by The Happy WAHM
Me time.
I’ve been reading a lot about the importance of “me time”, not only for WAHMs, but for all moms and wives out there.
And I get to thinking, do I have a “me time”?
Let’s find out first what “me time” really means.
If “me time” is to be defined as the time that you spend pampering yourself in a spa, having your nails done, getting your hair styled in a salon, or going on a trip all by yourself (or with the husband), then I guess, yeah, I’m not having any “me time” at all!
But if “me time” is simply doing things that make you happy, doing things that mean a lot to you personally, then I am having loads of that!
You see, it’s all about perspective. I used to be envious of people who go out on a trip and have regular out-of-town vacations. But then again, I look back at the few times that my family went out of town, and realized that those times actually left me stressed and tired. Now, maybe that was due to the packing and unpacking for the kids, and taking care of all their needs while we were in an unfamiliar environment. So I tried to remember how I felt when I went out of town on my own, joining some friends for a vacation, and all I can recall is the loneliness of not being able to hug my kids every ten minutes. I would go to a new place and would wonder whether my kids would appreciate being there, too. Or I would be eating my meals and all I could think of was whether my kids were getting fed on time or have been bathed. I would just end up regretting leaving, instead of feeling refreshed.
So what do I do to recharge? How do I keep myself sane?
I just do things that make me truly happy. Like quietly watching my kids do their thing when they think I’m not watching. Giving myself a pedicure… oh yes! I do my nails myself, and have actually saved a lot of money in the process. 🙂 Lying in bed with a novel. Watching NCIS re-runs. Writing down my dreams and turning them into plans. Going through old photos and going back to the time they were taken. Quiet time upon waking up. Catching up with friends on the phone, or chatting with them on Facebook. Or catching up with cousins I have not seen for ages, like what I did last Friday.
While in the middle of motherhood and a negotiation for a project management gig, the ongoing development of my affiliate marketing site, writing an e-book, and the daily activities for the business that I manage online, I received an invitation to a cousin’s birthday celebration. It was an invitation I could have easily said no to, because attending would mean at least five hours of travel round trip, plus all the items on my work queue. And I know they would have understood why I could not come.
But it was a rare opportunity to catch up with all four of them at one go, as we all live in different parts of the country. In fact, two of the cousins live in a totally different time zone. So I just had to go.
And I’m so happy that I did.
It was really great seeing them again. Remembering how we climbed up their humongous guava tree when no adults were looking, playing house with the neighborhood kids atop the water tank, running after ducks and chicken around the compound, playing “step house”, “siato”, hide-and-seek, making candle balls on All Saints’ Day, caroling and “simbang-gabi” on Christmas break, making ice candy… Yes, it WAS awesome seeing them again.
Sharing here some photos of my fun time. And boy, did I have fun! First time to brave a photobooth, and I enjoyed it. Kudos to ZionEyes Enterprises for making my experience really special. Will be recommending their service to other WAHMs, that’s for sure.
And there goes my me time. I don’t really have to be away on an exotic vacation or spend so much money to say that I’m having time to myself. I can be clowning around with my kids at home (or in a photobooth at a cousin’s party, for that matter) and consider it my me time. As WebMD says: Me time is anything that lights you up or fascinates you.
For me, it’s just all about having a fantastic time, period.
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by The Happy WAHM
It’s two in two! Two sites in two weeks! Can’t get any better than this.
This site has been around since last year, but only during my goalsetting in November did I really get to internalize on its purpose. I bought the domain early in the year, wanting to use it as my ‘pay-it-forward’ kind of site. I wanted to create an online resource for WAHMs and WAHDs (or WAHM and WAHD wannabes) where they can either get ideas, or offer ideas. And then for a while, I decided to turn it into my coaching site, but later changed my mind again, because I felt that the coaching is a big part of what I do, hence it should be with MargeAberásturi.com.
So in December, I collaborated with Chasing Dreams on the design to get the site off hibernation. This site was actually our first, but as you well know by now, my personal biz site made it to launch date first. In terms of content, I was simply more ready with the business site.
This was the mock up of the logo.
And this is the final output. I requested for the Sketch Block font to make it identifiable with TheHappyWAHM.
Last night, hoping to make it two in two, I worked overtime to just put a couple of products in the shop and set up the directory pages.
The main focus of the site is to encourage entrepreneurship among women, and men, who stay home. I wish to have guest posts from anyone who’d like to share a hobby or an idea that has the potential of becoming a profitable business, just like the first post, How To Make Mango Puree. Incidentally, that was written by a man, so while the WAHM in the site title means work-at-home mom, it can also be easily referred to as work-at-home man.
I also have a page for partner sites, and these are the ones who responded to my call on Facebook last year, on who would want to get listed on my still-inactive site. And I’m so grateful to them, because they trusted me that much.
The Shop page is a showcase of my affiliate marketing stream. I’ve been doing affiliate marketing for two or three years, I guess, but it’s only now that I decided to have them in one place. Affiliate marketing is a good income stream, if you know how to do it right, and this is one of the topics that I will share in my February 28 VA Business Success Workshop. Since I’ve been asked to share my blueprint for my virtual assistance success, I find it important to share how to create other income streams out of the niche that I have chosen to pursue.
The site is still considered under construction, but I wanted to get it out there already. Everyday is a great day to get something started, so why not today?
I hope you will drop by, and again, if you have an idea and you don’t know what to do with it, let’s talk! I may be able to help you turn it into a profitable venture.
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by The Happy WAHM
January 4, 2014, I wrote about my new beginnings. It was my first entry for 2014.
January 4, 2015, I’m writing about another beginning. The official launch of my business site, MargeAberásturi.com.
I bought the domain name back in 2012, just to secure the name. My first [long-term] VA client was an internet marketer, so I know how it works. Research for a popular keyword, check domain availability, buy it and park for auction. Very profitable business, if I might add.
The question begs to be asked: So Marge, you think you’re so popular that someone might actually buy your domain and invest on it?
Of course… NOT! But I can dream, yeah?
Well, let’s just say that I always plan ahead. I knew the time will come that I will want need to have my name as a domain. I knew I would need to expand my business, and I knew I wanted the name behind TheHappyWAHM to be recognized, too.
And so I bought the domain, but never actually used it.
In 2013, I tinkered with it a bit. But my heart was really not into it. I had no immediate need for the site, no desire to further promote my services as a virtual assistant because I have enough projects anyway. Why rock the boat?
Then last year, my entrepreneurial spirit kicked into full gear, and I was able to put my business directions on paper. Seeing pages of where I want to go and how I want to grow inspired me to again entertain the idea of having a business site. I always tell attendees of my workshops that it is important to have an online presence, be it a blog or a static business site where you can showcase your services. An online resume. An online business card. See, what I know is not always what I do. Not out of hardheadedness, but only because I have to set my priorities. I need to attend to income-generating activities first.
But last year, having achieved my goal of having my home office built, I was able to sit down and do some serious planning. I guess that’s what comes with having a comfortable swivel chair. You get to feel like the boss that you are, and you get to have that fire in your stomach to go for something bigger than what you already have.
And so, I have one whole notebook – yes, all 50 leaves – filled up with tables and bullet points and narratives of what I have to achieve next.
First stop, my business site. It still needs a few more pages added, and some more tweaking of the content, but I have learned not to wait too long to start on something. It does not have to be perfect, just functional. Plus, I do have to attend to clients’ needs first, so I have make this a work-in-progress with my pockets of time.
For this awesome site, I credit Riz of ChasingDreams.net. Very intuitive to work with. It was like working with my partner, The Techie Mom. Those moments that she would send me a link to a design peg, and I would see just about the same design that I already have on my dummy site. Well, actually, her choices were prettier. But allow me to imagine that I have the same aesthetic taste as she does, okay?
And this logo, which is an off-shoot from what I had before…
Oh, don’t be confused! The one on the left is the official logo now, and the one on the right was born out of tinkering with… drum roll… Powerpoint! So now you know how artistically-gifted I am!
Wait, should this be the post where I tell you my 2015 goals, too?
Let’s see…
In bullets, and not necessarily in any order, they’re as follows.
- Finish three online courses (same goal as last year).
- Prepare the kids for PEPT.
- Learn something new. Don’t know what I want to learn this year yet. Maybe a foreign language, or coding, or both.
- Publish an e-book. Scary, but hey, if I have to set a goal, I might as well aim high.
Launch my business site.- Launch my affiliate marketing site. (My goal for this is January, but in case there are bumps, should be no later than the first quarter.)
- Connect with the [prospective] clients that I had to say no to last year.
- Write my holographic will.
- Get all our family documents in order.
- Exercise, exercise and exercise.
- More juicing. More veggies.
Take on another hobby. Make time for another hobby.- Read more.
- Market my e-commerce set up service and book at least one client per month. I need referrals, please!
- Fill my jar of blessings.
- Blog more.
- Exercise some more. Do I hear “standing desk?”
Well, there you go! That’s a long list. But I hope that I will be proud to write my 2015 year in review by December 31.
For now, please visit my office in cyber, and let me know your thoughts. All criticisms will be taken constructively, I promise!
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by The Happy WAHM
It’s the last day of 2014, and before I get really busy in the kitchen, I just want to sit here and write a short entry. Call it my last hurrah for 2014. It’s been an awesome year, and I am grateful.
Let’s see…
Both my major goals panned out. I’m sitting comfortably in my office while I write this, and the thrill of having a professionally designed blog has not diminished.
The minor ones also came to fruition, although not all of them were accomplished 100%.
Here’s a rundown:
Finish three online courses – I only got to finish one. Barely. It was like learning a foreign language, and the degree of difficulty is like a climb up Mt. Everest. I set out with a goal of finishing it with distinction (a 90% rating) and I fell flat on my face with a dismal 86%. As a consolation, I just tell myself that it was what I deserved for studying in a moving car for the whole duration of the course. I was taking on too many projects at that time, and the only time I could study has been on the car ride to the grocery.
Re-structure our homeschool – We’ve decided not to enroll this year, and go independent. We’re totally interest-led now, although I have downloaded the K-12 curriculum of DepEd and refer to it from time to time, just to make sure that the kids will be prepared for the PEPT when the time comes. The husband is also more involved now, since he no longer leaves home to work. The freedom of being interest-led has paved the way for the kids to pursue what they really want. Bea finished a Basic Chinese course online, and is now into coding. Jude, at nine, has his eyes set on NASA. So these parents need to hustle.
Buy a piano – Our kids learned to play using a Casio keyboard, and our piano teacher advised us to invest on a real piano, or a digital one with weighted keys. We settled for a digital one. Our house is too small to accommodate even an upright piano. This is a good thing, as not only are the kids getting the required training, but us adults get motivated to learn, too.
Learn something new – I learned how to crochet, yey! And I’m hooked, pun intended. 🙂
Write a coaching module – Finished the structure and all the points, but still need to improve on it. This goal will spill over to 2015. It has become a challenge to finish, because it is no longer just about my niche. It started off with just virtual assistance, but it evolved to a module on home-based business set up in general. Blame Prof. Ed Hess! His Grow to Greatness courses really inspired me to just go for it.
Add income streams – I was able to set up an internet/affiliate marketing site this year, which I hope to launch sometime in January. The site has been professionally-designed, too, so I’m very excited to have it live. I’ve been dreaming of having such a site for years now, since my very first client as a VA has been an internet marketer. I learned so much about the niche that I’ve been wanting to put the knowledge I gained into practice. The real push came when I stumbled into Mindware Toys. I started to set up the site with just KEVA in mind, but just like the coaching module, it evolved into something more.
With the site still on maintenance mode, I was able to get in a few dollars of income, so my motivation to work on it just increased a hundred-fold.
The year has not been all rosy. There were trying times, but we pulled through.
My husband losing his job. Glenda. That very recent scary accident. And being torn between doing mainstream blogging, versus simply focusing on my niche. Husband’s seven-month hiatus made the decision for me. I had to focus on the income-generating activities to support the family, plus the fact that our firstborn will be in college next year. I just can’t afford to lose my footing on what I do best, which is virtual assistance. The writing will be my respite.
The last quarter of 2014 proved to be pivotal. My husband finally debuted as a WAHD, and it was also during this period that I fully embraced collaborative work. Finally came out of my shell, so to speak.
And this is the part that I get cheesy.
Truly grateful for the friendship of The Techie Mom and Martine de Luna, for it has been with them that I have worked with the most. Then came Artique, Manila Workshops, Mrs C’s Sugarcoated Life, Fancy Girl Design Studio, and the latest is with Chasing Dreams.
Looking forward to more projects with these fabulous ladies next year, as working with them has proven to be professionally gratifying, and personally enriching.
Just as I did this year, I’ll hit the ground running this coming 2015.
A re-designed business site, an affiliate marketing site, officially making e-commerce set up as an added service offering, domain and hosting services, a series of webinars with Manila Workshops, virtual assistance workshops with the Make It Blissful and Manila Workshops tandem, home-based business set up coaching, and hopefully, the launch my hubby’s site, too.
A lot in the works, and so I’m claiming my one word for 2015 to be… DISCIPLINE, because at the core of all these lies my true purpose, that of being a MOM, above all else.
Have an awesome New Year!
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by The Happy WAHM
If you fell down yesterday, stand up today. – H. G. Wells
And fall, I did. Literally. With a very loud thud.
As Jude puts it…
I thought the ceiling was going to collapse.
I don’t know how it really sounded from downstairs, as I was busy picking myself up from the upstairs bathroom floor, and screaming at the top of my lungs for my husband.
I lost my balance as I was toweling dry, and I fell hard on my butt, and as I fell must have hit the back of my head on the wall, because I remember feeling an excruciating pain on my head just as I felt the thud of my butt on the floor.
I saw the scene flashing before me in slow motion. I remember thinking “this is not happening,” and thinking “no, I won’t be paralyzed. I won’t let myself to be.” And the moment I landed on the floor, the first thought was “I have to scream now, or they will never know what happened.” And so I did.
As I opened my mouth for that first scream, I was already thinking of getting up. “I have to get up, I have to get up.” My mind was working overtime. I was feeling excruciating pain on the occipital area of my head, and at the same time, pain was also shooting up from what feels to be the base of my spine. And that pain worried me. So I made myself move.
I was able to get up on my own and wrapped myself in a towel, but my world was spinning. I thought for a while that my vision was blurred, but I refused to acknowledge it. I focused on the pain, trying to think of what organ connects to what, and what could be causing the pain on my back. I moved my legs, and in my fuzzy mind thought, “Oh God, thank you. I can move my legs.” My greatest fear was paralysis, and the fact that I was able to get up was comforting enough to take my mind off the nausea.
My husband came just as I opened the shower curtain. He did not hear my first scream, but Jude did. And the boy called him. He heard the second. And the third, just as he opened the bathroom door. I think that earns him the title Flash, because I know I timed my screams on five-second intervals. I was very conscious of keeping my mind busy, so I even thought of counting in seconds.
We were preparing for a lunch date with a family friend when it happened. After lunch, we were supposed to go straight to the Christmas presentation of Greenhills Christian Fellowship, and then drop off my little something for a friend at her house. We went ahead with lunch, but by the time we were due to go to GCF, I was ready to call it a day. My body was aching all over, and the dizziness was stubbornly staying.
Last night, I had nightmares. The scene of my fall kept repeating in my mind, even in my sleep. I pity the husband who stayed up all night monitoring my temperature. They all say I felt hot, but the thermometer told them otherwise. So maybe I’m just one hot WAHM. Period.
Emergency over. I’m now back at my workstation. Grateful, just a little bit more than the other days, that God has been there, as He always is, to protect me from further harm.
More than ever, I want to keep my own version of the gratitude jar project alive. I don’t know how to call it yet. Choose Happiness? Happiness Jar? Maybe you can send in suggestions. 🙂
I’ve distributed some of the jars, while others are still with me, about to be prettified. The way I know how, okay? 🙂 My version of pretty might not be the same as yours, so please bear with me.
Meanwhile, I chose to be happy yesterday while fighting the nausea, and indulged in sweets.
Because you see, happiness is a choice. And you can be happy any time, under any circumstance, even in an emergency. You just need to choose to see the good side of things. The good side of what happened to me? Aside from having a good reason to indulge, I also had a good massage. 🙂
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