The Juggling Entrepreneurs

Every year, I use my digital photos to use as notecards and to make gifts for relatives. Through my projects, I have learned that not all services are alike.

Snapfish is great for calendars, but Shutterfly rocks when it comes to a collage poster. (more…)

Self had a wonderful article written by Andrea Todd.  “My husband is a better mother” talks about one mom’s guilty feelings.  It just goes to show we can be our own worst critiques.

Up here in Michigan, the weather is breaking. You can catch glimpses of daffodils, green grass, and the return of summer birds.

Most schools have Easter/Spring break next week or the following. It can be very stressful trying to juggle work and kids during this time.

Why not take a break yourself? Even if it is just for one day, or a couple hours each day, you will feel much better focusing on your kids than cramming in work between interruptions by bored kids.

Find a local attraction like a park, hands-on museum or zoo that your kids can enjoy. Pack a lunch and take a bike ride with your kids.

TabletHotels.com is a website that recommends hotels and destinations for those who like to travel in style.  They now have a section specially dedicated to luxury hotels and destinations for families with kids.

This is a great source for VAs and entrepreneurs.

Are you looking for some music to fill your kid-infested office.  =-)

Here is  a Squidoo lens about great music for kids.

I launched my own Squidoo Lens called “Websites for Kids.”

It is the start of a reference page for parents by providing a list of websites your kids would enjoy or can use to complete their homework.

Anyone can add links and rate the ones that are there.   I would love it if you contribute as my kids are still pre-schoolers.  =-)

I don’t know about you, but my office is my house. I move from room to room monitoring my kids (age 1 and 3). I may be typing away one moment and eating a plastic cookie and drinking air the next.

Uninterrupted work time is reserved for early mornings and evenings. When I get frustrated, I remind myself every day that I chose this life so I could be with my kids.

My business is thriving because of two factors:

1. my clients know up front that I am working at home with small kids
2. and I am very careful as to the type of work I take on.

It is very hard to meet deadlines in this type of environment.

Read Mike Gunderloy’s post, “How to Manage Kids in the Home Office” for ideas on saving your sanity.

My kids have “inherited a play kitchen” from their aunt. She bought
new play food since the old stuff was mostly missing or mutilated. =-)

Some of the new play food are boxes that resembles the packaging
found in the grocery store. Since they are empty, it only took about
5 minutes for them to be squished and some even ripped by my one-year old.

To fix them and make them more durable, I stuffed them with plastic
bags and taped them shut with clear packaging tape.

To augment what they have, I bought or gave them the following and
put them in the playroom.
- Single-serve cereal boxes.
- Empty water bottles.
- Old Tupperware used for my husband’s lunch box.
- Wicker baskets.
- Plastic fruit donated by the grandparents.
- tablecloth and napkins (also used for bathing animals and babies)

What ideas do you have?

The weather was so mild, we went to the zoo today - and ate lunch outside.

We were immediately surrounded by 3 peacocks. Their eyes were level with our trays and nothing could shoo them away. After spending 1/2 hour huddling protectively over our lunch, we began to relax. They were no worse than dogs - begging, but not attacking.

So which is worse, a seagull or a peacock?
_____________________
“Mom, that camel is going to have a baby.”
“Why do you think that?” I asked.
“She is lying down and has two humps. The other one only has one.”

It is no wonder moms take their toddlers to the zoo. Besides wearing them out, they constantly make you smile.

The paintings done and the new carpeting is installed. We moved our bedroom furniture into the master bedroom today. This leaves us a spare bedroom that will be the kids’ playroom.

Let me elaborate.

We have 4 bedrooms. The kids get the two smallest bedrooms. We get the next size up and the spare bedroom is the largest bedroom - the one the architect would have said should be our bedroom.

Why did we choose to do this? What about a home office?

1. My husband gets up earlier than I do. By having his dresser and closet in the playroom, he doesn’t wake me.
2. The bedroom we chose is in the back of the house. There is no street noise since we back up to an elementary school’s green space.
3. At this stage, it is more important to have toddler-friendly common areas.

With my laptop and phone system, my office is mobile. I can work in my bedroom, the dining room, bathroom (sometimes I’m desperate), or playroom. I can be where my kids are or where they are not.

They need constant supervision so I am usually working beside them. But if I need to make a quick phone call, it is nice to step into my bedroom at the right time and make the call.

When they are older, maybe I will change the rooms around and take one of the small bedrooms as an office.
Or maybe we will make the current playroom an office/library. Only time will tell.

All I have to say is that when you have a home-based business, the architect who built your home might not know what is best.