2008 was my first year as a work at home mom and it truly was a wonderful, wonderful year! I love being a virtual assistant and I feel more filled with hope for the possibilities this amazing career path offers than ever before. I had hoped for the past couple of years to make this dream a reality but thankfully when I had my wonderful baby Soy I was given the opportunity to seize the day so to speak and make it happen.

Now, with my business progressing I’m in a place to make so many plans for this year. I’ve already made business goals for 2009 over on my business blog, so this is where I’ll make plans for 2009 that focus more on my life. What is important to me, as a work at home mom, in 2009?

First - health. I am commiting to truly improving my health this year. I am going to hugely reduce the amount of sugar I consume and start getting more exercise. Typical goals of so many people in January, but I promise if you check back with me in June (in fact I think I’ll put into my calendar!!) I will be on track and feeling GREAT!!

I’m also going to work hard this year on one super important “mom” skill - my patience. I get far too easily frustrated when I feel pulled in all directions by my work, the kids needs, my husband’s needs, the housework, etc. I need to find that place inside of me that is capable of being calm and resourceful. Five minutes before reacting can save so much time in the long run - tickling instead of yelling, a hug instead of a “just give me a minute”.

My mama blog - well I feel like I truly discovered myself within this blog lately. Writing about being a work at home mom is just perfect for me and I plan to really invest some time into it this year. I’m also giving some thought to installing a really pretty new theme, but I have a couple other  financial goals first - including paying for my BlogHer registration after I receive payment for my invoices this month!

Finding my online tribe might seem like an odd goal, but it’s something I really care about. Business wise I’ve worked hard to become part of the legal blogger community and I’ve been relatively successful. I’m very involved on Twitter with other legal professionals and I was awarded a Clawbie for best new law blog of 2008 (so exciting!!!) Now it’s time to really start connecting with some other mom bloggers in a meaningful way, especially other moms who work at home or want to work at home. I have a great collection of Twitter pals, but I don’t spend nearly enough time on their blogs so I definitely want to do more of that this year! I also think meeting up with other bloggers at 2009 will contribute to meeting this goal. Meeting people in person can really change your interactions with them!

That’s enough for me to plan for now for 2009. I’d like to work super hard on each of these goals, I want it to be about quality, not quantity.  I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Ok, I’ve told you mine - now you tell me yours! What are you doing to make 2009 a successful and exciting year?

Due to that desire, I’ve recently tried out a couple of online “to-do” style systems - Remember the Milk and Toodledo. Both are pretty good systems, but to be honest, I still kind of like having a physical list in front of me. I like that I don’t have to have my computer or cellphone handy to look at the lists!! I spend enough time on my computer as is, I like to prepare my daily to-dos without the computer - it’s a good thing to do first thing in the am, while the kiddos eat breakfast, without the full distraction that turning on my computer tends to be.

My current paper system is very inexpensive - but hardly the most organized! It’s a spiral bound notebook where each week I make a page with about 5 lines for each weekday and about 7 lines for the whole weekend. I then list the tasks I want to accomplish each day, personal and work stuff. I like being able to cross it out as I finish the task! Fortunately, my work is picking up and with another new client starting Jan 1, I don’t really have enough space to fit everything in properly (I write kind of big, lol) and I’d like a proper book where each week’s info is spread over two pages. I’ve looked at a lot of calendars, but nothing really appealed to me enough to spend the money on it. At least my system is about $3 and lasts quite a while!

Still, I definitely want to upgrade to a real calendar, and definitely a paper one. I may try harder with an online system too, but for now I’m on the hunt for a great diary suitable to my wahm lifestyle! Here are a few I’ve found online so far:

• Moleskins - seem to be a huge fave of a lot of people. I don’t want the whole week on one side with notes on the other though. I want a full column for each weekday and that doesn’t seem to be an option here.
• Mom Agenda planners - hmmm, these may just be what I need. A little pricey (to me anyway!) but if it keeps me organized….
• This also has a great format - a free printable planner from Busy Mom Resources. I’d have to print it and put it into a binder (and label it all), but I do have a great binder I could use for it. Definitely a more frugal solution!

Decisions, decisions! Anyone have any other suggestions or resources? Love to hear from you!

Twitter has been a big topic for me this past couple of weeks, even though my poor mom Twitter acccount has been semi-neglected over the holidays. In fact I just posted about finding a virtual assistant on Twitter over on my business blog!

It’s been so busy and fun with the kids on break and my hubby also off of work until early January, that I’m having to put all my computer time into my regular work, with much less time for Twitter and my blog! Things should calm down again next week (maybe, lol - I have a new client as of Jan 1 so who really knows!) and I am definitely doing some year-end thinking/reviewing/planning that I want to blog about soon. I’ll be watching for all you other wahm’s to share your plans for 2009 too - until then, take care!

I have been working a little over the past few days and I signed a really exciting new client which should push my monthly income into a much more comfortable place! This is a big milestone, since I’ll now be making very similar to what I did as a full-time, in house legal assistant, well at least what I took home after paying daycare, parking, union dues and such. Not even considering the cost of professional work clothes, birthday lunches, co-worker gifts etc! So I’m feeling very proud of my fledgling VA business and really, really excited about the coming year and all the possibilities that are unfolding.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are making your plans for the new year!

So I don’t have to drag myself out to the bus stop twice a day in this weather - I can stay in where it is nice and warm and not feel bad about letting the kids watch a little bit of tv while I work. It truly isn’t outside activity time anyway! They do spend most of their day in free, very creative play though, not just watching tv, I promise!! They drive boats (aka the laundry baskets), build forts, put their babies (aka teddies) to bed and basically have a great time. Thank goodness for the ingenuity of young minds!

I do have to venture out to the library for a research project tomorrow. Plus some last minute grocery shopping before the holidays (what would a turkey be without stuffing after all - and I have no bread crumbs!!) But we’ll be fine - the crowds won’t be as bad in this weather - people really stay home when it is this cold, even those of us who are born and bred Albertans who like to believe we’re tough, we really don’t love this weather!

Take care!

When I read how little sleep some moms get by on I was truly shocked! Janice spoke of getting only a few hours a night and going to bed frequently between midnight and 1 am (or later). And Janice mentioned a person who gets even less sleep, Lori of A Cowboy’s Wife. Lori apparently thrives (judging by her awesome blogs and Twitter activity!) on less than four hours of sleep much of the time. Oh my goodness, I would literally lose my mind on that little sleep.

There were a couple of interesting trackback posts:

• Just Jenean’s post about her schedule;
• Upstate Mom posted about her schedule and sleep (she gets broken sleep like me!)

Also, several commentors noted that they sleep in the 6-7 hour range, which I guess is enough for some people, but not me!! I truly need at least 8 hours, and my optimum seems to be about 9 hours - unbroken hours! When, like in the first two years of each darling child, my sleep is broken I seem to be perpetually exhausted and frustrated. All my life I’ve been someone who needs a lot of sleep - it’s so awful that I have children who don’t sleep well as babies, lol! Soy is almost 13 months old, so I’m hoping in the next 6-12 months he’ll sleep 11-12 straight hours at night and I can start to feel human again. Keep your fingers crossed for me, would you?!

My son is happily counting down the days until his Christmas break and as of today there are only 2 days to go! It’s sure going to be busy in this house with him home! Fortunately for me I’m not that busy with work right now and, even better, my DH is off for a week of the holiday break as well. I should easily be able to stay on top of my workload!

It’s not always that easy though - especially if you are getting holiday guests, or are going to be out attending gatherings and parties a lot yourself. For that matter, I will have a couple of days where I will be awfully busy!

So what can a WAHM do who really needs to get some work done over the holiday period? Here are my suggestions:

• hire a teenager to come help out, even a couple of hours per day would probably be a BIG help!
• Plan a physical activity early in the day (skating, sledding, a long walk) and try to tire the kids out so they will relax and watch a movie while you work later on in the day
• stock up on craft supplies like playdough, paint, paper, etc; cold winter days are perfect for a full afternoon of crafts
• Make sure you have plenty of easy to grab snacks ready to go so you aren’t constantly getting up to make them something to eat
• New movies, books or video games are sure to please
• If all else fails - get up really early or stay up really late so you can do a little work when it’s quiet

And of course, remember, these are the times to enjoy your children! I know mine are growing up faster than I ever expected and even when I’m busy and tired and overwhelmed I have to remember that these are precious times and then I close the laptop and I go and play!

But Sugar, from Living - In Theory, wants us to talk about what we are doing to make an impact on the lives of others for her HP contest. So that’s what this post is going to be about!

I think we all impact other people’s lives in so many ways - by being a good friend, by trying to be loving and supportive parents, by helping out our family when they need it. And I do all of these things, at least most of the time. Some days it is hard to make sure that impact is positive, when I’m tired and the kids are screaming!

I’m proud to talk about another area I work to have an impact in. When I first started planning my VA business, I read a suggestion that a great way to get experience was to volunteer. So I did some research and found an organization that needed my help AND that I cared about the cause! I started working as the secretary of my local VBAC association. We’re a small group but when a woman is pregnant with her second or third baby and wants desperately to finally have the vaginal birth she has wanted all along, we are there for support, answers and guidance. When we get emails saying that a woman is about to be pressured into a repeat c-section, it feels so good to be part of the group that can help her get the result she wants, or to be there for her if the c-section does happen. It’s not always easy finding the time to do volunteer work, especially with 3 young kids and a husband whose work has irregular hours and even works out of town. But I am committed to staying involved with this organization because I know that we can do good - and sometimes those little ripples of positive action can mean more than we can ever realize.

Well that’s my story and my entry - hope you like it! Now I’m off to read everyone else’s posts and to tweet about the contest!

***ADDED Friday am - Reading all of everyone’s ideas for sharing the contest winnings - I have to say I’m so impressed, and if I’m fortunate enough to win I may take a further look at the suggestions and find something great to try with at least one of the computers! I quite like the idea of giving it to an aspiring VA!

***ADDED Dec 16/last day of contest! If you haven’t entered yet make sure you do so today!! I’ve enjoyed commenting on other’s entries so much that I just had to add a little postscript and share some of my favorite entries right here on my blog! Be sure to check out:

• Nikolas’ great post - a young guy with a good heart who is coping with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.
• I’m pretty sure I’ve been to Shera’s blog before, A Frog In My Soup (the name is so memorable!!) but I didn’t notice until after reading her entry that she does blog design, especially for mommy blogs! Beautiful work and I recommend you check it out, especially if you need some work done or maybe some mommy cards, which she also designs!
• Courtenay had a great and inspiring post about community work and it reminded me to go and donate blood this holiday season. It is the gift of life after all!
• Paisley Raven’s post shows how truly thoughtful some people can be. Not many of us open our homes so freely to those in need.
• Gwynne’s post about living on so little really reminds me to be so grateful for all that I have.
• Roguepuppet’s Bridges post was so wonderful!! And Roguepuppet found out after entering the Living in Theory contest that she actually had won one of the other 50 HP Magic contests - wow, huh?!
• Definitely go watch the video at the Mommy Gossip entry if you have a chance - so touching!
• A truly well written entry came from Sarah at The Third Degree - didn’t even realize it was an entry until the end!

Honestly - there were so many amazing entries and I’m so glad to have been introduced to these blogs. Some made me laugh, some made me cry and some made me want to jump up and DO something! Sure hope you all find time to read them, oh and don’t miss Sugar’s own “impact” post on her blog - it’s about a refrigerator….

Laurie

It’s a little bit of a weird set-up, they do two sessions; January to end of March and April to mid-June. I could only get him into a Friday only morning program for the first session and a Tuesday/Thursday mornings program for the second session. It’s a good way to work up to it though! I feel really good about this - I meant to put him into preschool this fall but it was very complicated finding a good and affordable program with availability. This program is a perfect solution!

Now the only question is will I get much extra work done or will I just get more shopping done, lol! If only the centre had wireless internet, then I could drop the baby off at the drop-in childcare and hide out with a coffee and my laptop! Guess I’ll just have to head home with the baby kid though!

I have to admit though, I haven’t made a wish personally. I feel very blessed this year, with a wonderful virtual legal assistant practice that while growing slowly IS growing, healthy kids and a wonderful husband whose job is pretty good. So I’m instead watching the #wahmwish tweets and hoping maybe somehow I can help make someone else’s wish come true!

Hope you all get your wishes and that 2009 is a wonderful year for us all - and Kelly, thanks for all the hard work you are putting into such an amazing project!