Author Archives: Mindy

The Rush

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I love the rush that comes with pending deadlines and trying to beat the clock. I think that is what drew me to journalism in the first place. I am in the zone this week as I just picked up a high-priority project for one of my amazing clients. Starting Thursday I am leaving the comfort of my home office and heading to my old stomping grounds to work on-site with my former co-workers. I am thrilled to be in the trenches with them again and working together face-to-face instead of via e-mail.

Blog posting likely will be light (i.e. non existent) as I focus my efforts on coming through for my client and prepping my family for the week ahead. Now that someone else will be reaching into the pantry to fix my kids’ lunch, I suddenly realize how disorganized it is. But there is no time to worry about that now! I’m too busy focusing on the task at hand. Luckily those who will be taking care of my kiddos for the next little while love me as much as they love my kids and will overlook my household imperfections.

I hope the rest of your week is as exciting as I think mine will be! Happy weekending, if I don’t touch base before then. If you’re free on Saturday night, check out America’s Most Wanted. The best man from our wedding, who is also an FBI agent, will be working the phones as AMW tries to help him track down a criminal from one of his cases. I’ll be watching, which means I’ll be looking over my shoulder and sleeping with the lights on for the next two weeks. 

Interruptions

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I just found this quote and I love it–what a wonderful way to look at the interruptions we all face every day (and throughout the night, which is the case in my house as of late).

"When you are exasperated by interruptions, try to remember that their very frequency may indicate the value of your life. Only people who are full of help and strength are burdened by other persons' needs. The interruptions which we chafe at are the credentials of our indispensability. The greatest condemnation that anybody could incur – and it is a danger to guard against – is to be so independent, so unhelpful, that nobody ever interrupts us, and we are left comfortably alone." -Anonymous from The Anglican Digest

 

Six Tips for Freelance Success

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1. Meet your deadlines: Yes, I know this is obvious, but it is a biggie. I put each of my deadlines on my calendar and then jot down the milestones I need to accomplish to finish the projects on time. I also like to work ahead when I can. You never know when a client will call with a last-minute project and staying current on my to-do list gives me the flexibility to lend a hand when needed.

2. See yourself as part of your client’s team: As a freelancer, my job is to help my clients meet their goals. That applies to the project at hand, of course, but it is also much broader. I like to be flexible with them and step up to the plate when they have last-minute needs. I read articles with specific clients in mind and try to develop ideas that can help them overall. Moreover, I know that I am often an extension of my clients’ brand. For example, I typically reach out to ten or more sources for one feature article. With each phone call I make, I am representing the client, even if it is indirectly.

3. Make financial goals: Freelancing is a business and as such you need to create a business plan with income projections. If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know how to get there. More importantly, if you aren’t profitable, you won’t be in business very long. I know the minimum amount I’d like to make each month and having that figure in mind keeps me working toward it. I pitch more stories on months that look like they might fall short and feel great about my work on months that exceed my projections. Either way, my financial goals keep me on track.

4. Meet new people: When you work at home, it is important to keep up your network. Attend alumni events, go to writing conferences and connect online with other freelancers. One of my top clients last year came from a chance meeting at an alumni event. You never know where your next assignment or your next great idea will come from.

5. Know your strengths: While it can be tempting to be a jack-of-all-trades, you’ll do better if you play to your strengths. There are reasons journalists cover beats. Getting knee-deep into an industry gives you insight you don’t get from just covering it now and then. Since I’ve been writing, I’ve covered criminal court, Capitol Hill and commerce. Right now in my career I write primarily about the transportation industry, which means I stay up on trends, monitor news stories and have extensive industry contacts. Covering this niche market has served me well as a freelancer. I have six transportation publications I write for regularly, and the editors know they can trust me to provide in-depth copy on deadline.

6. Don’t be afraid to turn down projects: This relates to #5. Yes, there are financial goals to meet (per #3), but it isn’t always about the money. Taking on a project that isn’t the right fit will hurt you in the long run. You’ll likely produce a less-than-stellar product, which can ding your reputation, and you might get down from doing work you don’t love. 

 

From my Kitchen

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My kitchen bookshelves are full of amazing cookbooks. I love reading my cookbooks as much as I like cooking from them. I know there are wonderful websites full of recipes, but I'm still old school when it comes to cookbooks. 

One of my favorites to flip through is Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make. The photography is amazing and the cupcakes are adorable.  

Last winter I whipped up the penguin cupcakes in the book for Evan's preschool class to go along with the penguin-theme week they had. All in all I thought they turned out pretty well for my first time attempting such cupcake artistry. I layered the serving tray with coconut and threw in a few Swedish fish to top off the display.

Of course, as I was building the cupcakes I realized the teachers probably would not appreciate the aftermath of 12 toddlers hyped up on a cupcake, donut and donut hole. 

 

Let's just say there were no afternoon naps in the class that day, but the teachers didn't hold it against me too long. I'm definitely turning to the book again for some creative treats for my kiddos' birthdays this year. 

 

If I Could Keep You Little

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If I Could Keep You Little… by Marianne Richmond is one of my favorite new books sitting on our bookshelves. A friend showed me her copy just before Christmas and I knew I had to buy it for my kiddos. If I Could Keep You Little reminds me that while I often mourn how quickly my little ones are growing, each new stage brings new excitement. The back cover sums it up with, “If I could keep you little, I’d keep you close to me. But then I’d miss you growing into who you’re meant to be.”

I love that the book is for boys and girls. One of my favorite lines in it is, “If I could keep you little, I’d tell you stories every night. But then I’d miss you reading the words you’ve learned by sight.” I also love, “If I could keep you little, I’d fly you with my feet. But then I’d miss you seeing sky and clouds from your seat.”

The book makes me want to create my own scrapbook version of the theme, which is going on my someday list of projects to tackle.

Some of my lines and photos for my scrapbook…

If I could keep you little, I’d snuggle you all day.

But then I’d miss seeing how much you love to play.


 
If I could keep you little, I’d carry you everywhere.

 

But then I’d miss seeing you roll from here to there.

I sometimes have to remind myself that while I miss who my kids were, I love who they have become. They are meant to grow and change and take on lives of their own. I’m lucky to get to share in their journey and I am trying to make it as wonderful for them as it is for me.  

Christmas Newsletter

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Once upon a time, I created Christmas newsletters. I drafted them up early in the season, had them printed and made sure they were in people’s mailboxes by Dec. 25. Then I had kids. The Christmas newsletters got drafted, but printing and mailing…well that is another story.

This year I’ve gone green and our annual family newsletter is now an online-only version. My Christmas cards will be hitting mailboxes nationwide this week (if you’re not on my list but would like to be, please let me know!). To catch up on the year’s events, check out my 2010 newsletter here. 

And, I hate to admit it, but the 2009 version never made it past my hard drive. You can still see it here. 

Pulling Focus

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On Monday night after my kiddos were in bed, I started catching up on all of my favorite blogs. One of them showed a beautiful Thanksgiving table with coordinated linens and multiple flower decorations. I suddenly felt silly for sharing a picture of mine here on my little corner of the Internet. What I had loved just a few days before suddenly seemed to be lacking. Instead of focusing on the sweet sentiment that each piece of my table held—-the napkins my hubby gave me when we were newlyweds, the napkin rings I received as a wedding gift and, of course, the hand-painted turkey candleholder my little guy toted home from preschool—-I started examining all the areas where it was flawed. I thought about it for a bit before I gained some perspective and gave myself a little lecture on the dangers of comparing ourselves to others. Every piece on my table had special meaning and was something I adored, even if it isn’t straight out of a magazine. But it is so easy to fall into that trap, isn’t it? Why do we do that?

There is really no reason to feel as though what we have is less than enough just because someone else has something that is a little more picture perfect. One of the nice things about getting older is that I seem to get more comfortable with who I am with each passing year. I’ve learned to worry less about my faults and play up to my strengths. I can be more forgiving of my less-than-perfect attributes and let go of those things I don’t do well. Organized closets just aren’t in my future and no one will ever pay me to sing, but I can write an in-depth feature article, ferret out sources and conduct a great interview. On the home front, I bake a mean batch of sugar cookies and I know how to keep my family happy. I take pride in making people feel comfortable in my home, even if they have to step over a toy in the living room.

As we head into the holidays I’m going to pull focus and concentrate on those things that matter most. I am going to use blogs and magazines as inspiration and appreciate the beauty in what others do for what it is. I am going to let go of the idea that I have to accomplish everything and that my home will be coordinated perfectly. I’m going to bring out the kid-crafted Christmas decorations and worry more about how my home feels rather than how it looks. Putting Evan’s preschool creations front and center in our home will do far more to shape who is he than surrounding him with picture-perfect decorations.

It may be easier said than done, but that is my new plan to keep myself happy and sane. I would love to know what works for you. How do you quiet those voices when you start trying to keep up with the Joneses—-either on the career front or in your home life?

Becoming Official

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I’ve been a full-time freelancer for two years now. It is hard to believe how quickly time passes. My accountant, who is also my hubby, and I decided it is time to form an LLC. This is primarily for tax purposes, but it is also something that makes me feel a bit more official. Now I need to decide on a formal name for this little business of mine. My blog is titled Mindy Writes, so that is one option, but I would love to hear your input for a business name. You can leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail. There will be a prize in it for you if I choose your name…I just have to decide on what that prize will be. 

Thankful.

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My little guy made this picture of our family at preschool last week and it sums up everything I am thankful for this holiday season. Madelyn and I are crafted out of purple construction paper. Bryan is blue and Evan is tan. I love that he picked pink for his house. He marches to the beat of his own drummer and went with the color he liked—even if most of the boys’ houses were blue.

Thank you, my little guy, for bringing home this picture and making my day. Thank you for letting me experience the wonders of life through you all over again. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the first snowfall of the season and Christmas morning all come alive for me more now than they ever have. Puddles hold new magic, and I’ve never had more fun jumping over cracks in the sidewalk. You bring out the small joys in each day that grown ups take for granted all too often. I’m so grateful for our little family and all the laughter you’ve brought into my life. You are a great kid and I am so happy you are mine. 

Good Morning Sunshine

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Oh to start the day with this much enthusiasm and excitement. This is the little face I am greeted with each morning and after each nap. I love that I have been blessed with a happy little baby. I can’t help but to smile when I see Miss Madelyn’s grin—even if it is 3 a.m.