The Stay at Home Mother

In order to start this week off right I decided to clean my home-office. And by clean - I mean get rid of the clutter.

You see - I am a paper hog. I will keep every scrap of paper whether it has a phone number, a message or is actually really important.

It is all sitting in a paper pile waiting for me to separate the important papers from the other trivial ones.

So this weekend I decided enough was enough - and with recycling box in hand I went to work.

My home-office is built in my garage. It is carpeted, has a door with a lock and can be quite inspiring. However, in the past few weeks, the office has gone from inspiring to depressing with the mounds of paper that had built up.

And as I decluttered my office I located a missing shoe, my son's storm trooper, my daughter's baseball, a stapler and a very important document.

All hidden in various parts of my office.

You see, I also have had trouble keeping my children out of the office as well. So they come in to see me, and with them they bring toys, which sometimes get left behind.

This is one of the worst things to happen - having your two worlds collide. One of the most basic things I know about having a home-based office is that it cannot be mixed in with my personal space and vice-versa.

It will literally drive a mom entrepreneur mad if the two continually overlap in to one another's space.

That's why I made a point, to rid the office of papers, toys and locate all the missing things that need to be paramount in my office.

And when it was all done? I celebrated because I literally felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It was as if my office had begun to weigh me down.

Everyone knows a cluttered office, means a cluttered mind. And I always need mine as clear as possible to be inspired to write.

So with a nice, orderly home-office, I am looking forward to the week ahead - as the world just got a whole lot brighter now that I can finally find my stapler again!

So the Enterprising Moms event in Richmond, BC is over and I am finally starting to unwind. The speakers were amazing and the women showcasing had so many wonderful businesses. The evening reception was fun and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. But it did make for a long day.

On Monday, I was able to spend a relaxing day with my children and take my son to school. He only has eight days left of school - I can't believe it! So now the question is - what the heck am I going to do with him all summer!.....

I am planning on enrolling him in some swimming lessons along with his sister. I think it will be really beneficial as both of them really love the water. My son is also enrolled in football this season, so we shall see how he does during summer practices.

He has really taken up reading a lot and I wrote about it in my latest article, which can be viewed online: CLICK HERE

But we will definitely be spening lots of days outside in the backyard (we have a new playset for the kids) and at the beach, which is just four blocks away. We don't have any big plans this summer - so am trying to be creative with things we will be doing.

If you are a new mom and are looking for support - there is a great workshop being offered by Mamaspeak called Trusting Your Intuition at Harmony Family Wellness Centre, 736, @ 16th Ave, Vancouver. It is a six week series to help new moms make a smooth transition to motherhood. Topics discussed include identity shift, relationships, sleep, feed, self-care and birth stories. For moms with babies newborn to four months. It begins on Monday, July 6th. You can contact Meralon Shandler at 604-266-8124, or visit www.mamaspeak.com for more details on this workshop and others.

So today is officially my birthday. Yep. Today I turn the big 3-7. I'm not sure what's in store for me today, but suffice it to say that there will be a dinner at my mom and dad's and lots of candle blowing (my children have to also have a turn blowing out mommy's candles!)

But as it was my husband's birthday two days ago and the Enterprising Conference that I am hosting on Saturday, I think my birthday is going to go by in a bit of a blur........

Usually I like to spend some time enjoyng my birthday, but this year, I am consumed with making everything perfect for the conference. I have so many little things to wrap up and finalized. But hey - I'm not complaining, as I think its going to be a great day on Saturday at the River Rock Casino Resort.

If you dont know about the upcoming Enterprising Moms Conference, then you have to check it out at www.enterprisingmomsnetwork.com. And if you live in the Richmond, BC area, and are a mom entrepreneur (or soon to be) then you have to come by! The day is filled with amazing speakers, shopping, free espresso, tons of door prizes incl an HP Printer, business classes from Small Business BC, Norwex products, Robeez Baby Shoes, gift baskets, consulting services, a night's stay at the River Rock and so many others!

Plus - the grand prize, which is a mentoring session with Sandra Wilson, founder of Robeez Baby Shoes at Small Business BC.

In the evening, I am speaking on the "Power of Believing in You". I think it is so important for women to remember just how much their thoughts and beliefs affect their success in life.

It should be a great day and night and I'm really looking forward to it.

But for now, perhaps I can allow myself a little time to celebrate my birthday.

Here's to another year of getting older and maybe a little wiser (fingers crossed!)

This past weekend, we took our children to the Fair that was happening along White Rock Beach here in BC. It had about 20 rides that ranged from baby rides all the way up to "close your eyes and hang on for dear life" ones.

We arrived when it just opened on Saturday just after 12pm - we wanted to get there before the crowds - but little did we know, just how wrong we were.... When we went to buy tickets we discoved just how pricey this "little" fair was - they could get 20 tickets for $20 or a wrist band for unlimited rides for $27. We opted for the $27 band for each of them as each ride was between 4 - 6 tickets.

After my husband's heart attack (ha, ha), we trugged on to the various rides, which included the Blubber ride (little fish going around on a loop), ferris wheel (I feared for my safety). My son was addicted to the Haunted House, which was more like a fun house than anything else (with not so much fun). But he loved it, which was the main thing. The kids also loved the bumper cars, although today he has been complaining of a sore neck (not surprising).

On some rides, I wanted to go on with my daughter (like the spinning strawberry with no seatbelt). I was told I could go on the first time, and then the next time was told to go buy tickets (Yeah, cause parents are just DYING to go on the strawberry spinner).

We decided to leave and return that night, expecting there would be a larger crowd and would be more fun for the kids. But alas, there wasn't. You could actually see the tumble weeds blow through the fair.

Where were all the people? Did the price scare them off (It would have for me, if I had known the cost beforehand - PNE is cheaper, who would have thunk it?) Or was it because it was poorly advertised?

Everyone I told about it, had no clue that it was down there for four whole days (Thurs, Friday, Sat & Sunday).

They haven't been there for fifteen years, so why wouldn't they make a big deal about it finally coming back to White Rock?

To be honest, I don't think I would take my kids down there ever again. The rides were old and some were dangerous due to lack of seatbelts rickety wheels and chippng paint. And the cost to ride was a rip off.

So maybe its best this Fair goes back to where it came from for another fifteen years - and trust me when I say - nobody will miss it.

I have been so busy preparing for the upcoming Enterprising Moms Business Conference these past few weeks, that I feel that my blogging has taken a nose dive. For that - I apologize! If you want to check out all the work that I have been doing for the upcoming conference - CLICK HERE.

And if you live in the area - come on out! It's on June 13th in Richmond at the River Rock Casino Resort from 11 - 5pm. The day is filled with amazing speakers and great businesses showcasing. This year's theme is "Get the Word Out!" and discusses all the various ways to promote and get the word out about your business. There is a donation made at the door to the Ronald McDonald House. There is also an evening networking which is going to be so much fun and tickets can be purchased through the website (www.enterprisingmomsnetwork.com)...

This is the third year for the conference that celebrates mom entrepreneurs. I am both excited and crazy right now (as what happens to me just before every conference). There are so many little things to take care of!

With that said, my article in the Surrey Now is now online. With my birthday on the horizon, I am really feeling stressed about how time is flying by. You can CLICK HERE to read it.

For those of you wondering - I attended the Surrey School Board meeting last Thursday night to hear the decision about the six days less of education. The motion was put through with no opposition. The parent turnout to hear the decision was disappointing to say the least.

As well - they had mentioned that there had been a lot of open dialogue with parents leading up to this decision - but I'm wondering which district had an open forum to allow for parents to ask questions? They said all the PACs in the districts had one, but we didn't, and neither did other parents I spoke to. So who had an open forum at their school to make parents aware?

All they really allowed us was an email to voice your opinion. They may have made their decision but this isn't over - I want to hear from all parents in Surrey/White Rock and the PACS about this open forum in their school that invited parents to ask their questions and be heard.