<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>The Dana Files &#187; Writer Mama</title>
	<atom:link href="http://thedanafiles.com/category/writer-mama/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://thedanafiles.com</link>
	<description>Where Current Events Aren&#039;t Clouded By Baby Powder</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:16:42 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Summer, Summer, Summertime</title>
		<link>http://thedanafiles.com/2010/06/13/summer-summer-summertime/</link>
		<comments>http://thedanafiles.com/2010/06/13/summer-summer-summertime/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:15:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dana</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Baby Jaws]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Doodlebug]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Mommy Files]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Workin' Mama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writer Mama]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thedanafiles.com/?p=1594</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Once again, the blogger formerly known as Dana (okay, I&#8217;m still going by Dana but that line just sounds cool), has come back to blog. I&#8217;m sure this will be like all the other times. Write a post. Give excuses. Apologize for lack of blogging. Promise to blog more regularly. Go back to life&#8217;s demands. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Once again, the blogger formerly known as Dana (okay, I&#8217;m still going by Dana but that line just sounds cool), has come back to blog.  I&#8217;m sure this will be like all the other times.  Write a post.  Give excuses.  Apologize for lack of blogging. Promise to blog more regularly.  Go back to life&#8217;s demands. Forget to blog for a <del datetime="2010-06-14T02:56:32+00:00">day</del> <del datetime="2010-06-14T03:16:41+00:00">week</del> month.</p>
<p>This shit is getting old.  Yes, I said shit.  I can&#8217;t help it.  I&#8217;m reprimanding myself for not blogging.  Again.</p>
<p>The big news of the past few months:</p>
<p>Dawson has finished his year of 4K (4-year-old kindergarten).  He had a wonderful year.  He started out shy and quiet and ended the school year as a bright, outgoing and super happy boy.  He did miss half of the last day of school because he threw up.  It was the day of his 4K concert and I&#8217;m thinking the usual nerves that come with stardom got the better of him.  His teacher called for me to pick him up early.  I was bummed to miss all the little ones singing songs and dancing the hokey pokey, but I was more nervous about my son being sick. Turns out he was fine the next day.  I&#8217;m blaming stage fright.</p>
<p>Owen is almost 8 months old.  He&#8217;s nearly 25 pounds, almost 29 inches in length and he eats a lot.  We&#8217;re still nursing, too.  My baby has no intentions of weaning and I&#8217;m okay with that.  I just don&#8217;t know where he puts everything he consumes!  He eats rice cereal in the morning, baby food 3 times a day and nurses quite a bit throughout the day and evening.  He has been sleeping through the night, save for a few growth spurts that have caused him to wake up at 3 a.m. for a snack.  He will be the child to eat us out of house and home.  He is going to be a linebacker in the NFL.  Mark my words.  You should see his thighs.  Massive.</p>
<p>I have gone back to work.  I started a job with a temp agency back in February and have been working part-time hours ever since.  I like the flexibility that this opportunity brings.  I&#8217;m able to be home with my munchkins for the most part, but I also get to interact with adults and bring home a little cash, too.  I&#8217;m still searching for a full time job (since my contract with BlogHer ended in October) but this economy hasn&#8217;t rebounded as quickly as I&#8217;d hoped.  I&#8217;ve had interviews left and right, but the trouble is there are so many applicants for so few positions.  I&#8217;m just taking my time, trying to find the right job.  I had an interview last week that was fantastic and they will be contacting me this week with their decision.  Wish me luck!</p>
<p>Our calendar has been packed with parties and events.  We had two graduation parties we attended that last two Saturdays, not to mention church picnics, birthday parties and kids adventures.  I have been taking Dawson to the Lowe&#8217;s Build &amp; Grow project days and he has such fun building the kits.  Yesterday he made a picture frame.  It is really cool.</p>
<p>This summer is looking good, too.  Two weddings, a bridal shower, baby shower and a mini-vacation are coming up.  I&#8217;m very excited!  I&#8217;m keeping the kids busy with swimming lessons, and Dawson is playing T-Ball and Soccer this summer.  I want him to have as much fun as he can before kindergarten starts this fall.</p>
<p>What are you all doing these days?  Any big summer plans?</p>
<hr/>Copyright &copy; 2010 <strong><a href="http://thedanafiles.com">The Dana Files</a></strong>. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact Dana at thedanafilesblog@gmail.com so we can take legal action immediately.<br/><span style="float: right;font-size: 7pt"><a href="http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/wordpress-plugins-provided-by-taraganacom/">Plugin</a> by <a href="http://www.taragana.com/">Taragana</a></span>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://thedanafiles.com/2010/06/13/summer-summer-summertime/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Random Sunday Blogging</title>
		<link>http://thedanafiles.com/2009/07/12/random-sunday-blogging/</link>
		<comments>http://thedanafiles.com/2009/07/12/random-sunday-blogging/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:55:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dana</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Feeling Random]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Mommy Files]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writer Mama]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thedanafiles.com/?p=1241</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hibiscus, Pink Bloom It&#8217;s 5:47 a.m., I&#8217;m wide awake.  Couldn&#8217;t sleep.  Nose still stuffy, I&#8217;m now feeling some congestion.  Is it allergies?  Delayed onset of a cold?  Swine flu? (Dear God, I hope not.  Please help me feel human again.) It&#8217;s July 12, 2009, and the weather this morning is frigid for July.  Wisconsin summers [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" title="Pink Bloom" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/3700491554_2e71aeae54.jpg?v=1247395526" alt="" width="400" height="250" /><em>Hibiscus, Pink Bloom</em></p>
<p>It&#8217;s 5:47 a.m., I&#8217;m wide awake.  Couldn&#8217;t sleep.  Nose still stuffy, I&#8217;m now feeling some congestion.  Is it allergies?  Delayed onset of a cold?  <a href="http://thedanafiles.com/2009/07/11/swine-flu-scare/">Swine flu?</a> (Dear God, I hope not.  Please help me feel human again.)</p>
<p>It&#8217;s July 12, 2009, and the weather this morning is frigid for July.  Wisconsin summers are typically humid.  We&#8217;ve been in a cold snap for almost a week (or more, I&#8217;ve lost track).</p>
<p>It&#8217;s Sunday, and in 4 hours we&#8217;ll be off to church.  Our parish festival began Friday evening and ends tonight.  This morning&#8217;s service is a Polka Mass.  While Dawson and I enjoy the music, poor Doug (who dislikes polkas very much) will be cringing for an hour.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s too early to be awake.  I&#8217;ll try to go back to sleep, only to lie awake in bed and think about things.  My thinking will turn into worrying, as it usually does, and then I&#8217;ll get out of bed and start cleaning things to take my mind off everything else.</p>
<p>I think I might be hungry.  I&#8217;m starting to feel nauseas.  Oh, the joys of pregnancy.</p>
<p>5:53 a.m.  Random Sunday blogging.  Good times.</p>
<p>Good Morning, y&#8217;all&#8230;</p>
<hr/>Copyright &copy; 2010 <strong><a href="http://thedanafiles.com">The Dana Files</a></strong>. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact Dana at thedanafilesblog@gmail.com so we can take legal action immediately.<br/><span style="float: right;font-size: 7pt"><a href="http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/wordpress-plugins-provided-by-taraganacom/">Plugin</a> by <a href="http://www.taragana.com/">Taragana</a></span>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://thedanafiles.com/2009/07/12/random-sunday-blogging/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Gimme Back My Groove</title>
		<link>http://thedanafiles.com/2008/10/27/gimme-back-my-groove/</link>
		<comments>http://thedanafiles.com/2008/10/27/gimme-back-my-groove/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:05:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dana</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writer Mama]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thedanafiles.com/?p=995</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m feeling overwhelmed.  I have so much to do and so little time to get everything done.  I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ve noticed.  My blogging has been sporadic for so long.  I&#8217;ve lost my blogging groove. To be completely honest, I haven&#8217;t felt the desire to blog &#8212; not the way I once did.  I mean, there [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m feeling overwhelmed.  I have so much to do and so little time to get everything done.  I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ve noticed.  My blogging has been sporadic for so long.  I&#8217;ve lost my blogging groove.</p>
<p>To be completely honest, I haven&#8217;t felt the desire to blog &#8212; not the way I once did.  I mean, there are days that I have things to say and there are many days when I have no idea what to blog about.</p>
<p>I was reading <a href="http://www.wired.com/"><em>Wired</em></a> magazine the other day, and there was <a href="http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/magazine/16-11/st_essay">a little blurb about blogging</a> and how it might be time to pull the plug because it&#8217;s just not what it used to be.  It also mentioned <a href="http://calacanis.com/2008/07/11/official-announcement-regarding-my-retirement-from-blogging/">Jason Calacanis</a> and his decision to end his famous blog this past summer.  (Truthfully, I think he quit blogging because <a href="http://queenofspainblog.com/2008/07/26/the-new-york-times-has-no-fashion-sense/">the Queen of Spain intimidates him with her awesomeness</a>.)</p>
<p>Anyway, for a split second I thought about quitting the blog.  Then I realized how much I would miss it.  I just need some motivation.</p>
<p>So, I signed up for NaNoBloMo again this year to get my rear end back into the blogging big time.  But not only will I be posting daily, I will be commenting daily as well.  My goal is to comment on ten new blogs (in addition to the ones I regularly comment on) every day.  It&#8217;s time to spread the love and get back on top of the game.</p>
<p>And, I have a request from each of you.  To inspire some writing on my end, I am opening up the comments as your forum to ask me anything.  Is there something you want to know about me?  Do you have questions about anything I&#8217;ve written before?  Hit me with it.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll do my best to post answers to your questions.  Thank you in advance for your participation!</p>
<hr/>Copyright &copy; 2010 <strong><a href="http://thedanafiles.com">The Dana Files</a></strong>. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact Dana at thedanafilesblog@gmail.com so we can take legal action immediately.<br/><span style="float: right;font-size: 7pt"><a href="http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/wordpress-plugins-provided-by-taraganacom/">Plugin</a> by <a href="http://www.taragana.com/">Taragana</a></span>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://thedanafiles.com/2008/10/27/gimme-back-my-groove/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mommy Guilt, Earth Day and a Warm Weather Wednesday</title>
		<link>http://thedanafiles.com/2008/04/16/mommy-guilt-earth-day-and-a-warm-weather-wednesday/</link>
		<comments>http://thedanafiles.com/2008/04/16/mommy-guilt-earth-day-and-a-warm-weather-wednesday/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:00:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dana</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writer Mama]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thedanafiles.com/2008/04/16/mommy-guilt-earth-day-and-a-warm-weather-wednesday/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s a beautiful day so Dawson and I are spending it outside, but you can find me at The Mommybloggers today, sharing my feelings about the inevitable Mommy Guilt we mamas experience. Have you been to JUST CAUSE yet? Founder and CEO, Alyssa Royse created this amazing website dedicated to social causes and encouraging you [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s a beautiful day so Dawson and I are spending it outside, but you can find me at <a href="http://www.mommybloggers.com" target="_blank">The Mommybloggers</a> today, <a href="http://www.mommybloggers.com/2008/04/learning_a_lesson_on_letting_g.html" target="_blank">sharing my feelings about the inevitable Mommy Guilt we mamas experience</a>.</p>
<p>Have you been to <a href="http://justcauseit.com" target="_blank">JUST CAUSE</a> yet?  Founder and CEO, Alyssa Royse created this amazing website dedicated to social causes and encouraging you and me to help make the world a better place.</p>
<blockquote><p>JustCauseIt.com is your online source for fresh, fun and insightful stories about people making positive changes in the world. It is a place to learn about creative solutions and to share your own ideas about making the world a better place. Come join us and be a part of the solution!</p></blockquote>
<p>Alyssa has given me the opportunity to write for JUST CAUSE as a contributing editor, writing about JUST FAMILIES.  <a href="http://justcauseit.com/blogs/dana-j-tuszke/going-green-earth-day-2008" target="_blank">I&#8217;ve written my first post about my family&#8217;s plan to go Green for Earth Day</a>, and beyond.</p>
<hr/>Copyright &copy; 2010 <strong><a href="http://thedanafiles.com">The Dana Files</a></strong>. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact Dana at thedanafilesblog@gmail.com so we can take legal action immediately.<br/><span style="float: right;font-size: 7pt"><a href="http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/wordpress-plugins-provided-by-taraganacom/">Plugin</a> by <a href="http://www.taragana.com/">Taragana</a></span>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://thedanafiles.com/2008/04/16/mommy-guilt-earth-day-and-a-warm-weather-wednesday/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
