Author Archives: Mindy

The Benefits of Being a Write-at-Home Mom

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More and more I am finding my days peppered with bittersweet reminders that my baby boy is growing up. A slight annoyance when I run my fingers through his hair or a silly face instead of a smile when I try to take his picture is proof that Evan is proclaiming his independence a little more every day. My heart breaks each time I see the baby I once held disappearing deeper and deeper inside my boy.

Today while Madelyn was napping, I suggested projects, games and activities to entertain Evan. I was rebuffed every time. He was wearing a Transformers mask, Ironman glove and a fireman hat when he looked up at me and said, “Can I have a friend over?”

For years I’ve been the center of his little universe and had to plot out ways to keep him occupied. Then today, for the first time I can remember, my boy chose someone other than me. He's had play dates before, but this one was different. He initiated it, and when his friend got here, he didn't need me around. It stung, but this afternoon while he and his friend were playing downstairs and Madelyn and I busied ourselves upstairs, I felt even more grateful that I’ve been a write-at-home mom for the past four years. I’ve gotten to take advantage of games of hide-and-go-seek, dress up and superheroes all while working around my guy’s schedule.

As a freelancer, there are weeks that are much harder than any full-time job I’ve ever held. (Last year I pulled my first all nighter ever AND had to take care of my kids the next day—that was rough!) But the subtle reminders about how quickly my boy’s toddler years passed are also my inspiration for keeping my freelance business afloat.

Evan starts kindergarten next year, and I don’t want to miss out on any of the joy that the school year brings. I also want to savor Madelyn’s toddler years, even though I think navigating her tantrums will be quite the adventure. At the same time, I love writing, and the value I get out of my career. I want to have my cake and eat it too, and I think being a write-at-home mom is the closest I can get to that! So tonight, I will go to bed mourning the 'loss' of the little boy that used to let me snuggle him whenever I wanted and liked when I played with his hair, but I will also be feeling grateful for freelancing and the schedule it has allowed me to keep. 

A Day in the Life

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I love being a full-time freelance and mama. People often ask me how I structure my days to make the most of my time. I shared a little bit over on The Traveling Writer, but to give you a sneak peak into a typical day for me, here is a play-by-play account of a day last week:

5:00 a.m.: Our house is up and moving thanks to two little kiddos that have no idea just how early 5:00 really is. I spend the next three hours finding just the right Elmo video, getting myself ready, preparing lunches, packing school bags and feeding the kids breakfast.

8:00 a.m.: The whole family is loaded in the car and we’re driving to Metro to drop my husband off at his train, then it is off to preschool. As my husband is driving to the train station, I check email and have a message from a client asking if I can write about a new regulatory issue for her newsletter. I write back and ask if I can turn it in on Monday morning. She agrees.

9:30 a.m.: Finish the preschool drop off and head off to a meeting with an editor to discuss taking over two sections of his magazine on a regular basis. I am super excited!

10:00 a.m.: Arrive at my meeting. Take a diaper and a Spiderman mask out of my purse and replace it with my monogrammed leather portfolio. Realize I’m a little early and spend some time reviewing the magazine I’m going to be discussing. At this point I also realize that in the morning rush of making sure everyone else was fed, I didn’t eat any breakfast. I check out my snack stash and discover that all that is left are some Cheeze-Its and a half-full box of hard raisins. I opt for the crackers and make a mental note to stick some better snacks in the car.

10:30 a.m.: I have a great meeting with the editor. We discuss his needs and the timing and exactly how he wants the final product delivered (separate files, one file, etc.). I use the face-to-face meeting as an opportunity to discuss the top issues he expects to cover this year and what his readership is the most interested in right now.

11:30 a.m.: Drive back to my home office, grab a protein bar and finish proofing a magazine for a client.

12:30 p.m.: Start researching a story I would like to pitch to a new publication and conduct interviews on two features due next week. Surprisingly, I connect with three sources on the first try! Yeah!

2:20 p.m.: Go and pick my kids up from school. We stay and play on the playground before leaving for home. We spend the rest of the afternoon playing, making dinner and tidying up around the house.

5:30 p.m.: Feed the kids dinner. Then, like a fool, I mixed up some homemade bathtub paints and put the kids in the tub. The kids loved it, but it made an awful mess for me to clean up.

6:30 p.m.: Pick my husband up from Metro.

7:30 p.m.: Put the kids in bed. Wipe the tub down one more time.

8:00 p.m.: Work on the features that I researched during the day. Catch up on Facebook (a guilty pleasure) and watch Jersey Shore (the ultimate guilty pleasure).

11:30 p.m.: Call it a night and go to bed!

P.S. In case you are foolish enough to want to treat your kids to some homemade bathtub paint, mix ½ cup cornstarch, ½ cup hot water and one cup of bath wash. Mix in some food coloring and let your kids have at it.

Writing for a Living

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Writing for a Living

Often times when I tell people I’m a freelance writer, they comment on how great it is that I get to right about whatever I choose. But the truth is, being a writer and writing for a living are two different things.

Whether you’re writing a feature story or a novel, you have to get those pieces published before you can get paid, and publishing on any level is a business. In business, you have to produce a product you can sell or you’ll end up having to close your doors.

When I first became a full-time freelancer, I wrote down every realistic market I planned to pursue. For me realistic meant those publications where I already had a contact. I had been covering transportation issues for a number of years, so it made sense to continue on that path and rely on the expertise I had gained. Given that my freelance income has now surpassed my full-time income, it was a wise choice.

One of the biggest benefits of pursuing an area of expertise is that I don’t spend a lot of time pitching articles that may or may not get picked up. Since a well-crafted pitch letter can sometimes take as long to write as an article, skipping that step is a huge plus. At this point in my career my assignments usually come via a phone call or an email from an editor saying he needs a feature on a certain topic. We’ll email a bit about potential sources and the angle, and then I get right to work.

On a personal level, I would love to spend more time writing essays and pitching parenting magazines, but I know that I will likely spend more time on those projects and see less money. As someone who writes for a living, I choose to focus on getting the most bang for buck. My goal is to create products I can sell, and I think that is the key difference between those who write and those who write professionally. 

Channeling Christmas Excitement in My Kids

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Are your kids abuzz with anticipation over the holidays? Mine are. Even Madelyn seems to know something special is going on. All this excitement can make it hard for busy mommas to get anything done. Luckily I’ve been able to channel my little ones’ creativity. I don’t know about you, but I have a to-do list that is a mile long, so I need all the help I can get over the next few weeks.

Our top go-to activities right now:

Santa’s Workshop

All it takes is some in lumber from Home Depot, wood glue and craft

s from the craft store to turn my son’s tool bench into Santa’s Workshop.

Evan has spent hours creating Star Wars ships, necklaces and other creations. He dons his Santa hat each time he gets to work.

Felt Christmas Tree

Miss Madelyn loves rearranging the ornaments on this felt Christmas tree. I just cut a triangle out of green and multi-colored circles. I taped the tree to the wall and the felt sticks to itself, so she can move the ornaments anywhere she pleases.

I also made a felt nativity using patterns from the blog Under my Polkadot Umbrella.

Cooking

Admittedly, adding my kids’ help to kitchen activities means we spend more time accomplishing our tasks, but they enjoy the one-on-one time that can buy me time to myself a little later in the day. A great acitivity is making cereal treats, as I can have Evan measure and re-measure the cereal at least five times. This treat made with Chex cereal was fun to whip up with the kids. 

 

 

 

How Many Shopping Days are Left?

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The Christmas countdown is on and there are just over two weeks to finish whittling away at your gift list. If you're like me and need to mail your gifts or if you're heading out of town for the holidays, time is even shorter. Here are a few of my favorite gift ideas this year. 

For the writers on your list:  

Every writer needs a subscription to Writer's Digest. It is a little dose of inspiration that is delivered right to your mailbox every other month. Even if your writer friend has one, I'm sure she'd be happy to have you extend her subscription. 

My two favorite books about writing are Stephen King’s On Writing and Anne Lamotte's Bird by Bird. These books have been out for years, but that doesn't mean the writers in your life have read them.  

For the writer who has everything, give notepad-themed dishware. There is also a line of crossword puzzle dishware that is perfect for any word lover.

For little ones that need to be entertained while mommy proofs a final draft, or does the dishes or sends a quick email:

Magformer Building Block Sets are colorful little magnetic blocks that have been a lifesaver in our house. Both kiddos love them and Bryan and I don't mind playing with them either. Madelyn and Evan fought over them so much, my mom sent us another set. 

Bob Books are perfect for novice readers that are learning to sound out words. My little guy was able to read the first few without any help from me, which he thought was great. 

For your mom or daughter: 

The children's book Someday is a sweet book about the love between mothers and daughters. I adore it and wrote a blog post about it months ago. 

For the readers on your list: 
 
An Amazon Kindle or Amazon gift cards are sure to please. 
 
The Book of Awesome is an awesome gift that you can make even better by adding personal notes. See my blog post about it here. 
 
I am going to be spending a good part of the day today trying to wrap up my shopping. I'm still searching for ideas for a few people on my list. What are your favorite go-to gift items this year? 
 

The Power of a Thank You Note

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Sometimes a thank you note is more than a thank you note, such as when it results in a steady freelance contract that brings in $500 a month.

I don’t make time to do it enough, but I always like to send thank you notes to sources that have been particularly helpful. For the most part, my sources don’t get any personal gain from talking with me, so thanking them for taking time out of their busy days is the least I can do.

A few years ago I sent a source a thank you and was surprised when he called me the day he received it. He told me it was the first time he’d ever been thanked for his time and we spent the next 30 minutes getting to know each other outside of our initial interview. That little thank you note opened the door to a deeper relationship with my source.

Since then, we’ve talked a few times a year for stories. Earlier this year he called to let me know his colleagues in a different division of the company were looking for a writer to work on their internal monthly newsletter. He recommended me and took care of the initial introductions. After a few interviews and written proposal, I secured the project and now write a monthly newsletter for his company.

Obviously I had to prove I was qualified to do the job and my pricing had to be right, but I am certain that my thank you note helped build the relationship that led to the contract. When I wrote the thank you, my only goal was to show my appreciation, but you can never underestimate the power of saying thank you. 

*Photo by Anna Mailie Design via Flickr

 

Uncommon Women

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Do you know any uncommon women? I am fortunate because my life is full of them. I’m sure yours is, too.

Uncommon women are all around us yet they manage to stand out from the crowd. They launch businesses, raise families and take risks others dream of. I see them every morning when I drop my kids off for school, I get to work with them each day and just this weekend I got to reconnect with an amazing group of them that I don’t get to see nearly enough.

Uncommon women inspire us to try something new. Whether it is dancing to Funky Cold Medina or launching a freelance writing business, uncommon women guide us out of our comfort zones. They offer their support and they cheer us on. They become our role models and our friends.

Most of the uncommon women I know make everything they do look easy, but the ones I love the most admit how hard it actually is. The best share their tricks of the trade and they’re brave enough to share their not-so-stellar moments too. Whether it is on a blog post, over a drink or while waiting in the preschool pick-up line, uncommon women offer up their insights to help the rest of us do what we do better.

The uncommon women I am lucky enough to know make me a better mom, writer and friend. I’ve met them through school, work, my husband and my kids. I’ve found them online, at my dentist office and connected through a friend of a friend. No matter how I’ve met them, I’m happy to have them in my life.

Thank you to all the ladies who encourage and inspire me every day and a special thanks to the uncommon women I got to hang out with this weekend.

I know how hard it is to spend time connecting with those around us, but every time I do, I know I am better off because of it. Now I just need to try to do it far more often. 

*Photo by Ahmed Rabea via Flickr

Creating a Preventative Maintenance Plan

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A few years ago I wrote a story about how preventative maintenance on equipment helps trucking fleets avoid costly breakdowns that usually come at inopportune times. The same can be true for people, only it is far less likely we actually draft out a preventative maintenance plan for ourselves.

I’ve spent the past week battling what seems like a never-ending cold and recovering from a root canal. I’ve also got several major deadlines this week, so the timing isn’t ideal. Over the weekend I wanted nothing more than to simply curl up in bed and watch Law & Order reruns all day.

Of course, life goes on. There were soccer games, a fabulous house guest and several writing assignments that also demanded my attention this week. Not to mention a toddler that has a deep desire to snuggle at 2 a.m. and a preschooler that likes to wake for the day at 5 a.m. It is no wonder I can’t shake these sniffles and that I put off my dentist appointment longer than I should have. Real life is a tremendous blessing, but it also takes all we’ve got to keep up with it.

I don’t know about life at your house, but I know life at ours is only going to get busier as we approach the holidays. As I continue on my road to recovery this week, I’m going to let my runny nose and aching jaw remind me to build in some preventative maintenance time of my own during my busy days, particularly during all the merry making (and relentless to-do list) that is sure to ensue over the next few months. That maintenance doesn’t have to be well-checks and doctor visits. It can also be a enjoying hot cup of tea, making time for a personal project or simply indulging in a favorite t.v. show for an hour or two.

I’m also going to remember to be more grateful for good health. Rabbi Harold Kushner in Who Needs God said, “One of the most sublime experiences we can ever have is to wake up feeling healthy after we have been sick. Even if it is only relief from a headache or toothache, the health we take for granted most of the time is suddenly seen to be an incredible blessing.”

Here’s hoping that tomorrow is that day for me! 

*Photo by Rohsyn via Stock Exchange

Strategic Outsourcing

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As a soul proprietor, there are few things I can outsource. When it comes to the researching, writing and editing, it is all me and that is exactly how I want it. But freeing up time for work doesn’t mean you have to outsource work-related tasks. When looking at my daily to-do list, house cleaning was always on it, but I never had quite enough time to get it done right. So, I’ve outsourced it. Yippee! For $70 every two weeks, someone else comes in and takes care of the cleaning so I can devote that extra time to work or my kiddos. Of course, I still have to straighten and organize things before they get here. I’m working on outsourcing that to the rest of the family, but so far they’ve shown little interest. When I first hired a cleaning service I felt a little spoiled, but the numbers make sense. When I look at my hourly rate versus what I pay for the cleaning, I can justify the expenditure. Plus, I love knowing that for at least two days out of the month every room in my house is clean. Sometimes outsourcing just makes sense.  

Movement Versus Action

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“Never confuse movement with action.” – Ernest Hemingway

It is easy to be busy. Whether we’re reading blogs, cleaning the house or wrapping up a feature story, there are plenty of ways to fill our days. The key is identifying our end goal and then determining if what we’re doing is simply movement or if it is action. Differentiating between the two can add to our success in our professional and personal lives alike.

I do better at focusing in on action in some areas than others. For example, as a writer and entrepreneur, I have set income targets I need and want to hit each month. That means every paying project puts me a step closer to achieving my goal. As my business has grown, I’ve been able to take on higher paying projects while cutting back on others. Both qualify as “action.”

Determining our goals and focusing on the actions necessary to achieve them also helps with time management. Unfortunately, I frequently find myself bouncing from blog to blog with no real goal in mind, which equates to only movement. I’ve switched to Google Reader and added primarily writing blogs to my subscriptions. Reading targeted, career-related posts gives my online reading purpose and also inspires me to write.

Goals don’t always have to be big picture. On weekdays, my first goals of the day including getting lunches and school bags packed, kids dressed and everyone loaded in the car by 8:50. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve woken up at 5:30 a.m. yet still had to rush out the door at 8:55. Those mornings are filled with far more movement than action. Now I’m trying to focus on the most important tasks first and save playing and reading for after my kids are presentable and the school bags are prepped and waiting by the door. 

I first read Hemingway’s quote in Papa Hemingway by A.E. Hotchner about twelve years ago. Whenever I think about it, it helps me keep the big picture in mind. As I wind down 2011 and begin plotting goals for 2012, I’m going to ask myself if the steps I’m taking are action or simply movement. How about you? Are there ways you can turn movement into action? I'd love to hear about it!