March 31st, 2010

Finding the Time

When I decided to shift to my niche, I asked readers to leave a question for me to answer in a blog post. It’s my way of encouraging a discussion and exchange of ideas and tips. The first question/comment comes from Jeanine aka NaturalMomma. Here is what she had to say:

Hi Kristina!

I have a ques­tion. How do you find enough time in your day for home­school­ing and writ­ing and meals and …?

I am mak­ing a bit of a switch, myself, in that I am want­ing to write more, work one-on-one with clients less all in an effort to (1)live my pur­pose and (2)take my biz to the next level.

But as I have begun to spend more time writ­ing mini-books and blog posts and reports and email follow-up mes­sages, my son has begun to hate my computer!

Jea­nine

My immediate response to Jeanine was a short reply which read, “You are not alone”. I stand by that still. You are not alone Jeanine no matter how it feels. Before becoming a work-at-home mom, I worked full time as an  English teacher (9th grade) and for my daughter’s first year, I was also finishing grad school. I was a wreck.  I left the house at 7:30 am and returned home most nights after 9:00 pm. On the nights that I was home earlier she was in bed by 5:30-6:00 EVERY NIGHT! I kid you not. I barely saw her and I was miserable.

After making the transition to WAHM I thought that life would get easier. I thought that I would have more time for her, but when you work from home it is even harder to draw boundaries at times. I was working 40-50 hour weeks trying to build a web design and consulting business and that left VERY little time for anything else. And again I was miserable.

Then I tried to restructure my life according to worked for so many others. It wasn’t until I took Michele Dortch’s “Get Your Groove Back eClass*” that I was able to put things into perspective. Michele runs The Integrated Mother blog and network and provides so many tips to help working moms of all kinds figure it out. But for me it was the eClass that allowed me to focus on what I wanted and what I needed to do to make my life work.

The bottom line is this, you have to redefine what “getting it all done” means for you and not for anyone else. As much as I wanted to be supermom, I learned that my house is not always going to be neat and that dinner will sometimes have to be cereal and fruit in a bowl. My daughter, who will be four in April, HATES my computer, but she has to learn that sometimes Mommy has to work.

The biggest step that I made in the last 6-8 months is that I set a schedule. I sent an email to current clients outlining my EXACT schedule. Because my husband is off from his job Sunday-Tuesday, Sunday and Monday are our weekends. I do not work unless it is an emergency. Here are my office hours and the message I send all clients:

Sunday and Monday
Closed
Tuesday
By Appointment Only
Wednesday-Saturday
9am-10pm; 1pm-5pm

Please direct all business related calls to my business line. Voicemail and Call Forwarding are activated on this line. And as always, you can reach me by email.

I try not to work while she is awake and I am home alone. My husband schedule affords me that (he begins working at 3pm). If I need to do so, I have special activities for her just for those times. For instance, she gets to watch Wall-E on my  portable Blu-Ray player in her room. This is a treat for her because she does not have a TV in her room and NEVER gets to use the portable player. At other times I allow her to paint alone (makes her feel like a big girl) or play a game on my laptop. Don’t get me wrong, she still manages to need me the most while I’m in the midst of a call with a client, but I also inform my clients that I work from home and that every day is “Take Your Daughter to Work Day” for us.

I left teaching because I wanted to focus on my daughter and because I wanted to build a business on my terms. While I can compromise every now and again, my work hours are pretty much set in stone. You wouldn’t try to get the oil changed on you car after the garage is closed, right? It’s not different. If it’s a problem for a client, then I refer them to someone else. I would rather lose a client than lose my mind!

For house duties these are some things that help:

(1) Weekly Meal menus: plan ahead

(2) Crockpot: especially in the cold weather. We eat a lot of soup, stews, and chili. But works well for Pot roast, oatmeal and more.

(3) Counter-top electric roaster:  Cuts roasting time by almost 1 hour for a full chicken. Less energy used than the oven. Easier to clean.

(4) Homeschool Fun Basket: educational supplies/activities that daughter does n0t play with daily. Handy for emergency distraction.

(5) Music: take 10 minutes and dance like crazy with your child. Gives him attention and allows for you to get some exercise and stress-relief.

(6) Include your child in as many household activities as possible. My daughter loves shooting baskets with dirty clothes into the washer. She puts the silverware away when the dishwasher is clean. She feeds the dog.

(7) I give my daughter a damp cloth and she dust the wooden furniture. She’s been doing it since she was 2.

Jeanine, I hope this helps. There is no exact science; trial by fire is the only method that I know of for figuring this out. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Just take things day-by-day and it will work out.

July 27th, 2009

My Love for You is so Timeless…

My husband loves the classic beauties- the hour glass figures of the pinup girls, vintage cars, and eating at diners with jukeboxes and soda jerks. He prefers suspenders over belts, low-cut neat hairstyles, cigars and pipes, and mom and pop shops. Even his taste in jewelery is classic- preferring pocket watches over wrists watches any day.

When we celebrated our first wedding anniversary on August 30, 2004, I scoured the Internet looking for a pocket watch that embodied the classic beauty of the old Hunter-case watches worn by the railroad workers of 19th century. It was virtually impossible to find one that had the look and feel of the old-style pocket watches,and the ones that I did find were extravagantly priced. Unfortunately, I could not find one that we could afford- you know, newlywed and barely making ends meet.

This year, however, as we come upon out 6-year anniversary, I have decided to bite the bullet and buy a pocket watch for my husband. I found a great, inexpensive collection of the Jules Jergensent watches for under $300. I plan on getting my husband the watch on the left with a phrase, “my love for you is so timeless” engraved on the back.

I guess this is going to be the anniversary of classic gifts, because when my husband asked me what I wanted, I suggested that he check out the Citizen Watches collection which includes and  old-fashion-styled charm bracelet watch. I am normally not a fan of watches for myself, but this bracelet/watch is absolutely breathtaking. It’s going to be a great anniversary!

January 1st, 2009

Product Review: Good Deals & Smart Steals

Let’s face it, the economy has us all suffocating and stressed beyond relief. So, when I was asked to review the new book “Good Housekeeping: Good Deals & Smart Steals: How to Save Money on Everything,” I jumped at the offer. And I am glad I did.

The tiny book  packs a huge punch with how to get the most out of your money simply by knowing where to shop. Take, for example, auctions. When we think of auctions we think of Ebay or Yahoo, but did you know that you can find auctions through the United States Postal Service or the United Stated Department of Treasury?

In addition to auctions, some of the other tips include how to save money purchasing big appliances, organizing a clothing exchange with friends, keeping up with car maintence, and even maximizing coupons by shopping on “Double Coupon Days.”

If part of your New Year’s Reasolution is to save money, you will benefit from this amazing tips offered in ”Good Housekeeping: Good Deals & Smart Steals: How to Save Money on Everything“. This book gets two thumbs up from my family.

July 17th, 2008

Lighter on the Salt, Heavy on the Taste

I am always looking for healthier alternatives to my favorite snacks and Lays Original potato chips are by far my favorite chips. They contain 180 mg of sodium (the same as white bread) and with my and my husband’s current high blood pressure issues, I have to avoid them. So, when I was contacted by a representative from the Zócalo Group with an offer to try a sample of the Lays Pinch of Salt Potato Chips, I jumped at the chance to do so- and I was not disappointed.

The chips arrived in a very large box considering the size of the bag (a regular large bag of chips), which made me chuckle. But a big box was needed to contain the flavor of these chips. They were amazing. My husband, who NEVER wants plain chips, enjoyed them as well. And while sodium is still off limits to us, it’s good to know that we can indulge every now and then with a better choice.

I do want to share some nutritional information that Jen, the Zócalo Group representive who sent me the free samples, forwarded to me. I cross-checked this information with the USDA and it is accurate.

SODIUM COMPARISONS OF FRITO-LAY PRODUCTS AND COMMONLY CONSUMED FOODS AND SNACKS

*Data from USDA Nutrient Database