Happy birthday, guys!

Happy birthday to my daughter (20 on the 24th), husband (January 26), and baby brother (January 26)!

Photo credit: Idea go

Party on, guys!  Love you all!

Happy Anniversary!

11 years.  We got up, took J to school, ran around like crazy, got married, picked J up, then drove to Atlanta for the weekend to pick up R.  We waited until we were all together to tell the kids.  They cheered, we all laughed, and we had a great weekend.  We already considered ourselves a family and I wasn’t sure the piece of paper would mean that much.  The commitment was already there, but there is something about saying those vows.  I get misty thinking about it.

So, honey, here’s to you.  My heart, my rock, my tv buddy, and pillow.  The one who can make me laugh even when I want to strangle him.  The one I cannot imagine my life without.

Love you.  Happy Anniversary.  Here’s to many, many more.

Maybe.  😉

Ultimate blog challenge? Bring it!

Happy October, people! Can you believe 2013 is this close to over? My kids were just babies yesterday! I heard time would start to fly once I hit 25, but wow!

October is a busy month for me and mine.  Hubby and I celebrate our wedding anniversary, his brother and his wife celebrate their anniversary, a couple of family birthdays come this month, a clean eating vegan challenge, new fitness/rehab schedule, and the holidays are coming up.  With all that’s happening, what sane person would jump into another project?  Me, of course.

Expect a few words from me every day his month.  I get the chance to share more about wahm life, scams, managing schedules, and working around the challenges of illness and injury.  And maybe something about The Walking Dead, Supernatural, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  My geek is strong and the 2013-14 tv season was apparently meant for me.

For now, I’m off to finish dinner.  The family is having roast chicken.  We’re all having beans, kale, and rice,

Be safe, all.  And hug the loved ones.

Wordless Wednesday: New Office Space

Happy 4th!

Have a fantastic, safe, and happy Independence Day!

All About My Kid Today

It’s my teen girl’s birthday.  Not just any birthday, but her 18th.  She doesn’t see it as a big deal, but I do.  She is a big deal and has been since day one.   She inspires me, makes me laugh, infuriates me, and gives me hope for this world’s future.

Happy birthday, J.  And thank you for everything!  You are my heart, honey.

Starting Over

Sometimes we hit a wall. Some call it a mid-life crisis, others call it inevitable. Well, I’ve hit my wall and feel like a kid just out of high school. Maybe this feeling was brought on by the realization that my baby girl is a rising senior in high school and my baby boy is a rising eighth-grader. They don’t need me as much as they used to; not that either would admit, anyway.

But here I am, facing that wall. I’m thinking of making some changes, but have concerns, mixed feelings, and questions. I’m not a young-un anymore and can’t get by on four hours of sleep like I used to. I wonder of I could handle working around others again. I’ve worked with others for years now, but mostly via email, chat, and Skype. I am not sure how it would be for me to step outside of my bedroom-to-home office commute, either. Am I hopelessly out of touch? Will my t-shirt, jeans, or pjs wardrobe turn off potential employers, co-workers, and clients? I’ve been questioning myself and feel like my mojo is gone.

So here I am, starting over. I’m answering questions about my goals, likes, dislikes, needs, and wants. I’m refocusing my efforts and beginning to reap the benefits. Every day of action burns the fog away. The path is becoming more visible and I’m ready to start walking.

See you again soon.

School schedules and spring fever

Sometimes I think it’s harder to be a WAH parent than one working in a traditional workplace.  The flexibility in my schedule is both a blessing and curse. While I have a general schedule that I stick to, it seems my children’s school has decided that it needs a good chunk of my time.

Not that I’m complaining. I love their school.  It’s been good for both of them and I am completely satisfied with communication with the administration and teachers.

I don’t like the spring schedule.  Not the kids’ individual schedules, but the field trips, pep rallies, and assemblies that come with it.  It’s almost baseball season, so the local semi-pro team has already announced a couple of education days – free admission for students who perform well on this next report card.  The workaholic in me sees this as just another school day, but the mom in me wants to take the day to hang at the ballpark.  Despite the kids’ objections that is.  I’m supposed to be spoken of, but not seen by their friends I suppose.

The real problem with the schedule conflict is the guilt.  Guilt of missing a trip or event vs. the guilt of putting my work aside.  I have put the work aside with every intention of completing it within a few days and miscalculated.  I have skipped the event only to discover late that the kids really wanted me there.  Guilt overload!

But what do you do?  I look at the task at hand to guesstimate how much time it would take to finish. (Yes, I said guesstimate. Sue me.) If it is something that I can tackle successfully by putting in an extra hour or two later in the day, I take the time off to spend with the kids.   If it requires more intensive attention, I either keep to my schedule or plan to put in late night hours for a while.  Is this the ideal solution?  It is for me.

My kids are older and don’t always let me know how much it mans to them to see me and/or hubby there for them.  The looks on their faces say it all.

What about you?  What do you do when faced with the last-minute schedule change?

Yes, I’m making up for lost time.

Summer vacation is insane for me.  The kids are home and require more attention than they would like.  Hubby takes time off and makes road trip plans.  Extended family and friends drop by unexpectedly, and other call repeatedly (you know who you are).

I’ve been any and everywhere it seems but here.  The kids’ return to school next week will be a big help – my day will be mine again!

I can’t speak for all telecommuting parents, but for me, having the kids nearby is both a blessing and curse.   I still wouldn’t change it.  Well, except to occasionally wish for year-round school schedules.

What about you – would you change anything about your telecommuting schedule?

It’s time for another cup of coffee.

My first award – thanks, Billie!

I started this blog as an outlet for me and to see if any other telecommuters had similar experiences, especially those with children.  And because I enjoy calling out scammers.  A lot.  I didn’t expect anyone to give me an award for it, but I got my first one and am stoked!  Billie at A Peaceful Serenity, another wahm, gave me this yesterday

Sweet, ain’t it?  Thank you so much!  I’m glad that my ramblings have helped and will keep doing what I’ve been doing.  Her blog is one of my favorite stops!

Part of accepting the award is:
*displaying the award
*linking back to the person who gave it to you
*paying it forward & nominating 7 blogs
*adding links to those seven blogs
*leaving comments on their blog telling them you gave them an award
*enjoying the award

Here are seven that I think you’ll like (I hope you’ve already eaten; if not, you’ll get hungry):

Telecommuting Truths – I love learning from other telecommuters and wish I had found this blog when I started on my job search 8 years ago.  I found Kelly on CafeMom and visit her telecommuting group and blog daily.  She’s a writer and inspires me.  Her recent post on time management is awesome!

Vegan Dad is another of my daily stops.  While I’m not a vegan, I get a lot of ideas for family-friendly meals here.  My kids are picky, but they have found several of his posts drool-worthy.

Vegemommy is another favorite.  Heidi has two little ones and is a total doll.  I’ve made a few of her recipes and my family thanks her everty time we have burgers.

Fairly Odd Tofu Mom caught me right off.  I saw her link on another blog and had to see what this one was about.  (My kids really like Nickelodeon’s Fairly Oddparents).  Vegan comfort food – yes ma’am!  Great stuff here, and her daughter even has a funny blog of her own starring Veggie Barbie.

Winning Friends with Salad tickled me, too.  I remember that chant during The Simpsons’ barbeque!  Kate (and Eva on occasion) discuss working out, eating well, and living life while you’re at it.  It’s real, and that’s what more of us working toward better health need to hear.

Julie Hasson from Everyday Dish shared the best vegan sausage recipe I’ve ever had.  I haven’t bought Tofurkey brats since I made these.

Comfort Food Vegan.  Inspiration, period.

There are more, but I am now starving.  Enjoy!