Another Random Thought Kinda Day

The Mister goes on leave tomorrow at noon. I’m really looking forward to having him home. Monday, he has an early morning thing so he’s getting up with the kids and getting them off to school. Yay!! I get to sleep in on a Monday. Woot!

Speaking of getting the kids to school…I think I need anger management therapy or I need to learn how to meditate or I just need a vacation. The carpool lane at the oldest’s school is really getting the better of me. Maybe I’ll take a video of it so you all can better understand why one of these days, I’m going to take my car and ram a bunch of other cars with it. I need a bigger car for that though. The Scion wouldn’t stand up to ramming too many cars, heheh. On a totally serious note, I need to figure out someway to keep my cool because I let perfect strangers (yes, they’re idiots, but strangers all the same) get to me way too much. But at least I’m not the only one. I had a lady get out of her car last week and come up to me to ask why people are so rude in the carpool lane. I didn’t have a good answer for her other than that they are assholes (sorry). I didn’t say that, but I was thinking it.

Also speaking of the kids…The oldest had a project she had to do for math class. She had to go on a “scavenger hunt” to find different geometric lines and shapes to see how they’re used and can be found in real life. She also had to document where she found all the different items. She chose to make a book with illustrations, clippings, and pictures of her loot. She did a decent job of it. I asked her what the other kids did and she said most of them used Power Point and turned in CD’s of their projects, lmao. Geez. She also said some of them made websites of their hunt. I guess I’m a bit stuck in the past because it never occurred to me that a digital project would be acceptable. When she told me that, I said she should have made a blog diary of her hunt. She responded by saying that blogging is my thing, not hers!! I had to laugh. She’s pretty, popular, and other than games, not interested in computers. Sometimes I really wonder if she’s my kid at all.

I received 13 work related e-mails this morning all before 8 am!! Talk about the early bird getting the worm. Who goes to work that early in the morning? Well, besides the Mister, heheh. Don’t regular, civilian-type people work 9-5? Or is that just a rumor?

The more I work, the more I love it. I have no regrets about being a stay at home  mom for 12 years. I raised my kids myself and I’m working at something that I actually like. I’m also working because I want to and not because I have to. Not many people can say any of that. I’m also meeting awesome people, most of whom are other work at home moms, Most importantly, I’m appreciated. Some days, work is the only thing that keeps me sane. It’s something positive to focus my energy on.

Oh! And I downloaded Pocket Tanks on my iPod yesterday!! I was pretty excited about finding it, lol. The Mister and I used to play it on our computers back in California but I had forgotten about it. It’s way fun even on the free version that I downloaded and a great time waster. If you want to check it out for yourself, here’s the link to their website:  http://www.blitwise.com/ptanks.html . Super DX Ball is fun too and another shareware game you can download at their website. I’ve also been playing the heck out of Kingdoms and iMobsters on my iPod too. It’s silly, I know.

I think that’s about it. I have to go and attend to those 13 e-mails. No rest for the wicked.

 

Purely a Test

One of my clients uses Survey Monkey. I had never heard of Survey Monkey before and one of my tasks in the future will be to compose, send out, and use the results. I’m trying to figure out how to use this service so I created a survey as an experiement. I would appreciate it if you all could take the time to take my survey just so that I can see what the results will look like. It’s strictly confidential and the survey is pointless but it would really help me out if I could see how it works.

Click Here to take survey

I’m not getting paid for this survey. It is purely for my own benefit. ;)

And We’re in Business!

I am officially in business. I finally applied for and received my business license last week! Woot! I figured it was about time. It’s actually past being about time but hey, better late than never.

In other news…

We’ve been having the most excellent weather. It’s been in the 70’s and 80’s for a few days now. I LOVE it. I have the windows open in the house and I’ve been wearing shorts and sandals. It’s supposed to cool back off to seasonal temps this week, but it was a sweet taste of spring while it lasted. As for daylight savings, as usual, it sucked. I wish we could do away with it altogether. The youngest child walks to her bus stop in the dark now. How much fun is that?? It’s also a lot harder to wake up in the complete dark as well. I just don’t like it at all.

AND!!! I have lost a total of TEN pounds now. Woot woot!! Yup. I’m still going strong on the dieting and exercising. My plan is to lose 1 1/2 pounds a week so I’m ahead of the game still. I ran for five miles on the elliptical yesterday and I’m actually going to  hit the streets with the Mister this weekend. I’m nervous about running for real, but he says it’s about time, lol. I’m hoping I don’t chicken out.

In the world of being a gadget whore…

The Mister and I got BlackBerry Curves last weekend. I figured with having four business e-mails (and counting) and a couple personal e-mail addresses I could use a mobile way of checking my e-mails. BlackBerrys are good for a lot more than that, but it’s a start. ;)

Also, I downloaded a Kindle app for my iPod touch and I LOVE it. I’ve been really reluctant to buy a Kindle and for a few reasons.

1. 1.  I like to own my books. This means that any books that I digitally download will also have to be bought for my bookshelf. That’s one book for the price of two.
2. 2.  Kindle makes it waaaay to easy to download new books and I would have to learn a way to control myself, lol. I’ve had the Kindle app for less than a week and I’ve already downloaded and read five books on it. I’ve been on reading roll.
3. 3.  They are freaking expensive!! I don’t know if I can justify spending $359.00 on this gadget which is only the beginning of the cost. Refer back to numbers 1 and 2.

So, I figured the Kindle app was a compromise. Kindle e-books are cheaper than most other e-books and if I ever do get one, all the books that I’ve downloaded will work on the actual Kindle as well as my iPod. Ho hum.

I think that brings you all up to date. Work has been pretty crazy but now that I’m settling into a routine, I hope to be able to blog more often. It’s just that by the time that I’m done sitting at my computer for hours working, I don’t feel like being in my office anymore. I don’t even play games on my computer these days. I’ve been reading books on my iPod, crocheting a throw, and hanging out on the couch in my off time. Excuses, excuses, lol.

On Being Confident and Professional

I’ve never done this before on my blog, but I would like to introduce you to my newest client. I find her both fascinating and informative.

My newest client is Guila Muir and Associates. Guila is an expert when it comes to presenting oneself as a professional. She teaches and coaches people on how to be a confident facilitator as well as  how to give presentations without falling flat on your face. I don’t know about you guys, but these are tips that I could use. For example, when I’m on a business phone call, I catch myself umm’ing a lot. I cringe every time I do it but I can’t seem to stop myself. And you can forget about public speaking. I’m pretty sure you’d have to drug me first. Guila’s website and the articles that she writes give the everyday person or professional the tools that they need to present themselves in a confident and professional manner.

Guila’s newest article is titled, “Two Presenting Myths:  BUSTED!” In her article, Guila discusses how thanking your audience isn’t necessarily the correct opening to a speech. The second myth in her article covers how there is a definite difference between moving about in front of your audience with a purpose and rambling around as if lost. Both points Guila talks about have to do with body language and how you are presenting yourself to your audience. Even if you don’t regularly present at conferences or meetings, people such as teachers and managers would benefit from Guila’s advice. The Mister, who is a Marine, gives a class on Lean Six Sigma several times a week and has told me how Guila’s insights have helped him to better convey his message to his Marines.

If you would like to read more about Guila Muir and Associates and to get more advice on how to be an expert facilitator and presenter, I’m sure Guila would appreciate a visit to her website. When you stop by, be sure and leave her a comment. She even has articles that could help students when it comes to remembering what you learn.

Guila Muir and Associates

The Good, The Bad, and The Evil

We’ve been having a lot of highs and lows lately. Lots of peaks and valleys with no plateaus. I’m very much the type of person who prefers a smooth ride rather than a roller coaster thrill. So, do you want the good or the bad first?

I’ll start with the bad. My father-in-law fell the other day on ice. He fell on concrete which resulted in a broken hip and a torn rotator cuff. The day after he fell, my brother-in-law had  surgery on his rotator cuff so he can’t help out a lot with his dad. Things in Ohio are pretty much a mess right now. The Mister is considering going up to help out but both of their recovery times are going to be a lot longer than the ten days leave he would be able to take so we’re not really sure how much of a solution that would be. Ugh!

Now for the good news…I’m up to FOUR clients now. Woot!! I still have a hard time believing that I went from being a sahm for twelve years to having so much work that I’m considering taking on my own intern or assistant of some kind. It’s crazy really. It’s a good crazy but crazy nonetheless. My working has become such a change in our household, that we are having to figure out stuff. For instance, I was up working until 10 pm last night. The oldest child takes this as her being allowed to set her own bedtime now. As a result, she didn’t get up for school this morning until she only had ten minutes to get ready before we had to leave. The house is also in a constant state of disarray. We need a system of some kind. I think the benefits of the extra income, the awesome contacts that I’m making, and the boost to my self esteem and having my own identity far outweigh the temporary chaos in my house. All changes take some adjustment time. One of the things I always put on my resume is that I’m “highly organized” which I am. You should see my spreadsheets, lol. I just need to find a way to apply my organizational skills to every day life. If all else fails, I’ll just start beating the kids and locking them in their rooms. Just kidding. Heheh. Maybe I’ll just hire a cleaning service. Who knows.

I would like to know how two income families do it. We’re certainly not the first couple to have kids and to both work. Are other people’s houses messy with their kids sneaking around and not doing as they’re told? Am I going to become one of those parents that I can’t stand who doesn’t watch their kids? Is CPS going to be knocking on my door next? And what about single moms?? They work, they don’t have a partner to help out, and they have kids and a house to take care of too. How in the heck do they do it??? There’s a solution. I just have to find it.

Getting Some Work Done

I twittered this earlier this morning, but I am so entirely grateful that today is Friday. My days have been hectic and filled beginning to end this week. This is actually going to be a work-weekend for me but it won’t be as intense as the week has been and I’ll get to sleep in Saturday and Sunday, heheh.

Monday, I had my first conference call. I’ve had other business calls but they have always been one on one. The call on Monday involved the CEO and director of the organization for which I am consulting. Not knowing what to expect, I figured the call would last 30 minutes tops. Most of my other work related phone calls have been 20 minutes or less. Boy was I wrong. I was on the phone for an hour and a half. So long that I needed to plug my phone in and I had to pee so bad that I wanted to cry. We also ended up getting take out that night (one of our bad dinner nights) because I hadn’t anticipated being on the phone so long and didn’t leave myself time to make dinner. I had my second conference call with the same people this morning. I figured that since we had hashed out most of the agenda on Monday that this morning’s call would be short and sweet. Wrong again. This call lasted for a little over an hour. I have yet another follow up conference call scheduled for Tuesday and I’m going into it with no expectations at all, lol. I’ll make sure my phone is fully charged and that I take a potty break beforehand.

Work for my new client is moving along. It’s a bit out of my, I don’t want to say comfort zone or expertise, but it’s unfamiliar territory. The new client is a plastic surgery information website. Up until I started working for them, I’ve never had any dealings of any kind with anything that has to do with plastic surgery. The only surgery I’ve ever had is an appendectomy when I was 12, lol. I’ve seen so many before and after pictures of stranger’s boobs this week that I see them when my eyes are closed which is taking some getting used to, to say the least. But, this work is new which makes it a little challenging which keeps it interesting.

You wanna know the really cool thing?? I took that conference call in my sweats and a ratty old t-shirt, HEHEHEHE!! I love working from home.

Feeling Pretty Good

No. Things are still far from settled with the VT house. We got bad news about it Monday and more bad news today. It never seems to stop. However, I’ve pushed it to the backburner in my mind. Maybe not the healthiest or wisest thing to do, but at least I get through the day without crying and I’m now looking forward to Christmas. Call it a defense mechanism. I don’t really care.

One reason I’m feeling pretty good is that FedEx delivered my new digital camcorder yesterday. It’s the one that I won in that contest. It is SO SMALL. I mean, it’s just slightly bigger than my digital camera. I need to take some video that I can share so you guys can see what it can do but I have no idea what to shoot. Maybe I’ll record the dogs playing or something.

Another reason I’m jolly is that we got a bunch of new soap additives yesterday. We started out buying stuff commercially from local stores but these ingredients we bought wholesale from suppliers. It really makes you feel like you’re in business when you can by wholesale, plus it’s way cheaper. It was another exciting step in our business venture. Also, I found someone that would be willing to design our website at a discount from his normal $50/hour corporate rate. Now I need to figure out how I want it to look and what elements I want on it. I’ve never designed a for real website before so I’m a bit intimidated.

Another reason I’m in such a good mood is that the Mister and I just about finished up our Christmas shopping for the girls last night. I still have a few odds and ends that I want to pick up, but the major gifts are bought. Yay!! That’s relatively early for us, lol. We are very much the last minute shoppers. As it is, I’ll be up late wrapping gifts on Xmas Eve. I know me. I will.

My last bit of feel goodness is that tomorrow is my last day of work for two weeks. That’s right. I’m taking vacation. I have a feeling that I’ll start missing it after a few days, but I’ll survive, heheh.

Hrmph!!

I am not believing this, but we are getting snow flurries here right now!! Can you believe that trash?? And it’s COLD. It’s only 41 with a wind chill of 34. Brrrr! I haven’t seen snow in almost two years so I guess I’m due.

Other than that, I don’t have too much to report. I ran some errands this morning, bright and early, so that I could get home to do some work. I worked, took a lunch break, worked some more and now I’m pausing for a potty break and a quick post. So much fun, right? Oh, and I heard back from my lawyer, got the okay on the e-mail, and sent it off to The Tenants. We’ll see if I get a response or any money for that matter.

Sorry so short, but I gots things to do.

Oops

Day 6:  NaBloPoMo

I’ve been working at my job since May and so far, it’s been a very positive experience. The extra money has been great but even more so, the experience that I’ve gained and the contacts that I’ve made have been awesome. The people that I work for are always changing and adding projects for me to do which keeps me on my toes, it helps me to learn new skills, and it keeps the work from getting old. I like what I do and the people I work with and for and they seem to like me and the work that I’m doing. Today, however, I had my first work f-up and wow! Was it a doozy.

I received a call from the CEO today to discuss what happened. He took the blame on himself as I was only doing what I was supposed to be doing and what happened would never have happened had they reviewed my proposed plan of action closer. Even so, I took partial blame because knowing what I know, I should’ve known better. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. The “injured party” took it upon himself to CC his entire board as well as our entire board (which was a major overreaction) so EVERYbody and their brother knew what happened. Our CEO called the “injured party” several names, lol, and told me not to worry about it but with this being my first major work faux pas, I’m having a hard time letting it go. I think if I weren’t so stressed with the VT house issues (tomorrow is their payment deadline), school work, and getting us ready to go on vacation, it probably wouldn’t bother me so much. It was bad timing all around I suppose.

Taking a deep breath and letting it go.

2 days until we leave on our vacation.

Told Ya I’d be Back

I knew there was stuff from my weekend that I was forgetting about. I think I have mentioned in the past that I’m not much of a morning person. My brain doesn’t start to function until about 9 or so. Anyway…

Friday we drove to Morehead City to go to the Best Buy. Our old DVD player won’t work with the new TV for some reason. I thought that it just needed cleaned so we bought cleaner stuff and hooked it up to the bedroom TV (it was easier to test it on that TV rather than the living room TV). It worked just fine so I thought, “Cool! It just needed cleaned.” Well, when we connected it to the living room TV, the TV kept saying that it couldn’t detect it and when it did, the picture was distorted and garbled. Our thinking is that the component jacks on the TV are messed up somehow. A real PIA (that’s Pain In the Ass) considering the TV is brand new. The other sucky thing is that the DVD player is old enough that it doesn’t have an HDMI jack on it. So, we bought a new DVD player and hooked it to the new TV with an HDMI cable and it works great. We put the old DVD player in our bedroom and hooked it up with component cables and it works great too! I didn’t realize how cheap DVD players are these days and we bought one that’s a five disc changer too. Fun times. I know you’re not supposed to have a TV in the bedroom but you know what? I’m excited about having a DVD player in my bedroom, heheh.

While we were in Morehead City, I talked the Mister into driving to the beach. Atlantic Beach is only a few minutes down the road. It was a very nice night. There was a wedding on the beach too when we got there. That would be my dream wedding should I ever have one only I would want to go to the cliffs on La Jolla beach in San Diego. Here’s a pic of the sunset. I took it with my phone so it’s backlit and a little dark but you can tell what it is.

Sorta.

Today, I had an appointment with an accountant. You may remember back when we first moved here and H&R Block totally screwed up our taxes. Well, with my job, which turns out I’m a sole proprietorship, I decided not to take any chances and I consulted a real accountant. I’m really glad that I did too because he told me a story of a client that had an accidental business like me and ended up owing $10,000 in taxes without realizing it. Totally not a possibility in my case, but it could be someday. It is also handy to know all of the stuff that I get to write off at the end of the year as business expenses. We’re going to go to him in 2009 and have him do all of our taxes too. The older we get, the more complicated our taxes get. It’s crazy.

I think that’s it for real this time. I gotsta get to work.

My Productive Weekend

I actually got stuff done this weekend. I was amazed at myself.

I finally got the garage cleaned out. It was still full of our boxes from moving. I know. How lazy that it took us a month to go through the stuff. It also got me to thinking that if we could live without all those things for a month, do we really need them at all? The answer if probably no but we still unpacked the boxes anyway. My car is now parked in the garage! I wish I had taken before and after pictures because it really was an amazing amount of work and I did it mostly by myself. The house has suffered as a result of cleaning out the garage though. The crud had to go somewhere, lol.

My school work is also suffering. I find myself remarkably unenthusiastic about taking classes this semester. Both of my classes are on subjects that I was really looking forward to studying, but I have to force myself to do my reading and assignments each week leaving most of it until the last minute. I’m pretty sure that my job has a lot to do with it. When I started college, it was so that I could get a good job. I hadn’t worked since I was pregnant with the oldest child and I didn’t think that I had any marketable skills. Plus, I wanted the satisfaction of knowing I had my BA. That last part is still true. However, it turns out that I do have marketable skills, I’m good at what I do, and it’s an actual long term career and not just a job. This makes it very hard to want to continue with school. It would be really easy to take a very extended break. Don’t worry though. I have no plans on doing so. I’m smart enough to know that I can demand more money with a BA and it’s also something to fall back on should my current business fall through or if I get bored with it. I need some MOTIVATION though!!

I know there was more about my weekend that I wanted to talk about, but I’m really tired and drawing a blank. I may be back later on today, heheh.

Another Day of Ups and Downs

We’ve been having weird weeks lately. Maybe it’s just that time of year.

The Mister got some bad news concerning his work and the infamous reenlistment bonus which has the possibility to change all of the plans we had in place. Again, it’s this back and forth nonsense and the lack of control that makes me dislike (what a nice, benign word) military life and which would make it very easy to walk away from despite all we’ve put into it. Also, he has to work this weekend, the entire thing. He hasn’t had to work an entire weekend since Vermont and I don’t like it. Bah.

On a positive note, good things are happening for me with my work. My current client, the Edge Foundation, has been giving me extra projects which is awesome. Not only does it mean some extra cash (which we could totally use right now) but it also tells me that I’ve been doing a good job. After not working for 12 years, it’s encouragement that I needed. Additionally, I could be taking on a second client which I am so very excited about. This is still in the works and not a sure thing, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I wouldn’t even be in the running for this second client if not for the work I’ve been doing for Edge.

And lastly, the youngest child didn’t go to school today because of her foot. She still had significant swelling this morning and couldn’t fit her foot in her shoe. She’s been keeping it iced and elevated today and it’s looking better. Still some redness and swelling but it doesn’t look as nasty. I tried to get her to let me take a picture of her foot for my blog but she refused, lol. The oldest child told me to wait until she was passed out from the Benadryl and take a picture while she was asleep but I figured that would be wrong. Sorry. ;)

Have I been mommy blogging too much lately? Oh well.

Kid Drama

We had a rough night with the kids last night. They were fighting like cats and dogs, which is something they rarely do. Both of them ended up in bed at 8 pm on a Friday night. Much screaming and crying ensued. For their punishment today, I made them write letters of apology to each other and then to us, the Mister and me, for their behavior. They also have to clean the kitchen. I gave them a choice: It was either the letters and the kitchen or they were going to be grounded to their rooms for the entire day, no tv, no computer. They chose to write the letters and clean the kitchen. Just now, the oldest child comes in and asks me, "By cleaning the kitchen, did you mean the WHOLE thing???" I replied that of course I meant the whole thing. Then she said, "Man! I should have stayed in my room!" LMAO!!! Kids. They are so funny.

In other news...

I completed my first day's work yesterday. My hours are restricted until my boss can get a feel for what I can do so I have a light load this week. I would be willing to put in three times the amount of work, but I understand her reasoning. I really can't wait to dive in and grind the stone though.

It's raining here again. And it's COLD. It's only 61 degrees right now. I had to go around and close up my windows cuz my house was getting chilly. The rain is supposed to clear out tonight and be nice the rest of the weekend though. Yay!