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

 

Another Kiddie Favorite

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When I decided to start featuring my kids’ favorite books on Mondays, I scanned the bookshelves and looked for the books that are the most worn. Ratty corners and finger-smudged pages are sure signs that a book is well loved. All of our Eric Carle books have been read time and time again, but I think one of our favorites is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? It is the perfect book at the end of a long day. I can read it without thinking, my kiddos both love the colorful pictures and Evan likes that he knows what is coming up next. Is it a favorite in your house, too? 

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. 

 

Some Current Faves

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Re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird: I read this book at least once a year and each time I wish I could be reading it for the first time.

Diapers.com: Diapers, wipes and baby wash delivered right to my door—you can’t beat it!

AP Stylebook Online: The AP Stylebook is a journalist’s bible. With the online version, I can find answers to my questions with the click of a mouse and it is with me no matter where I take my laptop.

Cook-in-the-bag veggies: Steamfresh vegetables let me get something green (or orange or yellow) on the table each night and I don’t even have to wash the pan afterward. Now if only my microwave wasn’t on the fritz. 

Bath time: My kiddos have just started bathing together. I save time, they play and Evan usually makes me laugh with his witty comments. The therapy they may need one day will be worth it. 

Caffeine: I always love caffeine, but it has been especially important this week since Baby Girl has been waking up four times a night. 

Web sleuthing for party ideas: My little guy turns four soon and he is head over heels about his superhero themed birthday party. I hope not to disappoint.

This SNL clip about snow in New York: You’ll laugh. I promise.  

The Pout Pout Fish

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Here is another favorite from my kiddos’ bookshelf: The Pout-Pout Fish. My sister-in-law gave it to Evan quite some time ago and it became our go-to, must-read bedtime story for about five months straight. The main little line, "I’m a pout pout fish with a pout pout face so I spread the dreary wearies all over the place," is so catchy and Evan loved that he could "read" it with us. The line definitely will get stuck in your head, but not in a way that will make you crazy. The story line is really sweet and in the end the fish realizes that he isn’t a pout pout fish, he is a kiss kiss fish and starts spreading cheery cheeries all over the place. After I read the last line, I kiss Evan all over his face and head and he breaks into giggles…or wipes of my kisses, depending on his mood! 

The LLC

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One of my accomplishments in 2010 was forming an LLC. I need to give my husband a big pat on the back because this was his accomplishment, too. He did all the paperwork and helped me draft the articles of organization. Thank you, Bryan! We formed the LLC as a partnership and now in business, as in life, we are a team. 

I spent quite a bit of time coming up with the LLC’s name and settled on something unique. Are you ready? Wait for it…wait for it… Mindy Long Freelance LLC. Creative, isn’t it? Okay, maybe not, but it was intentional. Here is why.

Brand Recognition: I am my brand. I have name recognition among the editors I write for, and when they refer me to their colleagues, it is by name. My byline appears on my articles, which further supports my name recognition among my readers, sources and employers. I bring years of experience and institutional knowledge to the table, so I want to be sure my clients know I am the person they are entrusting with their project.

Ease of Transition: For years my clients have been writing checks to Mindy Long. I’ve contacted my clients’ accounting departments and provided my LLC name, EIN and updated W-9s, but there is a chance payments could be made out to Mindy Long and not Mindy Long Freelance LLC. If this happens, it should be fairly easy to deposit it into my business account despite the name variations.

Web Presence: I already own my domain and I don’t want to redirect clients to a new site, so I knew I wanted my name somewhere in the business name.

Minimal Cheesy-ness: Every time I came up with a company name that was creative, it bordered on cheesy. I needed to stick with something that was professional and self-explanatory.

In the end, I am happy with my choice. As I was drafting letters to clients and filling out a stack of W-9s, I was glad I wasn’t writing something that could be seen as silly or that meant something only to me. It felt good to be filling out those W-9s with a business name that includes my name and reflecting on the business I’ve built. I’m excited to have the paperwork done and have an official reminder that freelancing was the right path for me.  

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. 

 

Routine

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Over the weekend my hubby and I watched a few installments of the HBO series Penguins/Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic (and by watching I mean I had my laptop and was catching up on Facebook, drafting e-mails and getting a jump start on my work week).

At one point the Capitals coach (I think it was the Caps coach) said, “Routine is essential for maintaining focus.” The phrase made me perk up and I immediately jotted it down in the Word document I had open at the time.

I am a firm believer in routine. If I don’t have one, I feel lost. Yesterday, for example, my hubby was enjoying one last day of vacation, which made me totally forget my son had gymnastics at 9:45. I remembered as I was fixing dinner.

Today is the first day we’ll be on a normal routine since Dec. 16. After two weeks of a free for all, I’m ready to get back into a groove. I’ve already knocked out two amazing interviews for a story due later this week, caught up on e-mails (mostly) and read my must-read blogs for the day. Yes, routine is good.

As we get into 2011 I’m eager to review my routine, see where I can streamline processes and try to bring more order to our days and weeks. The start of a new year always brings new ideas and my head is spinning with all of the things I want to tackle this year. I figure I can get a lot more in if I can squeeze a little more time out of each day. Since it isn’t possible to create more hours in the day, I think finding the right routines is one of the only ways to get more from the precious time I have. Wish me luck.

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.