2 Year old co-worker

Ryan sitting on my lap listening to my client, Dr. Korenman of Loveable Smiles.  We listen to "Smile in a Day with Dr. K." 

Twas the night before Kindergarten

My first born starts Kindergarten tomorrow!  I've made it five and a half years of being a work-from-home mom!  

It was five-and-a-half years ago that I officially stopped working outside the home and concentrated on building my PR freelance business. 

Once again I'm thankful to my clients for the opportunity to work from home and still be available to have my kids with me during the day.  Because I work from home, I haven't missed seeing any milestones, I've been able to attend play dates, visit the library and even hit the grocery store when it's not so crowded as well as start dinner at 3 p.m. 

Of course, with the birth of baby number three this year, I've ensured a 3 a.m. wake up call to work for another five years!  That will be a decade of waking up at that hour to work!  Calm down grey hairs!  

Thank you Lord for blessing me and my business. Here's to another chapter in my life as a work from home mom with a school age kid.  Hello car-pool line.

The many ways motherhood prepares you for PR

Cute article by By Michelle Rash. 

 The many ways motherhood prepares you for PR

1. Juggling many tasks
2. Reacting quickly in a crisis
3. Working 24/7
4. Staying flexible
5. Answering tough questions

 Read the full article here.
     

"A DIAMOND is but a piece of coal ... that stuck to the job."

(Author Unknown, but I LOVE it)

I've been freelancing for more than 5 years now! 5 years!

I thank God for my clients, learning experiences, successes and the ability to be at home with my kiddos. I started freelancing just before the first child was born and now she'll head to Kindergarten later this summer.

Stick with it mamas! All those who work at home or outside the home.

Yeah me! I finished recording my receipts for 2011. Spending an extra 10 - 30 minutes many days in December really paid off.

Good luck to all the other work at home mamas who are busy logging tax info before the close of 2011.

I can do this.

This envelope full of receipts will get logged!

I dedicate this saying to all the Work At Home Moms Out There!

Normally, I really don't like working on weekends.

However, I had to work a couple of hours yesterday to tie up some loose emails/ends that I just didn't get to over the week.

I've been blessed with the invitation to work on a media project this week for a new client and I feel so much better about starting my week with a clean slate.

I wish all work-from-home moms a productive and successful week!

Future WAHM?

I love that she has a "screen" to go with her keyboard.

I also love it when she sets up her "office" in her room, she has a pencil cup and urgently says, "I need a phone Mom!"

National Walk to Work Day

Happy National Walk to Work Day!

As a WAHM, I'm very blessed to only have to walk from my bed room, down our hall and into my office. It's about 20 steps.

Granted it's 3 a.m. and I'm in my pajamas.

My morning ritual also includes walking downstairs to the kitchen to get a bottle of water and eat a banana with peanut butter.

Let God Be Your Business Manager

I read a great article by Donna Partow in the March/April issue of Thriving Family.

From the article, "All in a Day's Work: How moms can balance business and family," she encourages moms to:

"Let God by your business manager. Take time to pray ans ask Him to guide your day, ordaining key appointments so you don't waste time. Pray over every appointment, every deadline, every opportunity and every lost opportunity."

I think this is wise, sound advice and I try to practice this on a daily basis.

Thanks for the reminder and encouragement Donna!

Work Beautifully

I received an ad for Dell and the title said, "Work Beautifully."

I work on a Dell, so according to their ad, I work beautifully.

The slogan also reminded me of being a work-at-home-mom.

I don't usually blog about the occasional chaos that working from home can bring. Like when I need to respond to an urgent email and I have a crying child on my lap demanding my attention.

Or the dark eye circles I have due to only getting an average of 6 hours a sleep because I have to get up at 3 a.m.

In the overall picture of life, I am and will always be grateful to have been able to contribute to the family finances as well as be with my girls.

I work beautifully, dark eye circles and all.

For the first time in 4 years of working from home, I didn't complete my tax logging during the week between Christmas and New Year's.

It's the end of February and I do a few receipts a day.

AND, I just found $30 in cash amongst the receipts! Cool.

Good luck to all the other WAHMs as they prepare their taxes!

Future WAHM?

Kate (4) enjoys typing on my computer. Notice the cell phone. I adore hearing her "make calls" while working.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to work from home - something not available to previous generations.

Babywearing at Work!

Working mother cradles her baby in sling as she casts her vote at EU Parliament


My friend sent me this news story.

"It's probably one of the few occasions when sleeping on the job would be positively encouraged.

Afterall, if Licia Ronzulli's baby did wake up, she would prove something of a distraction to other members of the European Parliament."

"Mrs Ronzulli, an MEP from Italy, took her tiny daughter Victoria to a vote at Strasbourg. She kept her baby carefully cradled against her in a sling and occasionally leant to kiss her on the forehead."

So sweet!

I have been known to wear my baby at work too!


Read the full story here.

Encouragement

I saw this on Our Daily Bread and it encouraged me today.

Is your schedule demanding?

Follow the example of Jesus and set aside a specific time for prayer.

Then depend upon God’s power to help you meet each day’s demands.

The many tasks we face each day
Can burden and oppress,
But spending time with God each day
Can bring relief from stress. —Sper

To keep your life in balance, lean on the Lord.

A Day in the Life of a WAHM

A Day in the Life of A WAHM

Kids ages 3 and 7.5 months.

2 a.m. - Hear baby humming in her sleep. at 7.5 months, she still not sleeping through the night. The humming never amounts to anything and she goes back to sleep. So do I.

3:15. "Sleepy humming" starts again. Big sigh. It would b nice to get my remaining 15 minutes of sleep before my alarm goes off.

Get up. Change baby. Nurse. She goes off to blissful "La La" land. I go start my computer.

3:30 - Eat banana with peanut butter. Take vitamins. Drink water and clear some clutter off the kitchen counter.

3:40 - Read a chapter in "Power of a Praying Wife" and indulge for a few minutes in some of my favorite blogs.

3:45 - Internet goes down. Since I work from home, I'm my own IT person. One reset of the router, and I'm back up. Finish reading blogs, check email and start work. This includes adding to a press release, blogging for my clients, respond to emails, finish listening to an interview with a client that I recorded a few days prior.

6 a.m. - Wake up hubby. Chat for a few minutes before our day goes in separate ways. Go down stairs and make oatmeal with raisins and almonds. I also eat some chocolate covered raisins. I read somewhere that it's best to eat your junk food in the morning so that you burn off the calories. This makes me feel OK to eat chocolate at 6 in the morning.

6:38 - Baby is awake. Daddy brings her down stairs.

Say bye bye to Daddy.

Finish oatmeal while baby nurses and scan the health section of the paper. Baby is done nursing and starts clawing at the paper.

7 a.m. Put her down to play. Load some dishes and brew some tea. Finish scanning the paper.

Baby gives me some smiles. Makes it worth getting up at 3 in the morning so that I can be with her during the day.

7:10 - Baby wants to be held so we play. Baby seems to be fussy and has a bit of a runny nose. Catch the weather report while nursing. It's going to be really cold. I mentally adjust my schedule for the week and decide to go grocery shopping tomorrow before the cold sets in.

7:30 Sister awake. Sister picks out her ballet outfit for the day. I put her hair in a pony tail. She brings down a bag of books. She makes her breakfast TV time selection and has a hard time deciding between "Little Bear" or her Barbie movie of the day, "Rapunzel." I get her drink while she decides. Barbie wins.

I feed Kate her oatmeal myself. It's the easiest way for me to get whole grains and veggies into her.

8 a.m. Baby need to go down. Grab trash out of baby's room and send a quick email.
Back to feeding the 3 year old.

Take advantage of the TV and water the cat, take out the trash, get spinach out of the freezer for dinner, get shoes, pack a snack and get 3 year old warm clothes.

Baby is fighting her nap and today it's a good thing because we have ballet. I go and put her in the carrier.


I realize our library books may be due. A quick check on my receipt confirms. I make Kate clear out the books she's dropped behind her bed. Get her dressed.

Search for the keys. Warm up the car. Kate complaining that she wants to go to ballet. When it's time to go, she complains that she wants to read. Sigh. Life with a 3 year old.

9 a.m. Kate enjoys ballet class.

10 a.m. Talk Kate into getting her coat back on to head to the library.

10:20 - Pass the post office on the way to the library and realize I forgot a package I wanted to mail.

10:30 - Kate cuddles in my lap while we enjoy story time.

11 a.m. - Head for home. Lauren still hasn't taken her morning nap and she's desperate for one.

11:30 - Baby down. Make lunch for me and Kate. Kate said she wanted PB&J. I make grilled cheese for me. When it's time to eat, Kate insists that she wanted grilled cheese. We compromise by splitting our sandwiches.

I read Kate two books and start her new book on tape that she got at the library.
12 Noon - Back at my desk. Check email. Schedule a hair cut appointment.

1 p.m. Baby awake. But I'm in the middle of trying to work with the web designer to get photos for client's newsletter. Play with baby while I wait for web designer's email.

2 p.m. Kate awake. Feed her veggies while she watches TV.

2:30 Images arrive! Talk with client. Finalize newsletter and distribute. Get ready for a walk.

2:45 - Baby is tired and wants to go down again. Play with Kate.

3:15 - Share an apple with Kate. Put chicken in oven for dinner.

3:45 - Baby awake.

4 p.m. - Over to a neighbor's house; a sweet, sweet lady who loves my girls.
4:30 - Go home. Daddy is home! Make a deal with Kate that if she helps clean the living room, she can have chocolate milk.

4:45 - Daddy plays with girls while I work on dinner.

5:15 - Daddy goes to work out.

I wrestle baby into her pj's.

Girls play while I assemble the chicken lasagna. I'm out of mozzarella, cheddar will have to do. This seems to be how my grocery trips go. I always forget something.

5:30 Baby down. Share an orange with Kate. Look through a magazine together. I make up names of the models in the photos.

Brush Kate's teeth, wash her face and hands, give her a massage. She chooses a dress for her pj's.

6:20 - Daddy is home. He reads to Kate while I put the lasagna in the oven. I do some yoga stretches. We say prayers and Kate gets to read for a bit.

6:30 - I iron hubby's clothes while we catch up on our day. I then melt in a hot shower.
6:50 - Lights out for Kate. Head to the kitchen. Timer is dinging. Lasagna is ready.

7 - Eat dinner with hubby.

7:15 In bed. Ready to enjoy my sacred "me time" by reading.

8 p.m. Lights out for me.

9 p.m. Baby wakes up. I nurse her and go back to sleep.

Black Friday is Great for Work at Home Moms!

I got a really good deal at Office Max on a HP All in One printer, fax, scanner. It's wireless!

Many thanks to my tech guy (hubby) who installed it.

Now I just need a black, wooden file cabinet to complete my home office.

Public Relations is not your typical 9 - 5 job

One of the great things about being in public relations, is all the fun and creative things I get to do for my clients.

I've met celebrities like Daisy Fuentes and Deepak Chopra.

I've been to amazing places like the actual baseball field for the San Diego Padres, eaten at 5-Star restaurant, Nana at the Hilton Anatole and also gotten spa treatments at the V Spa as well as the Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla.

I've even gotten my daughter involved and had her on TV for a babywearing segment as well as a baby sign language segment. (She signed more as she inhaled blueberries.)

The latest adventure had me making Grilled Prosciutto Mozzarella Biquinis (a fancy grilled cheese) in my kitchen. Notice how I was wearing my baby. My husband helped style the photo.

My gracious neighbor, who is a professional photographer, donated her time to get some amazing shots of this sandwich.

It was all for Dallas Child Magazine featuring the executive chef of Dallas’ Nana restaurant, Anthony Bombaci in the Celebrity Chef: Kids de Cuisine profile. Check out the recipe/media hit here.

This was a fun photo shoot! I enjoyed seeing my husband and neighbor in the "creative zone."













Doesn't my neighbor do amazing work? I'm so proud of her!

Want to live your life, your way?

Want to live your life, you way?

This is on the receipt for my Pampered Chef order.

It's for an ad for Pampered Chef Consultants. "You'll earn the income you want with the flexible schedule you need."

This is exactly what it's like being a WAHM.

I work when my kiddos sleep. I can run errands and clean my house during the work day.