Keeping up
Wow! Has anyone ever mentioned how busy owning a business can become. I knew I was in for a ride when I started my own business, but this ride sometimes goes way too fast! There are so many things to do besides the everyday tasks of running a business. Here is a quick update on what we have done.
Miss Plan It All Inc., is now accredited by the Better Business Beureau and we have joined the ICLMA, which stands for International Concierge and LifeStyle Management Association, they have been a great educational resource. Our website, www.missplanitall.com has been updated with a “resources” page where you will find several of my favorite places and resources in the local Tampa Bay area. Also working on several other projects that will involve teaching and certifications as well as adding more concierge type services for moms!
All of the things above come after family time! That means I try to get as much as I can done. To add even more family time to my already busy schedule, I have joined a mom group called Small Fry Society, in the Tampa Bay, Fl area. It’s a great concept; moms & babies get together for socials once a week. Each social is something different and provides an opportunity for moms to get to know each other. I love it! Only thing is, I always have to make sure I put it on my schedule every week and that I make time for it. To those working moms out there, I strongly suggest joining a group where you can meet other women and have some down time to have fun.
Trying to balance
Lately things have really a balancing act around here. I knew I had my work cut out for me when I decided to jump into the Miss Plan It All business, but I did not anticipate getting really busy, really fast. It’s great to have so many inquiries coming in and projects to book, but at the same time, I am scared to take on too much too soon! I often find myself telling clients that they need to find time to do this, and find time to do that, now, I feel like a client myself. I just don’t have anyone telling me how to find more time in the day. I have not even had time to make the time to blog! When I decided to start a blog, I thought it would be easy. I could blog about all kinds of things. As it turns out, while I have tons of things to blog about, I don’t have time to sit down and write. So, I have decided to make time. Just like I tell my clients to do. I remind myself that it is all a balancing act. Getting my thoughts on the screen are a great way of letting others know that they are not alone in the all time balancing game.
To all those out there working, raising families, doing a ton of other things and blogging, I am with you! It’s not easy, but it is fun! Now, if I could only find time for an exercise routine again! Yikes!!!
Kids on my mind..
Recently, a Miss Plan It All, client and new mom asked me if I thought she was crazy because she thought about her baby all the time. She said, she thought about the baby when she was at the grocery store, when she was home doing household chores and her mom was watching the baby, even when she was in the shower. I laughed, not because I thought she was crazy, but because I felt a sense of relief knowing that this was something all parents must go through. I think about my kids all the time. I believe all parents or most parents do. Just like this mom, it seems no matter what I am doing, my kids are on my mind. Not in the “back of my head” like other thoughts, but just fresh on my mind.
As a working mom and small business owner, I am away from my kids for a significant amount of time. However, I am luckier than most working moms because I have a job and a business that allows me to make my own schedule, which in turn allows me to spend a lot more time with my kids than most working moms. I usually make it a point to schedule an activity outside the home to go to with the kids. It is a bit challenging because one is 2 yrs old and the baby is 9 months, so finding something that is suitable for both is hard. It makes me feel a little bit better to know they took part of my days schedule but I still think about them the days I actually do work and leave the house for 7 hours (which is the most I am ever gone). As parents it is difficult not to think about our little ones because they are a piece of us. We are so in tune with their actions, the new things they do or say. My advice to this mom was; don’t worry about other people thinking you are crazy because your baby is on your mind all the time. Consider it a blessing that you have someone so important to think about all the time.
I know she felt at ease with my response and knowing that I was going through the same thing with my kids. To me it is so important to make new parents feel supported and to let them know they are not alone with their thoughts.
