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My close writing friends tease me relentlessly because I always have several projects on the go at the same time. For me this is like my ‘glove save’ in that I’ll never run completely dry when I have something else to turn to if the mind is blank on a project at hand. But even with having different wells to dip into, I can still draw a blank when it comes to finding topics for blog posts or quick articles.

One reference tool I have for such times is my “Writing Mama List” which is my ongoing list of topics about being a writing mama. A few months ago, I shared a few blogging ideas for when you run out of ideas. Today, I’m going to give a few ideas for my fellow Write-At-Home-Mommys because let’s face it: we have an endless topic supply just in raising our kids, don’t we? The key is making it entertaining enough for anyone to want to read your article.

Here are a few ideas to start with:

1) Talk about one of those never-ending days (eg: ‘Calgon take me away’ days)

2) Review a game you played with your family, including all the antics.

3) Review a book you read, including the dialogue among everyone reading/listening.

4) Pick a craft to do with your kids and write about it.

5) Talk about something frustrating one of your kids did and finding the humor in that.

6) Interview one of your kids (THAT is ALWAYS hilarious!)

7) Discuss a serious issue going on in your family and what you’ve/your kids have learned about it.

8) Join with other writing mamas for a blog hop.

9) Interview a fellow writing mama.

10) Start an every day life sentence and have your followers complete it, using a real life experience/situation.

11) Interview/review a beloved kids’ celebrity or author.

12) Have a Mama Giveaway where you gather up some self-spoiling items as a prize.

13) Write about/give kudos to another writing mama.

14) Give some organizational tips (eg: in writing, the house, personal, etc.)

15) Share a helpful link geared to writing mamas.

16) Share a great writing tool that has helped you in your WAHM success!

17) Get one of your kids to make a blog post choosing his/her own subject (within reason, of course!)

18) Do a cooking project with your kids and write about it.

19) Write about a moment that touched your heart.

20) Write a holiday post – traditions, decorations, things you and your kids do, etc.

21) Take pictures of your kids doing an activity and use the scenario to inspire a fiction story.

22) Share some tips on taking 'Me Time'.

23) Share some tips on how to keep your kids busy while you're trying to write/conduct an interview/finish a chapter, etc.

24) Do some 'Must Have' lists--be creative!

25) Bring up a problem you're having and inquire for fellow writing mommys to brainstorm ideas.

26) Are you a mommy of special needs kids? Share some insight on that.

27) Share some couple ad

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Is your life balanced? Do you have time for everything equally: writing, family, work, health/exercise, home, and friends? Do you have time for yourself? According to Alaskan Dude on www.flickr.com, these three performers called Barely Balanced perform tricks like the one pictured to the left at Renaissance festivals; they made balance into their profession. If we could only do the same. . .

I bring this up today after listening to one of my favorite teachers, Dr. Debra Peppers (who has been inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame) speak on Friday night. She said that one of the key elements to living a happy, fulfilled life is finding balance. I would have to agree with her. But it is easier said than done.

In my life, I feel like there is always something else I should be doing. When I am writing, such as working on this blog post right now, I can hear my husband playing with my seven-month-old daughter and ten-year-old stepson in the other room, and I think, I should be in there, right? But then if I went in there, I would be thinking, While he has them occupied, I should be in the other room getting some work done or dusting. I just spent a bunch of time yesterday with my family at the zoo, so it makes sense that today would be more of a work day. Right? So, it is about finding balance, but it's also about being okay with the balance you find. I wish there was a way to turn off my brain and enjoy each moment I am in MORE.

Even in my writing life, it's hard to find balance between blogging, novel writing, freelancing, editing clients, and so on. I have at least three or four tasks I want to accomplish each day in my writing world, and I am sometimes up until well after midnight (with getting up at 5:30 or 6:00 with the baby) to get them finished.

So, I wish I had some answers for you because I know I am not the only woman writer struggling with this issue. What I try to do now is take each day and divide my time between the things I have to get accomplished. I try to remember that the most important thing is my family, and then the second most is that I have to earn money, so my family can do fun things. With those two goals in mind, I try to find balance.

But I would love to hear if you have some tips for balance--especially if you have found the solution to this problem. Heck, before you know it, we may be just like the Barely Balanced acrobats above.

post by Margo L. Dill; http://www.margodill.com/blog/

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