Life is crazy right now. Too many things going on - trying to get my illustrious freelance career going, kids are sick, I'm sick, going into work part-time in the mornings so I can't write, and trying to maintain a social life for the kids.
As a result, my writing has suffered. Then again, it can't suffer if it never really existed, right? Either way, the freelance gigs are starting to peak their heads out, and I'll talk more about this later when I have some time, which could be never. Until then.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Easter Weekend
We had a great Easter weekend, and we didn’t succumb to the hype and marketing of the whole holiday rush. Granted, Easter is not the big one like Christmas, but I heard on NPR that we spend over a billion dollars on candy for Easter, so the marketers are doing something right.
I fall right into that sort of stuff, and begin to worry if we planned the right activities and went out and bought the paper in the hopes of finding the best event we could take our kids to. It didn’t help that I saw our friend who was just coming back from a big Easter egg hunt. My mind was racing for an answer, but then the voice of reason calmed me down.
The voice of reason being Ruth, and further support of the notion that parenting truly is the ultimate team sport. I tend to get into a frenzy about the social lives of our kids, when in fact they do just fine. Ruth went out and got some plastic eggs and candy, instructed me to get some white-shelled eggs, and we spent the day having our own egg hunt, after which we colored eggs and did something I’d never done before, but I think we’ll make a family tradition: we made an Easter Egg Loaf, which is essentially a braid of challah bread with Easter Eggs embedded in it.
It was beautiful, and Audrey and Nicholas had a blast, as did Ruth and I. My anxieties were unfounded, once again, but I can’t seem to escape them.
We went to our first contradance this weekend, it was interesting, and this week we have a trip up to Burlington and our first sleepover. Big things on the horizon, stay tuned for more.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
My Happiness
While I fully acknowledge that being a child just isn’t what it used to be, and that maybe it’s harder today, what with technology and the media inundating them with information, not to mention the problems of the world that are pounded into their heads from an early age. No, it ain’t easy for the kids of the world. However, I would also argue that being a parent isn’t what it used to be, either.
After all, my parents pretty much had nothing to do with me when I was growing up. They provided food, shelter and clothing, but as for everything else, including friends, activities and a social life, they pretty much left my brother and I to our devices. The concept of a play-date was ridiculous, to say the least.
Today, in the age of uber-parenting, we’ve become totally enmeshed in our kids lives. I realize it’s a question of degrees, and some parents are more involved than others. I can honestly say, however, that for Ruth and I, our actual happiness is directly tied into that of our kids. When our children are having a happy day, so are we. But when they’re down in the dumps, we’re right there besides them, wallowing in self-pity.
I bring this up because we are on the cusp of yet another big holiday: Easter. While we don’t celebrate Easter in any formal way, it’s still an occasion where I can be made to feel guilty if we don’t find something fun and interesting to do with our kids. Is there an egg hunt somewhere?
Well, in the end, I can’t stress over it. The kids have just as much fun whatever we’re doing, and if we don’t make the “happening” thing to do this time around, then we’ll catch it the next time.
After all, my parents pretty much had nothing to do with me when I was growing up. They provided food, shelter and clothing, but as for everything else, including friends, activities and a social life, they pretty much left my brother and I to our devices. The concept of a play-date was ridiculous, to say the least.
Today, in the age of uber-parenting, we’ve become totally enmeshed in our kids lives. I realize it’s a question of degrees, and some parents are more involved than others. I can honestly say, however, that for Ruth and I, our actual happiness is directly tied into that of our kids. When our children are having a happy day, so are we. But when they’re down in the dumps, we’re right there besides them, wallowing in self-pity.
I bring this up because we are on the cusp of yet another big holiday: Easter. While we don’t celebrate Easter in any formal way, it’s still an occasion where I can be made to feel guilty if we don’t find something fun and interesting to do with our kids. Is there an egg hunt somewhere?
Well, in the end, I can’t stress over it. The kids have just as much fun whatever we’re doing, and if we don’t make the “happening” thing to do this time around, then we’ll catch it the next time.
Generating Cash Flow
#2 March 21, 2008
I’m a stay-at-home dad (SAHD) who also home schools his two kids, ages 4 and 7, in a small rural town in Vermont. Even though we do live out in the country, we are not exactly in the backwoods. My wife and I both work at Dartmouth, which is only about ten miles away, and there is a vibrant community up here of former city folks who are trying their best (or not) to blend in with the Native Vermonters, who look to us with sympathetic eyes. Because there are several universities in the area, there is a definite college-town feel to the Upper Valley, which includes the all the cultural and artistic activities that go along with it.
Most of us have, for the most part, chosen to live up here because the quality of life, bearing in mind it’s distinction from standard of living. The Upper Valley is just a great place to raise a family, for many reason, the simples of which is that there are so many families that fall into the same demographic as us (i.e., young families with small children, mostly college educated parents) and yet, because it is smaller, there is a strong sense of neighborhood and community. Especially where we live.
Now one of the things that struck us about living up here is that it’s not cheap. Having moved from Los Angeles and New York City by way of Providence, RI, we really thought that we’d be sitting pretty when it came to buying a house. After all, how much worse could it get than Los Angeles or New York.
While it is not as ridiculous as the big metropolitan areas, it’s still pretty bad. Housing prices are outrageous up here, a fact that simultaneously surprises us but also, in some perverse way, validates out choice of living up here. This economic pressure that increases land values, however, seems to have the adverse effect of driving young families, the ones like us who are trying to get their lives started, out of the area because of the simple fact that it’s just too expensive to live up here.
Unless, of course, you are a two-working parent household. We had this option just as much as the next person, but decided that one of should be at home for our children. When our daughter was born, and then our son, my wife quit her job and raised them both while I worked full time. We were in Manhattan at the time.
When we moved up here, we decided that it was best for me to be at home while she went back to work full time. I work part-time, as I mentioned, at the university.
Which brings me to my big adventure. Life up here isn’t easy, everything is expensive, from food to real estate, prices are high. We are working hard to make ends meet, and when I look around, I can’t fathom how some people do it.
We live simply: we have one car that’s paid for, we don’t watch TV, and we are not shoppers, so we don’t spend a lot of money on extraneous junk. There are two areas that we do spend money - food and travel, but even still, we are not extravagant by any means.
I honestly don’t know how some people get by. True, we end up with less money at the end of the day because I am at home with the kids, but it just gives you a sense of how things are up here.
Either way, in the interest of making extra income, I’ve pondered many things, even working nights, but decided to give freelance writing a try.
More on this soon.
I’m a stay-at-home dad (SAHD) who also home schools his two kids, ages 4 and 7, in a small rural town in Vermont. Even though we do live out in the country, we are not exactly in the backwoods. My wife and I both work at Dartmouth, which is only about ten miles away, and there is a vibrant community up here of former city folks who are trying their best (or not) to blend in with the Native Vermonters, who look to us with sympathetic eyes. Because there are several universities in the area, there is a definite college-town feel to the Upper Valley, which includes the all the cultural and artistic activities that go along with it.
Most of us have, for the most part, chosen to live up here because the quality of life, bearing in mind it’s distinction from standard of living. The Upper Valley is just a great place to raise a family, for many reason, the simples of which is that there are so many families that fall into the same demographic as us (i.e., young families with small children, mostly college educated parents) and yet, because it is smaller, there is a strong sense of neighborhood and community. Especially where we live.
Now one of the things that struck us about living up here is that it’s not cheap. Having moved from Los Angeles and New York City by way of Providence, RI, we really thought that we’d be sitting pretty when it came to buying a house. After all, how much worse could it get than Los Angeles or New York.
While it is not as ridiculous as the big metropolitan areas, it’s still pretty bad. Housing prices are outrageous up here, a fact that simultaneously surprises us but also, in some perverse way, validates out choice of living up here. This economic pressure that increases land values, however, seems to have the adverse effect of driving young families, the ones like us who are trying to get their lives started, out of the area because of the simple fact that it’s just too expensive to live up here.
Unless, of course, you are a two-working parent household. We had this option just as much as the next person, but decided that one of should be at home for our children. When our daughter was born, and then our son, my wife quit her job and raised them both while I worked full time. We were in Manhattan at the time.
When we moved up here, we decided that it was best for me to be at home while she went back to work full time. I work part-time, as I mentioned, at the university.
Which brings me to my big adventure. Life up here isn’t easy, everything is expensive, from food to real estate, prices are high. We are working hard to make ends meet, and when I look around, I can’t fathom how some people do it.
We live simply: we have one car that’s paid for, we don’t watch TV, and we are not shoppers, so we don’t spend a lot of money on extraneous junk. There are two areas that we do spend money - food and travel, but even still, we are not extravagant by any means.
I honestly don’t know how some people get by. True, we end up with less money at the end of the day because I am at home with the kids, but it just gives you a sense of how things are up here.
Either way, in the interest of making extra income, I’ve pondered many things, even working nights, but decided to give freelance writing a try.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Things are tough all over
I’ve begun this odyssey that has been both frustrating and enlightening at the same time: I’ve been trying to break into the world of freelance writing, but with no experience and no resume, I’m pretty much a nobody, a fact that some people I know will attest to. I am, however, learning a lot, and after a great deal of research on the Web (it amazes me that we used to function as a society without the internet?), I have convinced myself, or should I say deluded myself, that I can do this. The question is, where do I begin, with the chicken or the egg? So far it’s been the same old song and dance - you can’t get a job writing without some concrete, legitimate experience, and you can’t get that experience without having a job. How’s that for a Catch-22?
My problem is that I’m looking to make some extra income by working part-time from home. My reason for wanting this is because I’m a stay-at-home dad (SAHD) who also happens to home school his two children. As you may have guessed, there aren’t too many of us out there, but that doesn’t in any way deter us in our resolve to be there for our children. Our decision to live this way will be elaborated on throughout this blog, but for now, suffice it to say that it ain’t easy.
This may surprise many of you outside of Upper Valley, the area in Vermont and New Hampshire near Dartmouth College, but it isn’t cheap living here. Having lived in uber-expensive cities like LA and New York, we naively thought we’d live like royalty up here. While the quality of life can’t be beat, and we wouldn’t trade our lives up here for anything, it goes without saying that it’s expensive.
And nobody is paying us to home school. I’m not complaining, at least I don’t think I’m complaining, but being a stay-at-home dad (SAHD) means no income, and no income means things are tough all over.
So, in order to maintain our current lifestyle and to continue being there for our children, I’ve gone searching for a way to make some extra income, and the most plausible way is through freelance writing.
At least, that’s what I thought. I’m learning that it’s not so straightforward as it seemed. I mean, with all the content being read out there, I figured I’d walk right in and start writing for any number of websites out there. After all, there are literally thousands of sites out there wanting content, and I was their man.
Then again, I failed to take into account that, while there may be thousands of sites, there are billions of people in the world, and all of them are potential content producers. As a consequence, the competition is fierce.
But I’m determined to make this work, even if it means starting at the bottom and scraping my way up. Actually, considering my circumstances, that’s pretty much how it’s going to have to be, but I’m ready.
Part of my optimism stems from the fact that I’m not looking to make the big bucks. Just some extra income to help pay the bills and support our incredibly luxurious lifestyle… not!
It’s an adventure, to say the least. And I’m all for adventure. Stay tuned for more.
My problem is that I’m looking to make some extra income by working part-time from home. My reason for wanting this is because I’m a stay-at-home dad (SAHD) who also happens to home school his two children. As you may have guessed, there aren’t too many of us out there, but that doesn’t in any way deter us in our resolve to be there for our children. Our decision to live this way will be elaborated on throughout this blog, but for now, suffice it to say that it ain’t easy.
This may surprise many of you outside of Upper Valley, the area in Vermont and New Hampshire near Dartmouth College, but it isn’t cheap living here. Having lived in uber-expensive cities like LA and New York, we naively thought we’d live like royalty up here. While the quality of life can’t be beat, and we wouldn’t trade our lives up here for anything, it goes without saying that it’s expensive.
And nobody is paying us to home school. I’m not complaining, at least I don’t think I’m complaining, but being a stay-at-home dad (SAHD) means no income, and no income means things are tough all over.
So, in order to maintain our current lifestyle and to continue being there for our children, I’ve gone searching for a way to make some extra income, and the most plausible way is through freelance writing.
At least, that’s what I thought. I’m learning that it’s not so straightforward as it seemed. I mean, with all the content being read out there, I figured I’d walk right in and start writing for any number of websites out there. After all, there are literally thousands of sites out there wanting content, and I was their man.
Then again, I failed to take into account that, while there may be thousands of sites, there are billions of people in the world, and all of them are potential content producers. As a consequence, the competition is fierce.
But I’m determined to make this work, even if it means starting at the bottom and scraping my way up. Actually, considering my circumstances, that’s pretty much how it’s going to have to be, but I’m ready.
Part of my optimism stems from the fact that I’m not looking to make the big bucks. Just some extra income to help pay the bills and support our incredibly luxurious lifestyle… not!
It’s an adventure, to say the least. And I’m all for adventure. Stay tuned for more.
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