June 27, 2007· Filed under Technology, Working from Home
Things are hopping at my web design blog called Essential Keystrokes! We are celebrating my blogging birthday for the whole week and I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the fun. So just in case you haven’t ventured over there, here is some of what has been happening:
- Win some great prizes! Come over and celebrate my blogging birthday and you could win some fabulous books, a cool game, an iTunes gift certificate or even a guest post opportunity on a really high profile blog.
- We all have to start somewhere - I started my blogging at Blogger and have redesigned a few times. Whether you are just starting out or have been blogging for a while, you might want to see the Evolution of my Blog.
- How about 164 Essential Tools for Online Success? Dawud Miracle gave me a great blogging gift - he compiled over 500 links while going through more than 25 Essential Tools features at my site. This is some list!
There is still time to enter the contest and there will be more great posts this week! Don’t miss it.
June 21, 2007· Filed under Blogging, Parenting, Working from Home
One thing I have learned since I started blogging (one year ago tomorrow) is that no matter what your niche is, there is a community for you. I have also learned that there are A LOT of Moms who are passionate, creative, and well-connected in the new world we call the Internet. Whether you are a Mom looking for an online community or a business looking to get in touch with your Mom audience, there are plenty of great communities that are already established - and there seems to be attitude that there is always room for one more at the table.
Here are thirteen places where the Moms are:
1. Being social! New social bookmarking sites are cropping up that fill a need within a niche. Sk*rt.com is a very HOT digg-like site for women that is slightly addictive. Others in this arena include Babblz.com, Absolutely Parents, and Netscape.
2. On the networks. Blog networks like b5Media Family & Relationships Channel, Grasshopper New Media Parents, and 451 Press have dedicated channels of family-related content and blogs. And don’t forget Strollerderby - its written by a team of hip, urban parents.
3. In the cafe. Cafe Mom that is! Cafe Mom is run by the same group who brings us Club Mom - both very good resources for Moms, but Cafe Mom is more community and social focused. Did I mention that thousands of Moms have already set up their profiles there.
4. Working the forums. Traditional discussion boards are still great ways to connect with like-minded Moms and my favorites include the MomGadget forum, WAHM, and HBWM.
5. Linking up - Weekly memes like Menu Plan Monday, Wordless Wednesday, and Thursday Thirteen attract a huge following. One of the ways they work so well is thanks to Mr. Linky.
6. At the carnival. Thinking of joining the circus? Your family may prefer you play it safe and join a blogging carnival instead. Join in the carnival of family life or do a search at Blogcarnival.com for a another topic.
7. Joining forces. Looking for a way to exchange links and find more Mom blogs? Why not join forces and grow your blogroll too. Two of the groups that come to mind are The Mom Blogs and Blogging Chicks. In order to make the most of these groups you have to display a link to their mainsite or display a badge.
8. Thinking local. There are more and more sites coming about that serve a specific geographical area. Let’s start with Silicon Valley Moms, and their sister sites Chicago Moms and New York City Moms.
9. Acting global. I love the sites All for Women and Real Savvy Moms for their global reach. If you have a product and want to tell the parenting world about it you must go to The Parent Bloggers Network (thanks Ponn).
10. Popularity plays. Have you seen TopMomma or The Top 100 Mom Blogs? These are a great source of new reads and a fun way to reward your favorite Moms.
11. Talking among ourselves. One of the best ways to get to know other Mom bloggers and build your own community is by leaving comments on the blogs you like to read. Or you could stop by here on Fridays for Casual Fridays - bring your cup of coffee and just chat.
12. Lurking in the wings. Yes, I know there are a bucket load of Moms online that haven’t found their voice yet! If you are one of them, jump in, leave a comment or better yet, get started blogging today.
13. Meeting in Chicago - BlogHer will be in Chicago July 27-29. Some of my favorite Moms are even speaking!
This list is by NO MEANS exhaustive! I know there are so many more places that Mom’s hang out online. If you happen to have a favorite that is not on the list, by all means, leave a comment and let us know! And for more Thursday Thirteen entries, visit the TT hub.
June 14, 2007· Filed under Family, Link Love, Thursday Thirteen, Working from Home
With Sunday being Father’s Day here in the US, I’d like to take some time to recognize some of my favorite Daddy blogs and bloggers who are great Dads!
- Rory at Hamelife - Rory writes about communication between parent and child and is obviously a great Dad. However, I do like his latest post on Male Pasttimes.
- Mike at Be a Good Dad - I love that he has a page dedicated to the cast of characters on his blog.
- Bad Hair Dad - I just love the picture on the About page - you get my vote as a great Dad just for that!
- Inside Fatherhood and Silly Dad - Steve is a stay at home Dad of 5 kids. You are amazing.
- The BlogFathers - this a group blog for a bunch of really cool Daddies
- ZeroBoss - A little bit edgier, I just like his hold no punches style!
- Easton of Business Blog Wire - while this is not a Daddy blog, I happen to know Easton is a WAHD and a good one at that!
- Ingo at Stixster -you get my vote for many reasons, but this picture is my favorite!
- Dawud at dmiracle - Dawud is a WAHD, too and has such a wonderful attitude and outlook on parenting.
- Adam at MonkatWork - Ommmm… (sorry Adam, I couldn’t help myself) I love your post on the benefits of working from home.
- Tony from Success from the Nest - who can resist these drawings and all of your very sensible advice
- Steve at Cymru66 - You must be a good Dad if you answered my call for Father’s Day ideas
- Steve of Babblz - afterall, he created a site for all the parents of the blogosphere - a site where we can submit posts and vote on them in true Digg style.
And, of course, my husband would be on this list, but he doesn’t blog (yet - wait until he retires). Thanks for all the great things you do for us as Moms and kids all year long!
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May 31, 2007· Filed under General, Working from Home
It is inevitable - before the week is over I will have to put gas in my vehicle and the way prices are going, it is not going to be fun. Wendy at eMoms at Home reminded me today that while it is going to be painful putting gas in my SUV this week, I am fortunate to work from home and save money.
She also reminded me of a picture I got via email and almost forgot about:
It pretty much sums it up! So, how much is gas in your area right now? Ours is between $2.94 and $2.99 but I think we are on the low side (I can’t believe I just said that).
Wendy also shared a tool to help you find the cheapest gas in your area. I also found a few sites that do the same thing:
What other gas saving tips do you have? Me, I’m just not doing any driving I don’t have to do and I am combining optional errands with the mandatory ones.
May 24, 2007· Filed under Thursday Thirteen, Working from Home
Just when you’ve hit your stride with a schedule and things are going great, summer happens. For many of us, the kids will be out of school for the summer in a matter of days. The kids are excited - I am too. However, I can’t afford to close up shop for the summer, nor do I want to. So what is a work from home mom to do? Here are thirteen strategies that worked for me the past few summers.
1. Communication
Let your clients know that while you wish to continue to serve their needs, your hours and availability are going to be a bit different for the summer months while your kids are home. More often that not, they will understand. Likewise, explain to your kids that just because it is summer, you can’t afford to not work and that you need their cooperation. Get the kids involved in the planning process and they will be more apt to cooperate when you need it most.
2. Set Realistic Expectations
Do not expect to get as much done during the summer months as you would on a regular schedule. Cut back your workload to a manageable level. If you need to, consider getting an intern or outsourcing some of your least favorite and most time consuming tasks. Don’t try to cram work in at every possible turn - you need some time for yourself too.
3. Caller ID
If you do work from home and don’t have caller ID yet, you need to call your phone company right now and have it added. It is pennies a day and a total life saver! If you don’t have a dedicated business line, don’t let the kids answer the phone. Simple as that. If your kids need to call friends during business hours, have them use your cell phone or Skype
- don’t let them tie up your business line.
4. Relocate Your Office
Consider the location of your office. Is it in a location where you can still monitor the kids? If not, consider setting up a temporary office in the heartbeat of the house. My office is in the former dining room. From my desk I can see directly into the playroom, the kitchen and I can hear what is going on in the living room.
If you have a laptop, take it outside and work while the kids play. You can still keep an eye on them and get your work done at the same time. Or play “school” at the kitchen table. Print out worksheets for each child to do while you work. The kids will love it because you are all together.
5. Get Mobile
Forward your business calls to your cell. Most clients would rather talk to you while you are at the park with your kids than not talk to you at all. If you have done suggestion #1, then this should not be a huge issue. Consider getting a phone with PDA functionality. I have a palm Treo 700w Smartphone that allows me to get email, surf the web, use MS Office applications, and such. It is most useful for capturing stray creative thoughts that come to me as soon as I step away from my desk.
6. Divide and Conquer
With a little (okay, alot) of planning, you can still get quality hours in. Are your kids early birds or night owls? Capitalize on that time to get the bulk of your work done. After lunch each day, my kids have to take an hour of Quiet Time - on their beds - this is non-negotiable. They can read, write or sleep. This gives me a chance to get in the office and check email, return phone calls, and knock out a few tasks. And if one of them happens to fall asleep - bonus!
7. Put Them to Work
Depending on the ages of your kids, get them involved and interested in what you are doing. I often refer to my kids as my “creative staff” because they are so good at helping me brainstorm, do product reviews, and test web sites I have created.
If your kids have a computer of their own (which they should unless you want your important files to magically disappear one day) give them a topic to research. My son is almost 11 and loves technology. During my recent redesign at my web tips blog, Essential Keystrokes, he was in and out of my office every hour checking on the progress of the site. You could even let them do a guest post on your blog. What a great way to get kids interested in writing and the editing process.
8. Go to the Library
Most public libraries have summer story time and activities for kids of all ages. Take your kids to storytime and sit in the back of the room with your laptop and work while the kids listen. If they are old enough (and your library is the right size), let the kids pick out a stack of books and read while you login on the library’s computer or bring your own. For little ones, many libraries have books on tape/CD that they can listen to with headphones. This is a huge treat in our house.
9. Kid Swap
While my two closest friends do not work during the summer, they still have hair appointments, grocery shopping and other errands to do that are just done better with out the kids. We arrange a swap. I take the kids one afternoon and she’ll take them another. Words to the wise! Whenever you enter into a swap arrangement, be sure that the reciprical playdate is set immediately - this helps keep things from getting too one-sided.
10. Mother’s Helper
If you don’t have a good kid swap option, try out a Mother’s Helper. When my kids were younger I hired a 13 year old from the neighborhood to come down three mornings a week for 2-3 hours to take the kids outside to play on the swings, ride bikes, draw on the sidewalk, etc, while I jammed on work for a few hours. The kids liked it because the 13 year old was always more fun than me.
11. Foster an Interest
Look into a day camp or summer class in something your child loves or wants to try. With three kids, I limit each child to one camp per summer, but you have to find what will work best for your situation. For example, my son loves LEGO Mindstorms NXT and there is a Mindstorms class he can take once a week for 8 weeks. This will give him a creative outlet and learning opportunity. My girls want to try horseback riding. Luckily for me, the art teacher at school is also a horse trainer and does a relatively inexpensive day camp that involves horses and art one week out of the summer. I will maximize my work time while they are at camp.
12. Negotiate a Deal
My kids are old enough now to understand a fair amount of give and take. If I know I need an extra hour in the office, I might cut a deal. For example, I will offer to take them bowling or to a movie in return for playing nicely and entertaining themselves responsibly while I finish up a task or take a conference call.
13. Take Advantage of a Rainy Day
Now I am not recommending that you place your kids in front of the TV all day long, but planned TV time can make for perfect work time - especially if you can take a laptop into the same room as your kids and work while they watch. Maximize your time on a rainy day by working while the kids take in a good movie.
If you still need more ideas, you are in luck! A few of my cyber pals are in the same boat and have made their compilations as well. Check these out for more ideas:
And two of my favorite sites for kids activities:
- Printables4Kids - yes, this is another one of my sites, but it’s packed with great stuff
- FreeStuff4Kids - and this one is by Randa Clay and is also a must use resource
Visit the official Thursday Thirteen site for more TT posts.
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