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EPnews -- from The Entrepreneurial Parent
a work-family resource for home-based entrepreneurs
@ http://www.en-parent.com
March 28, 2001
Lisa Roberts, Editor:
epideas@en-parent.com
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SPECIAL NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:
Dear EPnews Subscribers,
After much consideration, and
2.5 years of publication, I have decided to
turn this bi-weekly newsletter into a monthly. For those subscribers
who have
been with us since the beginning (Sept. 23, 1998!), you may recall
that we
swayed back and forth some (from June - Dec., 1999, for instance,
were all
monthlies), but generally churned out this ezine twice a month
since its
inception. Also, save from a few scattered "EP Expert"
column reprints, I
tried to deliver fresh, original content in every issue.
To keep up such a schedule, however,
has been difficult this year. On top of
an increased workload, I am starting to get deB's itch to reprioritize
and
spend as much time with my family as possible. It seems that
every season --
not just summer -- is filled with activities and holidays and
unexpected
"emergencies" that wear my time thin. I trust that
many (if not all!) of the
EPnews Subscribers can relate...(sometimes you have to look for
creative ways
to trim, right?).
Fortunately, I still plan to
bring you all the regular columns you have grown
to expect (and, hopefully, enjoy?!) -- The Funny Things EP Kids
Say & Do,
Making Money Matters, EP of the Month, EP Times and the occasional
PR
opportunity or "What's Happening at EP" update. They
may not all be there
every month, but I promise to bring you what I've got when I've
got it.
I do hope you'll all stay with
me and continue to enrich and grow the EP
Community with your wonderful, humorous, inspirational and insightful
feedback, commentary and column contributions. I truly love the
interactive
medium of ezine publications, it's like no other in the traditional
print
world. "Letters to the Editor" are not as personal
as a middle-of-the-night,
red-flag "Hello, I know what you mean" email. Such
emails (like the ones
reprinted below) make my 24/7 day...So many thanks to all who
have written in
to date!
Which reminds me of something
that makes me laugh. As some of you may know, I
met my husband in college (Penn State). At the time he had a
friend who came
from New Jersey. This friend (forget his name), had a thick,
New Jersey
accent and was always saying "Hey, you know what I mean?"
after about every
sentence he uttered. To this day, when Ron & I make a pithy
remark, we turn
to each other and say, in our best Bruce Springstein voice, "Hey,
you know
what I mean?"
Anyway, to me that's what this
type of forum is all about. As a community of
parents who work at home, we get to share what life in the push-pull
world of
entrepreneurial parenthood is really like. And only we...in the
trenches...truly know what we mean.
Cheers to all,
Lisa
______________________________________________________________________
READER FEEDBACK (Re: EP Times, "Why Do You Have to Work
ALL the Time?")
<sigh>
It's 7:45 PM. I'm in my office,
working. I've been working "non-stop" (which
of course, isn't true) since Jan 2 when I accepted a rather big
job that will
look great on my client list. Between snow days, my son's illness,
play
dates, and household chores, I feel like maybe I get two hours
of work done a
day. I work until midnight most nights, only to get up
at 5:30 and do it all over again. I hear myself crying inside,
"Wouldn't it
be easier to have a job outside the home?" At least I could
leave work . . .
at work. But nothing can bring me to leave my son--even if I'm
emotionally
neglecting him most days.
I'm counting the months (18)
until kindergarten.
Thank you for writing this article.
I'm glad I'm not the only one.
Dianna Huff
-------------------------------------------------------
Dianna Huff, ABC
DH Communications, Inc.
Marketing Writing for High-Tech & Industrial Companies
PO Box 1201
Amesbury, MA 01913
voice: 978.388.7318; fax: 978.388.9120
internet: www.dhcommunications.com
=====
My son James, age 4, often walks
up to me and says "After you goto your
work.com, then can you (fill in play activity)?" Or "Why
do you always have
to goto your work.com?" Keep in mind that I never told him
about any
"work.com," just that I am working. He added that cute
little .com in there
and it gives me a whole lot of extra guilt.
Sincerely,
Mario Costanz
=====
Hi Lisa!
Don't know why I kept reading
your story, but I got pulled in by the hope
that you had the magical solution at the end!
I've always said that WAHMs have
it tougher. I'm a wannabe WAHM currently
working FT and running my business after my 2 1/2 and my 5 1/2
go to bed each
night. At least I can run business errands during my lunch hour
without the
hassle of lugging kids in and out of the car...so I feel more
productive. I
actually get uninterrupted time to finish a complete thought!
My guilt comes from "stealing"
family time away. If I don't see the girls
all week long, then our weekends are meant for us to spend lots
of time
together, right? But what do I find myself doing? Finding a playmate
for
Amie, the 5 1/2 year old, to keep her occupied, which in turn
keeps the 2 1/2
yo busy! How low can I go!!!
Well, Amie gave me a reality
check recently. I invented the Smart Baby
Blanket, but I don't make 'em. I excitedly announced one evening
that I had
found a new lady to make the blankets. And Amie's remark was,
"Oh goodie
Momma! That means you'll have more time to spend with us!"
Ugh!
I try to explain that my internet
business IS for her and her
sister...ultimately. I'm trying desperately to get home so that
when they
start school I can be here before and afterwards.
I often think of their emotional
development, which is really ironic because
my blanket and my web site are devoted to selling developmental
toys and
videos that are meant to stimulate babies!
I have to say thanks for all
of you efforts Lisa! I'm glad I was able to
find your site and join.
Kindest Regards,
Jamie
______________________
Jamie Elliott Greene
Founder/Owner
Smart-Babies.com LLC
How Smart Will Your Baby Be?
http://www.smart-babies.com
=====
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_____________________________
CONTACT/SUBSCRIPTION INFO
The Entrepreneurial Parent, LLC
is not engaged in rendering legal or
financial advice. If expert assistance is required, the services
of a
licensed professional should be sought.
This newsletter may be redistributed
freely via the Internet. Re-publishing
of separate articles for your print publication needs approval
first; write
to: Roberts@en-parent.com
for permission.
© 2000, The Entrepreneurial
Parent, LLC
Editor: Lisa M. Roberts
POB 320722, Fairfield, CT 06432; http://en-parent.com
Ph/Fax: (203) 371-6212, Email: office@en-parent.com
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