If you are like me, the whole reason you are working from home (or trying to) is that those adorable, sweet (most of the time) children are too precious, too valuable, too important, too quick to grow ….. and on and on. I had not planned to work from home. It was the birth of my daughter 13 years ago that caused me to re-think my future, my career and my goals. After two weeks back on the job with an 8 week old, I could not bare it any longer. I’ve been home ever since and never regretted a single day of it. In the early days, it was one car, ramen noodles, no cable TV but very happy mom to be at home with her baby. Motherhood definitely changed me. How about you?

In celebration of Mother’s Day, I’d like to share this piece. Many of you may have seen it make its way around the email world, but its worth reading and sharing again. Enjoy!

Before I was a Mom:
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom:
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom:
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom:
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom:
I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom:
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,
The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Author Unknown

I came across an article I wrote a few years ago and it reminded me of the importance of checking in with ourselves on our parenting skills. None of us are perfect so there’s always room for improvement.

Take some time to think about what type of grade would you give yourself in the following areas? And perhaps more importantly, how would your children grade you? Take a moment to grade yourself and if you are up for it, ask your children to grade you as well.

• I praise my kids when they make good choices. _A _B _C _D _F
• I look for opportunities to encourage my children. I’m their best cheerleader. _A _B _C _D _F
• I point out their strengths and build up their self-esteem any chance I can. _A _B _C _D _F
• I comfort them in their disappointments. _A _B _C _D _F
• I enter into my child’s world by sharing time and talking with him or her daily.  _A _B _C _D _F
• I apologize to my kids if I respond in anger or make a mistake as a parent. _A _B _C _D _F
• I ask questions instead of jumping to conclusions.  _A _B _C _D _F
• I let them know I am a safe place if they need to talk. _A _B _C _D _F
• I look for teachable moments to teach my kids strong values. _A _B _C _D _F
• I try to role model healthy, moral choices for my children. _A _B _C _D _F
• I don’t withhold affection, praise or attention from my child as punishment.  _A _B _C _D _F
• I don’t put unrealistic expectations on my children. _A _B _C _D _F
• I discipline in love, not in anger. _A _B _C _D _F
• I let my children know they are loved unconditionally and without qualification. _A _B _C _D _F

A statement that has stayed with me for a long time is “Rules without  Relationship = Rebellion.” Creating and maintaining lasting, deep, trusting relationships with our children is not quick, and it is not easy. But is it worth it? I think you know the answer.

There are definitely areas I need to improve in as a parent. How about you? Like our children, we will get another report card. If you need to improve in some areas, take some time to work on them. 

One thing I make sure to tell my children often is that there is absolutely nothing they can do to make me love them any less. Sure, they can cause me to be disappointed, very disappointed, and even angry. But my love for them will never lessen. And my kids know that. To me, that deserves an “A”.

There’s a nice article in the Philadelphia Inquirer that just came out about the trend of telecommuting and the ability for moms to work for companies remotely entitled, “Moms Push, Don’t Stuff, Envelopes“.

The article also ran in the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, CA entitled, “Net Expands Job Market for Stay at Home Moms“.

The entire article is also posted on the Columbia News Service website as well.

Some foods are just awful, after being frozen.  Egg noodles are one of those. After defrosting, they become a mess of mush that no one wanted to eat. But, other foods freeze great - and you can truly save time, money and your family’s nutrition by making your own convenience foods. 

Here’s a short list of meat that you can make ahead of time, and freeze in individual servings* - be sure to put the reheating instructions on the container and remember to let all foods cool completely before you put them in the freezer:

1. Hamburgers.  Buy bulk proportions, then make patties and cook them until they’re just barely finished.  Freeze them in plastic bags, with a piece of plastic wrap or freezer paper between each patty. 
2. Bacon.  Freeze layers of bacon, with parchment paper between the layers, for fast and easy bacon needs (such as with a salad or on a cheeseburger).
3. Chicken Strips.  Buy a package of (frozen or fresh) chicken breasts and lightly grill them, until barely done.  Then cut them into strips and once cooled, you can freeze in individual- or family-size serving bags.  Can be used for fajitas, salads or a variety of other meals.
4. Ham (precooked).  Cut a couple of bags of it up into cubes, another couple of bags into sandwich slices, and then the remainder can go in without being cut, for a meal where ham is the main course.
5. Roast Beef or Turkey.  The bigger the better.  Cook all of your meat at once (not together, of course, but cook the roast and the turkey on the same day, even in the same oven, if you have the room).  Once done, cut it up as mentioned above with the ham, so that it meets the needs of your family meals, but is easier to work with on a tight schedule.
6. Lunch Meats.  Many deli meats freeze well.  Once home, separate the slices a bit, with plastic wrap, before putting them into the freezer. When you use the last of the lunch meat in the fridge, go to the freezer and get a new pack.

*Be careful what plastic wrap and/or bags you purchase.  Many generic or no-name brands have a lot of salt in them, and can make your food taste bad.  Do a little research to find out what bags are safest, for what foods.

I listen to a great Christian radio station in the Houston area called KSBJ 89.3. They often have small bits from pastor and counselors for helping with family issues or kid issues and I’ve found so many of them helpful over the years. One recently dealt with helping your children handle anger. If you have a child that is not handling their anger well, here are a few of the tips they shared.

• Model anger management. “Mommy is feeling very angry right now, so I’m going to take time to be alone and get some self-control.
• Give them words to express their anger. “I know you are disappointed, or sad or frustrated.”
• Identify with their pain. “I remember when I didn’t get to go to a party.…”
• Set positive limits. Instead of saying, “Don’t you throw that doll,” say, “After you put the doll on the table, we can go have snack.”
• Redirect energy bursts that often come with anger. Encourage positive outlets like running, jumping, blowing into a horn or painting.
• Avoid power struggles with your child. They’re always lose-lose situations. If your goal is to control, you will teach him to control others.
• Provide a cooling-off period by reading a book together or going on a walk. Then calmly discuss what happened and make a plan for next time.

For more from this article, go to www.FocusOnYourChild.com to the article which is posted here. If you have solutions that have worked for you and your children, please share them with us.

Well, my daughter had drill team officer try outs last week. And after writing her essay, answering 10 questions, turning in various forms and applications, learning her team dance and the officer dance, the try outs finally came. They first had to try out for the team and do the team dance for the judges. After that, all the girls that were not also trying out for officer got to go home and the officer try outs began. I got to the school around 8:00 pm and my daughter was about to go in for her officer try out. She was number 10 out of 18. After her dance try out, the girls each had to do a short interview. After everyone was done with their officer dance tryout and the interviews, we waited. By now, it was close to 10:00 pm…… (past my bed time). By about 10:20, we had the results. All of the girls were instructed to leave the school property after they had been handed their envelope with the results. The reason is that some will be very happy and some very sad. So we got our envelope and went to the car. You know, we started up the car and quickly ripped open the envelope…….. and the first line said “Congratulations, you have been selected as an officer…….” But which officer position did she have? Well….. I reached over to help her pull the sheet all the way open because I was dying to know too. Knowing how hard she had work, how much she wanted to be Captain and how much this meant to her. She was nervous and didn’t want to look ……. but as soon as the paper was unfolded, the first position listed had her name beside it!!!! She had done it!!!! She was chosen as Captain of her drill team. We screamed so loud, and the tears welled up in my eyes. I am so proud of her and so excited to see her reach this goal. We had been praying for God to be with her, to give her confidence and peace, and to help her do her best. I prayed God would enable her to get the officer position that was best for her. She is so precious to me and I am so thankful because I know God answered a big prayer for us!

If you have a baby and will be traveling over the summer, you may be thinking about how to travel safely and painlessly with your baby. We recently had two trips with our baby. She did great and here are some tips that helped us:

• Bring a bottle or pacifier to help soothe her (or his) ears during take off and landing. My baby doesn’t like a pacifier but I held it in her mouth and once she started sucking, she seemed to realize the relief.
• Bring a stroller. You can take it right up to the airplane door and it helps not only with baby but in storing the diaper bag and a few other items underneath. And when you land, the stroller is ready for you at the door.
• Bring some new toys or books that will occupy your baby (and children’s) attention. We know old toys hold their interest less because they’ve already seen it and played with it.
• If you want your baby to ride in a car seat but don’t want to pay for an extra ticket, you may consider bringing it with you and seeing if there are any empty seats that you can move to. I haven’t tried this but I’ve heard of others who have.

And remember to allow extra time and leave early. No one likes to start (or end) a trip stressed out because they are having to rush and worry about missing their plane.

Happy Travels!

I recently did an interview about my websites geared towards helping moms work from home. The writer asked about my HireMyMom.com website and to get a different perspective, the writer ask a feminist for her opinion of the HireMyMom.com website. The feminist’s response was that it was a great business idea but that women should have full-time jobs with their own health insurance so they aren’t too dependent on their husbands. Well, I couldn’t disagree more. I was asked to respond to her comments and I glady did! Here’s my response:

“I feel women should be at home if that is where they want to be – and so many of us do. Working from home enables women to continue working but not the expense of having someone else raise their children. Parenting my children is more important than health insurance. I also believe the inventor and creator of marriage, God, created us to be one with our husband and not two separate individuals only looking out for ourselves. I’m not afraid to be dependent on my husband because I know he, like myself, honors our marriage covenant 110% “till death do us part”. And if he shall pass on before me, our life insurance will be plenty to cover our health insurance needs.”

What are your thoughts?

I don’t know about you but instead of a lemonade stand when I was little, my older brother and I sold pictures we had colored out of coloring books. Well, let me clarify….. we TRIED to sell them. Not one soul stopped to even look at the artistic creations we had made. Boy, did they miss out. No telling how much those pieces of art would bring in today’s galleries! And, we did this all while our parents were sleeping. It wasn’t exactly a neighborhood with regular traffic and foot traffic either. In fact we lived in the sticks (Hockley, TX) where the closest neighbor was about 5 miles away and one car went by about every 30 minutes…. if that. Okay, enough of my childhood entrepreneurial efforts. Here’s more on the upcoming Lemonade Day…. and hey guys if you live in the area, buy some lemonade!

Houston is taking the lemonade business seriously! They are using the idea to help youth understand the ins and outs of being an entrepreneur and running a business. And there’s much support from the community and local businesses.

Lemonade Day is an annual city-wide event sponsored by Prepared 4 Life and its many community partners in which businesses, families and communities work together on a fun, family-oriented activity to train thousands of youth how to be successful entrepreneurs. P4L, which launched the first Lemonade Day on May 6, 2007, is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that prepares middle school students for life by instilling life skills, character education and entrepreneurship through experiential after school programs. Young entrepreneurs who participate in Lemonade Day retain the money that they earn from their lemonade ventures because of the tremendous support that Prepared 4 Life receives from business leaders and other youth advocates in the Houston area. Check out LemonadeDay.org

If any of you have been around a while, you may remember this time last year, my oldest daughter was trying out for drill team at her junior high school. Well, she made it and was THRILLED! She absolutely loves it. And it’s that time again for try outs. She is not just trying out for the team, she has hopes and dreams of being an officer. So she doesn’t just have to learn a dance, she has to learn two dances, has to write an essay, answer about 10 questions and be interviewed by the judges. Whew! That’s a lot for a 13 year old. They also have a “principal’s report” to ensure she does not have any problems in school and that her grades are good. We’ve turned in the application, essay, questions and report card. Now she’ll be learning her routine all week and trying out on the 25th. Keep your fingers crossed for her! And I will report back this time!