Being Spontaneous

Today I did something I never usually do. I did something spontaneous. OK, remember how I said we need to sit down and plan our day. I am usually rigid about my schedules and my plans, but today I did something out of the ordinary. My husband decided to take a trip down to the beach. I thought, are you out of your mind? Do you know how many things I have to do before the work day is over? Of course, that doesn't phase my husband. He lives for spontaneity. It drives a strict planner and "stick to the schedule" person up the wall.

Well, to say the least, we went to Virginia Beach and it was a great trip. I found some great bargains on swimwear for the kids. I picked up a couple of t-shirt souvenirs for myself, and even enjoyed a vanilla custard ice cream cone. Now it's back to business as usual. We're off to get an oil change and I will get back to my things to do. I guess it's OK to be spontaneous, as long as it does not take priority over your important tasks. I have to admit that I still brought my netbook on the trip to check emails and update my blog.

Well, back to my daily routine. I hope you all enjoy your day, and thanks for blogging with me. Until next time, take care and be safe.

Whew! Was it hot!

Today was a scorcher with highs reaching the low 100s. There was a a heat advisory issued for the past week, because of the heat wave. I just really hope everyone is taking these advisories seriously. Drink plenty of fluids and try to stay as cool as possible. If you have to work outside, use extra precautions. Don't forget your sunblock while you're out there.

While trying to beat the heat, I took care a couple of errands. We always try to plan our errands geographically. I write out an itinerary before leaving the house and my husband usually is the chaufer. He is very tough. He has to work the grave yard shift and still comes home to help out with the children, and the house. This weekend for Shabbat, he will be making corned beef, cabbage and rice. MMMM, I can bearly wait. He cooks in the crockpot, so it lasts a couple of days. Last weekend, he cooked a ziti dish in the crockpot which was totally to die-for.  Really great, since we both work and bearly have time to cook. This saves money and time.

Today, I planned the children's school lessons and we really had a great Bible lesson today. We studied about Israel and Judah, the divided kingdom and how G-d is restoring the land of Israel and bringing forth His promises in these last days. I have to tell you, I am more exciting about studying these books than I was as a child. I absolutely love it, because now, it makes more sense to me, than before. Before, it just seems that I was just reading and for nothing. But to know that these events of the Bible are taking place in our day, really makes a difference. It's literally exciting and awesome.

I have to search for a science curriculum that is appealing to my children. Again, if it is non-pertinent to their lives, they don't want to learn it. I feel the same way, most of the time. So, I guess that rubbed off on them.

Well, I'm going to make it brief, and am calling it a night. Thanks for blogging with me. Feel free to post your comments. Stop by again real soon, OK....

Today was a good day!

I can honestly say that today was  a good day. I woke up this morning with a sure purpose and didn't relent. It helped that I logged off of my Facebook page at a reasonable time; 12:30 AM... Yes, that's reasonable for me.

Don't want to look like this!

I was able to sleep through the night, which is usually not the norm. So, yes it was a good day. Sleep, as you know by now, is a commodity that can't be continuously sacrificed without sure consequences; consequences which will sooner or later command repayment, one way or another. Whether it be unproductivity, less energy, headaches, state of confusion, frustration or mood changes/irritability, it will take it's course.

I feel really good about the sleep thing; getting enough of. Just hope I can make it a habit. I was able to do some "summer" cleaning. I organized the shed, the downstairs linen closet and the living room. I found some items I had been looking for and I even found some items to stock my retail/outlet store with. My hubby and I took the items over to the store, ran a few errands; got gas for the car and gas for our bodies; (food shopping at Walmart).

We had pizza and watermelon for lunch; interesting combination, huh? It wasn't bad. Just didn't like the "new" recipe my hubby tried; beef sausage pizza. He tried some homemade pizza thing and my taste buds were saying, uh uh, not today. I tried to let him down easily. I tried not to offend him, while staying assertive. I absolutely hated his new recipe. So I decided to let him know without hurting my taste buds and hurting his feelings. I told him, "Hey, it's really nice to try new things, but sometimes they just are not appealing. What one person likes, another may not. I really appreciate you making lunch, but I would rather just stick with my regular cheese pizza".

This way I stand my ground without letting him down. It's very important that we stand firm in our beliefs and it's OK to not back down. But just use tact, so that you do not hurt anyone's feelings, and so that you will not be miserable.

I was able to also update my store policies. I'm working on a store manual. Even though I don't have employees yet, this is the perfect time to begin writing store policies. I do have help from family and to me they need to learn just as much about my business, especially if they are going to get involved.

At the end of the day, I was able to review children's homework and get laundry and dishes done.

Juggling between work and home life can keep you in a state of confusion. That's why I get my planner and calendar and keep it in tact. I also have to find some me time, during the day. Most of the times my days look like this:

But today I felt like this

Well, I'm getting ready for a new day. Will try the "sleep early thing" again. I'll be sure to keep you posted. Hope you get enough zzzs tonight. Tune in for more Days in the Life of a Mom-prenuer.

Handling Problems

Problems are inevitable, and they seem to come when you are least expecting them. Today, I checked my bank account, and to my surprise, (which I really should not have been), I found a pending charge from an online website design company, that was not supposed to be pending. Why? Because, I cancelled the webhosting a month ago. They even gave me a cancellation number and instantly deleted my account. Well, I guess they forgot to delete my bank account information.

This is why I hate signing up for programs that require your billing information up-front. If you can help it, try never to give them your information up-front. I know this may be hard, because nowadays, it's a requirement. So that's why I say try.

If you must use services that require up-front credit or banking information, make sure you keep accurate records of cancellation numbers, customer service contact numbers/addresses/email, billing information; (credit card or bank account used) and the name of the representative who assisted. Each time you call to fix a problem, take note of the information that they give you; jot down important notes, like other contact persons/numbers, reference numbers and any other instructions. Jot down the date of cancellation and file the information as pending..(until the problem has been resolved).

Be sure to check your bank/credit card account for any billing discrepencies. Should you find that you were unrightfully charged, gather all the pertinent information, and give them a call quickly. It does take time to fix some problems. We seem to get into them quickly, but fixing them is another story. So, be patient, be polite, but be timely, when dealing with situations like this.

I would hope you would never have to experience this, but if you have, then you know all too well, where I am coming from. You can relate. If you haven't experienced this, then great! Just be prepared. There's always a chance.

Well, that's it for now.  Thanks for visiting and stay tuned for more!

Wow, Who ever Knew?

Who ever knew that you can get burn-out from running a home-based business? I have learned from experience that running a home-based business is not much different from running a regular run-of-mill business or a corporation. With any business, comes great responsibility and the need for time management.

I can really find a hard time relaxing, but I know I need to. So I have decided to schedule "no agenda times" during my days and weeks. This is time that I will not perform any business-related work. I will take a load off. I do know that you have to work hard, but working smarter, not harder, has proven to be more valuable.

The key is not to work more hours, but it is to work more efficiently in the hours that you do work. I have also decided to write in my vacation days on the calendar. This is a start for me, because I rarely, and do mean, rarely take vacations.

Well, that's the Days in the Life of A Mom-prenuer. I will be keeping you posted on more Momprenuer ventures in the very near future. So stay tuned, and Happy Mom-prenuering.