I have heard that finding the perfect Pediatrician is much like The Dating game, and after my own recent search, I am inclined to believe this. Of course, I have also been through two husbands, while my kids have – until now – had only one pediatrician, so maybe it’s actually a tad easier?. Maybe. That said, I am also inclined to believe that leaving one is much like going through a really bad break up.. Now, you would think that living in or near “The Bubble” – AKA Peachtree City….Land of Churches and Dr’s Offices on every corner – would make this a fairly painless process, but for me…not so much.

Now, I like to think of myself as a fairly easy going, and tolerant person. Waiting room temperature always set to 79 degrees? No problem. (OK, so I *may* have adjusted the thermostat – that said DO NOT TOUCH in big letters – once or twice…or, maybe every time I came.) Two hour wait? No problem. OK. That’s not really true. Waiting in a stuffy waiting room, with a cranky toddler for two hours, is not my idea of fun. Especially when there is no food or drink allowed in said waiting room. (Of course, I *may* have slipped in some Gummy Fruits and Sippy Cup contraband a few times..) An unfriendly nursing staff that is constantly turning over? Yup, I even tolerated that. For eight years.

Why you ask? Because after eight years, of bringing my kids to one Dr., she felt like part of the family. My kids loved her, and so did I. Honestly the only reason why we eventually left – and are thankfully experiencing pediatrician bliss – is because she was unable to prescribe one of the ADD meds that my son takes.

Now, instead of naming particular Dr’s here in the Coweta/Fayette area, I have, instead come up with some tips and Questions to hopefully help you, if you ever find yourself on The Great Pediatrician Hunt.

First and foremost, Don’t be afraid to shop around, and like dating – don’t just pick the first one you come to. Once you have narrowed down the field a bit, call their office(s) and schedule a consultation, to “interview” your potential Pediatrician. Most Dr’s are even open to having an informal Q&A type session. Once you do this, here are some things to consider:

- Make a list of what is important to you, and stand by it. My Ped. was not a fan of Breastfeeding past a year, which is something that I did. At first she would make me feel horribly guilty, and I started feel like I would one day be on Oprah with a 10 year old nursing on me, but thankfully I stood my ground and pointed out that the AAP recommends Breastfeeding for at least the first year, and then for as long as mutually desired by mother and baby. If you believe in Co-sleeping, a vegan diet, etc. make sure your Ped. will support you.

- Does the nursing staff have a high turnover? These are the men and women who will be giving your child her shots, and performing basic – and sometimes painful, – car, so it helps if your child is familiar with them. Plus, a high turnover, may be a good thing to have with coffee, but not so much with nurses.

- Ask your friends. Post on Facebook, ask over coffee, or during Zumba, whatever it takes, but DO get the opinions of your close friends, on which Pediatricians the recommend – as well as which ones they don’t.

- Does the Office Manager/Secretary have good people skills? I cannot stress enough, how important this one is. At our old Ped’s office, phone calls usually went like this:

OM: Welcome to Dr_____. May I help you?

Me: Yes, I’m calling to schedule my daughter’s 18 month Appointment.

OM – OK, how old is she?

Me: Um…18 months….which is why I am scheduling her for an 18 month checkup. (??)

OM: Well, when would you like to come in?

Me: Anytime but Tuesdays are fine. What times do you have available?

OM: Well, you have to give me a time and date. I can’t just make one up.

Me: Oh. You can’t just look and tell me which times she has free?

OM: No.

Me: Ohhhkayyy. Well, then, how about Wed. at 2:00?

OM: I’m sorry, that’s already been filled.

Fun times, I tell you….fun times!

- DO find out what it would take to get your child’s complete medical record from them. Under US Law, you have the right to get your child’s medical record until they are 18 years old, and they have 30 days to give it to you. The best scenario is if they can give you your child’s updated file electronically, via email, CD etc. It’s a GREAT idea to do this on a yearly basis, especially if your child has any serious health issues. To get my son’s records, took a few months, several threats, and a call from the new Ped. After that debacle I asked for my 2 year old’s records as well. I am hoping they arrive before she’s due for her 3 year old check up.

- DO make sure that you and your child gets along with the Dr and staff. If your child associates his/her Dr with the next antichrist, then they are probably not a good fit.

- Keep in mind that the small things really do matter. Is the waiting room clean, and comfortable? Is it set to a comfortable temp – preferably on the cool side? If you call to speak with the Dr, will you actually be able to…you know…speak with her? (I was never able to do this at the old Peds) Do they accept Walk-Ins and Same Day Appointments for sick kids? If one of your kids has to switch Dr’s, can the siblings still stay? I never thought this was an issue, until I switched my son, and was told they were now going to have to drop my daughter as well.

- Does he/she keep up with the latest research? Times are changing, and so are treatments for common illnesses – for instance, not every ear infection needs antibiotics, so make sure your Ped. is up to date on the current treatments and medications out there.

- Don’t forget to do YOUR research. Remember, Google is your friend. Unless you, or your child are sick, in which case you should probably stay away from Google, which will have you believing you have come down with some impossible to pronounce rare disease, last seen on some House MD episode, but I digress….Google IS great at finding reviews. You can do a general search on the Dr’s name, or go to some of the many Dr review sites out there, like: Healthgrades, Vitals, and Ratemds.

Just remember though, that even if a Dr has some bad reviews does not necessarily make them a bad Dr, since we all know that not everything on the internet is true. Except for this blog of course.

For me, it is also important that my children’s Dr be a Christian. What better medicine is there then having their Dr praying for them? This may not be an easy question to ask them face to face, but you can usually find out through word of mouth.

As for how our own Pediatrician Search ended, I was finally able to find a great Pediatrician, and when I walked into the waiting room below:

We finally found the perfect pediatrician!

The only thing missing was a choir singing Handel’s Hallelujah chorus.

Have you found the perfect pediatrician?  Was your search as difficult as mine?

We’re looking to kick start the summer here at PSMB and would love your help.  In an effort to understand our audience and provide you the best experience we can, we would like to learn a little bit more about YOU.  Please take a moment to fill out this survey and in exchange for your time, one person will win a $25 Starbucks gift card.

To Win:

1.Complete the survey making sure you leave your e-mail address so we can notify you if you are the winner

2.  Come back here and leave us a comment telling us you filled out the survey.  We will choose the winner from the comments here on the blog so don’t forget this step!

Giveaway runs through Friday May 24th.  Thanks, and have a great week!

Since my husband left in February, I’ve been dieting and working out like a crazy person trying to get healthy and skinny before his return. Does he care? No. But I do. I have spent the last few years pregnant, eating everything in sight, and when not pregnant, my eating habits were still less than stellar. I have been unhappy with my body for quite some time and moving to Georgia was the change I needed to get my butt in gear.

I have lost about 25 lbs since we moved here which is wonderful. I can see muscles I haven’t seen before. I’ve dropped a pants size. I’ve done Weight Watchers, counted calories, and zumba’d my heart out since February. Here we are in mid-May and I’ve hit a stand-still.  The scale has not budged for weeks and although, I was at first discouraged, it’s helped me to realize something very important– seeing a lower number on the scale is less important than feeling good and being strong. So, now my plan has changed! I am more focused on feeling good, gaining strength and endurance, and feeding my family “good for us” foods.

What does that mean for my plan? Well… I want my body to be the best it can be. Sure, fitting into a smaller size and seeing a lower BMI would be nice, but it’s not number 1 anymore. I want to be strong, I want to be able to chase my kids and play for hours without feeling winded, and I want to know that I’m feeding myself and my children the very best foods. Yesterday, while leaving the gym, I felt very Wonder Woman as I hauled each 20 lb child in my arms. I feel blessed that my body allows me to do that especially when I don’t have anyone else to haul them!

For now, changing the plan means rearranging our grocery budget to less snacks/frozen meals/junk, more organic meats and produce. I love to go to the store with a list and leave realizing I only hit the outer edges of the store. I mean really, if you think about it, that’s where the healthy stuff is- the sides and the back of the store. I will continue to workout at least 3-4 times a week, mixing both lifting and cardio.

This brings me to the challenge. Starting June 1st (Also the day of my first 5k– go me!), I will be starting the “Whole 30” Program.  I’m currently reading “It Starts with Food” by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (the creators of the Whole 30 program) to prepare myself for the changes. Basically, Whole 30 is 30 days of eating the best foods for you to reset your body. It’s not a diet. It’s a way of eating that allows you to see what foods make you feel the best and which foods do not. You can see the rules here. I am very excited and I’m hoping that I gain a lot out of the program including better sleep and less bloating. I also REALLY love the idea of not stepping on the scale for a whole month!! I might give my scale to my sister-in-law just to make sure I stick to it (right now, I have an unhealthy scale addiction and normally get on it at least 2 times…. a day).

I am challenging our readers to complete  the “Whole 30″ program with me this June. On May 31st, I will share my before pictures, weight, and measurements (…gasp!). I will also voice my concerns and let you know what I bought and what meals I plan to make those first couple weeks. I hope that our readers that are participating will share with us their before pictures and more if they like. I really suggest that if you are going to do the program, you read the book, especially if you want to know why the program works. For the whole month, readers can share meals, bumps in the road, etc via the blog, facebook, twitter, or instagram(see the top of our home page for all the links)! You can use #psmbwhole30 when posting pics on instagram or sending tweets to us. I think it will be an awesome way to keep motivated and share our progress!

Ingredients:

Yogurt (I used Chobani’s Vanilla Greek Yogurt)

Food Coloring

Cupcake Tin

Baby spoon or Paint brush (I used a baby spoon)

Directions:

Put a few spoonfuls of yogurt in each space in the cupcake pan, add 1-2 drops of food coloring to each space and mix until you reach your desired color. Here’s a quick guide to mixing different colors in case you need a refresher. This is a also a great opportunity to start teaching color theory to your kids as well. Then take the yogurt tin to a easily cleanable area like outside or to the bathtub and let the kids go to town.

I let the Goober use our tub for this one and stripped him down to his cloth diaper and he had a blast, both eating the “paint” and coloring himself. We probably spent a good hour in there playing before it got to close to bedtime and we just turned on the tub faucet and went straight into bathtime.

Check out how much fun he had!

Yogurt Painting with the Goober

One of the benefits I noticed when he was playing with the yogurt was his motor skills improved and he was easily dipping the spoon and bringing it to his mouth by the end of the playtime. Did I mention he played for almost an hour with this? That was a hour of no whining, fussing, or whining! Sweet! Just kidding, the Goober never whines or fusses. *wink*

Happy Painting! Let us know in the comments how your kiddo likes this activity or share other activities and crafts with us!

Located in Sharpsburg, Meadow Wood Farm is where my daughter started riding at the age of 5. Suzanne Jones has owned Meadow Wood for over 20 years. Suzanne’s daughter, Brittany Sommers is now the main trainer.

Meadow Wood Farm, Sharpsburg, GA

This summer’s horse camp is July 8th-12th, from 9 am-2 pm (rain or shine!) Children over 7 will enjoy 5 days of fun in the sun, learning about the care of horses, and much more! Grooming ponies, horsey crafts, barn picnics, and playing on the farm are magical for children! The cost is $350.

There’s a quote at the barn that says, “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a child!” For more information about camp, call Brittany Sommers 404-425-8467 or Nikki Hamilton 678-684-8351. www.meadowwoodfarm.net

Do you have other camps or summer activities in South Metro Atlanta you’d like to share? What activities are your kids’ favorites? Please post  a comment. 

It is a pretty scary thought.  You know, not being able to watch The Food Network whenever you want…missing the next season of Deadliest Catch…and most importantly, having to find somewhere else to watch Alabama football.  I’m only partly kidding here.  It was with some trepidation that we decided to take the plunge.  Now, I am almost ashamed that those thoughts were even in my head.  Turns out, I haven’t missed it a bit.  (ok, not MUCH anyway)…and it also turns out that you can waste as much time watching 9 channels as you can 900 channels.

If you want to get rid of cable here are some helpful hints.  First, get an antenna.  We spent about $100–Less than the cost of one month of cable.  A quick search online will get you more info about ranges, etc.  The antenna will most likely hook in to the system already in place from your cable service.  Make sure you call them to cancel as soon as you have your antenna.  We get about 9 channels with our antenna.  The picture is really clear, but does suffer when it is cloudy, rainy, or windy outside.  It is pretty frustrating when the picture keeps cutting in and out but I just remind myself that I’m not paying anything for it and then I find something else to do.

Hubby installed the antenna on the roof, which involved placing a ladder on the roof, outside our second story bathroom, and me holding the ladder while he shimmied up there.  The end result looks like the picture below.  We just might be able to communicate with aliens as well.

Next, consider other options.  My husband has a PlayStation 3 so we have a Netflix subscription through that device.  It is $7.99 a month for unlimited use.  I like Netflix, but the shows available are not the most current seasons, and the movie selection isn’t the greatest.  I can also access Netflix on my Motorola Xoom tablet which came in handy recently when Eli had a long doctor’s appointment.  We also have access to Amazon Prime on the PS3 because we have an Amazon Prime account.  It costs $79 a year and includes free shipping on many Amazon purchases.  The movies and shows on Amazon prime are more current but many of the most current shows still cost an additional fee.

We watch some shows on Hulu by connecting our computer to the TV with an HDMI cable.  Hulu has a lot of current sitcoms available for free online.  We don’t have Hulu Plus but it is also $7.99.

Another source we use is called showsday.com.  I’m a little apprehensive to share this info because I have no idea how it is possible for this site to share so many up-to-date shows for free, but here goes.  You do have to sign up for an account but it is free and so far we have had no trouble with it.  Sometimes it tells us that it is going to cost 2 credits to view a show…whatever that means.  We are completely caught up on The Walking Dead and are currently watching The Newsroom via Showsday.

I would like to say that I watch WAY less TV than I did when we had cable,  but that just isn’t the case.  We do watch different TV than before.  I have a new appreciation for Public Television.  I enjoy ‘Atlanta Eats’ that comes on every Saturday morning.  We have also gotten in the habit of watching ‘America’s Test Kitchen’ and ‘Cook’s Country’.  There are a few travel shows that we have been enjoying as well.

Do I miss being able to pause/rewind/record TV?  Not really.  If I’m not home to watch something, I miss it.  Not that big of a deal…unless we’re talking about Downton Abbey.  I made sure we were home every Sunday night so we wouldn’t miss out!

I definitely recommend taking the plunge.  At this point, we could definitely fit cable back into the budget, but I just don’t have the desire to spend that much money on something that we have been doing fine without.

Have any of you decided to get rid of cable?  What has been your experience?

My Mom inspires me to…

Jamie:  Mama inspired me to open my home and share hospitality. Mama and Daddy welcomed their friends, and hours, anytime! She always had food and “goodies” available for “company!”

Allie:   My mom inspires me to seek help when needed, be a confident woman and mother, and to strive for and achieve goals that I sometimes think are out of my reach.

Rachel:  My mom inspires me to take care of others.  She is always helping someone out, be it family or friends.  I hope that I can be as selfless as she is throughout my life!

Wendy:  My mom inspires me to be a better mom and wife.  She inspires me to be more patient, kind and loving with my kids.  Watching her interact with them helps remind me to treasure each moment we have together because time is fleeting.  I have learned a lot from her and my dad about how to have a successful marriage and to provide a strong foundation for our family.

As a mom, I aspire to…

Jamie: As a mother, I aspire to share my faith and traditions with my children.

Allie:   As a mom I aspire to raise a healthy and polite child who respects his planet and the people around him and works in some way, no matter how small, to make the world a better place. I aspire to be the best mother I can be and on days I don’t succeed, will try not to beat myself up over my failings but approach each morning as another chance to be better and get it right.

Rachel:  Boy, loaded question.  I aspire to raise children that are confident and happy.  I want to have a healthy relationship with my children for their entire lives.  I aspire to help guide them through life in the best way I know how.

Wendy:  As a mom I aspire to honor my role as mother and wife.  Being a mother is the most important job I will ever have.  To bring a person into the world, to love them, teach them, laugh and cry with them is what I expected while at the same time not at all what I expected.  I am thankful to have a husband who works hard to support and care for his family and supports me as a mother.

My most memorable Mother’s Day was…

Jamie:  I’m sure my most memorable Mother’s Day will be 2013. My son graduates from college the day before Mother’s Day, and my daughter the day after. This year will be bittersweet, since it is also my first Mother’s Day without my own Mother.

Allie:  My most memorable Mother’s Day would have to be last year’s, since this year’s hasn’t happened yet and my son was only born last February. My husband let me sleep in and put the Goober in a “I love mommy” bib. He made me purple “mom” pancakes for breakfast and then we got to go pick a new washer when ours kicked the bucket that afternoon.

Rachel:  My most memorable Mother’s Day was last year.  My parents were visiting and we had Eli dedicated at church.  Then we came home and had brunch prepared by my husband.  He got me a plant with yellow flowers, since that is my favorite color.  It was a good day!

Wendy:  My most memorable Mother’s Day was my first Mother’s Day.  I checked into the hospital the Friday before Mother’s Day to be induced, but it turns out that my son was not ready to make an appearance any time soon.  After two days in the hospital and when my labor stopped, he finally arrived by c-section at 5:35am on Mother’s Day!

An important concept to understand when talking about standards and curriculum is that standards drive curriculum.  So the standards set forth in CCSS will determine the curriculum that is taught in the classroom.  The standards will also determine what is on the national tests, because we then must measure what is being taught.  If teachers don’t teach what is on the test then their class will not perform well at test time.  It’s important for students to do well on tests because teacher pay will be directly tied to student performance on national tests.  Also, teachers can add only 15% of additional content to the existing standards, yet none can be deleted.  So, while I hope that teachers will use that additional 15% of content to enrich their lessons further, there is no incentive to do so.  If all we care about are test scores than we’ll continue to teach to the test.  The comments following this article written to address myths about CCSS, confirms that even teachers can’t agree on how this will play out.

So, what are the standards under CCSS?  You can find Georgia standards here.  A stated purpose of CCSS is to allow students to reach a deeper conceptual learning of material.  I am all for truly understanding the topic at hand, but, how has this played out so far?  Recently some examples from the classroom have been shared by concerned parents.  This math example illustrates how simple math concepts are being made unnecessarily difficult.  Dr. James Milgram, the only mathematician on the CC Validation Committee wouldn’t sign off on the standards for reasons given here.  This series of articles talks about the mathematics standards, but I think if we need to send home a cheat sheet for parents to help their second grader to relearn math from first grade, then something is wrong.

Standards for Language Arts (ELA) are the other piece of the current puzzle.  Dr. Stotsky, who was on the panel to develop the ELA standards has serious reservations about them.  Aside from the constraints listed above teachers will spend 50% of their time teaching informational texts such as technical manuals and Federal Reserve documents, to name a few of the recommended reading materials.  Do we want our kids spending half of their time in ELA reading manuals instead of classical literature or poetry?

Onto another topic of interest, data collection.  Just think of all those forms we fill out to enroll our kids and at the beginning of each school year.  Then throughout the year there are records of grades, attendance and test scores.  Remember that a requirement of RTTT is that states must participate in a massive student database (SLDS).  The purpose of the database is to not only house information for kids in our state, but to then be able to share that information easily with other states.  What will be recorded in this database?  CCSS allows for the collection of over 400 data points on each child including health care history, disciplinary history and religious affiliation to name a few.  Who has access to this information?  A variety of agencies can be granted access to this data under FERPA such as, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor.

Georgia has also signed up to pilot a program called inBloom which is funded by The Gates Foundation.  This blog talks about how inBloom is going to store our kid’s data in a virtualized environment, yet they aren’t guaranteeing that it will be secure.  So my kid’s data may or may not be safe with this third party entity and will be given to this third party without my consent…..well, like Hack Education said, hope they’re ready for some lawsuits if info is leaked.

And, for your viewing pleasure, an informational video called “Data is Power” from the Georgia Department of Education, which I really think says it all.  With the push to collect data on our kids from pre-k through college or career, it is easy to see that whoever has the data wields the power.  Imagine taking your child to see the career counselor at school and the counselor pulls up your child’s file.  Instead of the counselor asking your child what he/she wants to pursue after school, they instead guide your child to a certain path.  Whether that is a trade school, two year college, four year college or a shovel ready job will be predetermined because they have many years worth of data on your child and they know where he/she will best fit into society.

Baby Goober with his Wubby

When I was pregnant and creating my gift registry, I came upon an adorable product called a Wubbanub, which was basically a pacifier with a little stuffed animal attached, and fell in love with the giraffe.  The Goober’s room was going to be done in penguins and giraffes (my husband and I’s favorite animals) and since they didn’t have a penguin option, it was sort of a no-brainer. Unfortunately, we didn’t receive one at our baby shower and while not terribly expensive, at nearly twenty dollars it was a bit more than we felt comfortable purchasing on top of all the necessary purchases. Fast-forward to a couple of weeks after the Goober’s birth and we are at our wits end with trying to keep track off all of his pacifiers. Between the Goob dropping them, the car seat hiding them, and the pups eating them, we went through 8 pacifiers in two weeks. Suddenly, twenty dollars didn’t sound so bad. My husband and I, though, thought perhaps we could make one ourselves before spending the money and see how that went, and if it didn’t work, oh well, there’s always Amazon.

You know he is Canadian by the Maple leaf on his paw!

Our sister-in-law luckily, had just given us a little stuffed Canadian bear (she’s Canadian, it’s not that random) and while he was a bit bigger than the traditional wubbanub, we thought he would be the perfect size for the Goober to grow up with and eventually become his lovey. From there it was as simple as cutting a small slit at the mouth, inserting the tab of the Avent Soothie pacifier and taking a needle and button thread and stitching the slit closed, sewing through the tab. I’m happy to say it was a complete success. The Goober loves it, even a year later. It has survived several trips through the laundry and the pacifier has only had to be replaced once and that was just recently, and replacing it was a simple as removing the old one and sewing in a new one. Total cost of this project was $0 thanks to already having the bear and the pacifiers.

Disclaimer

****The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends cribs be keep clear of all soft items and loose bedding, including crib bumpers, pillows, and toys until 1 year. ****

Wubbanub’s Safety page: http://www.wubbanub.com/safety.html

Personal Note: I felt comfortable with using Wubby in the crib with the Goober.  Every parent makes the decision in regards to what he or she is comfortable with. Wubby was the only other item in the crib besides the baby and a tightly fitting sheet and his bed was located less than 4 feet from our bed for the first 5 months. All parts of the wubby (or any item really that your child plays with) should be inspected daily for wear, especially pacifiers. This is especially important after the child gets teeth.

My home office is getting a lot of use!

Nope.  That isn’t a radio station.  It stands for work at home mom.  And I’m thinking that is the definition that best fits my ‘work’ situation for now.  I had to google it.  I thought WFHM stood for work from home mom, but apparently WFHM is already taken by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, but I digress.  For a while I called myself a ‘mostly’ SAHM (stay at home mom) since I only work away from home one day a week.  Now I work away from home one and a half days.  Throw in blogging and selling Premier Designs Jewelry and I have more than a few things to do with my ‘free time’.  I found that working on the blog during nap time left me feeling like I never had quite enough time to devote to the writing and all that it takes to manage a blog.  I usually have some down time in the evenings, but instead of being productive, I usually browse facebook and Pinterest.  Since I have a smartphone, I am able to get and answer e-mails on the fly.  Which might seem like a good thing, but really, I just feel like I am glued to my phone all day.  I guess that is why I never really had a plan for getting any actual business taken care of.  It feels like I’m doing business all day when I am constantly reading/answering e-mails, posting to FB , etc.  But really, that is not the most effective use of my time.  Oh yeah, that last letter up there that stands for MOM is supposed to be the most important.  I started to loose sight of that.  I am pretty good at ignoring laundry, dishes, and meal planning when it comes to spending time with my child, but when my phone dings, Eli runs to get it for me.  It is so difficult to let a text message or e-mail go unread.  But why?

Last week I was able to travel to Iowa for my sister’s  40th birthday.  Which was awesome, by the way.  Instead of a plain old birthday party, we threw her a prom.  Yes, a prom for the aged.  Most guests said it was more fun than any prom they had ever attended…getting back to my point.  I had some time to relax and think about how I would like to structure my ‘work’ life.  Apparently that is the kind of stuff I think about while relaxing.  Anyway, I function best when roles are well defined and a plan is in place. So first, I decided to give myself that fancy new title, WAHM.  Glamorous, I know.  Then, I came up with a schedule (version 1.0 I’m sure) that will allow me to start being the WAHM that I want to be.

My main problems were 1. never having all of my attention on my kiddo, and 2. not being as effective as possible while doing ‘work’ be it blogging, entering jewelry shows, or preparing for a Weight Watchers meeting (which is my work away from home job).  So here is my plan.  Part 1- WAKE UP BEFORE ELI.  This has been on my to do list since January.  And. I. Finally. Did. It.  I woke up one full hour before Eli today, put on my bath robe, headed down to my home office and got some real work done.  I have a categorized to-do list on my tablet to help keep me focused that early in the morning.  Part 2- Devote one uninterrupted hour each evening to doing actual work.  Eli goes to bed between 7-7:30 so that leaves me plenty of time to get some work done and still spend some time with Hubby.  Going to bed early is going to be key!  Part 3- don’t freak out about the stuff that doesn’t get done.  Tomorrow is another day.

I know that I will have to adjust this plan as I figure out what works for me.  2 hours a day isn’t that much time.  Sometimes I will work during nap time, but sometimes Mommy duties will take precedence.  But for now, I’ll be up early, working from home in my pink bathrobe.

What tips do you have for me?  How can I be most effective while working from home?

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