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Ten Weird Things I Love About Being a Mompreneur

Work from Home Whenever I ask women what they love about being a mom entrepreneur or working from home, I always get the same response: the flexibility to set my own schedule so I can spend more time with my family. Flexibility is the overwhelmingly popular benefit of owning a home-based business as a mom. But beyond that, what else is so wonderful? What are the other surprises and joys that come from running a business and raising children under the same roof? Here are a few of my favorites:

Ten Weird Things I Love About Being a Mompreneur

1. Saying yes. When you run a business and raise a family at the same time, there are lot of things you have to say no to, but there are also some things that you get to say yes to. Like stopping by the school to drop off a forgotten item, taking a day trip with the kids, visiting a friend in the hospital or volunteering as a Girl Scout leader. If I worked full time in a J-O-B, those things would be out of the question.

2. Soaking up some quiet. If you’re a homeschooling mom or your children are still babies, you may not appreciate this…but I treasure the quiet in my home from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm every day. I don’t turn on the TV or radio at all. I don’t even answer the phone unless I have to. I just bask in the calm between the storms that bookend our daily lives as a busy family. And yes – I get a whole lot of work done, too!

3. The office infirmary. With three active kids in elementary and middle school, we’re exposed to a lot of germs around here. When one of them is run down with a bug, it doesn’t set my world in a tailspin. I can administer Saltines and chicken soup in between writing blog posts and doing radio interviews. Easy peezy.

4. Yoga pants. Enough said.

5. My own cooking. Now, I’m not the best chef on the planet, but I do take the time to prepare healthy and delicious meals for myself and my family. I pack four lunches a day and I love the fact that I don’t have to pack one for myself. I can just go the fridge and grab something homemade for lunch. Of course, I still make time for lunch with friends and colleagues on occasion because I love going out to eat. But on a daily basis, I get to eat in my own kitchen. And I have more time to prepare healthy dinners too. I kinda love that. [Read more...]

My Life is a Game of Whac-a-Mole

Kid with a fever. Whac!

Overdue bill. Whac!

Deadline at work. Whac!

Laundry piled up to the ceiling. Whac!

Out of milk. Whac!

Seriously, ladies, I dish out repeated blows to the head all day long. Sometimes I think I’m the all time champion in life’s game of Whac-A-Mole. You know the game, the one with the silly little moles wearing hard hats. They pop up in an unpredictable pattern and taunt you as you attempt to smash them in the head. I know…it sounds a bit aggressive, but the game is alarmingly close to reality for me.

Every morning, I wake up energized, plastic mallet in hand, ready to take on the day. I set my intention – to be cheerful and kind and calm. Then I get out of bed and prepare for invasion. The frenzied and erratic pace of the day makes it difficult to remain true to my intention.

My typical day begins with a 6 a.m. workout followed by a frantic search for a missing soccer ball or ponytail holder, then the mad dash to three different summer camps in various locations, all of which begin at the same time. Then it’s off to work as I tackle deadlines and phone calls interrupted by text messages regarding last minute changes to the carpool schedule. With the grace of God, I manage to handle assignments at work and keep up with laundry, groceries, cooking and cleaning.

But there’s always something that pops up like a nasty mole in my delicately landscaped life. The case of swimmer’s ear, a broken dishwasher, last-minute travel for work, a sick babysitter, emergency dental appointment, the list goes on. You’ve been there. We all have. Staring that goofy mole in the eye and willing it to disappear forever.

Despite the chaos and overstimulation in my daily game of Whac-a-Mole, I enjoy the healthy aggression. In fact, I thrive on the sense of accomplishment I gain from successfully exterminating each and every mole. At the end of the day, I retire victorious and exhausted. But, I admit, I’m having the time of my life.

Ten Things I’ve Learned Playing Whac-a-Mole
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