First day of preschool … and a few tears …

Were you thinking that I was going to say that the tears were from mommy instead of the new student? Um, no. Grace was crying a bit as mommy left, but mommy is fine. Excited actually. Partially for Gracie, who is embarking on a new adventure of interesting toys, new friends and teachers (that will last her for the next two decades or so). But also for mommy. Grace is attending a full-time preschool/daycare, where I have the freedom to dropoff/pickup her anytime between 6:30 am to 6:00 pm. Not that I would keep her there for 11 1/2 hrs, or five days per week. Probably more like 5-7 hrs per day for 4 days per week. From this arrangement, I have the ability to take opportunities for speaking engagements, interviews, and to create new projects for my business, without being limited by scheduled nanny or babysitter hours. But the biggest benefit is that I will have enough time during her school day to get my work done, so when I am spending time with Grace, I will be able to spend time 100% on her, not part on work and part on Grace. It’s great to be able to work from home with your kids around, but it means that everything only gets partial attention (unless you are really disciplined about it). And it was driving me nuts. I felt pressure (from myself) to work all the time, and pressure (in the form of a nagging child) to spend quality time w/ Gracie. The laptop was always open. Today I feel such a release of that pressure. Now, when I pick Grace up from school, I will not be checking email and monitoring my website. I will take her to the park to play in puddles and do crafts with her at the kitchen table. We will sing songs and build castles on the floor. The laptop will be closed.

Stopping the “Should’s”

I resolve to no more "should-ing." No more making a decision based upon what "they" or friends or experts say I "should" do, but what is right for me and my family, based upon our needs, wants, and life goals. So, where did this resolution come from? Today it came from finally deciding to put Grace into preschool, instead of looking for a new nanny. She’s just about 2 years old, so really it is daycare plus, or preschool junior — in-between care for 2 year olds, where they do preschool for an hour or two a day, have free play, potty train, and learn how to function in a group (and for that matter, a bureaucracy). The nanny search has been driving me nuts. Even using a service (which costs a few thousand bucks each time), it takes weeks to find a new person, and tons of interviews. Every time I liked someone, she was hired out from under me by another family. Then another round of interviews, and another week or two goes by with Grace being watched by babysitters and in back up day care. And even if we did find someone, there is no guarantee she would not just quit in a few weeks or months to do something else. I had been resisting day care because I wanted Grace to have the advantage of one-on-one contact with an adult, and more time with me. I did not want her to be lost inside an institution, or her smarts brought down to average because no one was challenging her. But, the current situation was not good for either of us - for her it was unstable, and for me, I was getting way behind on work. And then I really thought about Grace, and less about me at her age. Grace is outgoing and loves people. I imagine she will love playing with other kids and being around different adults. She is assertive, and will make sure she gets attention. I’m going to trust her to try it out, and if it is not working, I’m sure she will let me know in her own way. Yes, if she gets sick I have to get a babysitter or take a day off work. But, that day off work is a blessing in disguise (see my earlier post from October). And finally, it’s not forever. It’s just an experiment. If after a few weeks, we both hate it, we can always start the nanny search again. I just hope I’m not going to work-at-home mompreneur hell for sending my baby to daycare.

Finding a new nanny … again … again

Our nanny for the last 2 months gave her notice about two weeks ago, that after all, this job conflicts with her current part-time family assistant position (driving around and being a companion for a 16 year old). I wish she has thought about that before she took the job, instead of 6 weeks into it. Now we are on the search for a new part-time nanny. But the funny thing is, when she told me, I was not that upset. I now have figured out how to work with Gracie around, and have restructured my business to fit that lifestyle — where most of my work is online or in creating content, instead of just working one-on-one with clients in person. Our first nanny spoiled us. She was reliable and consistent, and worked with Gracie from age 7 weeks to 15 months. That will probably not happen again, as I have come to realize. Now, I am just looking for someone for 6-12 months, if possible. Or at least longer than 6 weeks. There is an advantage to our crazy nanny situations - Gracie has become very flexible to new people. She is convinced that everyone who comes to the house is there to play with her (to the surprise of the handyman and cleaning people), and enjoys different people spending real quality time with her. The disadvantage? Gracie is convinced that every new person is friendly and nice and wants to play with her - even creepy old men who watch kids playing at the park …

The Wealth Spa is up!

In January we launched www.thewealthspa.com - The Wealth Spa is dedicated to helping women to achieve their most important life goals through strategic financial planning, coaching, consulting, and classes. We offer a free Special Report (How to Avoid the Top 10 Money Mistakes), free monthly educational teleclasses about various financial topics, and a bunch of free articles and other goodies. And for those ready to take the next step, The Money Mastermind membership program, coaching, consulting, and a home study course. Check it out — and let me know if you have any feedback, questions, or find any typos.

Starting to come up for a breath — or am I?

Wow, I have not posted since December — and I have missed it. A bunch of times I thought of what my blog post would be — while in a shower, or chasing Gracie around the backyard, or while dealing with the many crazy events from the past 2 months. But I had blog procrastination syndrome, or maybe blog perfection syndrome. I don’t want to post unless I have time to write something meaningful and polished. I’m posting now because I got over it. Got over the idea that I will ever have the time to write a polished blog post when I am concurrently caring for Gracie, searching for a new nanny (yes, again), trying to have a great relationship with my also-insanely-busy husband, launching a new website and membership area, launching multiple information products and teleseminar programs, hiring contractors and interns, writing a book, promoting my website and eZine, and just generally running my business and life. My sister (and webmaster/designer) Vickie IM’d me today that I was self-medicating through working. But really, since my work is one of my passions, I don’t think I am just an addict. I really do love this. I’m only partially crazy.