Back for good....

I know it's been a long time since I posted. Life, in the form of two young kids and a sick mom, have gotten in the way. Part of my new plan to move forward with my life is to keep this blog updated regularly, so I'll be on much more now.

Like many, my suite 101 earnings have tanked, so ive been focusing on demand media studios and break studios instead, although these sites seem to be a bit troubled as well. To mix things up, ive also been working as a title editor for demand, which i enjoy much more than writing for them at times. Content sites are merely a part of my long term plan anyway. More on my new plan later.

For now, it's time to get the kids up and dressed to go to the park. It's a beautiful day here in NJ and I want to make the most of it!

Time for change...

Back in July, I happened to come across a comment about a book on someone's blog. The book sounded interesting, so I ordered it. "The 4-Hour Workweek," by Timothy Ferriss, arrived a few days later. I was about to leave for vacation, so I gave it a cursory glance and forgot about it for the next month. It was mid-August when next I picked it up, and I haven't put it down since. The book is all about lifestyle redesign, and it's a fascinating read for whatever stage in life you are in.
It got me thinking about how out of balance my life has become. I work at home as a freelance writer, and while I love it, I feel like I've gotten away from the goals that made me want to do that in the first place. Namely, to spend lots of time with my kids. Well, I do spend lots of time with my kids, but a good deal of that is while I'm typing away while my two-year old watches cartoons next to me. Not good.
This book has made me remember my earlier goal of creating enough residual income to live on so that I don't have to do as much for up-front pay. It also gave a bunch of ideas for how to do that.
Check this book out, it is a life changer!

I'm back....

I know, I know, I've been gone for months. My second son, Luke was born on April 13, and it turns out that juggling two boys that are only 20 months apart is a bit more challenging than I thought. But I digress. I'm just going to skip that awkward part of trying to explain everything that's happened in the last few months and pick up right now. The new baby, while cute, has seriously cut into my knitting time. I have been working on the same sweater since early June, and it still has no sleeves and a collar that needs to be finished. I designed it myself, and I think I'm going to wear it alot, when it finally gets done. It's (another) shawl collared cardigan. I don't know what it is with me and this type of sweater, but I just love them. I also just started a new pair of "Toasty" by Leslie Friend, and a new pair of leg warmers in a pattern I haven't tried before. Yes, my obsession with fingerless gloves and legwarmers continues.

As far as writing goes, that's also much harder with two babies than one, but I'm starting to get back into the swing of things. My main bread and butter is still Demand Studios, now known as Demand Media Studios. I also have been doing some writing for the Examiner, Suite 101 and Break Studios. I like all of them, for different reasons, but Demand is the one that really pays the bills.

It's another rainy day in New Jersey today, so I'm off to find someplace to take my two year old to run around for awhile. We both need it!

Finally...motivation!

I have spent the last few weeks in a bit of a slump. I'm close to my due date, and the thought of how much still needs to get done was feeling a bit overwhelming. Luckily, the last few days I've finally started to accomplish things again! The new baby's room is painted and carpeted, the furniture is ordered and we have a name picked out finally. My husband, Bill, is working on making a vegetable garden and making good progress with that, and I wrote four articles for Suite 101 just this morning! I now have 38 articles up, and am determined to hit fifty by the time this baby is born. :) I've also fallen behind on some of my other writing, but at least this is one area where there has been progress!