I mentioned that my son’s medical program would interfere with my business because it required a big time investment on my part along with other things. Add to that managing the usual stuff like the other kids, work (or lack thereof), household responsibilities, on and on.

After two weeks of the program, I reached a breaking point. Like, the car ran out of gas plus it needed a serious washing as it looked battered and worn despite its young age. Thank goodness, my clients understood my availability. But that didn’t keep me from feeling bad about not working full-time.

So I had to make adjustments to my work and life so I could feel less guilty, prevent stress overload, and serve my clients as best as I could during this time. Here’s what worked for me:

• Email clients: I let them know of the situation and explained I needed to make priority adjustments. All of them understood.
• Take care of quick hits ASAP: One client sends me five minute editing tasks. So when she sends one in, I do it right there as it’s as fast as reading an email. Plus, it feels great to have one thing done.
• Exercise: I stick to my tennis drill and match schedule. I had to find a sub for one match, but made the rest of them. Thank goodness I have a sweet dog. She forces me to take a walk mid-day. If I don’t, then I’ll spend more time cleaning up after her than walking her.
• Listen to music: I’ve been listening to more music in the past month than I have in the past year. As a deaf person, I don’t have a passion for music like most folks do. But I’ve put in more hours on the road than usual and my car comes with an adapter that plugs right into my iPod. Furthermore, I discovered a iTunes lyrics feature that revived my enjoyment of music. The hard part… discovering new songs.
• Stay on track with the family: Although family is the reason I’m spending more time away from the office than usual, we still have our usual daily activities and goings-on. Gotta keep moving with those as they keep things consistent. Despite the unusual schedule, I managed to work on a jigsaw puzzle and played a couple of board games with my family.
• Cut out tasks where possible. I cut back on blogging and visiting blogs (I know… I hate missing out on community), but these will always be there. The web site won’t come crashing and my blog buddies don’t take attendance. I also limit my non-profit organization officer duties to urgent and time sensitive things. The rest can wait as I have all year.

Just thinking of the week ahead (last week before school starts) overwhelms me. Meetings, registration, several gatherings, meet the teacher, and on and on. I check my calendar to see what’s on the agenda for the next day. But then I pull back and focus on here and now while preparing for whatever comes early tomorrow.

How do you pull through stressful times?

I think this Easton Courier article covers an important issue for all of us to be aware of. My daughter is an active online chatter and she found her way to MySpace, a trendy site for her friends and kids in her age group. Unfortunately, it’s a gold mine for the pedophiles.

Since I knew she chatted online a lot, I asked her what sites she uses on a regular basis. I looked at them and her profiles. I talked to her about grown ups who pose as kids and even use kids’ photos for “proof.” I also sent statistics from a police officer who talks about the topic. Here are the stats (source unknown):

The average teen is online an average of 5.5 hours a day.

65% of teens and children receive indecent solicitations in Chat rooms, another 24% in Instant Messenger.

The FBI reports there is a 100% chance of a child meeting a predator in a chat room.

75% of teens report sharing personal information about themselves and family to strangers in chat rooms or on blogging sites, such as Xanga and My Space.

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in2books is a program where adults can volunteer to read books and write letters to grade school kids discussing the books.

I’ve received an assignment of two students in 4th grade and the book we’re going to read is Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World. Over the summer, I put together an “About Me” poster just like my kids do every year. It was fun and easy.

The program is safe as we do not share last names or personal information such as a mailing address. All correspondence goes through in2books.

The organization provides tips, examples, and information so you know what to do. I had no clue what to add in my “About Me” poster until I reviewed the examples provided and I got it done. They’re in need of more volunteers so more kids can be in the program.

I have husband, three kids, two jobs, and volunteer work. I wasn’t worried about signing up for this as it doesn’t take up much time — about an hour every few months.

For me, it’s a great opportunity to work with children without the concerns of them making fun of how I sound different or having trouble understanding them. I want to help children, but I get uncomfortable with a group. That’s a story for the other blog.