I hate thinking up titles

If you’re a super duper smartypants you may remember that I recently alluded to some things happening here that would hopefully be the catalyst for a positive change in my daily routine. Yes indeedy, as of Monday (yesterday) Karl started working part time: that is, 8am-1pm in his existing job.

You can read the various “why”s over in Karl’s entry but in short the theory is that this gives me all morning to dedicate to the kiddos, and then from about 1:30pm-4:30pm of an afternoon to give to my work while Karl wrangles the monsters. This means I can get more done in the day, which means I should be able to actually have evenings to myself instead of eyes glued to the laptop.

We’re on day 2 of the new hours and already I think it’s working. I mean, I’m still working in the evening because I have so much to do and I’m desperately trying to get a couple of jobs knocked on the head (btw, never work with Drupal) but I’m not switching my laptop on until the afternoon which means my stress levels have plummeted. Instead of darting out of the room to try and cram a few minutes work in every 5 minutes (which inevitably leads to interruption from the kids which means I then get pissy) I can give them my full attention. AND, even though I’m “only” dedicating a small block of time to work instead of the whole day, I’m actually clocking up more time working overall. Case in point: yesterday I managed nearly 4.5 productive hours instead of my usual 2-if-I’m-lucky. (If you work 8 hour days in an office with hot coffee, sod you.)

Financially we will be worse off in the short term I imagine, but only while I get to grips with getting more work in and billed – at which point my hourly rate should more than make up the difference in working hours.

I just hope that this is a permanent change and not just fluke, because I have been so stressed lately I’ve come close to jacking the whole bloody lot in and going back out to work. Cross your fingers, eh?

Posted on: April 16, 2013 · Category: Work 8

One thing after another

I’m taking a moment to moan.

“What’s new?” I hear you cry!

I know, I know, so much for the ‘Acknowledge one positive from every day’ goal in 13 things for 2013 (and I still haven’t told you what I decided to do for #13!)

Must fix the tiny text on that post. And the tabindex thing, as that’s intensely irritating. Anyway, where was I…

I’m just under a wee bit of pressure at the minute. Turns out that trying to raise 2 children, start a new ‘business’ & trying to fit a full days work in to max 3hrs of an evening don’t actually go that well together. Even worse, when something goes tits up as has done day after day recently – teething, cold, teething, another cold, more teething (and that’s just Oliver, let’s not get into Izz & her colds, irregular withholding and now bloody conjunctivitis too) – that tight squeeze, that just-about-grasping-on-to-sanity thing comes crashing down around your ears and there’s bugger all you can do about it.

I am so grumpy lately. Proper shouty grumpy, saying things in front of the kids I wouldn’t normally, and probably shouldn’t be saying (may include words beginning with F). I’ve said things TO the kids I wouldn’t normally say (stop bloody whining, just go to frigging sleep, etc etc).

I should be working now, obviously, but if I don’t take 10 minutes to sit down and ramble tonight I think I may explode. That can’t be a good thing.

I’ve a couple of projects both several months behind, poorly kids, Karl going through a major upheaval at work, I go days without adult conversation, and I can’t switch off at night. It feels quite strange to be complaining about a situation that many wish to be in: too much work. 2 beautiful, amazing, funny children. A partner who is still here after all these bloody years (although after making ZERO effort on Mother’s Day, he’s lucky about that one).

I could take on less work, turn things down, pass things on, but that’s not going to pay my bills, is it?

Still, it could be worse. And I think I’ve learnt more in the past 9 months of self-employment than I did in nearly 10 years as an employee, so that’s nice. Or something.

I guess what I need to do now is find that mysterious work-life balance. What is that again?

Posted on: March 12, 2013 · Category: WTF 6

Consolidation

I’m sat here with Isabel making noises in my face, a half-naked baby under my chair, two work projects several months behind for various reasons, another couple due to start any day now and an ever-increasing portfolio of websites in various stages of completion.

I’ve got a variety of blogs which are taking up time and space & with only 2.5 effective working hours in the day (when you factor everything I need to do in) I need to cut the cruft and focus on things that are going to earn me money. As such, some of my niche blogs will be merging into this one (where relevant). Projects too time consuming to work on properly (rev.iew.me springs to mind) will be found new owners and anything left over will be shut down.

(Unless anyone wants to do my work/pay my mortgage for me? ;))

Posted on: March 8, 2013 · Category: Misc 1

Free Our Kids project

I’ve been watching the Free Our Kids project with some interest over the past few weeks and my feelings are a mixture of ‘hoorah’ (for the effort) and a smug ‘so what?!’

I don’t mean to be smug, really. I am genuinely interested in what Harriet is trying to do, but overwhelmingly I feel like the whole thing is such a middle class problem to have (and I say this knowing that I creep ever closer to middle-class with my organic veg box and my barefoot shoes etc). When I was growing up we had mum-haircuts and 2nd, 3rd, 4th hand clothes because that’s all there was.

You didn’t get to choose between a labelled kids snack or a ‘proper’ grown up snack, you had to wait til mealtime and that was your lot. We didn’t have boxes and boxes of noisy toys and electronic gadgets, we had a bunch of formula scoops on a keyring and a saucepan + wooden spoon from the kitchen. Nobody was bored, nobody needed an iPad to learn to read, nobody starved because they didn’t have organic rice cakes to chew on.

So yes, hoorah to Harriet and her family. But some of us have been raising kids without spending unnecessary money for ages – welcome to our world ;)

(God I sound like my mother.)

Posted on: February 13, 2013 · Category: Interwebs, Parenting 12

13 things for 2013

Is it wrong to be entering the new year a little afraid of what’s to come? I can’t even begin to predict where I will be this time next year, and that is scary. Will the self-employment work? Will I have survived the 3pm – 6pm daily Oliver scream-fests? Will Isabel have driven me to an early grave with her regular meltdowns? Will I ever decide what I want to do with my damn hair?!!

Anyway, how best to kick things off than with a little todo list… 13 things for 2013, to make sure I get something done.

  1. Finish at least 1 personal web project

    Converting rev.iew.me to WordPress, finish re-coding the theme for this blog (porting to Genesis), finish relaunching GirlsWhoGeek, get Jem On WordPress properly / regularly updated, finish the breastfeeding group / location review project I started eons ago. Any one of these things will do (and countless others I’m forgetting no doubt).

  2. Take up an outdoor activity

    I need to get out of the house more — for both my sanity and fitness — even if that just means going for a long walk every week. I could do with shifting about 10-12lbs but that’s secondary to just not being stuck on my arse all day to be honest.

  3. Go one month without using a supermarket / chain store

    Tesco and stores of that ilk have started to creep back into my every-day life. This is costly, and ridiculous considering I have a baker, butcher, greengrocer etc all on my doorstep. I want to see if I can avoid all supermarkets and chain stores (Co-op, Spar etc) for a month. If it works I might make it a more permanent thing. Not sure which month? January perhaps…

  4. Take more pictures

    I bought a new camera so that it could easily fit in my pocket allowing me to take more pictures, spontaneous pictures, pictures at the park or of my surroundings. I’ve mostly not done this yet, it needs to be remedied.

  5. Put up my prices

    Nobody has turned me down yet when pitching for work. This tells me I’m not pricing myself high enough. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want people to start turning me down, but if everyone is happy to pay my rates that’s a sign that I’m on the wrong side of cheap. (Hand in hand with this, I also need to stop doing ‘mates rates’ because it’s not going to pay my mortgage.)

  6. Acknowledge one positive from every day

    I’ve had a tough few months which has seen me mostly whining on facebook & twitter about how crap things are. It’s not ‘bad’ 24/7, so I need to start focussing on what’s going right instead of what’s going wrong.

  7. Get my budgeting back on track

    I don’t know if it’s the recent stress or a lack of inspiration but the hardcore budgeting bits have dwindled to nothing-ness. I’m back to taking ages in the shower, overfilling the kettle, forgetting to water down the milk, over-buying food etc.

  8. Reach ‘inbox zero’ on my personal email

    I can’t remember the last time I had an empty inbox. I think we’re talking 8-9 years (in fact, some of the mails in my inbox at the moment are near that old!) I need to reply to the things that need replying to and ditch the rest.

  9. Finish a job to a deadline

    Self-explanatory, see ‘The Ugly’

  10. Give up sugar for a month

    This is probably the biggest challenge in my list. I consume quite a lot of sugar: in my coffee, my baking, in chocolates and other sweeties. I think I’m getting the sweats just thinking about this, actually. Ergh.

  11. Finish a project around the house

    The living room is still half-decorated, the bedrooms need finishing, the hall needs another coat of paint, there are curtains to sew for the hatch between the living room & kitchen, and the gardens are both still a bit of a mess.

  12. Sort out my junk & sell it off

    I’ve got a shit ton of maternity clothes (some in packaging still), books, DVDs etc that can be sorted and sold on ebay etc and it’s all sat around gathering dust. I have a feeling I can combine this with some renewed budgeting vigour to get some pennies back in my rather empty bank account.

  13. Think of a 13 – and do it!

    :)

Happy new year folks!

Posted on: December 31, 2012 · Category: Misc 12