This and That...It's About Time
The focus for April has been Writing and Time. Here is a little collection from a few of the Queens who have had a bit to say on the subject. Cara, Queen Cookie, tells us how to be an effective CEO of your own company…which really means managing your life. Queen Meredith gives us a picture of those times life takes over and manages us. Queen Camellia discovers what happens when you work like a man. And for dessert, Queen Jaw Jaw reveals the pay-off of being a successful life-CEO.
And…time has gotten away from us in April, and there is more to say about the dearth of it. So we are continuing the subject through May. Please join us and tell us if you are managing your dream life, or if it’s managing you. Are you creating your dream life? Is not, what’s holding you back? Have you created the life you dreamed of, only to discover you’re exhausted? Do you have time to tell us about it? Have you found balance in the life you want and the life your living? If so, we need to know what you are doing. We’ll be publishing essays this month on Dreams and Time…and your dream life doesn’t have to be about writing. Don’t want to write a blog article? Just contact Donna@www.queenpower.com and I’ll include your comments on the blog.
5 Tips for WAHMs by Cara Sonnier
So you thought working at home would be an easy thing? Sometimes it’s just like working outside the home, or even worse. Along with your full time job as domestic goddess, you are now a CEO of your own company. Here are a few tips for keeping your family as priority while reaching your business goals:
1 - Prioritize. Get your Day Planner and set aside all the time you want to spend with your family. Mark out your daughter's soccer schedule, evenings out with your husband and all other family appointments like doctor visits. When you have someone calling for an appointment for your services or to book a home party, you will have all your "business" time in front of you.
2 - Delegate. Discover what you can and can't live with when it comes to housework. Do you hate dirty dishes hanging out overnight? Can you live with dust? Does it really bug you to have toys all over the floor? Once you have established that, delegate responsibilities paid off. Also employ hubby to help out too!
3 - Automate. Technology is a wonderful thing. Use email forms, voicemail, or ipods to your advantage. Let the voicemail get your business call if little Suzie is screaming her head off and you can't take time to devote to your customers. Do not let technology overtake your free time. Machines are there to help you do your tasks, not to make more time for more tasks.
4 - Re-evaluate. Every once in a while (I recommend every 3 months), look at what you are doing and redo things as needed. Your son may have earned his next karate belt and now his classes are on a different day. Change your calendar to reflect this. Update your voicemail or email responses to reflect your new schedule.
5 - Enjoy. You are a WAHM (Work at home mom) for a reason- to be there for your kids. So whether they are in school or you are home schooling, set side time to go to the park, take in a movie, or just goof off at home. Resist the temptation to do business on family time.
© Cara Sonnier, 2005Author Cara Sonnier (admin@thedessertbox.com) and her husband Eddie along with their 2 children live in southern Louisiana. She is a home schooling mom and owner of The Dessert Box http://www.thedessertbox.com/
Life and Assorted Blahblahby Her Royal Queenness Meredith
The following piece was originally posted on forums sponsored by Boomer Women Speak as an answer to the question posed by another member: "Where's Meredith?"
An update on the insanity that passes for my life:
1. The Yard. After 2 weeks of being jerked around by both homeowners assosiation and regular insurance, both HOA and Allstate decided that none of the damage is covered. 2 days later, HOA sent us an official letter telling us our yard was an eyesore and we had to clean it. Yeah, your yard would be an eyesore too if a 25' cactus uprooted and took with it all the landscaping on that side of the house, and all of the above was basically everywhere. We called one person about doing the work but they haven't gotten back.Husband and I put in a little time cleaning what we could get to, but still need a chainsaw to cut the cactus. Still can't get into our yard except through the garage.
2. and I have company coming Friday and Saturday, which means that we NEED to do some housecleaning.
3. and as far as the poetry programs: we're having 3 workshops this quarter as our main program, and one month ago presenter #3 cancelled, which means that I had to get someone else ASAP. I had spent three hours getting publicity together for the person whocancelled and it was all ready to go, and then I had to do everything all over again for the new person.
4. the website thingy: got the new website but NEVER got the intro letter telling me how to log into my account to edit etc. Sent several emails before I got a human reply, and all tripod said was "we already sent you that info; you should check your junk mail settings blahblah." To which I replied: "been there, done that, ain't there; can you just resend it so I can edit my account already?" to which there was no reply, so I just went in and kept pressing buttons and entering variables for about an hour until I got it to work.
6. and then there were 2 consumer products that were lemons, which translates into 3-4 hours EACH between emails and phone calls. Maybe more; or maybe it just seemed like more because of the aggravation.
7. oh and jewelry -- do I actually still make that stuff? Yeah, I think I remember... it pays the bills or something... Been spending ~12 hours each week just on DISPLAY, cleaning, replacing and whatnot, for the upcoming season. My big season starts in May, every bit as good as December for me with Mothers' Day, graduation, brides et al. So in between the rest of the insanity, I've been making up stock. Plus selling every weekend, to keep up the cash flow.8. I've been so short on time, I didn't even have the plane tickets for the April 22-24 poetry convention until 11:57 Friday night, leaving me a whopping 2 minutes to still get the "2 weeks in advance" fare.9. I'm sure there's more, but I'm too exhausted to remember. Getting real close to burnout here.
All of this happened within a two-week time span. Selected areas of the house sort of got cleaned. Company came and went through the garage door. The poetry workshop was magnificent. The website was edited, and the consumer lemons are history.
This coming weekend? I'm one of the invited speakers at the annual convention of California Chaparral Poets, the oldest and largest poetry organization in California. Hopefully I will write my speech sometime before I board the plane Friday morning. And pack my poetry, my books, and extra socks and underwear.
©Meredith Karen Laskow
Meredith Laskow would call herself a starving artist, but the scales indicate otherwise. In her "day job", the one that allegedly pays the bills, she creates gorgeous jewelry made from semi-precious gemstones, freshwater pearls and an assortment of really interesting beads. She has two jewelry websites: http://www.meredithbead.com/ and http://members.tripod.com/meredithbead-ivil/
May promises to be a busy month for jewelry, as customers plan for Mothers' Day, graduation, weddings, vacations and divorces, all of which she is happy to accessorize.
Her "writing job" as Poet Laureate of Placentia California Library District is kinda-sorta nominally prestigious, and extremely non-paying. Her philosophy on life and poetry can be seen at http://www.placentialibrary.org/laureate/poetlaureate.htmHer books are pictured at http://www.placentialibrary.org/laureate/books.htmBooks can be ordered directly from and autographed by the poet at meredkl-poet@yahoo.com -- provided they don't all sell out this weekend!
In July or August Ms. Laskow will take part in a major archaeological expedition to unearth her bedroom.
Catch This by Donna Warner
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant’s life, she will choose to save the infant’s life without even considering if there are men on base. Dave Barry
What was my biggest challenge at work this week? This week? I have a huge project I’m trying to finish and my boss is a slave driver. The housekeeper has gotten so slack, this morning there wasn’t even toilet paper in the ladies’ room. The snack vendor hasn’t shown up, and the boss expects me to provide refreshments for the crew. I don’t know what has gotten into the secretary—she has quit doing those ‘we care about you’ gestures which keep everyone feeling warm and cozy. This would not be a problem, but since I am a woman, my boss thinks I should take over all these duties, and complete my own work in a timely fashion. So, I take it home. Somehow I manage one hot meal a day, but my clothes are in the floor. I’ve taken to sniffing them when I pick up something to wear. A while back my husband started mentioning Obsession, and though I’m taking precautions not to stand up wind from anybody, I don’t think he was talking about the perfume. Now, he just fumbles around, shaking my hand, and muttering, “It’s been nice to meet you. You must come back and visit sometime.”
Oh. I almost forgot. I work at home. I am the housekeeper, the night watchman, the secretary, the snack vendor. What’s worse, I am the boss. I no longer think blind Milton mistreated his two daughters, but wish my two kids were the kind to stand and wait to serve me. I now identify with consciousness-guru Gurdjieff instead of the little niece he had stationed by his chair all day to replenish his coffee when it got cold. In odd, spare moments I fondly remember the housekeeper Alice from the Brady bunch, and wonder if any of my cousins have hit a hard patch and are desperate for room and board. I want a wife…one better at house cleaning that I ever was. Frankly, my dear, cleaning has never been my strong suit.
I love the work of word smithing. When I was younger, I used to think if I were good at it, it would bring me love. Now it’s a joy unto itself. After I finish this current project, I would be deliriously ecstatic if I could spend every day, every hour, every second, writing about joy and happiness and being in the moment, and friendship and sharing and folks loving one another.
Wait. I already have that. And if I only write about it, then would I still have it?
The biggest challenge is when I keep waking up at night, so excited to get back to work I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. It’s knowing this project is winding down, and wondering if I am in for the let down. It’s already being famished for the next idea I’ve spotted coming down the pike. It’s realizing that if an infant’s life is in danger, I would at least consider checking the bases out first. It’s knowing, if I give myself the opportunity, I would work like a man. Scary, ain’t it?
© Donna Warner
Donna Warner is QueenPower’s WordSmith and Advice Aunt. She is compiling a book of essays on everyday spirituality, Being in America, http://beinginamerica.blogspot.com/
and a book on intuitive knowing, The Little Voice.
And, as always, Jaw Jaw has the final word:
are you kidding me? Time? What's that? We wait our entire young lives for our kids to be grown and gone so we would have this precious commodity...and then...we are certain we could/would/should write a best seller. What happens? They go out, find a mate, marry, have grandchildren, and then like that wasn't enough...they suddenly LIKE you and want to spend more TIME with you. Bunch of sadists if you ask me. Time...ha! What a joke. JJ
Georgia Richardson - a.k.a., Queen Jaw JawThe Queen of Experienceshttp://www.queenjawjaw.com/http://allthingsroyal.blogspot.com/Humor Columnist for Shoals Woman Magazine, The Monthly View, and Penwomanship
http://www.queenpower.com
disclaimer
And…time has gotten away from us in April, and there is more to say about the dearth of it. So we are continuing the subject through May. Please join us and tell us if you are managing your dream life, or if it’s managing you. Are you creating your dream life? Is not, what’s holding you back? Have you created the life you dreamed of, only to discover you’re exhausted? Do you have time to tell us about it? Have you found balance in the life you want and the life your living? If so, we need to know what you are doing. We’ll be publishing essays this month on Dreams and Time…and your dream life doesn’t have to be about writing. Don’t want to write a blog article? Just contact Donna@www.queenpower.com and I’ll include your comments on the blog.
5 Tips for WAHMs by Cara Sonnier
So you thought working at home would be an easy thing? Sometimes it’s just like working outside the home, or even worse. Along with your full time job as domestic goddess, you are now a CEO of your own company. Here are a few tips for keeping your family as priority while reaching your business goals:
1 - Prioritize. Get your Day Planner and set aside all the time you want to spend with your family. Mark out your daughter's soccer schedule, evenings out with your husband and all other family appointments like doctor visits. When you have someone calling for an appointment for your services or to book a home party, you will have all your "business" time in front of you.
2 - Delegate. Discover what you can and can't live with when it comes to housework. Do you hate dirty dishes hanging out overnight? Can you live with dust? Does it really bug you to have toys all over the floor? Once you have established that, delegate responsibilities paid off. Also employ hubby to help out too!
3 - Automate. Technology is a wonderful thing. Use email forms, voicemail, or ipods to your advantage. Let the voicemail get your business call if little Suzie is screaming her head off and you can't take time to devote to your customers. Do not let technology overtake your free time. Machines are there to help you do your tasks, not to make more time for more tasks.
4 - Re-evaluate. Every once in a while (I recommend every 3 months), look at what you are doing and redo things as needed. Your son may have earned his next karate belt and now his classes are on a different day. Change your calendar to reflect this. Update your voicemail or email responses to reflect your new schedule.
5 - Enjoy. You are a WAHM (Work at home mom) for a reason- to be there for your kids. So whether they are in school or you are home schooling, set side time to go to the park, take in a movie, or just goof off at home. Resist the temptation to do business on family time.
© Cara Sonnier, 2005Author Cara Sonnier (admin@thedessertbox.com) and her husband Eddie along with their 2 children live in southern Louisiana. She is a home schooling mom and owner of The Dessert Box http://www.thedessertbox.com/
Life and Assorted Blahblahby Her Royal Queenness Meredith
The following piece was originally posted on forums sponsored by Boomer Women Speak as an answer to the question posed by another member: "Where's Meredith?"
An update on the insanity that passes for my life:
1. The Yard. After 2 weeks of being jerked around by both homeowners assosiation and regular insurance, both HOA and Allstate decided that none of the damage is covered. 2 days later, HOA sent us an official letter telling us our yard was an eyesore and we had to clean it. Yeah, your yard would be an eyesore too if a 25' cactus uprooted and took with it all the landscaping on that side of the house, and all of the above was basically everywhere. We called one person about doing the work but they haven't gotten back.Husband and I put in a little time cleaning what we could get to, but still need a chainsaw to cut the cactus. Still can't get into our yard except through the garage.
2. and I have company coming Friday and Saturday, which means that we NEED to do some housecleaning.
3. and as far as the poetry programs: we're having 3 workshops this quarter as our main program, and one month ago presenter #3 cancelled, which means that I had to get someone else ASAP. I had spent three hours getting publicity together for the person whocancelled and it was all ready to go, and then I had to do everything all over again for the new person.
4. the website thingy: got the new website but NEVER got the intro letter telling me how to log into my account to edit etc. Sent several emails before I got a human reply, and all tripod said was "we already sent you that info; you should check your junk mail settings blahblah." To which I replied: "been there, done that, ain't there; can you just resend it so I can edit my account already?" to which there was no reply, so I just went in and kept pressing buttons and entering variables for about an hour until I got it to work.
6. and then there were 2 consumer products that were lemons, which translates into 3-4 hours EACH between emails and phone calls. Maybe more; or maybe it just seemed like more because of the aggravation.
7. oh and jewelry -- do I actually still make that stuff? Yeah, I think I remember... it pays the bills or something... Been spending ~12 hours each week just on DISPLAY, cleaning, replacing and whatnot, for the upcoming season. My big season starts in May, every bit as good as December for me with Mothers' Day, graduation, brides et al. So in between the rest of the insanity, I've been making up stock. Plus selling every weekend, to keep up the cash flow.8. I've been so short on time, I didn't even have the plane tickets for the April 22-24 poetry convention until 11:57 Friday night, leaving me a whopping 2 minutes to still get the "2 weeks in advance" fare.9. I'm sure there's more, but I'm too exhausted to remember. Getting real close to burnout here.
All of this happened within a two-week time span. Selected areas of the house sort of got cleaned. Company came and went through the garage door. The poetry workshop was magnificent. The website was edited, and the consumer lemons are history.
This coming weekend? I'm one of the invited speakers at the annual convention of California Chaparral Poets, the oldest and largest poetry organization in California. Hopefully I will write my speech sometime before I board the plane Friday morning. And pack my poetry, my books, and extra socks and underwear.
©Meredith Karen Laskow
Meredith Laskow would call herself a starving artist, but the scales indicate otherwise. In her "day job", the one that allegedly pays the bills, she creates gorgeous jewelry made from semi-precious gemstones, freshwater pearls and an assortment of really interesting beads. She has two jewelry websites: http://www.meredithbead.com/ and http://members.tripod.com/meredithbead-ivil/
May promises to be a busy month for jewelry, as customers plan for Mothers' Day, graduation, weddings, vacations and divorces, all of which she is happy to accessorize.
Her "writing job" as Poet Laureate of Placentia California Library District is kinda-sorta nominally prestigious, and extremely non-paying. Her philosophy on life and poetry can be seen at http://www.placentialibrary.org/laureate/poetlaureate.htmHer books are pictured at http://www.placentialibrary.org/laureate/books.htmBooks can be ordered directly from and autographed by the poet at meredkl-poet@yahoo.com -- provided they don't all sell out this weekend!
In July or August Ms. Laskow will take part in a major archaeological expedition to unearth her bedroom.
Catch This by Donna Warner
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant’s life, she will choose to save the infant’s life without even considering if there are men on base. Dave Barry
What was my biggest challenge at work this week? This week? I have a huge project I’m trying to finish and my boss is a slave driver. The housekeeper has gotten so slack, this morning there wasn’t even toilet paper in the ladies’ room. The snack vendor hasn’t shown up, and the boss expects me to provide refreshments for the crew. I don’t know what has gotten into the secretary—she has quit doing those ‘we care about you’ gestures which keep everyone feeling warm and cozy. This would not be a problem, but since I am a woman, my boss thinks I should take over all these duties, and complete my own work in a timely fashion. So, I take it home. Somehow I manage one hot meal a day, but my clothes are in the floor. I’ve taken to sniffing them when I pick up something to wear. A while back my husband started mentioning Obsession, and though I’m taking precautions not to stand up wind from anybody, I don’t think he was talking about the perfume. Now, he just fumbles around, shaking my hand, and muttering, “It’s been nice to meet you. You must come back and visit sometime.”
Oh. I almost forgot. I work at home. I am the housekeeper, the night watchman, the secretary, the snack vendor. What’s worse, I am the boss. I no longer think blind Milton mistreated his two daughters, but wish my two kids were the kind to stand and wait to serve me. I now identify with consciousness-guru Gurdjieff instead of the little niece he had stationed by his chair all day to replenish his coffee when it got cold. In odd, spare moments I fondly remember the housekeeper Alice from the Brady bunch, and wonder if any of my cousins have hit a hard patch and are desperate for room and board. I want a wife…one better at house cleaning that I ever was. Frankly, my dear, cleaning has never been my strong suit.
I love the work of word smithing. When I was younger, I used to think if I were good at it, it would bring me love. Now it’s a joy unto itself. After I finish this current project, I would be deliriously ecstatic if I could spend every day, every hour, every second, writing about joy and happiness and being in the moment, and friendship and sharing and folks loving one another.
Wait. I already have that. And if I only write about it, then would I still have it?
The biggest challenge is when I keep waking up at night, so excited to get back to work I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. It’s knowing this project is winding down, and wondering if I am in for the let down. It’s already being famished for the next idea I’ve spotted coming down the pike. It’s realizing that if an infant’s life is in danger, I would at least consider checking the bases out first. It’s knowing, if I give myself the opportunity, I would work like a man. Scary, ain’t it?
© Donna Warner
Donna Warner is QueenPower’s WordSmith and Advice Aunt. She is compiling a book of essays on everyday spirituality, Being in America, http://beinginamerica.blogspot.com/
and a book on intuitive knowing, The Little Voice.
And, as always, Jaw Jaw has the final word:
are you kidding me? Time? What's that? We wait our entire young lives for our kids to be grown and gone so we would have this precious commodity...and then...we are certain we could/would/should write a best seller. What happens? They go out, find a mate, marry, have grandchildren, and then like that wasn't enough...they suddenly LIKE you and want to spend more TIME with you. Bunch of sadists if you ask me. Time...ha! What a joke. JJ
Georgia Richardson - a.k.a., Queen Jaw JawThe Queen of Experienceshttp://www.queenjawjaw.com/http://allthingsroyal.blogspot.com/Humor Columnist for Shoals Woman Magazine, The Monthly View, and Penwomanship
http://www.queenpower.com
disclaimer
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