Sorry I haven’t been around much lately. About a month ago, I agreed to babysit (or be a part-time nanny) for 5 hours a day. The last few weeks it’s become 7 hours a day, and people around me have seen the strain. The particular children I’m watching ( an 11-month old and a 3 & 1/2-year old) need more than I can give them on a daily basis. If being a nanny was my full-time job it would be fine, but my other responsibilities have been lacking, and my networking (message boards, lists, etc.) has dwindled to the point of being almost nonexistent. I guess I thought I could juggle both the babysitting and my one main job, but I haven’t been querying or networking for/with other magazines and clients, and that’s where the problem lies. So, I’ve let the parents know that I need to cut back, and they need to find someone else to help out. Funny how my husband, my mom, and others have seen the strain I’m under, but my fear of disappointing people has held me back from realizing it, too. I know when we have our own children it will be different– they will be my primary responsibility, but I can’t be that to someone else’s children right now.
So, hopefully I’ll get back into the querying and networking groove pretty soon. I’ve missed the daily chatter with my writing colleagues.
Julia Temlyn is an 
