Balancing It All Out

So Faith's first Thanksgiving is now over and it was a wonderful one! Though she's still not feeling 100% herself, we did have a wonderful holiday with the family and even got in a visit with Santa this weekend. It's one of those great weekends that we hate to see come to a close, I always hate for quality family time to end. We have learned to just love it! We have a big family reunion today so it will be great to show her off and see family that we don't get to see as often as we'd like.

I haven't been able to get too much work done this weekend but have managed to squeeze in a few articles. I worked my butt off on Wednesday so I was fortunately able to catch up a bit. Now it's time to pound the pavement again and hopefully get in more work. It never fails that I go through the crazy times where I don't even know what end is up to get all the work done.....and then I complete it all and have to yet again wonder where the next job will come from. It's the nature of the business and part of the highs and lows of being a mompreneur. Even on the craziest days, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I would sure still love to win that lottery, but until then............how can you not love being home everyday caring for this little face?!!

It's the Most Stressful Time of the Year!!

I am stressed out! There's no two ways about it, I am just trying to figure out which end is up. I'm ahead of the game with Thanksgiving Day grocery shopping and Christmas cookie recipes...we even have our Christmas cards and just have to label and mail them. I'm just stressed trying to figure out how to write all the articles I need to write and then oh by the way get the house clean for company, take care of my poor sick baby, cook dinner, and somehow fit in a workout. (yeah right!)

I'm not unlike any other mom out there, everyone that I know is in overdrive. Part of it is the time of year and part of it is that we all bite off more than we can chew. We want to do the very best for our little one and ensure that they have fun things planned that will also help them to develop and grow. We also want to keep the home running smoothly, which is particularly important if you are home like me and feel a compelling need to be Betty Crocker and Mrs. Clean. Sometimes something has to give, plain and simple!!

I was in super overdrive today making up for lost time when I was sick. I have a ton of work to do but the most productive thing I did aside from writing ten articles was to spend some one-on-one face time laughing with Faith when she finally felt like herself before bed. In spite of all the deadlines, chaos, meals, and tasks, my sweet little daughter is what keeps me going. She's the light of my life and the whole reason that I got brave enough to try and start my very own business. Without her I would literally be nothing so she not only gives me purpose but that smile can turn my stress into a pile of "oh I'll do that later".

So it goes as the mompreneur, never enough time for anything but constantly remembering that our children are what we are home for. That's what the priority is and that's why we're home in the first place. So here's hoping for a great short work week and an amazing first Thanksgiving with Faith!!

The Stomach Flu is the Worst!

So it wasn't enough that I was worried about Faith having what seemed to be a sort of a stomach bug.....then I came down with it. I felt awful and couldn't sleep worrying about how I could take care of the baby when I woke up in the morning. My mom, the angel, was kind enough to lend a hand so I could get better. I couldn't even get out of bed because I felt so awful!! So the first stomach bug has officially hit our house. Not fun at all! I'm all for losing weight but not this way.

Faith is hopefully on the mend as I hope that I am as well. Poor Grandma needs to feel better too!! I got a ton of work done earlier in the week thankfully and need to get back into it as soon as I'm feeling up to it. I got two more jobs (hopefully long term) this week and now I need to get cracking.

Faith is hungry (thankfully) so I'll keep this short. May the stomach flu leave our home alone for a long time!!

Balancing The Time

Oh it's always such a bummer when the weekend comes to a close! I know that it's hard for all of us as we enjoy so much family together time and then before you know it, it's time for another work week where we're all separated again. It's a reality but it's still tough sometimes! Such is life I suppose.

So it's another Sunday afternoon and here I sit struggling with spending time with my family and getting work done. I've already written some articles and spent a few hours, but somehow it's never enough. The job of a mompreneur is never done, nor is the job of being a mom. Faith is back to not liking naps again, let's hope that's just a trait of a busy and fun filled weekend and not an indication of how the week will go!

I'm super excited for the holidays as they are so close and showing Faith all the excitement that comes along with this most wonderful time of year. It's actually snowing out right now and I know that my dear hubby is dying to get Faith out there as soon as possible when he can build a snowman with her. In due time! I'm hoping for a good writing week as I have some potential projects on the horizon and am always of course looking for more.

So as we enjoy our last few hours of the weekend let's hope for a good week ahead full of some amazing mommy time and the blessing of good work coming my way!

Some Days Are Better Than Others

So my beautiful little girl isn't loving sleeping so much lately. That's right, this wonderful little baby who slept through the night at about four months has suddenly decided that she wants to wake up every night around 1am, then up for the day around 6am, and that she really doesn't like to nap much at all. This has left me a little bewildered, most definitely stressed out, and on days when my dear mother isn't here with time to get very little done. It's not her fault, I'm sure it has to do with all the new skills that she's learned or possibly more teething. That's what the books say! I know it's part of the first year but man can it make for some frustrating days! I let it get to me yesterday but am working hard to keep myself in check today. Not worth it, she's just a baby and we are most definitely learning together. How can you get uspet when you look in these eyes anyhow?!

On the workfront, it's been a week of ups and downs. I started on an assignment that has the potential to be very long term, but I'm questioning if it's worth the time put into it. You have to walk a fine line in freelance writing of paying your dues and not spending too much time on assignments that aren't lucrative. I'm talking with a few other potential clients that could lead to long term but I never believe it until the money is in the Paypal account. As I've learned in the seven months that I've been at it, don't count on anything becuase it will likely change as quickly as it came to you. It's just the nature of the business!

I keep reminding myself that the holidays are literally right around the corner. It's amazing how you start measuring time by your kids. I look at Faith and think "is it really possible that we're about to celebrate your first Thanksgiving". I feel like she was just born yesterday and here we are just two weeks away from turkey day. That's the stuff that brings us joy and no matter how frustrating the day can get with work or lack of napping, that's the good stuff that it's all about!

Baby Loves Vacation....And So Does Mommy!

Oh vacation is so wonderful! That's what makes coming back from vacation so tough. It was so nice to have Jeff home with us for a bonus day this week and even nicer to get away overnight. It was nothing fancy, just a little visit to Frankenmuth but we loved it! Faith did a great job and we had so much fun taking in all of the touristy things to do in this little Michigan town. Since Jeff had never been there and I hadn't been in years it was a fun place to go, made even better with our little girl.

We even got some Christmas shopping done on the way home, and may have even got a few things for ourselves along the way. We had a blast...and then when it's over it's such a huge disappointment. We are however looking forward to much more family time with the holidays coming. We can't wait for baby's first Thanksgiving and of course Christmas! She brings so much joy and excitement to everything and we are soaking up every moment.

I made sure that I enjoyed every moment and didn't stress about being away from the computer for a day or two. I've picked back up and am in full gear, hoping for a profitable and productive week. If every month could be like October then I'd be a very happy mompreneur.

Here's to a great week and enjoying all the excitement that the holidays bring!

I'm a Mom, But I'm Human

Okay so we had a very frustrating morning. I may have had my own private mommy meltdown and let the frustration get the better of me. This doesn't happen often but when it does I feel just awful! I would never yell around the baby but I did get frustrated in my head and I felt like I had to keep apologizing to her. There was no nap time this morning and of course with the crawling and the constant chasing sometimes the frustration can get the better of you. So while I did have a moment of disarray, all I had to do was look in this big blue eyes and then I realized that I have no right or reason to be upset. So we're past that, live and learn, right?!

I am happy to say that I have a couple more jobs that came in and some that look downright promising. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but am all too happy to put it out of my head for a couple of days whiile we go on our first family vacation. The three of us are off to Frankenmuth for a little overnight trip. Nothing fancy and far from the trips we used to take, but nonetheless we are very excited to get away and have some time together. I can't wait!

Faith is now up from a short afternoon nap, but no frustration here. I'm grateful for what I have and sometimes you need a bit of perspective and a deep breath to realize that the frustration is not warranted at all. A family vacation is very much in order and I can't wait to report back on it.

I Voted....Now Where's My Freebie?

I never had to be encouraged to vote, I did it without question. I was even proactive enough to get an absentee ballot so that I wouldn't have to drag Faith along and wait in a line that would likely be crazy. So that being said when I heard that they were giving out free Starbucks just for voting.....well that just made my day as this is one of my addictions. I picked up my free Starbucks on the way home from class today and now I'm working off a fantastic caffeine high. Making my day even better was the fact that Christmas songs are now on the radio so all is right with the world. I even got to hear my favorite today and yes it is "the most wonderful time of the year".

Faith had a lovely visit with Ella and Auntie Sarah yesterday! What a lucky girl that she's already got a great group of friends at only nine months old. It was fun to see the girls play and to catch up with Sarah. Wow do we miss having her here! Faith is now pulling herself up in her crib and is standing there waiting for me when I go in to get her. She thinks it's funny when I let out a little gasp. Already such a big personality for such a little person!

On the work front, I'm hopefully just about to land a good writing job. I am going back and forth with the client but hoping that it turns into something. I also found out that I got another assignment that will require me to write three mornings a week. I know nothing about european sports but hey I'll learn as with everything else I write about!

So a good day so far indeed! Christmas songs, free Starbucks, voting, some fun moments with Faith, and hopefully landing another job. What else could a mompreneur ask for?!!

First Halloween and Promotion Pays Off

Faith had her first Halloween and in a word it was AWESOME!! I think that we may have enjoyed it a bit more than her, but it was so cool to experience this first holiday with her. She dressed up as a ladybug and in my humble opinion was the cutest I've ever seen. She was a good sport and kept her costume on never complaining in typical Faith fashion. We did take her around to a few of the neighbor's houses and that was fun to show her off. It was a good way to meet some of our neighbors too seeing as we've been in this house for six years now! Having a baby around makes you appreciate a holiday so much more--it's so much about her now and we get to really embrace each and every moment.

It was another great family weekend! I swear we make the most out of weekends now and as I've said before appreciate just spending time with each other. Faith makes us grateful for everything! I am also grateful as I found that I did get a new freelance job that I had to write an article for to kind of try out. I was one of the writers selected and hopefully the assignments will start coming soon. I guess that promoting myself is finally starting to pay off! I also got a GREAT review from a client I've been working with and that will serve me very well as every other client I bid on sees that. I think that some assignments come to us for a very distinct reason and this one has been full of great lessons and good work. Sure I'm still writing about model boats, but that's just money to go towards Christmas shopping.

I will keep this short as Sarah is coming to visit soon, it's always so awesome to have her in town from Atlanta. It's great to have the girls see each other as Ella is only five months older than Faith. I'm going to try to enjoy today rather than stress about time lost from writing. More soon of course!