Making the Most of Your Time | Girl Boss

Y'all ... I have a problem with staying on task.

I guess you could say I'm ADD. 

Maybe that's where my kid got the craziness ....

NO...

No, he got that from his father.

I swear it. Never from me. I'm awesome and perfect.

LOL

I digress.

Anyway, ... wait see? I can't even keep my thoughts straight in this damn blog! ha!

Today I tried something new. I decided to set my phone alarm to keep me on track. Sometimes All the time, when I'm on the computer, I seem to bounce from one task to another.

I'll be editing, then I'll check Facebook, then 15 minutes lost, I'll get back to editing. Then I get bored and start something personal, then 30 mins lost, I'll get back to editing or what the hell, I'll switch to blogging. And by the time I know it, the eldest is home and the baby is awake from the nap and now I'm juggling afternoon snacks and telling the baby to stop messing with my photo props, and eldest that no, he cannot play the xbox until his homework is down and then ....

SHIT.

I forgot to thaw the meat for dinner. And oh by the way, the editing that was due today is not done and now I have to spend the evening away from the family to finish editing and get the gallery up for the wonderful family that hired me but now I'm not close to my family because I'm locked in the dark making some other family happy.

Exhausting, right?

I mean, everyone makes being a work-at-home mom seem so simple. In actuality, it's not. When you go to an office, you're family is already taken care of. Whether they're at school or daycare. You are not interrupted by crying, hungry babies or angry, hormonal kids not wanting to do homework. You are in an office with other people who are stuck in an office doing their jobs. So more than likely, you can get your job done and complete, minus the phone calls or noisy co-workers.

Work-at-home moms rock because they still have to do laundry, watch the kids, make dinner and all that jazz. And that my dear friends, is why nap time is so extra special to work-at-home moms so you HAVE to be able to manage it perfectly.

So the thing I did differently, as I mentioned above before I went on my soap-box, was that I timed my "nap-time work schedule." My littlest sleeps from about noon to 3pm. So that gives me three hours to get shit done. Today I still multi-tasked but this time I timed it.

When I put the baby down for nap at noon, I threw in a load of laundry. Then I got to work at catching up on a personal photo album since, surprise! As a photographer, your own photography gets pushed to the side (i.e. editing vacations, scrapbooking, printing, hanging...ect). So, one of my goals is to catch up on my photo albums. For an hour I did just that using, Shutterfly. Then at 1pm, I began to edit client work. I did about 30 mins of one client and 30 mins of another client. That got me about 20 images, give or take, on each client done. Basically, they're almost complete. 

Then at 2pm (after throwing the wet clothes into the dryer), I forced myself to come on here and blog. Why do I say forced? Because Facebook was REALLY calling my name ... so I cheated a tad and looked on Facebook for about 10 minutes ... this is why I am now whisking through this blog hopefully not too crazily because when my "For Real STOP!" Alarm goes off, I HAVE to stop because a) my eldest comes home from school and b) if I don't wake the baby from his nap by 3pm, he won't sleep at night. GAH! 

The struggle is real folks.

And there it goes, my alarm. So I HAVE to get off people. So hopefully maybe this blog will give you a little insight in work-at-home moms. I don't want to scare you off entrepreneurs. 

I don't. 

Because seriously, working for myself is the best decision I've made. Seriously. I hate to think about working for someone else and on their schedule. I can take vacation whenever I want. I can stay home with the kids. I can partake in school activities and I can have weekends to enjoy family instead of catching up on household issues. 

Guys, be your own boss. But just realize that you'll probably work more hours in the day/night and your boss is the biggest bitch out there. ;) I'm telling ya.

Good luck y'all!

Meeting New People | 'Werkit' Out Wednesdays

Okay, so granted the above pictures are my family ... and this post is entitled "Meeting New People."

HOWEVER,

I am using this picture because we are wearing our Team RWB shirts.

(and the fact that I just met a new group of people and shouldn't use their photos on a public forum without their permission ... but I mean, that's just morals right? LOL)

We became members in NC, and when we found out we were moving, this was one of the groups I made sure to check and see if TX had a chapter. And come to find out, El Paso has their very own chapter. So we were stoked.

This was our first run in Texas. It was a 10k which involved us carrying our passports because we ACTUALLY crossed the US/Mexico border for the run. We couldn't pass up this awesome opportunity. This was also the longest run our eldest did.

He complained the whole time.

I mean, the WHOLE TIME.

But in the end, he was first place in his age group. LOL (probably the only 9 year old to run the race, but none-the-less, he was first)

But I digress.

Team RWB has literally surrounded our lives and we didn't feel so lonely when moving. Because well, we still had a "family." Even though we were leaving everything and everyone we knew in NC.

Sooooooo.....

It took a while for us -- ME -- to join in on their awesome activities here in El Paso. But when I saw that some of the ladies get together for a stroller workout. I knew I HAD to go. And thank goodness for groups like Team RWB.

I was immediately greeted and accepted into the crew with like-minded women who have to juggle working out and little children. They get it that sometimes you have to stop your workout to pick up a sip cup. Or you have to walk a little bit because your little one wants to flail their legs around "run" with you, just like you.

Boy! If my legs fly out to the sides like that when I run ... I've got to work on my technique.

But it's cool. Because Team RWB is all about making sure veterans (and their families) stay community involved and know how to integrate into civilian life and to just be around like-minded people. It's awesome. I'm sure I didn't say their mission exactly right, so check out their website HERE.

But the whole point is, get out there guys. I hate meeting new people. I'm a quiet person and I normally won't talk to you until you talk to me. I've always been like that. But I had step out of my comfort zone and just get out there.

Because who really wants to be cooped up in their house all day and not talk to an adult until their spouse comes home from work? I mean, I don't. Do you?

Also, getting out their with other people who share your own hobbies and beliefs sets an example to your children. They get to socialize while momma is werkin' it to better herself as well.

So get out there guys.

Meet new people.

And hell, if you don't like the first group of people ...

Try again. You'll find your "weirdos" eventually. I promise.

I'm still looking for my "weirdos" here ... but I know I'm heading in the right direction. Even though I may have come off a little TOO hardheaded strong-willed when I had to step up and defend Fort Bragg because another woman had a completely different experience than I had ... I really wanna take her back to Bragg and be like, "See? It's rally not THAT bad..." LOL <3 hope she looks past my loud mouth and doesn't hate me just yet ... haha!

Good luck y'all!

Y'all I'm exhausted with School Shopping! | Raising the Boys

You know what?

"F" it.

School shopping is for the birds.

I don't want to do it.

Nope. No way.


Oh wait.


It's required?


Son of a bitch.

Y'all. I'm exhausted. School shopping is ridiculous. Add in a hyperactive child and an angry toddler. Yeah. Not anyone's dream activity.

This year, I have to admit though, we didn't have to grab as much shit as we have had to in the past years. Luckily, the "communal" buys this year was limited to gallon size baggies (for what? I don't have the slightest clue), one (yeah, you heard me right) ONE container of sanitation wipes, one hand sanitizer, one liquid soap, and four boxes of tissue. I mean, that's not bad. I didn't have to purchase "candy for prizes" or "beans for crafts" or "colored construction paper" or "a sketchbook for art" or a flipping "recorder" that he's only going to use one time. So I lucked out.

This year though, he won't be wearing a uniform, so we had to buy new clothes, but surprisingly that was cheaper than buying uniforms and shoes that were "one solid color that doesn't have a brand on it."

Well Shit .... just got done with Open House ... apparently he WILL be wearing a uniform. You'd think they would've mentioned that when I went into the front office to REGISTER him! DAMMIT! So off I go back to Marshalls and Walmart to return clothes so that we can purchase $15 embroidered polos. 

DAMMIT.

But y'all, I'm exhausted. We had to keep our elbows up in the isles of Walmart and grab things before other people's little buggers snatched things out of your hands. We had to fight the dressing rooms and keep a tired, hangry 2 year old. Our skinny ass son had to try on freaking 20 pairs of jeans until we could figure out what would actually stay up over his butt. We had to clean up a broken emoji biggie bank that is made of clay and within a toddler's grasp. We had walked the isles numerous times trying to find a fucking "ghostbusters pencil box that is so awesome." We had to negotiate the fact that not all Walmarts have the same thing and this pencil box is the same colors as the Charlotte Hornets.

Lemme tell ya, that picture above, it's not all the shit we got, but it's the important shit. And all in all we only spent a grand total of:

$236

We got off luckily this year. I know we did.

Parents.

God speed and good luck with your own

horrible

school

shopping experience.