As I write this, I have one week of school left until Thanksgiving vacation. Hurray for the break, at least, but it’s going to be tricky making a new schedule that fits everything in without a handy conference period and quiet lunchtime during the day. Fortunately, I’ve done this before (a few times even) and have some tricks of the trade!

Step 1: Don’t schedule anything at your house for Thanksgiving.

If you want to have friends over, that’s fine, but the rule is – if you have to clean and prepare for longer than thirty minutes, it’s not happening. Making your sister or your mom host the big get-together is the number one way to remove the stress of the season. Now you can just pig out in someone else’s immaculately cleaned house and leave yours as it is.

Step 2: Make a list of what’s most important for the holidays.

Around our house, my little men are ready to set up the tree about three seconds after early release on Friday. We haven’t even thought hard about Thanksgiving dinner by then, but fortunately nobody comes to our house for Thanksgiving so they don’t have to know that we’ve set up the tree in mid-November. It’s a big thing for me to get the house cleaned before the decorations go up, so that goes first on the list. (6 days and counting…)

Then I need to finalize the shopping over the break, so I’ll need a list of which presents are still outstanding to make that shopping time with two kids highly targeted and effective. (I have a thing about shopping with crowds). Finally, I need to think about what’s most important with the kids while they are home. We have at least three different day trips over the week of Thanksgiving and plenty of house time since I’m determined to hit every closet and cabinet in a giant clean-out this year. Cleaning is so….cleansing for the soul.

Step 3: Work your work in.

The last step is to look at your family schedule and then look at your work calendar. In my case I’m actually more rested at the end of a day with my kids than a day with the teens at school, but I’ll not want to overload myself. I’m flying solo with my husband working at the dealership until close to nine every night, so daytime work is out with two kids. That leaves evenings, and I’m taking at least two of them off in the nine days I’ll be home. Bottom line, work goes into the routine, but it’s going to be well padded with time and intent.

Step 4: Enjoy the break!

We work at home to have more time with our kids, and this is one of the shining moments you can make that possible. Go on day trips and visit with family. Take the stress out of the holidays by making these days more like a vacation at home. That’s my plan at least…until Christmas arrives.

I understand his position to a degree.  He played with some rather large PPC players for a long time before the economy and some other factors diminished the business. However, I was always puzzled why he wouldn’t just tell his online associates he had to log off for a bit to give two boys a bath. What was the big deal? He works at home – it’s supposed to be everyone’s dream, right? And he has two small children who benefited greatly from his time around and with them. You would think it would be an ideal set-up he might be willing to share with others, at least when necessary. But he actually took great pains to hide the kids and even me at times if he was playing “shiny office that is certainly not the upstairs bedroom” that day.

Admitting to Family

It’s a sensitive subject to those of us who have kids. Should our family lives be relevant to our professional ones? Should our kids be part of our work image? Should we even introduce the idea of kids to business associates? It’s up to you.

The separation of work and family is certainly something to strive for, but it’s virtually impossible when you work at home and you have children. Even if you’re home during the day with your kids off at daycare or what not, you’re going to be rushed around pick-up time and your work schedule very obviously reflects the days you use childcare and the days you do not. Hiding your kids is a huge source of stress, especially if you believe that they will diminish your status as a professional.

Parents want to be taken seriously as professional adults. Unfortunately there is something of a stigma attached to work-at-home parents, which is why so many try to hide their kids and family lives from clients. If you’re a woman with children, any job you have from home can’t be nearly as serious as one you’d have in the office. You’re probably just a hobby writer who makes beautiful hair bows and sells Tupperware to other suburban moms in your spare time. (I secretly admire women who can make hair bows, incidentally.) Work-at-home moms have small businesses that make enough to buy some new yoga pants when her hubby won’t fork over some extra cash from his real job.

Work-at-home dads have it even worse when it comes to stereotypes. If they admit to being the one to watch the kids during the day while the mommy works away from home, or even if mom is home watching the kiddos and dad is working without major distractions, simply having children can diminish a man’s professional standing. How can you be cut throat and killer in business if you’re stopping to change diapers and make peanut butter sandwiches? Men are often told to get a “real” job when they work at home. When they have kids and also work at home, the pressure is even greater at times since apparently they don’t cut it in the professional world and their wives do.

What a bunch of bullshit.

The New Professional

I have built a (very) successful business that operates from 7 pm to 11 pm most days – even on the weekends. I just don’t do daylight hours – I prefer to separate business completely. I hardly ever talk on the phone with clients and judging by the time stamps on my emails and IMs, most of my clients appreciate the fact that I’m sitting at the computer when they are – late. My kids actually add to my exclusivity at times – I don’t work long days because I can’t. I let my clients know upfront that I very willingly and joyfully balance two jobs and two kids so I don’t do immediate turnarounds, but they can get in line for materials. Usually they queue up without any problems at all.

My children are never hidden in my work relationships, and often they are a common ground for chit chat when I’m discussing new projects and building relationships. You’d be amazed at how many other “cut-throat” business people have children at home and how many “professionals” work with toddlers in their laps in the evenings or on weekends. I swear it’s refreshing for them to not have to hide their children from me because I don’t hide mine from them. I’ve set up a big project over the phone with a client in Canada while he walked to pick his son up from hockey practice. I bonded with a very long-term client over discussions of new babies and buying houses to accommodate them.

Family First

I never apologize for my kids. I am upfront that I work only in the evenings, but that I try to answer emails during the day. Have I lost clients because I wasn’t available every moment of the day? Sure. Did I want that client? Probably not. But the vast majority of my clients keep coming back over the years in part because I’m honest and upfront about my obligations. I never use vague excuses – I tell them exactly why I can’t get that new post over in the next few hours.

Working with freelancers is a touchy thing for many business owners. They want transparency to ensure they are getting a good value, and as much as it might irritate them that I don’t sit at my desk all day awaiting their calls, I have been told a few times that communication and professionalism are two things that bring my clients back. They know they can trust me. And you can’t establish the kind of trust that leads to long-term work relationships by trying to hide your odd hours and broken IM conversations behind anything but the truth. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a toddler out of bed again – brb!

So in a matter of two weeks my life will pick up in intensity to a level that even I can’t believe I endure. Of course, like all new school years, it’s time to plan out the next 9 or 10 months. Since my brain is overwhelmed most of the time anyhow, I just make everything but taxes applicable to a school calendar – so this is the time that start new initiatives for business as well.

Take a Day Off!

I generally work seven days a week for anywhere from two to four hours per day after the little angelic demons head off to bed. It makes for a long week, but it pays the bills. This year, however, I’m going to work a bit less on an hourly basis and take a day off each week. I haven’t decided which day it will be yet, although I’m leaning to Mondays.

Sundays are always a day to rush around and get ready for the week, so it would be a logical choice, but then it wouldn’t feel very relaxing – more like a countdown to a shark frenzy Monday morning. Friday might be the best day, but then I’m usually finishing up things that get delayed earlier in the week. Right now my gut impulse is to avoid scheduling projects on Mondays since that is a drag of a day anyhow and Dancing with the Stars comes on Monday nights.

Build a New Area of the Business

I’ve always had a very strong client base in webmasters and small business online and plan to continue in this area. Since I don’t specialize in a particular niche, but rather a style of writing, my work tends to fit into many areas of business and manufacturing. I’ve struggled with a direction to take to narrow my focus in that regard, and I think I’ve finally settled it. I’m going local. I’m going to build a new small site for my new local domain and work with local businesses as a means to expand and utilize my higher rate brackets.

I am fortunate to live in an affluent suburb of the fourth largest city in the United States. There are plenty of potential clients right out my back door and an astronaut living across the street. (I just wanted to throw that in.) I’m sure I can rustle up plenty of white papers, press releases and information-based materials for the local small businesses and then use that area to grow a new network of references and referrals. As far as how much I’ll do this school year, I’ll have the site up and some relevant sample white papers and such available on the site by Christmas break. Yes, it’s forever from now, but time flies with two kids and two jobs.

Start the Educational Resource Plan

I know a lot about education – I use advanced, often controversial, yet highly-effective teaching methods with at-risk kiddos. I’ve joked for years about writing some sort of educational resource to support my methods and make them available to others. I think it’s time to get serious. If I can build a collection of resources and research areas, I can semi-retire when I choose to. Along with the writing, I can teach workshops and in-services – this is an area I’ve been interested in forever, but this is the year I’m going to get organized.

The exact goal here is to come up with a business plan of sorts. I’ll hopefully set up a simple blog to start compiling resources and build an iota of exposure. I’ll also frame out the book by Spring Break. All writing, publishing and hoopla will probably wait until (way) after next summer.

I’m Going to Find a Way to Lose Weight

Jenn has a nice fitness series going on these days, but my problem isn’t with motivation necessarily, it has much more to do with the amount of time I have available. I don’t have any. At all. So I’m going to build in more opportunities for movement – perhaps a walk around the block with two boys on Big Wheels before bedtime or a few crunches before my, much later, bedtime. I’m not specific here yet because I don’t know how the new schedule will work out once the year kicks in and bedtimes shift.

One thing I will do is stop eating so much crap. For years crap foods (read: sugary junk food that is delicious but oh-not-so nutritious) have been my reward for existing in my chaos along with a source of energy for working late at night. Starting August 1, I’m going to stop eating sugary crap. My goal is to go from August 1 to May 31 without eating simple sugars like candy, cake, cookies, brownies, ice cream, etc. I might make an exception once a month or so to stay realistic. When I cut this junk out after Christmas last year, I lost 14 pounds. I started eating it again at Easter and gained back about half of that. If I can avoid it for 10 months, I’ll probably lose all kinds of weight, feel better, have more energy and be a better everything.

The Big Summary!

So here’s a summary of this over-worked-but-loving-it Mom’s goals. Would I do more if I didn’t teach? It’s a toss-up. Would I do more if I didn’t have kids? Absolutely. But then, I kind of like those little angels and I’m willing to move at this pace for the next 13 years. I’ll speed up again after that.

Goal #1. Stop scheduling writing work on Monday nights. I can now watch ONE television show a week in peace without a wave of guilt for not using those extra hours for something more productive.

Goal #2. I will build a small website for my local writing business by Christmas. I’ll write at least two free downloads to serve as samples by Christmas as well. By Spring Break I hope to use direct marketing to land my first local client. (Yes, it really will take that long on my time line.)

Goal #3. Create a plan for the Educational Resource. Create a rough outline to start fleshing out next year. This will be done by Spring Break. Start a blog with weekly updates by Thanksgiving.

Goal #4. Stop eating sugar, and don’t eat it until May 31. I’m doing this in a semi-desperate bid to lose the weight I’ve gained from lack of time and will power up to this point, primarily due to the freelancing mama schedule.

Goal #5. Teach my oldest to ride a bike. I expect this will happen after Christmas when Santa brings his little brother a bike to ride, too.

It’s not going to change the world, but after maintaining this schedule for about five years, I know that it’s realistic – even dramatic to get this much done in a year. The biggest change for this mom was the sacrifice of time and all that gets cut out. I’ll get that time back in a few years, but in the meantime, taking it slowly means less stress and more time with family while maintaining the business as well.

The cause of this particular headache was my children.

The worst part? They weren’t doing anything wrong – they were being positively angelic vrooooooming little trains over tracks they designed from dominoes for more than an hour. Meanwhile, I was sitting in a large comfortable chair at my parents’ lake house and decided the moment was perfect for doing a bit of work to free up that night.

It seemed perfect – quiet children playing contentedly, a drowsy afternoon indoors, a simple proofreading and revision project that took about an hour, a Diet Dr. Pepper by my side. And I earned a headache – a big one.

I finished the project, but only because I forced it and then my brain hurt in a big way. Would it have hurt at 9 pm if I’d started work when I usually did? No, probably not. It hurt because even at their very most angelic, having my children awake and in the room,  watched over by my mother who fawns over their domino train brilliance, my mind is still split.

I did a normal amount of work with half a brain. Now, I’m not modest – I have pretty considerable brain power. But when you keep one eye and ear on happily playing children and one eye (no ear) on the work at hand, your brain is doing too much at once. Unfortunately, it hurts.

I could have focused completely on work by going into a different room, pulling on some headphones and leaving my kids to my mother’s care. This wouldn’t have been a bad thing necessarily. The irony was that I decided to work because they were quietly content playing and laughing to themselves nearby and the moment seemed so perfect to be productive and together.

What’s the point of this story?

The point is that even in the best kid-quiet conditions my brain cannot work well if I’m paying even one iota of attention to them. Using a bit of that old logic I took in college a few years back, that means that to do my job well I either have to not be paying attention to my children or I have to work when I don’t have to pay attention to them.

Another lesson here is that I did do some work. I made about $100 while revising a 10-page document. I wasn’t even writing new material, but I’m going to have to review it again tonight before I send it on because I know it wasn’t 100 percent. Granted it was probably about 95 percent perfect and the headache was the benefit I got for working it so hard. The lesson there, however, is that even “easy” work suffers from a lack of 100 percent attention and focus.

It’s a mess, and it leaves you with  few options:

• Work while you kids are awake and ignore them to do a good job.

• Work while you kids are awake and do a marginal job on the work to keep part of your mind engaged on what your kids are doing.

• Don’t work when you have to keep an eye on the kids.

That leaves plenty of solutions, at least, even if they aren’t easy ones. As mentioned many times before, I do evenings and nights when they are sleeping. Other friends do morning or use childcare or relative-care so that they can find some quiet time to dedicate to work.

After doing this little balancing act for five years, I’ve discovered that the quiet time while they play contentedly for a bit can be put to great use. While I can’t use my brain while my little ones are around, I can use my hands. My house is reaching a state of decoration and organization I haven’t experienced in years. I’ve painted, I’ve built shelves, I’ve installed faucets, I’ve sorted and cleaned, I’ve broken tile with my new shiny sledge hammer. I have a pile for donations that threatens to overtake the garage. It’s an awesome feeling of daytime productiveness that I wouldn’t have had just a year ago with a two and four-year-old.

I’ve learned that even if I can’t work “normal” hours with my kids around, the time is very productively spent while enjoying conversations and laughter with my boys and teaching them how to do things like use a paint roller and a power drill. (Something every five-year-old should know, I think). When I do settle down to work at night, I actually enjoy continuing that productivity for another few hours.

Multitasking only works when you use different features at the same time, or you’ll end up with a raging headache like mine. You can’t split your brain very well, but you can split your hands, mouth and brain to do different things during the day leaving yourself some healthy brain power for work when a real opportunity arises.

You can do it all – you just can’t do it all at the same time.

Of course it’s absolutely healthier to rise at the same time every morning and I can get countless things done by the time I go to bed, but that’s by necessity, not desire. It’s not like I’m taking brisk walks to welcome the sun and cranking out a few Tai Chi moves before sitting on the swing on the patio with a laptop. I’m lucky to make it out my pajamas if I’m not racing off to the classroom and more than a few times the kids in my house have gone a whole day without seeing anything resembling a real outfit. But, hey, relaxed motherhood has its perks. Unfortunately, the glamorous all-nighter isn’t one of them.

Working Days and Working Nights

In my universe I work days during the school year teaching the teens of the world, and I hang with my boys every second they’re awake and I’m not teaching. My (part-time) writing career takes place in the evening hours while the boys are supposed to be sleeping, and usually they are pretty good about sleeping hard for at least the four hours of the night, for which I’m eternally thankful.

The schedule I keep is tough, and knowing all day that I’m looking at four or five hours for a particular project at night makes it a bit tougher at times. Usually I’m very careful to split out work as I schedule it so that it never keeps me up past 11 pm or midnight, but it doesn’t always work that way. And for those nights when I feel like I’m on the verge of passing out over the computer, I’ve developed a few experienced tricks of the trade.

Chew gum. I’m chewing like a fiend right now and blowing bubbles because it’s hard to sleep at the keyboard if your jaws are moving overtime. I have about three flavors on my desk at any time, because variety is the spice of life. Bubble gum is fun and makes me happy because I can blow bubbles. Peppermint wakes me up and makes me feel minty fresh (despite the old pajamas I’m still wearing) and I pick one more random flavor because it seems odd or fun. I like the orange and lemon flavors especially. Sugar-free gum is a given, of course.

Play music. A quiet house with a fan going in the background and the stillness of the night behind me is a sure way to pass out. But if I can barely hear Garth or Trace jamming out in the background, it picks up the pace and lets me pretend I’m up working late by choice rather than necessity. It has to be low enough that I can hear my words in my head, however, which takes away some of the jam factor, but still – it’s better than sleepy silence.

Do Kegels. Sorry guys, but girls who have had babies or are old enough to worry about things like prolapsed uteruses and bladders or incontinence know about these bad boys. Basically pretend you’re peeing while your work (be careful to just pretend) and then “stop” the fake pee. Hold it, hold it, hold it for about ten seconds before relaxing and repeating. Kegels are great for keeping that pelvic floor in shape, and they also let you work while pretending you’re doing real exercises. In actuality, it’s hard to fall asleep with clenched muscles and you don’t lose work momentum to do them.

Rearrange the work. If things went badly at the boy’s bedtime or I’m just fried, I’m not above rearranging my work a bit. I generally leave some lighter days in the schedule to accommodate off nights and I try to never procrastinate so that I have some flex time in schedules. This lets me push off the hard parts to another day and just rearrange things to fit again in the all-mighty schedule. I almost never take a whole night off if I haven’t scheduled it that way, but I might sort through research or outline some basic material before crashing early so that I’m a bit more refreshed the next day to actually do the hard writing work I’ve prepped for the sleepy night before.

Working late nights is a choice around here, but it’s one that works best for everyone. Like all things tough about parenting, I’ve gotten used to it. By far the best way to deal with the mental stress of waiting so late to work every day is to compartmentalize it. I might read emails during the day and reply to some, but I save the bulk of all work for after the boys are in bed. There’s no balancing or diverted attention during the day which lets me properly mother them without extra work stress and leaves my mind free of writing work until my evening job begins.

In the last post, I addressed two comments I’ve heard or maybe – not admitting anything – have thought to myself from time to time. Today, we take on a doozy – childcare.

“What’s the point of working at home if she’s not taking care of her baby herself?”

There is a fine line for work-at-home moms to find the right balance for all that we do. When you work at home, you’re closer to baby (or babies) and yet you still have to find time to work. Some situations (the easy baby who sleeps a lot and plays easily alone for decent stretches) make it easy for mom to work for hours without childcare. Other situations (any toddler) make working during his waking hours a definite challenge. As discussed in comments here before, having a baby with colic or special needs cancels out virtually ALL work time while baby is awake.

Balancing working full-time or almost full-time and parenting usually requires some form of childcare. It is what it is. Of course once you realize you’ll need some sort of help, you’re on the next level of “Balance My Insane Life!” where you try to determine how much childcare and what kind you need and how much it will cost and is it really worth it. This, of course, is up to each mother to decide, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself the object of questions about your choices:

“Can’t you just work around baby’s schedule?”

“Why even be home if you’re sending her out?”

“Is this what’s best for the baby?”

“I thought you were home to be with her more often?”

When you’re confronted, you can ignore the questions or you can respond with your own situation and philosophy. I’ve seen a nice comment here on this blog already about the quality of the time together is better when mom and baby have some time apart. It’s also true that older babies need socialization with other children so why not use that play time to work? Whatever – it’s your choice how to handle it.

Personally, I opted to focus on my kids when they are with me and awake and work only when they are sleeping or hanging out with dad. I was feeling too split during the daytime and realized that compartmentalizing my time for work and….my other work let me focus on the kiddos when they needed Mom most and left me free to not think about cramming  in the writing until it was “work time.”

Does this limit the number of hours I can work? Sure – but I make more in 18 hours a week than I do teaching. I can live with it until they fly off to college some day and I feel like retiring from the classroom.

Plus with two boys under five, there was no quiet time in my life for more than a quick comment or email check anyhow. It works for me, but it’s a sacrifice of “me” and “us” time at night that might not work for you. I will say that both adults in my household work online at night, so we can flirt and chat via IM from about three rooms over – I realize that we are not normal, but at least we’re brilliant.

In fact, if you’re thinking that YOU’VE never judged another mother, I’m incredibly proud of you although I’d ask you to look a little deeper to be sure – nothing pops to mind when you hear of a mother spanking her child? One opting to feed formula? A mother choosing circumcision? A mom pulling a child out of school to homeschool? Or letting their child run around a restaurant while she has another glass of wine? A mother handing fries to a toddler? It happens. Admit it.

How we parent our children isn’t really the topic here, but the judging is. I’ve read more forums with moms chatting and comments from mothers than I can remember, and the judging is rampart – especially when moms don’t realize its happening. And – shock of all shocks – work-at-home moms are just as judgmental as the rest of them. Let me give you a sampling of some things I’ve heard and maybe even a few that have passed through my own mind.

“Yeah, but she has older children. It’s so much easier to work and parent older kids!”

Lies! I teach older kids. I have classrooms full of teenagers who have serious issues at home and even the great teenagers I’ve worked with over the years have some tough times. Parenting older kids is just as tough as parenting babies, although less labor intensive I would think. Personally I haven’t parented a teenager yet, but I’ve seen first-hand what they are capable of. The myth of the baby playing happily by your feet grows up into the myth of the teenager who comes right how to do homework quietly at the kitchen table. It happens – just never to you!

While it might be nice to have some time when your kids are in school to work without worrying about childcare, the evenings and weekends that I enjoy using at least are already filling up with later bedtimes, more school activities and more wrestling matches that need to be broken up. There’s never an easy time to be a work-at-home parent. Although I’m holding out hope that there are easier times!

“Hah! What does she know – she only has one baby!”

Think about your pregnancy – did you ever feel a bit superior to those around you who “just didn’t know what it was like to be pregnant?” And when that baby arrived, you were taken aback for a minute and then realized “nobody but a mother can understand how challenging having a baby can be!” Guess what? Nobody but a mother of more than one child can understand how much MORE challenging that can be. When it comes to work-at-home moms, there is a marked difference between how a mother of one operates and a mother of more than one operates.

The mother of one can split her attention from time to time between baby and work – perhaps working while the baby plays contentedly on the floor for a few minutes or pops healthy freshly prepared snacks into her mouth. The mother of two or more already has her attention split – and then some. If a mother of two or three little ones manages to do more than read an email or two at a mealtime or while the kids are “playing”/attacking each other/stealing toys from each other/shouting for mom/spilling each other’s milk/whining/trying to coax each other into climbing into the fireplace/whatever, she is definitely my personal hero. Older kids – maybe – but give me a household of boys who will let you work in peace and quiet, and I’ll be suitably impressed.

Of course this isn’t all of the nasty things we say in our mind about each other. In the next installment we’ll tackle one of the ugliest things other work-at-home moms think and say to each other. You may have already guessed it – your childcare choices.

You’ve surely heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If there’s one meal you shouldn’t skip, breakfast is it. So what do you do if breakfast time happens to fall within your work day, or you only have a few minutes to eat because you have to rush a project for someone? It’s easy to just sit down at your desk (or wherever you work) when you work at home. It’s easy to forget about breakfast. And sooner or later during the day you might find your energy zapped if you do forget to eat.

To help make sure you never have to skip breakfast for lack of time, this week let’s share some simple, quick, no-cook breakfast ideas. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Yogurt — I have low-calorie ones for snacks, but for breakfast I’ll go with a more substantial 200+ calorie organic variety — also good for the probiotics. I like to put ground flax in my yogurt too, although not everyone likes it with the added texture.
• Bagels — Sure, you could toast it if you have the time, but if you get them fresh rather than frozen, you can just eat them as-is too — with your favorite topping of course. I like Thomas’ whole grain (or whole wheat?) ones personally.
• Cereal – I don’t eat cereal often because I don’t like milk. But it’s another good option. When I do have it, I like to try different whole grain varieties — none of that sugary kids’ stuff. I didn’t even like that as a kid. If I’m making breakfast a big meal I might do granola. Otherwise I’d choose a lower calorie variety. Quick tip: if you don’t like flax, you can also add bran flakes to yogurt. It’s delicious, and another way to work cereal in.
• Fruit – You could have a piece of fruit with the other breakfast ideas here, or you could have it alone. Make a quick fruit salad for example. When I’m really not in the mood for fresh fruit, sometimes I’ll just have canned fruit instead (either in natural juice or a light syrup to cut down on some of the morning sugar — no point in encouraging a sugar crash).
• Cottage Cheese – I know some people are grossed out by cottage cheese, but I love it. I find it to be a surprisingly filling breakfast. I usually buy the Live Active cottage cheese from Breakstone, in individual-sized containers. I eat it plain, but you could try it with fruit. You can also put it on a piece of whole grain bread if you want something more substantial.
• Smoothies — Technically this is a no-cook breakfast, but it might take a bit longer to make than the others. Take your favorite fruit, some ice, and some milk (or soft tofu if you prefer). Blend it up. Drink it up. Yummmm.
• Granola Bars / Breakfast Bars — If you need something super-quick, keep granola bars, cereal bars, or other breakfast bars right at your desk. Then you won’t even have to go to the kitchen before starting work. Breakfast will be there waiting for you!

What are your favorite no-cook breakfast ideas for a busy work morning?

You plan to replace your income by working at home. The only way this works is if you’re taking your current job home with the same salary and benefits or if you have spend some time previously working both jobs to get the at-home one fully ramped up. Remember that replacing an income also means replacing your benefits and being able to pay your taxes in full, so you actually have to make a bit more than you did working in the office to have an equal paycheck at home. It is possible to bring in this amount, but for the vast majority of new freelancers, it doesn’t happen quickly without a lot of work ahead of time building networks and establishing the business before taking the plunge.

You don’t have a support system. There isn’t a tougher job than being a good parent and if you’re shaking your head thinking I’ve never tried YOUR job, I’d wager you’ve never been awakened by a five-year-old vomiting on your upper body only to have your two-year-old make diarrhea half in the potty and half out a few moments later. (At this point other mommies are chuckling and the nonparents are cringing in disgust – it’s like scotch, an acquired taste).

If you plan to work at home on a full-time basis, or even on a part-time basis, a support system is critical. Many work-at-home parents use childcare full or part-time to ensure they have time to work before the kids are school age, while others work at night or on the weekends while their partner watches the kids. Even if you have hours to parent and hours to work, having a support system to help with household chores can give you the energy to keep up the insane pace.

You don’t know what you’re doing. Parents, especially parents of newborns or more than one child, have very little time to waste. In all businesses the planning stages are as important as the actual time spent working, but for parents working at home, planning and organizing are even more important because there is simply less time to waste.

If you’re already tooling around on this blog you’re probably getting organized or have been, but if you’re planning some sort of vague scheme of doing a little this or that you heard about from a friend, go back to the drawing board and build yourself a real business plan, even if it’s one for a very-part-time gig that earns a few hundred a month. When you treat freelancing as a real business, you have the option to grow and expand later if you choose and you’ll spend very little time kicking yourself for wasting time in a field or project you realize later you never should have taken in the first place.

Freelancing or any work-at-home job can be very successful for parents, but unlike many other individuals working at home, parents have to plan around the needs of their children first. This often reduces work hours and calls for far greater flexibility in projects and household demands. To be a successful work-at-home parent, be sure you have a business plan and a realistic view of where you are now and where you plan to be. Then the only thing left to do is make it work for your family. Good luck!

One thing I want to do with this series is feature extremely quick and easy breakfast, lunch, and snack ideas for those freelance writers who work from home. Why? Because the easier and faster it is to make or grab nutritious foods, the less likely we’ll reach for the “bad stuff” just because we’re close to the kitchen and they happen to be convenient.

I’m not a big fan of your typical lettuce or spinach-based salads (although I prefer spinach when I do make them). But here’s a simple salad that I absolutely love. And it makes a great lunch!

Avocado and Tomato Salad

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 avocado (diced)
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 red onion (diced) – optional
• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

How easy is this? Just take your diced avocado and toss it in a bowl with some washed tomatoes. Add some diced onion if you want to (personally I don’t enjoy raw onions). Drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar on top. That’s it. Eat up!

If you want to mix things up a bit, you could swap out the vinegar for some salt and pepper, a bit of olive oil, some lemon juice, or any other seasoning you think would work. I usually don’t make this in advance — I make it right at lunch time, and it’s ready in less than five minutes. It might take a bit longer, but you can also slice up the small tomatoes to get their flavor spread over the avocados a bit (or do that if you prefer using other types of tomatoes). If I need something a bit more substantial, I’ll add some diced up fresh mozzarella. Then again, I’ll pair fresh mozzarella with just about anything!

Do you like avocado and tomato salad? There are a lot of ways to make it. What’s your favorite?