It is beautiful here! While watching my granddaughters today, my son and his wife went hunting. We got a text they will be a few more hours…they got an Elk!

While I have been here I have reconsidered some of my long range plans. I want to include spending time here in Idaho. I love photographing here. The only problem is he doesn’t have Internet at his new house yet so we have to go to the library. I love being able to write here and see my granddaughters first thing in the morning. They have taken us to some beautiful spots here in Idaho. This morning there was snow on the mountains near by. I started a fire in the wood burning stove and enjoyed my coffe while I looked out upon the mountains and then went back to writing.

I was on vacation from my wage earning jobs and spent the time working hard on testing the waters to see if I can work full time writing. It has meant focusing on writing and making some choices, like staying home writing instead of going out dancing even though I haven’t gone out in weeks! It was been worth it. Though I mostly worked during my “vacation”, I did make some time to do something I really enjoy…cook and bake and I did spend time with family and friends.

I have discovered that my natural sleeping cycles are very different than traditional sleeping cycles. I am trying to learn to work with my natural sleep cycles instead of fighting it.

I also found out that even though I didn’t have the pressure of having to be somewhere at specified times, my body was still poised and ready to go. About 6 days into the time off I got to the point where I truly feel relaxed. I had to keep reminding myself that I don’t have to be anywhere!

I can be strange to work and live at home, I found myself needing to make sure I got out of the house and away from the computer periodically. When I do start working from home all the time, my son, Bob Schmuck and I have decided that we will schedule one day a week to “work” together. We motivate each other so that is a plus and the other is that it will force us to get out of the house (we will take turns which house that we get together at).

I’m looking forward to the day when I won’t be heading off to wage earning jobs and just do my writing and Internet projects. For now though, I am thankful to have two part-time jobs and my own business during a time when many cannot find even one job.

When was the last time you sat and enjoyed a sunset or anything else that had nothing to do with your entrepreneurial pursuits? An Entrepreneur doesn’t live by the computer alone. I did have a time when I had my laptop set up in the living room and I worked, ate, and a few too many times, slept on my ever so comfy couch. That got old fast, even though I was getting a lot done. I did get burnt out and started accomplishing less and less.

I finally have had some time away from the computer and one of the things I returned to is taking pictures again. It is hard to resist the beautiful sunsets during the Arizona monsoons. Other pictures I have been taking:

• My daughter and her horse
• The kids swimming
• My boys paintball shooting
• Friends at the bar I’ve gone dancing at
• The rain
• Storm clouds rolling

Some other things I’ve done when I’ve gotten away from the computer:

• Time with kids
• I went on a couple motorcycle rides
• Been out dancing with friends
• Watch my daughter ride (sometimes I have the computer)
• Dinner with friends and family
• Found a church I really like
• Been to a few movies with my kids
• Ran regularly until the humidity got to be too much
• Dated a little
• House cleaning
• Yard work

When you look over your list of things you have done away from the computer, how does your list look? Keeping a balanced life will keep you from burning yourself out and accomplishing less or even worse…nothing!

My daughter and I participated in the Race for the Cure last April. I participated in remembrance of my cousin and my daughter participated in honor of her aunt. With the team at Walmart we will be supporting a cure for breast cancer by participating in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.

If you would like to help us and donate, we would very much appreciate it. I got a late start following through with this due to my schedule lately, but I hope to reach our goal before the walk next weekend. You can donate directly to the American Cancer Society by going to my home page. Donate in remembrance of or in honor of a breast cancer fighter that you know. Donate to help with prevention because you have girls and women in your life that you love.

My car that got stolen was an old junker, but it got me around. I had full coverage on it only because I went on vacation a couple months ago and had my insurance upgraded to cover the vacation rental. When I got back, I never got around to taking off the coverage. My car was worth so little that I didn’t get much from the insurance company when it was recovered and totaled. So now I have to work hard to earn money for another car. My wonderful youngest son and his wonderful girlfriend are giving me rides or lending their car to me until I can get another one.

The upside of my car being stolen is that I upgraded my insurance rental to a 2010 red Mustang convertible for $5 a day! The best $45 I’ve spent. It also gave me the push I needed to upgrade my car. I am still getting an older car (inexpensive registration and insurance), but it is worth 3x what the one that got stolen and is in much better shape. It isn’t a convertible, but it has a sunroof!

I made the most of the blessing of having a Mustang convertible for 9 days and 8 nights. My daughter is my photographer and took some great pictures. A cheap black dress, a borrowed hat, and a Mustang convertible can make even me look good! I even got Bob Schmuck, my son in a few pictures.

Having a taste of the good life is like getting slapped in the face to “wake up”. It is easy to be comfortable in life as you know it and forget the opportunities and possibilities in life. Experiencing life from the driver seat of a red convertible Mustang woke me up!

It’s not about a great deal or buying a “new to me” toy, it is about being closer to my goal of being a successful full time writer. The laptop represents a big step forward. Having a laptop means I can write anywhere now!

He had to take it with him so he coud replace the keyboard and get it set up for me to use. I’ll get it back tomorrow when him or his dad bring his sister back to town. I can hardly wait and I am SO excited!

Within just a few weeks I have taken steps towards my writing goals.

1. Work 4 days at Walmart instead of 5 days
2. Have a laptop with wireless internet
3. Jan’s Writing Services started some new writing jobs

Even if I am somewhere that I cannot connect to the internet, I can write for my own projects because ones like this blog and Jan’s Group Home Support, I don’t need to do research to write.

I feel I truly am running towards my goals instead of feeling like I am shuffling along hanging onto a walker for dear life!

I will work on balancing the following:

• What I WANT to do
• What I HAVE to do
• What I SHOULD do

Some of the things on each list could overlap, so I further define the lists in the following ways:

• What I WANT to do-time to myself, recreation, relaxation, visit with friends
• What I HAVE to do-earn money (writing), pay bills (the days off are right after payday from both jobs)
• What I SHOULD do-say no to any relief work, clean my house, go through more boxes in storage, work on my own internet projects

So for now I will make some plans with friends on Sunday am and will use the rest of my time to do things off the “need” and “should” list.

I have felt like this before….I want a day to hang out with a friend and then when the day is over I regret not accomplishing more from my “need” and “should” list. Getting things done like working on my internet projects is actually something I want to do and I feel good when I accomplish things, but it is work in a way.

Working all the time is sure to lead to burn out.

In a time of unemployment, I am blessed with two wage earning jobs. I am blessed with a full time job at Wal-Mart in the vision center and a part time job (that sometimes gives me full time hours) with the Easter Seals Blake Foundation as relief staff in their group homes. I am also blessed with being self-employed as a free lance writer.

Being so busy, my time to pursue the things I love to do, is limited. At times it seems like I am good at none of the things I do because I am spread thin. In addition, I am a single mom.

I know I walk the line between expanding my writing business and bringing in enough income to pay bills. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life, no matter how long or short, walking that line. This week I took the step and requested when the next schedule comes out (in three weeks) that I be scheduled 4 days a week at Wal-Mart instead of 5 days. I will still be able to maintain full time status. It is a little scary, but I remember when I was scared a couple years ago to change from working with the disabled (I had been doing it for 7 years at the time) and go into retail (Wal-Mart) for my primary wage earning job. It was a challenging move but a good one for me. I have been happy and have done well since I made that move 2 years ago. Now it is time to take another step.

I have three weeks to become organized and prepare for the changes. Working more at self-employment is taking the steps needed to become financially free. For me, financial freedom is having the CHOICE to work when and if I want to. Financial freedom is having passive income, like when I am out hiking and I come home to see my sites have brought in a substantial amount of income.

For now I will pursue self-employment to give myself more time with my daughter and time to pursue my internet projects.

So here is a day in the life a an Internet entrepreneur who didn’t have to go to her wage earning jobs….

7:15 am

• I wrote a couple posts for Jan’s Ideas (one for today, one for a future post date, and this one)
• I visited a friend’s blog, Build and Earn, I saw this post and noticed he uses Google Reader for organizing his resources for writing. I added it and took a few minutes to figure out how it works.
• Tested Google Reader. This will be a good resource for when I write more. Not only do I want to write more for pay, I want to write more for my own internet ventures.

7:45 am

• Woke up my daughter so we can spend some time together before she leaves for her dad’s
• Breakfast

9:25 am

• Read and commented on Bob Schmuck’s blog
• Agreed to do an overnight at 2nd job
• Posted a new album on Facebook

10:20 am

• Finished an article
• My daughter left for her dad’s
• Laundry started

12:45 pm

• Agreed to an over-night shift
• Finished laundry
• Wrote articles
• Posted on Facebook
• Posted on Twitter

4:15 pm

• Made a couple phone calls
• Dishes
• Wrote articles
• Napped

6:15 pm

• Ready to head out for work in a half hour
• Sent out an invoice
• Delivered articles
• Wrote more

Well, I wish I was staying home tonight to write and do more. When I get my check in a couple weeks I will be glad I went to work. Nice thing about overnights is I can do 10-12 hours in one shot!

A productive day over all and actually relaxing, too.

Of course I won’t sit zombie like on the couch and do nothing! I will write and catch up on things around the house so that when the crazy work hours begin again I will be ready to go at it again. I will be refreshed and revived and organized!