Happy Mother’s Day

May 13, 2007· Filed under Family, Holidays

To all the Moms who give the hugs, make the dinner, fold the laundry, check the homework, fix the boo-boos, drive to endless sports practices, make the cookies for school, change the diapers, calm the fears, give the good night kisses, read the books, enjoy the tea parties, dry the tears, say I love you, rock the babies, sweep the floors, and do all the things that Mommies do – THANK YOU!

Have a Happy Mother’s Day!

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Five Steps to Start Working From Home

May 10, 2007· Filed under Working from Home

About 11 years ago I was faced with the biggest challenge of my life – one that required a gigantic leap of faith. My first child was about to be born and even though I had the benefit of half price childcare, I just couldn’t bear to hand over my baby to a childcare provider. I had to do something – I had to find a way to work from home.

Here is the path I took – it is one that could easily be adapted for anyone who is looking to start working from home.

1. Identify your skills and your passions.

• Take a quick inventory of the skills you have and make a list. At the time I had pretty good desktop publishing skills – these were skills I had developed at my most recent two jobs. I knew that I was a whiz at all the Microsoft Office products and that I could learn new software quickly.
• Think about what you like to do and where your passions are. At one of my previous employers I was always getting in trouble with the publications department – I was forever bucking their WordPerfect structured system. I hated boring, ugly documents – I wanted pretty. They wanted me to follow the rules, I wanted to break them. From this I figured that desktop publishing and document production might be a good way to get started.

2. Do your research.

Find out if what you want to do is going to fly. There are so many resources on the web, but here are a few that I have found to be helpful and legitimate:

• WAHM.com – You could spend hours on this site alone, but its true power is in the message boards. Members discuss business ideas, strategies, scams, and it is a great community.
• HBWM.com – Home Based Working Moms is another great resource of ideas, what to do and what not to do guidance, a community, and tools like income and savings calculators.
• Other good resources are StartUpNation, StartUpPrincess, AllBusiness, 30 Second Commute, and eMoms at Home.

3. Start with your current or most recent employer.

It never hurts to ask. When I decided to take that leap of faith, the first thing I did was approach my current and most recent employers. I was careful not to burn any bridges, but as it was, I could easily do parts of both jobs from home and both employers were more than happy to continue receiving my services. Granted, after about a year, the projects from these two were done, it still gave me some incoming work and pay while I lined up other clients and projects.

Another good friend of mine has been working for a very high profile employer (think of that lingerie catalog most of us receive in our mailboxes monthly) for many years and realized that everything she does for them could be done from home. Luckily for her, her area of expertise was so specialized and she does such a good job, that when she approached them with the idea of work from home or resign, they quickly responded and set her up to work from home. That was about 8 years ago.

If you do approach a former employer, be very clear in what you propose to take on, how you will track your time, how you will be accountable, and most of all, how it can be of benefit to them.

4. Network online and off.

You can not run your business in a vacuum. The only way to develop new work is to get your name and your face into the marketplace. With the evolution of the internet, it is certainly making it easier to network without ever leaving your house, but face-to-face networking is still powerful.

• Join your local Chamber of Commerce. Our’s has a women’s group that meets once a month for lunch. This group was absolutely key in the beginning stages of my business. One of the first clients I took on, I met through the group – and 10 years later, she is still a client! The relationships you can build often provide more than just immediate income.
• Participate in a few targeted forums online. Find ones that fit your personality and goals. I have found the boards at WAHM.com, HBWM.com, and MomGadget to be most useful (and friendly).
• Try blogging. Not only does blogging give you the ability to join in conversations all over the globe, it is a great way to showcase your skills, meet potential clients, and participate in non-stop professional development. Need to know where to start? Check out eMoms at Home, Problogger’s Blogging for Beginners series, Essential Keystrokes – Getting Started, or the Blogging 101 topic on the MomGadget Forum.

5. Be prepared to run your business.

• Create a dedicated work space for yourself. Sometimes this requires some creativity as the ideal spot may not be right under your nose, but you need to do it. A corner of a room, an under utilized closet, or under utilized room in the house will do. You need to have somewhere to keep your paperwork, files, and supplies at a minimum.
• Get all required local business paperwork out of the way. Some jurisdictions have strict rules on starting a new business, others don’t, but you need to do the research and get it done.
• Set up an accounting and filing system that works for you. Not all systems are created equal. This may even require some restarts on your part, but be prepared to make changes as you go.
• Put your best face forward. Whether it is your business card, web site (make sure you get the right web hosting) or blog, take the time and energy to put the best possible look for yourself out there. First impressions are CRITICAL.

This post was long overdue. Thanks to Darren at ProBlogger for hosting the Top 5 Group Writing Project and giving me a reason to get this done.

There are some pretty cool gadgets that can be used to monitor your home or business. Using the right software that’s compatible with Microsoft Windows XP & Vista, you can create a professional security system that’s able to record all data locally or remotely over the internet onto a PC’s HD. For Digital Video Recording equipment, capable of operating over any network, please visit 123 CCTV Camera & Security Camera Equipment.

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Fintastic Firehouse Fish

May 9, 2007· Filed under Wordless Wednesdays

One of 35 Fintastic Fish found in Fredericksburg this summer.

More Wordless Wednesdays can be found at 5 Minutes for Mom or at the official Wordless Wednesday hub.

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What Are Your Mother’s Day Traditions?

May 8, 2007· Filed under Family, Holidays

Traditions are the glue that hold many families together. I’m not sure how so many of them start, but they do and often take on a life of their own.

Our Mother’s Day tradition is one I look forward to each year. On the Saturday before Mother’s Day, my husband takes the kids and they visit my Mom’s nursery and pick out my annuals for the garden. On Sunday morning I get breakfast in bed and then get the whole day to putter in the garden, plant all the beautiful colors, and give my flower beds a fresh outlook on life.

I just took this picture of my side flower beds. All of the perennials are back and looking good. All it needs now are some bright daisies, wave petunias, celosia, and impatients.

What are your Mother’s Day traditions? Do you get breakfast in bed? Go out for lunch? Do your kids make you something special? Or is it just another day in “paradise” as they say?

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Menu Plan Monday – May 7

May 7, 2007· Filed under Menu Plan Mondays

It looks like another busy week on the fringe of suburbia! Dinners have to be quick and easy because we only have one afternoon/evening this week that is not scheduled with something.

• Monday – Penne pasta with chicken and vegetables alfredo
• Tuesday – Hot dogs and hamburgers at school for History Night
• Wednesday – Shredded pork BBQ in the slow cooker with cole slaw and baked beans
• Thursday – Terriyaki Orange Chicken, rice and snow peas
• Friday – most likely fast food since we will be at the gym all evening

What’s on your menu this week? For more ideas, check out I’m an Organizing Junkie’s site for links to other menus.

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