Start Small, Stay Small? Solopreneur Moms and the Benefits of a Home Law Office

Apr 26, 2013 by Melanie

So I’m about two months into the solo law practice, work-at-home mom gig.  I have some billable work as well as a couple upcoming seminars (one of which is tomorrow – eek!), and things are actually happening for me, which is really great.  And at the same time, a bit challenging.

Everything is sort of feast or famine when you’re a solo lawpreneur (I know I am seriously annoying someone out there with all these trendy terms, but I love it).  You can’t exactly refuse or decline work, at least not if it’s a chance to bring in some much-needed cash and it wouldn’t be impractical or unethical to take the client.  Marketing is equally important right now – I need to keep blogging (on my law firm website) and networking, looking for more places to give seminars, etc.  It all takes up a lot of time, but it needs to be done.  Read more...

Being Late, and Your Willingness to Do the Hard Work of Making Personal Change.

Mar 21, 2013 by Melanie

If only.  [image via]

Between the burdens of the nighttime routine and the grunt work I’m pouring into starting up my business, I have been going to bed between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. for the last few nights.  As a result, I have been waking up as late as 7:30 or 8:00, and scrambling out the door in a futile attempt to get the kids to daycare by 9:00.  Since I’m working for myself these days, it really doesn’t matter for my own purposes that I tend to get the girls to their school (read:  child care center) around 9:30 instead.  However, the “school day” officially starts at 9:00, and while it’s not really a huge deal in the grand scheme of things that my two-year-old walks into her classroom in the middle of snack time instead of just before circle time, I know it’s disruptive to her teachers and reflects poorly on me.  Read more...

Let’s Be Real: I Love Being a Working Mom!

Jan 5, 2013 by Throwback

On the weekend’s we “throwback” to older but still awesome posts!

Post Written by Michelle – originally published September 2011

Taking care of my new baby girl Lillian for 10 weeks was a great experience, but it only reinforced my desire to go back to my career. I missed adult interaction and using my skills and talents. While I love my daughter more than anything in the world, I also missed the life I had before she was born. I craved normalcy.

I wasn’t sure how I would react going back to work. The night before dropping her off at daycare I barely slept. I had so many conflicting thoughts. Part of me felt bad about going back to my job. I would think about the fact that someone else would get to see her smiles and coos all day and that I’d likely miss many of her milestones. On the other hand, I’d think about all the cool things I do at my job and how much I looked forward to getting back to them. I didn’t know if I would cry every morning that first week back or if I would be OK. I’ve been quite surprised by my reaction.  Read more...

A Child’s Caregiver: Working Mom’s Greatest Ally

Sep 26, 2012 by Mary Grace

Almost a year has passed since we hired our daughter’s caregiver, Kara. It was a stressful time as my family was going through a lot of change. Our previous caregiver was no longer working for us; I had unexpectedly accepted a new full-time job and needed someone ASAP; we were settling into our new home; and Mia was evolving from little baby to independent toddler. But with great change comes good things….Or so I kept telling myself.

Our fabulous blogger, Jen, wrote this excellent how-to on hiring a nanny. We chose this route, too, for a few reasons:

1. We wanted our daughter to have the comforts and security of home, while my husband and I were out in the working world.

2. I wanted her to have minimal disruption from her routine.  Read more...

Saying Goodbye to Preschool

May 22, 2012 by Kris-Ann

I’m writing this post with tears streaming down my face. Over a week ago, my boys said goodbye to their teachers at daycare. We moved so they are attending another preschool. We had to give hugs and cards and thank yous to the teachers who have helped me raise my children since they were 3 months old. They were the ones who coached me through transitions to the next age group that happened before I was ready because they knew the boys were. They helped Max learn how to walk and talk well after all the other kids his age were doing it. They worked with his Early Intervention team and navigated food allergies. They survived many, many biting incidents and helped me work through that with Ben (he was the biter!).  Read more...