Thought of the Day

It’s been a busy kid weekend. Birthday parties, staying up late and play dates makes for some tired kiddos who turn on you. My dad and his girlfriend stopped by on Saturday and we all decided to go out to dinner to a local restaurant. I had every intention to make dinner but by the end of a very long day with a cranky girl – I was too spent to make dinner for 6 people.

In the middle of dinner as I was ordering my second glass of wine (I find wine calms the frayed nerves and the overwhelming urge to give my child away) I looked around and saw other mom’s with a glass of wine as well. I think if Motherhood ceased to exist the wine industry would fold like a cheap lawn.

A Proud Mama Moment

With all that is happening in Haiti I felt that writing a Fun Friday post wouldn’t be appropriate for me this week. With all the images and stories of devastation it just didn’t feel right.

My heart goes out to the people of Haiti.

With those thoughts and feelings I felt compelled to ask my girls if they had talk about what happened in school.

They said no.

It surprised me. Something on this level affects us all and thought it would’ve been brought up. Hubby thinks its because they are too young.

I disagree.

I think they need to be aware of what is happening in the world around them. (If we’re in a “global economy” and a globalized world now – can you imagine just how globalized we’ll be in 12 years?) At 8 years old do they need to know all the gory details? No. But they need to have some concept of what is going on around them.

The girls and I went on to have a conversation about the Haitian earthquake. I was honest and told them many many people have been hurt and many have died. I talked to them about how people are sleeping in the streets because they have no home or are too afraid to sleep inside with all the aftershocks happening. How the Dr’s are having a hard time helping because the hospital has been destroyed and they are short on medical supplies. I told them about how other countries are helping and how the US is sending a hospital ship and another ship with supplies to help.

Then Nat said something that almost made me cry. She said with conviction “We have to help them”. “We need to send them clothing”.

I explained to her we couldn’t because the airports weren’t fully working and a lot of  roads were destroyed. The clothing would probably not make it.  She then said “We need to send them $100″. I absolutely agreed with her.

So today after school we’re going to sit down and do a little research on the different organizations needing help,  choose one and make a donation.

It not only feels like the right thing to do – but I feel it’s important for me to support Nat in her desire to reach out beyond her immediate world and help. I am very proud of her and how she was able to empathize with other people who she doesn’t know. Until I showed her where Haiti was she thought they were on the “other side of the earth”.  It was also a great affirmation for me as a parent and always good to be reminded that I’m not totally messing my child up : D

Guest Post from Mary M. Byers

As you may remember, I recently partnered up with Making Work at Home Work as a blogger.

Making Work At Home Work: Holiday Strategies
by Mary Byers

As I look ahead to the approaching holiday season, I thought I’d share a few suggestions for you to consider for your business.

• Give yourself a break. Most employees get time off for Christmas. Sometimes I give myself time off, too. But I’m not always intentional about it. This year, I’m going to actually mark off a couple of days that I’m gifting to myself. I’ll turn on my auto reply and get myself out of the office. I know it will feel good and will be rejuvenating for me.

• Make a list of office supply and equipment needs. I know it is difficult to spend money on work when you need to spend money on holiday gifts. But there are two great reasons to make work related purchases this month and next. One, there are great sales. Two, if you’ve had a successful year in 2009, you can reduce your taxable income by purchasing things you need (and want) for your business.

• Consider developing a one-page plan for next year. I spend one morning each December writing a one-page business plan for myself. I simply identify four or five initiatives that would help my business. I capture them on paper, jot down my action plans, and post it on my wall. This helps keep me focused throughout the year.

• Set a financial goal (unless it will make you a slave to your business). I set financial goals for myself early in my business. But I abandoned them when they became the be-all and end-all for me even though I had two preschool aged children. Instead, I focused on taking the work that came my way. No more, no less. Now, however, I’ve started setting goals again. And I’m pleased to report that I had my best year ever in 2009! Don’t be a slave to a goal. But consider setting one if it will motivate and encourage you or if you have something special you’re saving for.

• Take time to be thankful. I am grateful I get to work from home. Sometimes I forget my gratitude when I’m overwhelmed or behind in my work. But I don’t want to lose sight of what a privilege it is to run my own business. I plan to keep this in the forefront of my mind as I approach this holiday season.

Mary Byers is the author of Making Work at Home Work: Successfully Growing a Business and a Family Under One Roof. Sign up for her work at home blog at www.makingworkathomework.com.

Last month when I was blogging what I am thankful for – one thing I wrote about is being thankful for opportunities.

An opportunity that came up recently for me was to join a blogging ring. Mary M Byers published a book titled Making Work at Home Work: Successfully Growing a Business and a Family under One Roof. Mary has started a blog ring as a way for moms to connect and I was invited to join. Check out the other mommy blogs here.

I’m half way through Mary’s book and have discovered a kind of comfort knowing that my sometimes crazy life is not the exception to the work at home rule.  I love that Mary includes the lessons she has learned along the way and passes on tips that have helped her. (I especially love Chapter 5 about the guilt that sometimes comes when working at home and caring for your family and the quotes from moms.) One quote that really struck home from a work at home mom is…”I always feel like I am letting someone down”. I can totally relate to that sentiment. If it’s not my family – it’s my business – and sometimes it’s me that I let down. I have every intention to do something for myself and then poof I think  I need to put me on the back burner and take care of something else!

At times I may be physically doing something fun with my girls but my mind is either writing my next blog post or thinking about a client’s project. My girls are now getting to the point where they can tell if I’m there but not really there. Then there are the times when I am working on a project and would rather be with my girls having fun but I can’t. Sometimes it’s simply a no win situation.

I will be having guest blog posts from time to time from Mary. I hope you enjoy them and please feel free to comment!

It’s Very Cool To Be A Girl

Watching my daughter get ready for school today reminded me that it is so very cool to be a girl.

It wasn’t that she did anything out of the ordinary. She got ready for school like she normally does. She went to school in her usual uniform of jeans, t-shirt and tennis shoes. Nothing special or spectacular.

But she has this other side and doesn’t hide it. In fact she embraces it for all its worth.

She loves her bling and twirls. We can’t walk through a department store without her stopping to oh and ah over the jewelery.  When we walk by the shoe department she’ll stop when she sees a pair of stilettos and ask if she can try them on as she’s taking off her shoe!

During the holidays I avoid the mall altogether with her. Walk through a store with holiday gowns and we are hopelessly side tracked. Lost within a maze of sequins and organza.

While she loves to dress up and wear sparkly (Although sparkly is not an official word in the English dictionary – it’s a word used often in our house!) stuff -  she’s not afraid to put on jeans and tennis shoes so that she can fully enjoy the playground.

I love that! And that’s why it’s soooo cool to be a girl.