Okay so it hasn't been a stellar week in terms of work assignments, but I also think that I got spoiled. I have decided that writing 80-page ebooks is not my favorite, but man do those pay well! So I need to work with what I've got and continue to look for new work. It's tough, but so worth it when I land something.
I am still working on the model boat articles. I am happy for the work but my eyes are rolling back in my head from trying to come up with new topics on this hobby that I know nothing about. If nothing else it's good for a laugh here and there....that's usually me! I am also working to build up more of my own articles again little by little as I think that they help not only to earn me a little money but also to use as marketing tools for my freelance business.
Jeff and I had one of those weeks where we took a step back to see what we're truly grateful for. It's important to do that from time to time and we are very lucky. I know I say it all the time but I truly recognize it! Faith is the most importat thing in our life and the rest of the stuff always has a way of working out. So too is the case with my mompreneur venture and to be honest I have had some assignments come in but I'm trying to figure out the whole workload. I have to keep Faith as the top priority and the rest will fall into place.
Tomorrow is Halloween and we are very excited to get Faith into her costume again. She's just too cute and the costume fits her perfectly!! I will have to be sure to include a pic next time.
Okay off to write more on the wonderful world of model boats until the love bug wakes up from her nap!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Taking a Step Back
It's easy to get caught up in the work when you're trying to get a freelance business going. If I'm not on a deadline for turning something in, then I'm stressing about where my next assignment is coming from. I try hard to balance everything out and spend all the quality time possible with my daughter in a day, but I will admit sometimes I don't do a great job.
I decided today that I need to take a step back. That sometimes it's okay to relax for a day or two and take inventory. Not only that, but it's important to take the time to do something as simple as read to Faith. Surely something that goes by the wayside when I'm swamped with work stuff. Don't get me wrong, I always spend time with her and try to do fun things with her everyday. It is easy however to get her into a toy and write a quick article. I'm not proud of that, but it's a reality when you're trying to be an effective mom and mompreneur.
My most important role is mom, no doubt about it. To help me be home with her full time, I feel that bringing in something on a monthly basis helps our family. Sure I'm saving us money by being home and saving daycare costs, clothes, lunches out, etc. Most importantly I'm home with her, so I'm learning the whole balance thing each and everyday. So I am going to work hard at taking a step back! I will take some assignments but won't get down on myself if I have an unproductive day here or there. Sometimes the worst pressure is the one we put on ourselves.
I decided today that I need to take a step back. That sometimes it's okay to relax for a day or two and take inventory. Not only that, but it's important to take the time to do something as simple as read to Faith. Surely something that goes by the wayside when I'm swamped with work stuff. Don't get me wrong, I always spend time with her and try to do fun things with her everyday. It is easy however to get her into a toy and write a quick article. I'm not proud of that, but it's a reality when you're trying to be an effective mom and mompreneur.
My most important role is mom, no doubt about it. To help me be home with her full time, I feel that bringing in something on a monthly basis helps our family. Sure I'm saving us money by being home and saving daycare costs, clothes, lunches out, etc. Most importantly I'm home with her, so I'm learning the whole balance thing each and everyday. So I am going to work hard at taking a step back! I will take some assignments but won't get down on myself if I have an unproductive day here or there. Sometimes the worst pressure is the one we put on ourselves.
Monday, October 27, 2008
I Think I Can...I Think I Can
I am not the world's most positive person! I try to be optimistic but then something comes along that shakes me up and it's back to being Debbie Downer. I admit it and recognize it as one of my character flaws. It's one of the many reasons why I'm such a worrier and explains why I try hard not to set myself up for disappointment. It's pretty hard to have an attitude like this and work to start your own freelance business!
The disappointment factor is always there so you better be prepared that it can hit you at any moment. I've been lucky that I've always found new avenues of work when others fell through, but there are days that it can just get to me. Today was one such day where I was sure that I had a project in the bag and then it felt as if it was snapped out from under me. Is this a reason to get down and feel frustrated? To some maybe not, but to me it's hard not to give into it. I am trying to turn this energy around into an appreciation for the good things and less of a focus on the negative. It's hard but I'm a work in progress--aren't we all?!
I also find that it's pretty hard to stay down or upset when I look at Faith. I see her crawling around and ranting something in her own baby language and it immediately puts a smile on my face. That's another reason why being home with her is amazing, she can turn a bad mood into a good one instantly! So yes even those who feel lucky all the time do get down from time to time--we are human after all! Let's just hope it was one of those days and that I'll be back in the game tomorrow.
The disappointment factor is always there so you better be prepared that it can hit you at any moment. I've been lucky that I've always found new avenues of work when others fell through, but there are days that it can just get to me. Today was one such day where I was sure that I had a project in the bag and then it felt as if it was snapped out from under me. Is this a reason to get down and feel frustrated? To some maybe not, but to me it's hard not to give into it. I am trying to turn this energy around into an appreciation for the good things and less of a focus on the negative. It's hard but I'm a work in progress--aren't we all?!
I also find that it's pretty hard to stay down or upset when I look at Faith. I see her crawling around and ranting something in her own baby language and it immediately puts a smile on my face. That's another reason why being home with her is amazing, she can turn a bad mood into a good one instantly! So yes even those who feel lucky all the time do get down from time to time--we are human after all! Let's just hope it was one of those days and that I'll be back in the game tomorrow.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Family Fun Time
I never realized how much I would enjoy time with each other before we had Faith. I thought I looked forward to the weekends before, but now that time is just so precious. I'm fortunate enough to be able to spend almost every waking moment with my little angel, but having daddy in the mix makes it so much more special. We had the best time today just running around and enjoying family fun time. A trip to Kohl's was never so much fun before!
I have given up all dignity as I walk through stores as my entire focus is on this precious little baby girl. It's so funny as I don't even realize that I'm singing out loud to her until I get a strange look from a stranger in the same aisle we're in. Today Jeff could hear Faith from across the store as she shouted in glee as she tried to grab things off the shelves. Such cute innocence!
We just enjoy being a family and doing the simplest things together. Meals are fun, spending time together on a Saturday morning (even if it is at 7am!) is so enjoyable, and the nights in are so appreciated and anticipated. Sure mommy and daddy still enjoy a date night or some drinks with friends, but the priorities change and spending time with this little girl and each other is something we look forward to more than we could have imagined.
I am happy to report that I have some work waiting for me tomorrow morning. Thanks to nana being here to take care of Faith, I will be cranking out articles on model boat building. Yes that's right, I said it--model boat building. Do I know anything about this subject? Not at all! However this is what makes freelance writing so much fun! So unfortunately another weekend of family fun time is over but another week will begin and hopefully it will be a good one for all.
I have given up all dignity as I walk through stores as my entire focus is on this precious little baby girl. It's so funny as I don't even realize that I'm singing out loud to her until I get a strange look from a stranger in the same aisle we're in. Today Jeff could hear Faith from across the store as she shouted in glee as she tried to grab things off the shelves. Such cute innocence!
We just enjoy being a family and doing the simplest things together. Meals are fun, spending time together on a Saturday morning (even if it is at 7am!) is so enjoyable, and the nights in are so appreciated and anticipated. Sure mommy and daddy still enjoy a date night or some drinks with friends, but the priorities change and spending time with this little girl and each other is something we look forward to more than we could have imagined.
I am happy to report that I have some work waiting for me tomorrow morning. Thanks to nana being here to take care of Faith, I will be cranking out articles on model boat building. Yes that's right, I said it--model boat building. Do I know anything about this subject? Not at all! However this is what makes freelance writing so much fun! So unfortunately another weekend of family fun time is over but another week will begin and hopefully it will be a good one for all.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Lucky Girl
I am a lucky girl! I say this all the time, but I really am! I'm lucky to have my baby girl, lucky to have a wonderful husband, lucky to have a great mom who helps all the time, I'm just lucky! I don't always see it all the time and honestly lose sight of that quite often, but I know it in my heart. There are areas of my life that I struggle with and always will, but every time I look at my baby I count my blessings. I really have to remind myself of how fortunate I am when I get frustrated with my freelance career.
It's tough sometimes--tough to find work, tough to stay focused, tough to get things on deadline when there is a little one crawling around the house. However I think of the alternative of being away from her and as my stomach gets sick to that, I realize that these are little things that I need not let overtake my day. Sometimes easier said than done! I try to get one errand or thing accomplished a day that gives my daughter and I a diversion, and then spend as much time with her while cranking out articles, ebooks, web content, or whatever job I happen to have in front of me that day. So far it works well and we are now nine months into it, let's hope it continues!
I think that the difference between a mompreneur like me and a stay at home mom is the work balance. I may not have the cleanest house in the universe, but I feel a compelling need to write whenever Faith is down for a nap. Both types of moms cram as much as they can into a day, it's just a difference of what those tasks are. Would I love to strip the beds and clean the bathrooms during nap time? Sure, it would mean less for me to do on the weekends or when my mom is here! However since this career is on me to develop and me alone, I need to spend any free time I have either writing or marketing myself. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it! I also have this pressure on myself to be sure that I always have dinner on the table for my husband and that the house is picked up. He's never made me feel this way, it's just something that I do to myself. It works!
So no matter how crazy the day gets or how many items there are on the to do list, I always remind myself that I am a lucky girl!
It's tough sometimes--tough to find work, tough to stay focused, tough to get things on deadline when there is a little one crawling around the house. However I think of the alternative of being away from her and as my stomach gets sick to that, I realize that these are little things that I need not let overtake my day. Sometimes easier said than done! I try to get one errand or thing accomplished a day that gives my daughter and I a diversion, and then spend as much time with her while cranking out articles, ebooks, web content, or whatever job I happen to have in front of me that day. So far it works well and we are now nine months into it, let's hope it continues!
I think that the difference between a mompreneur like me and a stay at home mom is the work balance. I may not have the cleanest house in the universe, but I feel a compelling need to write whenever Faith is down for a nap. Both types of moms cram as much as they can into a day, it's just a difference of what those tasks are. Would I love to strip the beds and clean the bathrooms during nap time? Sure, it would mean less for me to do on the weekends or when my mom is here! However since this career is on me to develop and me alone, I need to spend any free time I have either writing or marketing myself. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it! I also have this pressure on myself to be sure that I always have dinner on the table for my husband and that the house is picked up. He's never made me feel this way, it's just something that I do to myself. It works!
So no matter how crazy the day gets or how many items there are on the to do list, I always remind myself that I am a lucky girl!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Another Day Another Dollar
I swear that the world of freelance writing is a constant roller coaster of highs and lows. So the good news is that I finally got paid for my outstanding jobs--yeah! The not so great news it that I'm in a holding pattern for some of my new jobs that looked so promising. I swore to myself that I would try to be positive this week and keep reminding myself how lucky I am rather than play the "poor me" game.
Looking at Faith crawl quickly across the floor is always a great motivation to smile. I can hardly believe that my little baby girl is going to be nine months tomorrow! I feel like it was just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. Sure it's cliche and you hear everybody say that, but seriously where does the time go?
It's amazing at how much my life has changed and how happy I am with it! I went from being a cog in the corporate community and lunches out all the time to being my own boss and taking more joy in sharing lunch with my baby than anything else in the world. I always tell her that she is my favorite person to hang out with in the whole world--this along with everything these days seems to make her laugh.
She did have a drama queen moment today when she got her first installment of her flu shot. We're hoping that this won't be as bad as her regular immunizations--mommy and Faith have a full week of playdates and activities. Not to mention mommy needs to drum up some more work!
So another day, fortunately another dollar. Next time I hope to report that I have landed some very promising long term assignments.
Looking at Faith crawl quickly across the floor is always a great motivation to smile. I can hardly believe that my little baby girl is going to be nine months tomorrow! I feel like it was just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. Sure it's cliche and you hear everybody say that, but seriously where does the time go?
It's amazing at how much my life has changed and how happy I am with it! I went from being a cog in the corporate community and lunches out all the time to being my own boss and taking more joy in sharing lunch with my baby than anything else in the world. I always tell her that she is my favorite person to hang out with in the whole world--this along with everything these days seems to make her laugh.
She did have a drama queen moment today when she got her first installment of her flu shot. We're hoping that this won't be as bad as her regular immunizations--mommy and Faith have a full week of playdates and activities. Not to mention mommy needs to drum up some more work!
So another day, fortunately another dollar. Next time I hope to report that I have landed some very promising long term assignments.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Being Grateful
I stand corrected and I will admit when I'm wrong! On Friday I was just down in the dumps and feeling pretty bad about myself. I wasn't getting any response on my work and was feeling like I would never be able to land a new client. It was just one of those days that I was feeling down and out! Then Saturday came and it was a new point of view. I have decided that I need to not always let my fear, worry, or initial knee jerk reaction dictate my day or state of being. Sometimes you feel down but it always turns around. I luckily heard back from my clients, got paid, and am hopeful about new work coming in. A much better way to be and more pleasant to everyone around me!
We had a wonderful weekend! Our first pumpkin patch and apple orchard with Faith. Yes they are the cliche fall things to do in Michigan, but we loved them. As I was telling Jeff last night, you tend to appreciate all of the little things so much more when you're doing them with children. I loved seeing her reaction to being in the apples with her little friends. She is just such a joy! I am the luckiest mommy in the world! I love our parenting group too, it's nice to have other moms and dads to talk through all the milestones with.
So it's a new week and a new attitude for this mommy! I am hopeful, grateful, and just generally happy to be home with my baby girl. Let's hope I can keep this frame of mind!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Rough Days
My hope with this blog is always to provide an honest view of things, particularly my feelings. I love being home with my baby, I never thought that this would be possible but here I am with her chattering away next to me. I love that I get to bring in some income while here with her. Sure there are days that are a bit crazy, no doubt about it! Being home with her far outweighs any stress or anxiety that I may feel. You guessed it, there's a BUT coming up.
Finding freelance work goes through phases. Sometimes I have more work than I know what to do with. Then the flip side is days like today where most of my projects have drawn to a close and now I sit in frantic state trying to figure out what next. It's scary because I know that I need to get something going, but you always wonder where it will come from. I've exhausted all of my current options and now I need to somehow get creative. Let's just say that I'm not feeling like the world's most successful mompreneur today.
I feel in a constant balance between giving her enough time and attention and ensuring that I do my part to be a mompreneur. Obviously being successful as a mommy is the most important thing to me, but I want to also be an example to her. I want her to know that mommy kept it all going by working her butt off not only to take care of her, but also to keep some sort of a career going on the side.
This is going to be one of those days that I feel unmotivated, defeated, and just down. I pick her up and give her a hug which usually makes it better. I just have this nagging within me that I'm not going to make this all work. Let's hope that goes away as the day moves on!
Finding freelance work goes through phases. Sometimes I have more work than I know what to do with. Then the flip side is days like today where most of my projects have drawn to a close and now I sit in frantic state trying to figure out what next. It's scary because I know that I need to get something going, but you always wonder where it will come from. I've exhausted all of my current options and now I need to somehow get creative. Let's just say that I'm not feeling like the world's most successful mompreneur today.
I feel in a constant balance between giving her enough time and attention and ensuring that I do my part to be a mompreneur. Obviously being successful as a mommy is the most important thing to me, but I want to also be an example to her. I want her to know that mommy kept it all going by working her butt off not only to take care of her, but also to keep some sort of a career going on the side.
This is going to be one of those days that I feel unmotivated, defeated, and just down. I pick her up and give her a hug which usually makes it better. I just have this nagging within me that I'm not going to make this all work. Let's hope that goes away as the day moves on!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Getting Started
Let me introduce myself, my name is Mary and I am a mommy to my beautiful baby girl, Faith. Faith is almost nine months old and I have the priviledge of being home with her full time--the best blessings I have ever received in my life! I am very lucky and I know it.
Call it my desire to contribute financially to our household or my drive to keep my business sense about me, but I have been working hard to keep a career going from home on my terms. I've been lucky enough to find some great freelance writing and marketing consulting work. I just need to keep it going and that's the hard part.
I love what I do and there is nothing else I can see myself doing. I consider myself a fairly successful mompreneur, but I have never been one to sit back and relax. So here I sit figuring out my next avenue to keep the work coming in. I've been wanting to start a blog for awhile so here I am using this as an avenue to keep my thoughts in front of me and hope that this eventually turns into a platform for me to showcase all of my work.
This is kind of fun, I love writing out my thoughts and I think it will work for me in the long run. Faith is crawling around my feet and as I look at her adorable little face, I ponder what to target next to keep the work coming.
Another day, hopefully tomorrow will be a more fruitful day!
Call it my desire to contribute financially to our household or my drive to keep my business sense about me, but I have been working hard to keep a career going from home on my terms. I've been lucky enough to find some great freelance writing and marketing consulting work. I just need to keep it going and that's the hard part.
I love what I do and there is nothing else I can see myself doing. I consider myself a fairly successful mompreneur, but I have never been one to sit back and relax. So here I sit figuring out my next avenue to keep the work coming in. I've been wanting to start a blog for awhile so here I am using this as an avenue to keep my thoughts in front of me and hope that this eventually turns into a platform for me to showcase all of my work.
This is kind of fun, I love writing out my thoughts and I think it will work for me in the long run. Faith is crawling around my feet and as I look at her adorable little face, I ponder what to target next to keep the work coming.
Another day, hopefully tomorrow will be a more fruitful day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
