Browsing Category:

Blog

Combating a Lack of Motivation

Posted in Blog, Millennial Housewife, Mom Job Search

Day 8-10:08 pm: This post is going to be a short one. My little one is still awake and it’s so late! I think it’s because we were inside all day due to the rain. That’s also a reason why I didn’t get much accomplished. Trying to keep a toddler entertained during the rain was not easy, and therefore I didn’t get to do much of a job search, or work on much of my business.

But we did get to play in some puddles.

So how do you combat a lack of motivation? When it’s rainy outside and all you want to do is cuddle up on the couch with a cup of tea?

What I did was I kept thinking about my goals. I kept thinking about what I really wanted. I kept thinking about how if I made a little more money we could hire someone to put up gutters on our house so my hubby wouldn’t have to be standing on a ladder with a rain coat, swim trunks, and flip flops in the pouring rain trying to fix them. Or, we could afford to pay someone to pick up our groceries for us and deliver them to our house so I wouldn’t have to go out in the rain.

So, even though all I wanted to do was watch a movie, I managed to find the time to work a little bit on my business and write this blog post. Because I need to keep going, for my family.

So, make sure to keep your goals in mind.

Ok, my little one is having a melt down and I need to go!

Good luck!

By
/

Keeping Up with the Joneses is Ridiculous

Posted in Blog, Millennial Housewife, Money

Day 7-9:25 pm: I love my friends. We have a really great group of people we have known for a long time. We feel very lucky to have good friends around us as I’m sure you do too. But, sometimes you can’t help but compare yourselves to them. You look at their house, their lifestyle, and even their kid’s clothes. Then you look at your own. It’s called keeping up with the Joneses.

But keeping up with the Jonses is ridiculous.

No matter who you are or what you have, you always are trying to keep up with the “Joneses”. The Joneses are people who appear to have it all. They have a huge house, lots of money, the perfect family, and everything you aspire to have. You look up to them, admire them, and are constantly comparing yourself to them.

We went to our friend’s house this afternoon, and we hadn’t been there before. They live only a few minutes from su, but we hadn’t gotten around to going there. I always knew they made more then us, financially, so I expected them to have a nice house. when we pulled up I thought, “Is there house the gorgeous, huge house over there?” and sure enough it was. It was down a quiet street, across from a school, with a perfectly landscaped yard, a gorgeous outdoor seating area, and two stories of perfection. Inside the house looked like thie inside of a Pottery Barn catalouge, and they had a huge TV that was enviable. And the kitchen , wow. White cabinets and dark counter tops with a huge island. Beautiful. The house was amazing. And, it was quite literally the size of three of our houses.

I couldn’t help to start comparing our house to theirs.

Then I had to shake myself. Slap myself across the face. Wake myself up. I had to remind myself that even though our house isn’t picture perfect, magazine, ready, and huge, that it is still our cozy little house, and I am proud of it. Even though there’s a pile of dishes in the sink, and our lawn needs to be mowed, and parts of our fence are falling down, we still have a beautiful kitchen I’m proud of, nice hardwood floors, and a big yard with a playhouse. I love our house, and we worked hard to get it.

I had to realize that they also worked hard to get where they are, they had to make sacrifices, and everything isn’t always rainbows and puppies for them either.

Keeping up with the Jonses is ridiculous because even if you are the Jonses, there are Joneses that you look up to also. So, please, stop comparing yourself to other people, and look at all the things that you have. Be grateful for all of the wonderful things that make you special, and amazing.

Even if their kids are dresses perfectly, without any food on their faces, and their hair perfectly brushed and bowed, just know that it takes work, and they are kids, just like yours. And, I’ll bet that your stained clothed kids have just as much fun as theirs.

Your house if perfect for you. Your family is perfect to you. And you are perfect, too.

Always remember that.

Love you guys!

 

 

By
/

How Do You Invest In Your Business When You Have No Money?

Posted in Blog, Millennial Housewife, Money

Day 6-10:19 pm: Ok, I’m going to admit something to you. I didn’t focus on my job hunt today. I worked at the Preschool (where my toddler goes) and then got caught up in a webinar about launching a product. It’s one of those that promises you’ll make an obscene about of money in only a few months. I usually watch all of the free versions of these webinars on how to grow my blog and business, because, quite frankly I can’t afford “Only 15 easy payments of $97”. Really?? But, after watching the webinar came the pitch, and it actually caught my attention. It offered a program that instantly lays out the exact launch schedule for your product and walks you through it every step of the way. I thought that was pretty cool! And, it wasn’t $997, it was only $97. Obviously, the person did a good job of creating “urgency and confidence”, because I wanted to buy it. So it got me thinking.

How do you invest in your business when you have no money?

My sister-in-law started an online business a year ago. It has a physical product that she sells (a subscription box service) that is really wonderful, and she started a blog to go along with it. She quit her financial, well-paying corporate job to start this business so that she could be home with her kids. Sound familiar? So many women I know are doing this more and more , and I think it’s really wonderful. These mompreneurs are reshaping the business world and creating harmony between their business and their family. But, these moms invest money into their business.

One mom I know has invested over $10,000 to start her online business. Then there’s the upkeep costs of a web designer, social media manager, etc. It’s a big investment, and you don’t even know if it’ll make you any money.

There is the potential to make a lot of money, work from home, and spemd more time with your family. That is why moms do it.

But, what about those of us that don’t have $10,000 to spare? 

So far, I have invested about $250 into my blog and business. That includes web domain, training, WordPress theme, and logo. I think compared to $10,000 that’s not bad. And you can do that too.

But, the thing with that is I’ve had to do everything on my own. I’ve taught myself web design, social media marketing, SEO, and blogging. Would it have been nice to have some help at times? Yes. Though I do enjoy figuring it out on my own.

However, when thinking about investing in your business, you have to think about the return. Will this investment same me time and make me money? Will it help me reach my goals quicker? Will it help me make more money?

The money part is hard to determine. There are so many factors that go into making money. Market, timing, product, etc.

So really you have to think about the time you will save and meeting your goals quicker. At least, that is what I’m telling myself.

When you have no money to invest, you really have to weigh if this is going to be a good investment. And weigh all your options.

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Life by Design by Allison Hardy (AllisonHardy.com). She was saying that when she first started her business, she and her husband were broke. They had no money and her business just wasn’t working. She tried everything, but wasn’t making any money. So, one day she called her husband and asked if she could invest in a business coach. It was going to be a lot of money and she was scared. But, without questions, he said go for it. So she opened a credit card and paid for the coaching service on the credit card.

You know what? She has since paid it all back and her business is thriving. It was definitely worth the investment.

So, sometimes it’s ok to take a leap of faith and invest in yourself. Just make sure you weigh all your options and make a smart investment that will be good for your family, and your business.

I’ll let you know if I make this purchase and if I think it’s worth it!

Alright, my hubby wants to watch some Grand Tour with me. Gotta go!

By
/
/
Tags : , , , ,

Giving Your Kid Some Independence (Because They’ll Love it!)

Posted in Blog, Millennial Housewife, Parenting

Day 3-10:37 pm: Giving my little one some independence has always been a difficult task for me. I have been practicing attachment parenting so she’s been pretty much by my side at all times. It drives my father-in-law crazy and he always tells me to give her some space. But, it’s the way I feel comfortable parenting, and the way my mom raised me (and I turned out alright….I think….). So, when thinking about jobs and even just my job search, I’ve had a lot of anxiety around the potential that I won’t be spending as much time with her. But, I have to keep telling myself that giving your kid some independence is an important part of growing up and development, despite what my heart is telling me.

Do you have anxiety when thinking about giving your kid some independence?

It’s ok, most parents do, no matter how old the kid is. I have been working at my toddler’s preschool but had the day off, and this afternoon I needed some time to submit a few more applications for jobs. Despite my anxiety and hesitation, I decided to book her a spot at the “drop-in” preschool and go to the local Starbucks and work. Since I have been working at the preschool for a year, I know the teachers, I know the kids, and I know that she has a good time.

But, we both have some separation anxiety. I get worried about dropping her off, and she usually cries when I do. Ugh. A vicious cycle. I’m sure she was just picking up on my anxiety. But each time I drop her off she gets better. The crying lasts only a few minutes and then she is fine.

So this afternoon I booked 1.5 hours and drove to the preschool to drop her off.

My heart beat fast. I was starting to get my anxiety. But, I knew that her friends would be there and she hadn’t seen them during the winter break. So I took a deep breath, and dropped her off. And guess what? She was totally fine! She strolled right in like she owned the place. She started doing an art project. The kids ran up and greeted her. And when I said I was going to go run a quick errand, she looked up and said, “You’ll be back quick?” and I said, “Yes, super quick.” Then she turned back around and worked on her art project like it was nothing!

I was thrilled and confused. But, also proud of my little girl who is growing up. So I slinked away, still feeling the anxiety, but knowing that she is fine. And I have to admit, it felt good.

 It was amazing to see her gain her independence.

I went to Starbucks and got a lot done. I didn’t actually join HireMyMom.com yet because I got side tracked on a few other sites like Indeed.com and Upwork.com where I applied to a few jobs. And, those sites were free, so that’s a big plus!

When I went to pick her up, she was playing happily with her friends and when she saw me, she had a big smile and ran over and gave me a huge hug! *Heart melt* Then she said, “Mommy, I had no tears!” and I said I was so proud of her. Then she beamed with pride and I could tell she was proud of herself too.

It was an amazing moment.

To see her have some independence and thrive, and be proud of herself for the accomplishment, was incredible. It made me feel so much better about giving her some independence, and knowing that when I do find a job, she will enjoy having some time at school to be her own wonderful person.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have anxiety around it. But, this was a great win for us.

So remember, giving your kid some independence is ok. And, you will all feel great about it.

By
/
/
Tags : , , , ,