'll also keep reading about emotional intensity but more on that below. Journalling daily.

Reading: I'll try to read daily. It's beta-reading but I am reading daily! =D

Emotional intensity: I'll try and complete this reading and discuss it with Hubby. 51.5%

Beta-reading a Sci-Fi novel: I'll make notes and send feedback to the writer by mid-August. 54%

Writer's website: I'll start the new website for sure, and hopefully get my hands on the original one to export it rather than rebuild from scratch. Hubby will help since sitting in the office armchair is the one thing he manages to do without feeling too horrible. 

Hi everyone!

I started writing again yesterday and the story has pretty much been flowing out since then. I just love that first part where you set the details for a story and your brain seems to be boiling with new ideas! 

This is a short check-in because I still have many things to do tonight, but I'm glad focusing on the house for a while was what I needed to get the juices flowing again.

How about you? What's your favorite part of writing? Let me know in the comments.

Color code:

0-10% in red
11-24% in pink
25-39% in orange
40-59% in yellow
60-99% in green
100% in flashy green
Normally, there's also blue for progress and pause in purple, but right now i'll focus on numbers and only goals where progress has been made.

Now for this week: 

WRITING: I'll focus on one project mainly while following completed ones.

"Hour of the Wolf": If the publisher does not decide to release it as part of the collection, I'll probably make it a freebie (ebook and Wattpad). I'm guessing they'll make a decision soon as their collection is to be released in November, so I'll adjust this goal accordingly once I hear from them. 

Sci-fi erotica series Miss Chief in Wonderland: I started writing again and would like to have a few short stories ready for publication in 2021 or 2022. Finally wrting again. =D

• Plan season 1
• Draft episode 1 (July): 54%
• Expand episode 5
• Draft episode 7 (September)
• Draft episode 8 (August)
• Draft episode 9
• Reorganize episodes

WORK: Lots to do here! I'll try and get as much done as possible, though I expect life to keep getting in the way as it has lately. 

Promotion: Over the summer, Hubby and I will build a communication strategy to get more business our way in September (since the summer is always slow). 12%

Online courses: I'll focus on making online tests as I can use it immediately with current student, then I'll go back to making the lessons. Hubby and I will also take a look at a new theme for my business website and also upgrade the webhost (which means my writer's site will be hosted there too). Not yet this week.

• Website stuff : upgrade host, new theme, LMS stuff... 
• English - Starters: make tests 18%
• English - Elementary: make tests 22%
• English - Pre-intermediate: make tests 17%
• Hanashimashou: resume making contents ASAP

Quality certification: I can take it easy now but I'll keep doing bite-size tasks weekly.

• cross-referencing document: I'll finish it during the Round.
• tutorials: I'll keep making them, aiming at 2-4 a month, depending on how much material and preparation is needed. 20%

Story Time: I'll keep making baby steps weekly, mostly preparatory work.

• Wizard & Cat: signpost at least 1 episode a week. 24%
• Timmy & the Hungry Monster: make a general plan, list the language, list the material. I'm listing the language and I'm somewhere around 75%.

PUBLISHING: I'll mostly market my books, old and new.

Curiouser & Curiouser (my debut novel, in French only for now): I'll keep track of reviews and sales, while marketing the book some more. Looking at the sales was a nice boost too. ^^

Red Hot Spring (English): I'll make the final preparations to publish in August and market. 66%

We Missed Each Other (English): I'll start making preparations once Red Hot Spring is ready. 34%

PERSONAL: We'll do some damage control and try and get help while Hubby is stuck with pain in his back. 

House renovation: that's the big question mark as most of the things that need to be done require Hubby or help. In the meantime, we'll focus on what contractors are supposed to do.

• parental suite: still aiming at finishing it this year if we can. For this Round, sealing the tiles in the bathroom would be nice. And why not buy the wooden floor for the bedroom and threshold? We sealed the tiles on Monday and started working on the other bathroom (see below). We might get a contractor to help us move forward while Hubby can't do heavy lifting.
• insulation: we need to get the contractor sent by the insurance company to come and the other ones to give us their estimates.
• original bathroom: we dismantled the shower on Monday. Thankfully, most of the wooden floor was untouched and we won't have to replace it before adding a waterproof floor on top. Next step: get rid of that ridiculous carpeting!

Housework: I'll mostly try and keep up what's been settled last Round. Maybe add a couple of new rooms (namely the porch entrance & workshop)  if I can get help from family and friends to get rid of the spiders in there (I'm extremely phobic when it comes to those...). I'll also try and get my office in order before September is here. Overall: 67%

• office: finish reorganizing, archiving and so on. 50%
• porch entrance: get rid of spiders and webs, spray with repulsive product, deep clean, add to cleaning routine, set coat pegs. Only one corner to tidy and a mirror to attach to the wall. 90%
• workshop: get rid of spiders and webs, spray with repulsive product, deep clean, reorganize. It's clean and partly reorganized. 80%

Self-improvement: I'll keep learning as a teacher, writer and parent.

• Teaching early years MOOC: I'll be an active participant through the 6 weeks and implement new ideas at home and in my classes. 75% 
• Choose next course in August: probably something about teaching again.

Physical health: I'll try and be more and more active while making sure to give myself enough time to relax too and avoid burning out as a side effect of Hubby's slipped disk.

• Housework: I'll focus my energy on this to stay active on a daily basis.
• Stretching: I'll stretch every morning to prevent hurting myself while being active (I have a tendency to sprain)
• Yoga: I'll try and have a yoga session with my girls at least once a week. For starters, I'll look for the best time slot for this. 
• Abs/Fitness: if there's time and energy (ie if Hubby gets better and life stops happening so much), I'll get down to working on fixing my diastasis recti for good, then going back to fitness.

Mental health & journalling: I've started a digital journal and will keep using it daily to keep track of my moods, ideas, learning, etc. Later, I'll schedule a lookback time to make sure this is useful. I'll also keep reading about emotional intensity but more on that below.

Reading: I'll try to read daily.

Emotional intensity: I'll try and complete this reading and discuss it with Hubby. 51.5%

Beta-reading a Sci-Fi novel: I'll make notes and send feedback to the writer by mid-August. 54%

Writer's website: I'll start the new website for sure, and hopefully get my hands on the original one to export it rather than rebuild from scratch. Hubby will help since sitting in the office armchair is the one thing he manages to do without feeling too horrible. I've set a deadline to get started from scratch if we can't get our hands on the original website: August, 15.

Hi everyone!

We finally had some kind of good news this week: the PET-scan revealed Hubby's disk is not slipped after all, though the first symptoms are there alright.

This means the damage can hopefully be undone, though the physical therapist can't say how fast. Anyway, knowing that surgery is off the table is nice.

***

After a lot of self-preservation thinking and being almost rid of the paperwork concerning the nanny's contract (or rather its termination), I'm refocusing on housework and renovation.

Over the course of the week, I felt I wanted to write but did not really have the bandwidth to do so. I realized there were so many things I wanted to do first in the house.

Thankfully, a few friends offered to help over the summer as they know Hubby is way limited in terms of moving around. So this weekend, we've already made some progress and some more is planned today (which is why I'm posting early this morning ^^).

Just checking some boxes feels quite good, though the biggest ones will have to keep waiting a little. It really feels like I'm decluttering my mind when a one-time thing gets done, or even when a regular job is added to Todoist! 

How about you? How do you clear your mind? Can you write with a lot on it? Let me know in the comments.

Color code:

0-10% in red
11-24% in pink
25-39% in orange
40-59% in yellow
60-99% in green
100% in flashy green
Normally, there's also blue for progress and pause in purple, but right now i'll focus on numbers and only goals where progress has been made.

Now for this week: 

WRITING: I'll focus on one project mainly while following completed ones.

"Hour of the Wolf": If the publisher does not decide to release it as part of the collection, I'll probably make it a freebie (ebook and Wattpad). I'm guessing they'll make a decision soon as their collection is to be released in November, so I'll adjust this goal accordingly once I hear from them. 

Sci-fi erotica series Miss Chief in Wonderland: I started writing again and would like to have a few short stories ready for publication in 2021 or 2022. Not yet

• Plan season 1
• Draft episode 1 (July): 39%
• Expand episode 5
• Draft episode 7 (September)
• Draft episode 8 (August)
• Draft episode 9
• Reorganize episodes

WORK: Lots to do here! I'll try and get as much done as possible, though I expect life to keep getting in the way as it has lately. 

Promotion: Over the summer, Hubby and I will build a communication strategy to get more business our way in September (since the summer is always slow). 12%

Online courses: I'll focus on making online tests as I can use it immediately with current student, then I'll go back to making the lessons. Hubby and I will also take a look at a new theme for my business website and also upgrade the webhost (which means my writer's site will be hosted there too). None this week.

• Website stuff : upgrade host, new theme, LMS stuff... 
• English - Starters: make tests 18%
• English - Elementary: make tests 22%
• English - Pre-intermediate: make tests 17%
• Hanashimashou: resume making contents ASAP

Quality certification: I can take it easy now but I'll keep doing bite-size tasks weekly.

• cross-referencing document: I'll finish it during the Round.
• tutorials: I'll keep making them, aiming at 2-4 a month, depending on how much material and preparation is needed. The online platform I was using for classes made some major changes, including to their pricing plans, without a warning. As a result, I switched to Zoom, and since there are already tons of tutorials out there, it meant quite a leap for this goal, and without doing a thing! =D 20%

Story Time: I'll keep making baby steps weekly, mostly preparatory work.

• Wizard & Cat: signpost at least 1 episode a week. 22%
• Timmy & the Hungry Monster: make a general plan, list the language, list the material. I'm listing the language and I'm somewhere around 70%.

PUBLISHING: I'll mostly market my books, old and new.

Curiouser & Curiouser (my debut novel, in French only for now): I'll keep track of reviews and sales, while marketing the book some more. 

Red Hot Spring (English): I'll make the final preparations to publish in August and market. 64%

We Missed Each Other (English): I'll start making preparations once Red Hot Spring is ready. 34%

PERSONAL: We'll do some damage control and try and get help while Hubby is stuck with pain in his back. 

House renovation: that's the big question mark as most of the things that need to be done require Hubby or help. In the meantime, we'll focus on what contractors are supposed to do.

• parental suite: still aiming at finishing it this year if we can. For this Round, sealing the tiles in the bathroom would be nice. And why not buy the wooden floor for the bedroom and threshold? We're sealing tomorrow
• insulation: we need to get the contractor sent by the insurance company to come and the other ones to give us their estimates.

Housework: I'll mostly try and keep up what's been settled last Round. Maybe add a couple of new rooms (namely the porch entrance & workshop)  if I can get help from family and friends to get rid of the spiders in there (I'm extremely phobic when it comes to those...). I'll also try and get my office in order before September is here. Overall: 62%(which means I've officially met my 50% goal for the round! Yay!!)

• office: finish reorganizing, archiving and so on. 50%
• porch entrance: get rid of spiders and webs, spray with repulsive product, deep clean, add to cleaning routine, set coat pegs. Work in progress.
• workshop: get rid of spiders and webs, spray with repulsive product, deep clean, reorganize. The cleaning is in progress too.

Self-improvement: I'll keep learning as a teacher, writer and parent.

• Teaching early years MOOC: I'll be an active participant through the 6 weeks and implement new ideas at home and in my classes. 67% 
• Choose next course in August: probably something about teaching again.

Physical health: I'll try and be more and more active while making sure to give myself enough time to relax too and avoid burning out as a side effect of Hubby's slipped disk.

• Housework: I'll focus my energy on this to stay active on a daily basis.
• Stretching: I'll stretch every morning to prevent hurting myself while being active (I have a tendency to sprain)
• Yoga: I'll try and have a yoga session with my girls at least once a week. For starters, I'll look for the best time slot for this. 
• Abs/Fitness: if there's time and energy (ie if Hubby gets better and life stops happening so much), I'll get down to working on fixing my diastasis recti for good, then going back to fitness.

Mental health & journalling: I've started a digital journal and will keep using it daily to keep track of my moods, ideas, learning, etc. Later, I'll schedule a lookback time to make sure this is useful. I'll also keep reading about emotional intensity but more on that below.

Reading: I'll try to read daily.

Emotional intensity: I'll try and complete this reading and discuss it with Hubby. 51.5%

Beta-reading a Sci-Fi novel: I'll make notes and send feedback to the writer by mid-August. 46%

Writer's website: I'll start the new website for sure, and hopefully get my hands on the original one to export it rather than rebuild from scratch. Hubby will help since sitting in the office armchair is the one thing he manages to do without feeling too horrible.

Hi everyone!

Last Sunday, I was telling you about losing my drive to crazy nanny stuff. It hit me hard and I'm only starting to recover, in the sense that anything related to the contract's termination gives me anxiaety but at least I can move on and place energy and attention where it matters.

The impact on my schedule has been quite big though, and I'm glad I had decided to write during my one-week break (not so much...) and see then what seemed like a realistic plan for the summer.

Besides, with the girls being home for the summer, I've decided to move some goals to September. I'm hoping to work on them on Mondays and Tuesdays, while the girls are at school.

Right now, I'm mostly catching up on last week's goals, and the house is my priority. Especially as we found out that there is some mold under our shower (not surprising considering how the previous owners did not really tend anything...). Thankfully, it's not dry rot fungus!

But we still had to stop using the shower, and start using the brand new bath (Remember? The one we tiled last month but have been postponing sealing since then? Well, we just pay extra attention when we use it and are happy we had started the tiling part!).

On the plus side, opening up the bottom of the shower revealed its structure is wooden (no wonder it's moldy...) so it should be easy enough to dismantle. And it also means we will get the seals done sooner than later! (Look at me finding a silver lining! I'm almost back to my normal self after a week of being depressed, yay!)

I just wish I was more stable, but at least feeling this way got me reading about emotional intensity some more. I'm not sure why I take so long to recover from this. I guess it just echoes deeper traumas.

How about you? How long does it take you to recover from a (supposedly) minor trauma? Let me know in the comments.

Color code:

0-10% in red
11-24% in pink
25-39% in orange
40-59% in yellow
60-99% in green
100% in flashy green
Normally, there's also blue for progress and pause in purple, but right now i'll focus on numbers and only goals where progress has been made.

Now for this week: 

WRITING: I'll focus on one project mainly while following completed ones.

"Hour of the Wolf": If the publisher does not decide to release it as part of the collection, I'll probably make it a freebie (ebook and Wattpad). I'm guessing they'll make a decision soon as their collection is to be released in November, so I'll adjust this goal accordingly once I hear from them. 

Sci-fi erotica series Miss Chief in Wonderland: I started writing again and would like to have a few short stories ready for publication in 2021 or 2022. I'm now aiming at writing an episode a month, which should be feasible. So for July, Episode 1, then probably #7. I'll work on expanding #5 and planning whenever I reach my monthly goal early.

• Plan season 1
• Draft episode 1: 39%
• Expand episode 5
• Draft episode 7
• Draft episode 8
• Draft episode 9
• Reorganize episodes

WORK: Lots to do here! I'll try and get as much done as possible, though I expect life to keep getting in the way as it has lately. 

Promotion: Over the summer, Hubby and I will build a communication strategy to get more business our way in September (since the summer is always slow). OK, this is only starting to take shape but at least I've finally looked at the spreadsheet. 10%

Online courses: I'll focus on making online tests as I can use it immediately with current student, then I'll go back to making the lessons. Hubby and I will also take a look at a new theme for my business website and also upgrade the webhost (which means my writer's site will be hosted there too). I'll make 1 or 2 tests this week.

• Website stuff : upgrade host, new theme, LMS stuff... 
• English - Starters: make tests 18%
• English - Elementary: make tests 22%
• English - Pre-intermediate: make tests 17%
• Hanashimashou: resume making contents ASAP

Quality certification: I can take it easy now but I'll keep doing bite-size tasks weekly.

• cross-referencing document: I'll finish it during the Round.
• tutorials: I'll keep making them, aiming at 2-4 a month, depending on how much material and preparation is needed. I'll make sme more tutorials in Spetember. 6%

Story Time: I'll keep making baby steps weekly, mostly preparatory work.

• Wizard & Cat: signpost at least 1 episode a week. 22%
• Timmy & the Hungry Monster: make a general plan, list the language, list the material. I'm listing the language and I'm somewhere around 53%.

PUBLISHING: I'll mostly market my books, old and new.

Curiouser & Curiouser (my debut novel, in French only for now): I'll keep track of reviews and sales, while marketing the book some more. 

Red Hot Spring (English): I'll make the final preparations to publish in August and market. 64%

We Missed Each Other (English): I'll start making preparations once Red Hot Spring is ready. 34%

PERSONAL: We'll do some damage control and try and get help while Hubby is stuck with a slipped disk. 

House renovation: that's the big question mark as most of the things that need to be done require Hubby or help. In the meantime, we'll focus on what contractors are supposed to do.

• parental suite: still aiming at finishing it this year if we can. For this Round, sealing the tiles in the bathroom would be nice. And why not buy the wooden floor for the bedroom and threshold? So we're sealing on Monday after all.
• insulation: we need to get the contractor sent by the insurance company to come and the other ones to give us their estimates.

Housework: I'll mostly try and keep up what's been settled last Round. Maybe add a couple of new rooms (namely the porch entrance & workshop)  if I can get help from family and friends to get rid of the spiders in there (I'm extremely phobic when it comes to those...). I'll also try and get my office in order before September is here. Overall: 47%

• office: finish reorganizing, archiving and so on. 50%
• porch entrance: get rid of spiders and webs, spray with repulsive product, deep clean, add to cleaning routine, set coat pegs. Normally over the weekend.
• workshop: get rid of spiders and webs, spray with repulsive product, deep clean, reorganize

Self-improvement: I'll keep learning as a teacher, writer and parent.

• Teaching early years MOOC: I'll be an active participant through the 6 weeks and implement new ideas at home and in my classes. 60% 
• Choose next course in August: probably something about teaching again.

Physical health: I'll try and be more and more active while making sure to give myself enough time to relax too and avoid burning out as a side effect of Hubby's slipped disk.

• Housework: I'll focus my energy on this to stay active on a daily basis.
• Stretching: I'll stretch every morning to prevent hurting myself while being active (I have a tendency to sprain)
• Yoga: I'll try and have a yoga session with my girls at least once a week. For starters, I'll look for the best time slot for this. 
• Abs/Fitness: if there's time and energy (ie if Hubby gets better and life stops happening so much), I'll get down to working on fixing my diastasis recti for good, then going back to fitness.

Mental health & journalling: I've started a digital journal and will keep using it daily to keep track of my moods, ideas, learning, etc. Later, I'll schedule a lookback time to make sure this is useful. I'll also keep reading about emotional intensity but more on that below.

Reading: I'll try to read daily.

Emotional intensity: I'll try and complete this reading and discuss it with Hubby. 51.5%

Beta-reading a Sci-Fi novel: I'll make notes and send feedback to the writer by mid-August. 34%

Writer's website: I'll start the new website for sure, and hopefully get my hands on the original one to export it rather than rebuild from scratch. Hubby will help since sitting in the office armchair is the one thing he manages to do without feeling too horrible.

Hi everyone!

2020 is the year when nannies go crazy! After letting go the Saturdays nanny in the spring (mostly because she wanted to be paid while not working) we're letting go the one we've had on weekdays for more than 3 years for similar reasons. Out of all the nannies and baby-sitters we had, she was the one we considered as the girls' surrogate grandmother and definitely the one contract we did not expect to go sore (especially as she one year away from retirement now). 

But sore it went, and quite badly. she kept being passive-agressive with me, then blatantly discriminating against me (not because I'm queer or biracial, she just treated me differently from her other 2 employers and even from Hubby!), meddling with my schedule and such. It turned sour and eventually, there were 2 arguments (in front of the girls because of course she brought things up infront of them, and even another kid...) and insults from her.

The thing that triggered my anger, besides her constant nagging and complaining, was that she used my daughters, trying to make me look like a crazy violent mother while my anger was only directed at her, while all along she had been centered on her own comfort instead of theirs (it all started because I decided to let them wake up naturally now that school is over... A thing we've done for years when it was possible).

The discrimintation and the harassment hit me hard though. It completely ruined my week. This was supposed to be my first real break in over 2 years (what with all the work, moving, surgery and so on, all my breaks since 2018 have been turned into non-relaxing times)

So no writing at all, very little work and a lot of crying and feeling stressed by it all. Hubby and some freinds were very supportive and I'm starting to feel better, but I guess I was on the verge of a mental breakdown on Thursday, when it all exploded. This has tainted everything and Now I'm worried about how the girls will react, because they do love her but there's no way in hell I'm leaving them with her again...

It's also a complication because I'm supposed to work with the girls at home now. Hubby is going to be here but his back is still not well, so it won't be easy on him. And if he does get better, he'll have to go back to work, making the situation even more complicated.

That's why I've decided to adapt my goals: no online course content except test until September, a new schedule for tutorials (probably starting in Spetember too) and lower writing goals because I need to isolate myself to focus.

How about you? Do you need to be alone to write or can you write when the house is buzzing? Let me know in the comments.

Color code:

0-10% in red
11-24% in pink
25-39% in orange
40-59% in yellow
60-99% in green
100% in flashy green
Normally, there's also blue for progress and pause in purple, but right now i'll focus on numbers and only goals where progress has been made.

Now for this week: 

WRITING: I'll focus on one project mainly while following completed ones.

"Hour of the Wolf": If the publisher does not decide to release it as part of the collection, I'll probably make it a freebie (ebook and Wattpad). I'm guessing they'll make a decision soon as their collection is to be released in November, so I'll adjust this goal accordingly once I hear from them. 

Sci-fi erotica series Miss Chief in Wonderland: I started writing again and would like to have a few short stories ready for publication in 2021 or 2022. I rescheduled everything I had planned doing this week.

• Plan season 1
• Draft episode 1: 39%
• Expand episode 5
• Draft episode 7
• Draft episode 8
• Draft episode 9
• Reorganize episodes

WORK: Lots to do here! I'll try and get as much done as possible, though I expect life to keep getting in the way as it has lately. 

Promotion: Over the summer, Hubby and I will build a communication strategy to get more business our way in September (since the summer is always slow). 5%

Online courses: I'll focus on making online tests as I can use it immediately with current student, then I'll go back to making the lessons. Hubby and I will also take a look at a new theme for my business website and also upgrade the webhost (which means my writer's site will be hosted there too). I did manage to make 1 test.

• Website stuff : upgrade host, new theme, LMS stuff... 
• English - Starters: make tests 18%
• English - Elementary: make tests 22%
• English - Pre-intermediate: make tests 17%
• Hanashimashou: resume making contents ASAP

Quality certification: I can take it easy now but I'll keep doing bite-size tasks weekly.

• cross-referencing document: I'll finish it during the Round.
• tutorials: I'll keep making them, aiming at 2-4 a month, depending on how much material and preparation is needed. 6%

Story Time: I'll keep making baby steps weekly, mostly preparatory work.

• Wizard & Cat: signpost at least 1 episode a week. 19%
• Timmy & the Hungry Monster: make a general plan, list the language, list the material. I'm listing the language and I'm somewhere around 35%.

PUBLISHING: I'll mostly market my books, old and new.

Curiouser & Curiouser (my debut novel, in French only for now): I'll keep track of reviews and sales, while marketing the book some more. 

Red Hot Spring (English): I'll make the final preparations to publish in August and market. 61%

We Missed Each Other (English): I'll start making preparations once Red Hot Spring is ready. 34%

PERSONAL: We'll do some damage control and try and get help while Hubby is stuck with a slipped disk. 

House renovation: that's the big question mark as most of the things that need to be done require Hubby or help. In the meantime, we'll focus on what contractors are supposed to do.

• parental suite: still aiming at finishing it this year if we can. For this Round, sealing the tiles in the bathroom would be nice. And why not buy the wooden floor for the bedroom and threshold?
• insulation: we need to get the contractor sent by the insurance company to come and the other ones to give us their estimates.

Housework: I'll mostly try and keep up what's been settled last Round. Maybe add a couple of new rooms (namely the porch entrance & workshop)  if I can get help from family and friends to get rid of the spiders in there (I'm extremely phobic when it comes to those...). I'll also try and get my office in order before September is here. Overall: 47%

• office: finish reorganizing, archiving and so on. 50%
• porch entrance: get rid of spiders and webs, spray with repulsive product, deep clean, add to cleaning routine, set coat pegs
• workshop: get rid of spiders and webs, spray with repulsive product, deep clean, reorganize

Self-improvement: I'll keep learning as a teacher, writer and parent.

• Teaching early years MOOC: I'll be an active participant through the 6 weeks and implement new ideas at home and in my classes. 51% 
• Choose next course in August: probably something about teaching again.

Physical health: I'll try and be more and more active while making sure to give myself enough time to relax too and avoid burning out as a side effect of Hubby's slipped disk.

• Housework: I'll focus my energy on this to stay active on a daily basis.
• Stretching: I'll stretch every morning to prevent hurting myself while being active (I have a tendency to sprain)
• Yoga: I'll try and have a yoga session with my girls at least once a week. For starters, I'll look for the best time slot for this. 
• Abs/Fitness: if there's time and energy (ie if Hubby gets better and life stops happening so much), I'll get down to working on fixing my diastasis recti for good, then going back to fitness.

Mental health & journalling: I've started a digital journal and will keep using it daily to keep track of my moods, ideas, learning, etc. Later, I'll schedule a lookback time to make sure this is useful. I'll also keep reading about emotional intensity but more on that below.

Reading: I'll try to read daily.

Emotional intensity: I'll try and complete this reading and discuss it with Hubby.

Beta-reading a Sci-Fi novel: I'll make notes and send feedback to the writer by mid-August. 26%

Writer's website: I'll start the new website for sure, and hopefully get my hands on the original one to export it rather than rebuild from scratch. Hubby will help since sitting in the office armchair is the one thing he manages to do without feeling too horrible. We looked at domain names.