How I get it done even with no sleep and kid home sick …

I am really tired today.  I could lie down on this Pergo flooring and take a nap right now.  Yesterday was even worse, running my life on 2 hours sleep, taking care of a sick baby with a 104.7 degree fever, up all night, and still with project deadlines, a teleclass, an eZine and blog, sales copy due for my radio show, and the never-ending pressure of emails. 

How do I run a business and take care of my family (and myself)? Read more

What type of a mompreneur are you?

There are really three different ways you can work and take care of your kids.

1. Work and care for your kids at the same time.
2. Work while your kids are asleep.
3. Work while your kids are at school, preschool, daycare, or with a nanny/babysitter/family member.

I do all three. Right now for instance, I am writing my blog during Gracie’s nap. During the week I do most of my work while she is at preschool — especially writing, client work, teleclasses, interviews, and meetings. But I also work while she is underfoot - answering email and doing web 2.0 stuff (blog comments, forum posts, linking).

But I wonder — since I have Gracie in preschool, should I only use that time for work, and not let work spill over into Gracie time? Is it wrong for me to be reading email when she is around (besides, I should not be checking & reading email that much anyway)?

How are moms able to run their business with no childcare of any kind? And I don’t just mean moms with babies and toddlers - I also know of moms who homeschool and run a home business. Do they just work while the kids are sleeping? Or do they have family or friends who help? Or do they have different types of kids (unlike mine, kids who are quiet and spend time with themselves)?

Here’s a more important question — why do I worry about it?

Is it weird for me to work at home while I send Gracie to preschool?

And even more important … why do I think this? Why do I feel guilt? I would not think it was weird for me to send Gracie to preschool (which has been wonderful for her, by the way, she even has friends now!), if I went to a J.O.B. in an office. Or even if I got dressed up and went to an office for my own business. But somehow, sitting here at my living room desk, it enters my mind that it is weird that I have other people watch over her when I am "just" working from home. As if working from home is not "working." As if I would be able to run a company with Gracie running around, yanking on my capri’s, coloring on stacks of Post-it Notes, wining "Mommy, up! Please!" (does "please" count if it is screamed?) I resolve to not judge myself based upon the fact that I am working in bare feet, in my living room, with my cat next to me. I am still running a company, making money, giving advice … just as "real work" as performed any office (and for that matter, more real than any J.O.B. I ever had before I hung my shingle). And I resolve to not feel weird about being only mommy dropping off her kid that’s not dressed in "work clothes."

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 …