Nix9to5

The Work at Home Reality

// August 27th, 2010 // No Comments » // Balance, Time Management, Work at Home

My dedicated readers have noticed that, once again, I have been missing in action.  My husband returned to work two weeks ago when teachers reported for the beginning of school.  Since that time, the reality of being a work at home mom has set in.  I am so happy to stay home with my Bear all day, and I don’t regret my decision for a second.  I went up to my old school yesterday to have lunch with a friend, and while it was good seeing them, and I miss my friends, being there for even the short time I was there just really helped solidify that I made the best decision for myself and my family.

However, the reality of being a WAHM is more difficult than I anticipated.  I told myself that I knew that I would be every bit as busy as a WAHM as I was as a mother who worked outside the home.  I told myself that, but I am not sure I fully grasped it.

Here is the reality: (more…)

More on Time Management

// July 27th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Balance, Organization, Time Management, Work at Home

When my All You magazine came this month, I was pleased to see that, in addition to a bunch of coupons, it had reader tips called “Organize Your Life for Free (or Close to It!).”  Here are some of the tips that I liked:

• Maintain a family schedule online: “We use cozi.com, a free site, to keep our schedule in order.  It also has a shopping list tool, which is great because I can jot down products as I think of them.  It links directly to my husband’s work calendar, so we can be sure our appointments don’t conflict.” — Kristin Strobe, 35, Avon Lake, OH (I haven’t checked out this site yet, but since I spend so much time on the computer, it seems like it might be a good way to keep up.) (more…)

WAHM Tip #3, continued: Organization

// July 26th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Balance, Life in General, Organization, Time Management, Work at Home

About a month ago, I asked for your suggestions on getting organized and effectively managing time–things that I have definitely been struggling with as I make the transition from working mom to work at home mom.  I got two responses, which lets me know that one of the following is true:

1. You are struggling just as much as I am.
2. You know enough about time management to list “Don’t Waste Time Commenting on Blogs and Piddling around on the Internet” as one of your top time management strategies. (Note to self:  Stop piddling around on the internet.)

I’m just going to hope it is #1 so that I don’t feel so lonely as I fumble along trying to make this work (plus, if you aren’t wasting time on the internet, then you aren’t reading Nix9to5).  Since I’m working on the assumption that balancing it all is hard for you, too, I’m going to give you the two bits of advice that came from Nix9to5 readers.  Tomorrow, I’ll follow it up with some tips from the August issue of All You magazine.  (If you don’t subscribe to All You magazine already, consider it.  It has great ideas for saving money and time and comes loaded with coupons.) (more…)

Shame on me!

// July 22nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Balance, Life in General, Time Management, Work at Home

I was mildly chastised today for my failure to keep this site updated.  Those of you following me on Facebook know that I recently got a new project from one of my clients, and while I thought I was almost actually ahead on work, that one project has now put me thoroughly behind.  Never fear, though.  I got a lot done tonight and I’m planning on hitting it furiously over the weekend.  With any luck, I’ll be back on track with Nix9to5 by Monday.

Oh, and Mom?  I got some new pictures up  on the Totsite, too.

Amen.

// July 16th, 2010 // No Comments » // Balance, Children and Babies, Life in General, Time Management, Work at Home

I borrowed this from the Facebook page of a Nix9to5 reader:

Today’s Groupon: 3 Hours of House Cleaning for $39!!

// July 8th, 2010 // No Comments » // Balance, Couponing, Life in General

 I am truly giddy about today’s Groupon.  You can get up to three hours of house cleaning for only $39.  That’s 74% off the regular price of $150.  For people like me who are constantly trying to figure out how to get everything done, this deal is a real life saver.  I have a strategy in mind for how I would like to tackle getting my home sparkly clean and organized, but the plan is continually derailed by real life.  With today’s Groupon, maybe I can get someone else to give me a little jump start.  Here’s what Groupon has to say about this deal from Ms. Picky’s: (more…)

WAHM Tip #3: Get Organized

// June 30th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Balance, Life in General, Time Management, Work at Home

This has been a big week for Nix9to5, but you wouldn’t know it from the blog.  That’s because I just haven’t had time to keep the site updated.  Between scheduled tutoring shifts, copywriting deadlines, and squeezing in a mini-vacation, I’m behind on just about everything.   I also managed to get a new writing assignment for one client, and I added a new client altogether!  That’s great, because the closer I get to losing my school paycheck, the closer I am to a full-on panic attack that we’ll never be able to afford my being a WAHM.

It’s really too bad that the blog has been neglected, because just this week, I got a TON of new readers from south of the border (that’s Texas, too all of you who don’t live in Oklahoma), and they are probably wondering why they should read a blog that never has anything new to say.

So WAHM Tip #3 is to make sure you get your time organized.   The problem is that I’m not quite sure how to do that.  Readers, how do you manage to get everything (or at least some things) done?  I’d love to hear your tips for time management, whether you are a work at home mom, stay at home mom, or working mom.  Post your comments below or send me a note through the Nix9to5 contact form.  I’ll compile your tips and put them in a post that gives your great ideas for budgeting time.

For now, I have a little Bear pulling on my shirt saying, “Mommy read it,” so I’d better go have a little story time.  Have a great day!

Here We Go Again . . .

// May 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // Balance, Life in General, Time Management

I’ve become quite busy with work again, and so I’m getting a little behind.  Once again, the blog that doesn’t pay me is having to take a backseat to the writing that does pay me.  Also, we have company this week, as Bear’s grandma and grandpa are in town looking for a house.  Poor Grandma and Grandpa are being ignored while I work, but I’m really not the draw around here, anyway.

Anyway, stay with me.  I’ve only got a week and a half left at my “day job,” and then–theoretically–I should have a little more time to spend on Nix9to5.  In the meantime, I’ll soon be posting a pic of my latest pile of free groceries and relating the little story of my cashier, Nicky, who is completely unworthy of that name, and not just because she spells it all wrong.

Stay tuned!

// May 17th, 2010 // 4 Comments » // Balance, Life in General, Work at Home

I realized last night that it has been a week since I’ve updated the blog.  I’ve been posting updates on Facebook, but I forget that not all of my readers are Facebook users.  This morning before 8:00 a.m., I had two readers ask me about my lack of posts, which made me realize I needed to get on here and let you all know I have not really disappeared–it only seems like it.

The last couple of weeks have been terribly busy as I try to balance my outside-the-home job, my work at home jobs, and raising a toddler.  The overlap has about done me in, but beginning June 4, I’ll exclusively be a work at home mom.  That will give me a little more time to give Nix9to5 the attention its readers deserve.

I have completed one project, and I had to decide between losing another project or losing my mind, so I just let the project go.  While I’m nowhere near caught up right  now, I have freed up enough time to get some posts in this week.  In fact, I should even have something for you later tonight.

Stay tuned . . . and thanks for sticking with me.

Why I’m Doing It

// April 25th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Balance, Children and Babies, Life in General

Right now, I’m feeling very close to burnout.  I just keep telling myself that it’s just a few more weeks, and then temporary projects will be done, and shortly after that, it will be summer, and I’ll begin my Leave of Absence.  In the meantime, I’m a little on edge.  In fact, this morning when they sang the birthday song on Sprout, I cried.  I don’t know why.

However, this morning gave me some big reminders of why I’m working so hard right now, and why it is worth it.

First, as Bear and I were playing in the living room this morning, I had the TV on in the background.  I usually have it tuned to Sprout (which apparently makes me cry) because I don’t think Bear is going to hear anything too terrible on it.  A Clorox toilet cleaner commercial came on.  You know the one that shows all the different toilets and calls them by different names?  Well, Bear looked up from what he was doing and called out, “Potty!  Potty!  Poopie!”  So funny.  I don’t want to miss those little moments anymore.

Later, I was drinking my coffee and dipping cookies into it (yes, I had cookies and coffee for breakfast–is that wrong?).  Bear came walking up to me with his big blue eyes and asked, “Coo-kee?”  I broke a little piece off and handed it to him (yes, I gave my baby cookie at breakfast–is that wrong?) and he looked at me and grinned and–completely unprompted–said, “Tay-too!”  For those of you not fluent in Toddler, he said, “Thank you,” all by himself.  My good boy.

Neither of those moments compare to what happened earlier in the morning, when Bear was eating his own breakfast (without cookies).  Because I did not realize I didn’t have any fruit prepared for him, I let Bear feed himself his cereal.  Messy, but it allowed me to chop and cook some pears for him while he ate.  As I was peeling and chopping, Bear looked at me and said for the first time ever, “Ah loo, Mommy.”

Ah loo = I love you.

Sprout isn’t the only thing that made me cry this morning.