I am a writer.

That's what I say when someone asks what I do for a living. 

And it's funny - because the "online reaction" is quite different from the reaction I get in real life. I think it's important for anyone to surround herself with supportive people, people who have your back. It seems that's easier online - for me anyway. When I introduce myself as a writer in real life, I almost always get an "Oh" and an awkward silence. Then I get a sympathetic look and once I add "and a business consultant", finally a sigh of relief. 

My online community is what carries me and keeps me going - and one very important member of that community is Alison at Writing, Wishing. Needless to say, I was thrilled when she invited me to participate in a Blog Author Tour about my writing process! Alison wrote about her process last week and her blog is one of my favourite places to go on the internet.

This is my writing process:

The end of Spring Break is upon us and after two weeks of good intentions I wish I could add the Spring Break Experience to my lists of "firsts" this year. As in "wow, this was the first Spring Break ever when the maternal instinct to keep those kids alive was not what kept me hanging on by a thread" - but alas, I am hanging on by a thread as I write this, no nothing new to report here.

It's actually not even the end of March yet, and while I'm convinced I will make it to the 31st and thus to the first day of school being back in session, I have something really cool in the works for that day - so my monthly round-up is happening today. 

Two years ago I wrote a story about someone who had passed away and who was very dear to my family, especially to my son Marius. His name was Steve Carroll and he was the librarian at my son's elementary school. 

Steve was an extraordinary man and teacher, a huge presence in our community and a positive force in the lives of many kids. I chose to write about him because he brought so much joy to our lives and enriched it in so many ways, that I wanted to pay tribute to him and also preserve his memory.

Back then, one of his friends from Nova Scotia read the piece and encouraged me to send it to CBC's The Vinyl Cafe, hosted by Stuart McLean. I have to be honest - I had no idea who Stuart Mc Lean was, but I found out that people send stories to him and he reads a few of them on air. I submitted my story, because I think that everyone should know what a great guy Steve was.

Two more days of school and two weeks of Spring Break are starting around here. Yes, you read right - TWO weeks. I don't know what the heck the school board was thinking when they came up with that, but I am convinced that the person responsible for the vacation schedule does not have children living at home...

I saw a post on my friend Tonya's Facebook page today, about an article in the Huffington Post that suggests limiting the use of handheld devices for children under 12. While I did not read the article (because people handing out guidelines for other people's children just ruin my mood), I chimed in because the topic has been an issue in my family for a long time.

I should clarify - the use of handheld devices specifically has not been an issue for us, but setting guidelines for how much "electronics time" the kids get has been a struggle on more than one occasion.

Last week, just before I finished up a huge project for a client, I was feeling particularly stressed. When my husband came home for lunch (lunch dates every day - I know, right?) it did not take a lot to set me off and it went something like this:

You know, it must be nice to be able to just go to work. This is what your day looks like: You get up in the morning, check your Facebook , get ready for work and then you leave. You come home for lunch, go back to work - while you're at work you just work - and when you're done you come home for dinner. That's pretty much it.

Want to know what my day looks like? Glad you asked - it goes something like this:

Last weekend we said goodbye to our motorhome Gerdi. She was our (mostly) reliable camping companion for the last three years, and while we were sad to see her go, we are excited for a new chapter in Auer travels.

This year we're planning on taking some road trips in our new truck, to places we've never been before. First trip coming up: to Victoria, BC - we just booked our hotel and ferry this morning and we're excited!

We made a lot of good memories with Gerdi - here are a few...