Holding it Together Until Winter Break

My kids have had a taste of vacation…four long days of play, food, and festivities and now it is back to school on Monday morning. I can tell from the dragging faces and lack of enthusiasm that the next few weeks are going to be tough. They are just trying to hold it together until the long winter break… The truth is, my kids have four weeks—a full month to try to stay focused before they are set free for the winter holidays. Then it is nearly two full weeks of leisure. But, I know from experience that once Thanksgiving … Continue reading

Is it Real or Imagined?

Most of us parents have to deal with our children’s wild and wonderful imaginations at one time or another—whether it is imaginary friends, or monsters, or vivid nightmares. We parents can let our imaginations get the best of us too! When anxiety, fears, and stress seem to be your best parenting friend, it might be worthwhile to ask yourself if your concerns are real…or imagined? I’m here to tell you that I can imagine all sorts of fabulous and horrid things happening to my children. If one of them is 15 minutes late getting home, there have been times when … Continue reading

Doing What You Need to Do (Even When You’re Scared)

I know that feeling immobilized by fear and concern is not the sole plight of a single parent–but, let’s face it, for many of us solo parents, it can take some getting used to taking care of a family on our own. Add to that the reality that we may be going through a messy divorce, facing a funeral, or need to relocated, go back to work or school, etc. and it can be a recipe for feeling fearful and insecure. Acknowledging this insecurity and fear, however, does not mean that we cannot still do what needs to be done… … Continue reading

Blood Sugar Affects My Business

I confess, my blood sugar levels definitely affect my business operations. Perhaps that is rather uncool, and certainly not something you are likely to read about in one of the high-end business publications—but my productivity and temperament are directly related to what I have or have not eaten during the course of the work day… I know that I cannot embark on a big project or sit down to a long-distance negotiating phone call on an empty stomach. As a matter of fact, even though I can jump-start my work day with a cup or two of coffee, I really … Continue reading

Are There Areas of Your Business You Are Avoiding?

We all have places where we shine in our home business, and areas where we would just rather not focus. For some of us, we avoid keeping care of our finances and paying the bills, for others, it might be marketing that sends us running to the nearest distraction. With so much to do in the average home based business, we can hide out and avoid some of the tasks we don’t want to face for a good while. Eventually, however, those neglected areas will need our attention. The big question to ask yourself is “Why?” Why are you avoiding … Continue reading

Plow Through or Ease Up?

Recently, a friend of mine was trying to finish up a PhD dissertation that had been in the works for several years. As the end date neared, she was finding it harder and harder to stay focused and do brilliant work. We were chatting over how to stay motivated at the end of a long project and I suggested that at some point, a person just has to plow through, do her best, and get to the end. We can always go back and make corrections or adjustments after the fact—but sometimes, finishing is what it is all about. There … Continue reading

Some Days I Don’t Want to Do Anything Either!

I often think that the only difference between my kids and myself is the fact that I HAVE to get up and go to work and be responsible and they don’t. Of course, if you were to ask them, they would think that I have all the choices they don’t have, and here I am looking at them and thinking they have all the choices that I don’t have. Recently, I was debating this fact with a friend–a childless person who maintains that it is much harder to be an adult and that teenagers get cut a lot of slack. … Continue reading

Are You Solving Other People’s Problems Instead of Your Own?

The idea for this blog came to me during a recent conversation with a colleague, he actually posed this question to me–asking if I was not spending too much time trying to offer advice and be available to all sorts of other people–friends, family, etc.–that I wasn’t taking the time tend to my own problems and business issues. Well, isn’t this always the case, though? It is so much easier to see what other people should be doing to fix their problems–than it is to see what we should do to fix and attend to our own! This can be … Continue reading

Reasons I am Glad I Homeschool: Distractions

What happens when you bring two homeschoolers together? They socialize! Today I painted a mural at the house of another homeschooler. I brought my daughter with me. While my daughter is in “summer mode”, the child whose house we were at was still homeschooling in full swing. We should have known better. My daughter had no intention of reading the books I had her bring along. The other child had no intention of doing her work, as my child’s presence was a huge distraction. She eventually got through her lessons; and then the girls had a swimmingly good day. (Yes, … Continue reading

Struggling to Focus

If you are anything like me you may struggle time to time with keeping focus during worship to God. I am not sure what it is, but sometimes my mind really gets to wandering and the next thing I know I am not thinking about what I am singing or reading or listening to, but rather what I am going to eat for lunch, the afternoon baseball game (yes, I am a baseball fan), or how long of a nap I might get that afternoon. I absolutely hate that I allow my mind wander and it is one of the … Continue reading