The Freedom Net

We recently took a family trip out of town to visit some relatives. Usually this is the type of trip that you would get all worked up about because of time constraint issues. Being a real man (read: stay-at-home-dad) has some distinct advantages, as we discovered on this particular trip.

Vacationing or traveling out of town for the normal 8 to 5, Monday thru Friday worker is hard enough. Most people out there rarely have a schedule that is as accommodating as those banker’s hours. However, when you don’t have to report to work on Monday morning, and you don’t really have to feel pressured on Friday to leave as soon as possible, a whole new world of possibilities opens up to you!

This is what we discovered on this particular trip. It occurred to us as we left town on Sunday rather than Friday how nice it was not to have to compete with weekend traffic. There was no rush to get out of town on Friday night so we could make the most of our weekend. As people were leaving the state park where we stayed, we were arriving. OK, so there were some retirees and summer students that showed up on our second day there, but I’m betting that’s pretty atypical and probably a result of the recent flooding at other larger area attractions (we were at the Meridian state park in Texas).

It was comforting to realize on Tuesday when we left, that I didn’t have to ‘get some rest’ just because of work in the morning. In fact, if we all stayed up late and were bushed, we could all sleep in. How gratifying is that? Not having a regular work schedule to worry about has definitely had an impact on our recreation. Although this trip cost us more than we bargained for (with car troubles I will elaborate more on later), it was still a nice thing to come to terms with.

Ever wonder what a day in the life of a SAHD WAHD looks like (OK that acronym wasn’t funny!)? Well, I thought I would share with you what my day was like today. I’m sure that every stay and home dad and work at home dad has a vast and different experience, but I have always been intrigued, and I though you might be intrigued as well.

So, here’s what happened at my house today.

• 7:30 AM - Kids woke up. They are now my alarm clock.
• 8:30 AM - Watched ‘Home on The Range’ with the kids on DVD. We promised them we would watch it with them last night.
• 10:00 AM - OK, this is when I actually started ‘working’, if you can really call it that. I have a writing assignment that I started last night, and should finish up today.
• 12:00 Noon - Time for lunch. Spent more time with the kids. Not like they were not here while I was writing, but my wife pretty much kept them occupied so dad could ‘work’. Unfortunately, we really don’t have a spare room to set up as an office, so the PC is in the corner of the living room. Sure, I can type in the middle of a three ring circus, can’t you?
• 1:00 PM - Watched some NASA videos with my son. He is really into the space thing, so this was cool. It is one of my interests as well.
• 3:00 PM - OK, it’s back to the grindstone … well, actually the keyboard. I picked up a second writing assignment, so I can begin working on it as soon as I am done with this one. I missed a tech support assignment on the tech job board … someone else picked it up while I was offline with the kids. Oh well, life’s full of opportunities … you just have to decide which ones are the most important.
• 5:30 PM - Dinner time. We take time to eat together, although it is usually in front of the boob tube. I guess it’s better than nothing, but this is an area I would like to improve on.
• 7:30 PM - Back to the writing gig. The kids are in bed now (their bedtime is 7pm), which allows me much more coherent thoughts when doing creative writing (if it can be called that).
• 9:30 PM - Woo Hoo! I’m finished with my writing assignment for the day. After roughly six hours of work, I’ve completed 15 keyword articles for submission. I also received payment offers on two exclusive articles I submitted over at Associated Content. This makes the day a productive one.
• 10:00 PM - After a short break, I’m back online, going over my blogs (I currently have 5 semi-active blogs that I am trying to get in shape to qualify for an advertising program). I’m posting, posting, posting, trying to get everything in shape for the advertising market that’s out there.

I don’t know when I will call it quits tonight, but it will probably be after midnight. I’ve always said I would rather burn the midnight oil for myself, rather than for someone else. Now is my chance to see just how productive I can be … for me.

Come back tomorrow, and perhaps we’ll have another chance to visit.

I’ve been a bit down in the dumps lately.  I’ve been pressured by bills, deadlines, clients, and my family.  I never gave it a second thought to take out my frustration on them.  After all, that’s what I did when I was working for ‘the man’, right?

Well, I figured out today that I should count my blessings.  I’ve got a good friend from high school who also works from home, albeit for an actual employer.  He designs highly interactive and multi-media driven websites.  He is good at what he does. 

But when I talk to him, guess what?  He wishes for the very thing that I take for granted.  He wishes for a wife and a family to share his success and failures with.  He wishes for a family to share his hopes and dreams with.  Regardless of the outcome, he simply wants to have that feeling of ‘family’.

Count your blessings tonight.  Think about all of the good things that you do have in life, not the things you think you are missing out on.  If you focus on the good things, you will come away with a whole different attitude, I promise.

I always thought that coming home would be some grand thing.  I always thought that bliss and peace and harmony would somehow overtake our fair haven once I got to come home from my job.  Well, let me tell you, that just ain’t the case.

It has been a hard transition for everyone.  I’m simply just not used to being home all day with the kids.  They are not used to seeing me home all day, and they want my attention all day.  I’m also not used to being in the house all day, instead of having some quiet travel time to and from work.  My wife isn’t used to me being home all day either, sharing the time on the computer and asking for help at lunch, and dinner, and just pretty much being a pain in the rear.

Yes, coming home is nice.  I don’t have to worry about a schedule anymore.  I don’t have to worry about getting up at a certain time (at least not during the summer, while the kids are my alarm clock).  We can go out of town on a trip, and return with no regrets on time.  We can leave on a Sunday and come back on a Tuesday, without asking somebody if it is OK.  How nice is that?

Overall, it is a good thing.  I think it will just take time to work out the kinks.

OK, this is great.  My little girl (almost  4 years old) has decided to tackle the art of drawing people.  Of course, when drawing new people, she has to draw people she knows, right?  Well, one of those people is daddy (that’s me) of course!  So how is she doing?  I’ll le you be the judge.  I’m the one with the big head with no hair. (more…)