eHow Dolly Visits Virginia

If you haven't heard of eHow Dolly, you're missing out. She hails from Hawaii, the creation of eHow writer veryirie, and is making a cross-country journey across the United States, with stops up and down the East Coast, a zig-zg through the midwest, and a final stop at the eHow headquarters in Santa Monica, CA before returning home to HI.

Shirley started this eHow forum discussion about Dolly's trip, and there's even a Squidoo Lens on Dolly. Now all she needs is a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account and she'd truly be set!

While visiting me in Virginia, Dolly got a taste of a "week in the life of a work at home mom." It may not have been her most exciting leg of the journey, but we all had fun!

eHow Dolly enjoyed sightseeing in the Shenandoah Valley, including an adventure to see the swollen river over its banks and covering the road in several locations, necessitating its closure for part of her visit. She also got to check out the Discovery Museum in Winchester, VA, but things were too crazy for me to get pictures (my girlfriend and I brought our combined total of 7 kids under 7 to the museum!)

But here are some pictures I did snap while Dolly visited us:

Dolly sits on the deck watching the melting ice dripping in the woods in the aftermath of an ice storm:


She wanted to pet the kids' rabbit:


Dolly helped me feed the chickens:



She brainstormed eHow article ideas with me:

... and endured a hug from Patrick, 2,
... before heading on her way to eHow member suzyhomeeconomy in NC. She picked up a postcard and souvenir spoon from VA and is carrying a chocolate bar to her next hostess, as well as the lottery game sent by David Sarokin.

Safe travels, Dolly!

Residual Income & New Baby

How do residual income and a new baby fit in the same post?

First, the baby news: my son, "Nicholas," was born December 6 and is a happy, healthy, sweet-tempered little man. He is adored by his older siblings and doted on by mom and dad: we're all in love.Secondly, about the residual income: my November earnings, all from now-passive sources such as eHow, my eHow ebook, niche sites and affiliate marketing, were just shy of $3,000, even though I wrote little new content and spent much of my time resting and "nesting" before the baby's arrival. December will hopefully be in the same ballpark, even though I'm taking the month off.

As I sit in front of the fire snuggling my newborn, I am grateful for the residual income business model that's allowing me to take a month off from from writing (I had to sneak in this post, though) and just enjoy my family and the holidays.

It's been exactly two years since the December I realized the potential of residual income, through eHow and Site Build It!, and made goals that, when reached, would allow me to quit writing for hire and simply write and market as much or as little as I liked, for myself.

At the end of this year, as we prepare to embark on a new year, 2010, I challenge you to make goals for the coming 12 months that reflect where you are now and where you want to be at the end of the coming year. Contemplate spiritual and personal goals first, as they are most important, but don't neglect your plans for work and income. Building residual and passive income sources is a worthy endeavor, and I encourage you to include them in your plan.

Happy holidays and a blessed New Year to you and yours!

Increase Productivity: Go for a walk

Keep your sanity and recharge yourself with a daily walk. Just go, even if you have a pile of work that needs your attention and cranky kids who aren't listening. Bundle them up if it's cold, and get outside. The walk will do wonders for you and for them.
Today, the kids and I went on a short hike down our dirt and gravel road. We didn't quite make it to the lake, more because I was unsure about the hike back up a steep hill with a baby on my back than anything else.
The walk provided an opportunity to learn more about our environment, as we watched buzzards circling overhead and I explained that there was a dead animal in the vicinity. We discussed the leaves covering the forest floor, and the melted snow. My 4-year-old son commented on the neighbors' houses as we passed, listing the occupants he knew.
Yes, I left behind papers that needed grading and articles that begged to be written, but I returned with a peaceful spirit and a sleeping baby. The kids, their energy released, were content to play with Legos as I went back to the computer.

Work at Home Schedules: Do they work?

As a work at home mom (WAHM) with two preschoolers and a baby, I know first hand how hard the balancing act can be. And I know how much I need a good work at home schedule. As I type, I have my cranky 8-month-old baby in a carrier on my back. He's been fed and changed and is sleepy. It's time for his nap, but he can't fall asleep because of the noise being generated by his older brother and sister, who are happily sliding down the stairs on a blanket -- harmless enough, except for the loudness factor.

They are happily occupied, so I'd rather not redirect their energies at the moment (that approach has been known to backfire). At 4 and 3, respectively, my son and daughter have each other for constant companions and this works to my advantage--most of the time.

I've tried making work at home schedules. They usually begin with me arising at 5:30 to begin grading English papers for my first work at home job. These perfect work at home schedules also show a two-hour slot where everyone is napping (except me) and I am, in theory, able to get all of my writing done during those magic hours.

But in reality, my kids don't follow my work at home schedule. And if they are up in the middle of the night, I have a hard time following it too. (Why on earth did I set the alarm for 5 a.m.?! Snooze!)

I have learned that I can't force the perfect work at home schedule. Some days, everything clicks and it really happens. But more often than not, I have to fit my work in around children's needs (and they do come first, at least in my book), dinner prep and housekeeping (usually the first thing I let slide). I follow the flow of the day more than try to harness it into my Day Planner. I have a list of objectives, and try to accomplish the most important each day. But as yet, the perfect work at home schedule is not a reality...or maybe, in some way, it is, just not the way I'd expected.

And now the baby has fallen asleep, his head resting against the back of my neck. Time for me to get a few more papers graded. What's on your schedule?