Monday, October 5th, 2009
Thank You

Today I sign off of my Today's Parent blog. It has been a year since I started the blog as a result of winning the 2008 SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Winning the award has been a wonderful experience for me. One of the greatest benefits to me was being featured in Today's Parent in the January 2009 edition and contributing to the blog. Thank you for reading the blog. I hope that you have enjoyed my story, and have taken something with you.

I am now turning the blog over to Shirley Broback from Laughing Belly Productions - Vancouver Island Baby Fair. She is the 2009 winner, and I look forward to speaking with her throughout the year.

If you have any questions, stories, or want to say hi and chat, please feel free to email me at martha@canadiansitter.ca. Being a mom entrepreneur can be the best thing in your life, and I'd love to help you make it that way.

For more blogs from Martha, go to www.canadiannanny.ca/blog.asp and www.canadiansitter.ca/blog.asp.

Thank you to everyone at Today's Parent and all my readers!

Posted by EntrepreneurMom
on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 4:28:35 PM
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Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Faimly Dinner Help

As I continue to work my way through the crazy time of September with CanadianNanny.ca, I start to worry that aspects of my family life are suffering because of the business. It’s that motherhood guilt thing again.

After assessing the situation, I have decided that I need help with dinners. I really want my family to eat healthy, balanced meals, but there are certain times during the year that I just don’t have the time or energy to make these dinners. So, I get my creative mind moving on what to do about this.

I emailed 5 local catering companies in my city, asking if they are interested in making healthy family meals for me on a monthly basis. One company responded, letting me know they are excited about the idea, and would be willing to do this, so long as I have other families that would order too. After receiving this news, I emailed all the families I know in town. Nine of my friends are interested in participating with this too, and I am so excited!

The company will provide us with different meals that we freeze, then heat up and serve. The meals include Tuscan chicken, pork loin and tomatoes, BBQ ribs, roast beef and gravy, turkey and stuffing, etc. The cost of each meal is $20.00 and can feed up to 5 people. Some of these meals I wouldn’t be able to make myself for under $20.00! When they arrive by delivery (bonus!), I stick them in the freezer, and can easily pull out a labelled meal one night for dinner. As a family, we ordered 5 different meals, and they were FANTASITIC! It’s strange that just 5 pre-made meals has made such a different in our lives. The best part is that we have not ordered pizza or Chinese food all month!

*** On a side note, I would like to congratulate the winner of the 2009 SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year, Shirley Broback of Laughing Belly Productions, which produces the Vancouver Island Baby Show! Congratulations Shirley! As a past winner of the award, I know how much this can positively impact a business. ***

Posted by EntrepreneurMom
on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 1:54:20 PM
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Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
Overwhelmed!

As with each year, I always start to feel a little overwhelmed when September hits. Gone are the lazy days of summer when it feels like you’ve got all the time in the world and all you have to do is play. Once September hits, my daughters return to full-day school and after-school activities, and September is always the busiest month for my business.

That being said, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed right now. This year, I really hope that by the time October arrives, life will be a bit calmer.

When I am feeling overwhelmed with life, I tend to let some things slide. To be more specific, I let myself go. My hair is grayer than it should be, and since I did my 10K race last week, exercise has completely gone out the window. I haven’t been paying attention to what I eat, and there are some days I really wonder if I’ve drank enough water, or any at all! When I’m busy, I tend to drink more coffee, lattes, and caffeinated teas all day, rather than the water I need.

As a result of my personal neglect, I am so tired! Yesterday, I took a good hard look at myself in the mirror. After being a bit frightened by what was staring back at me, I decided I had to do something about this haggard woman before me. First thing, I booked a hair appointment.

Personally, I hate going to the hairdressers. Sitting there for hours reading lame magazines, having your hair washed in that awkward little sink that kills your neck, talking to the 20-something shampoo girl (sorry, we just don’t have anything in common!), having that ugly foil in my hair, inhaling that horrible smell… something about the process makes me wonder how we feel so much better afterwards.

Next thing, I called my good friend and went for an hour-long walk with her. She also looked a little down. Sadly, this makes me feel a bit better. She runs her own business and has two kids, just like me. We discussed life on our walk and decided to dedicate ourselves to taking better care of ourselves, not just our families. Perhaps in doing so, it will make us better parents. Could it make us more effective business owners too?

Posted by EntrepreneurMom
on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 4:31:44 PM
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Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Setting Goals

Two months ago I approached a friend  to run a 10k race.  I have been running for 2 years but she had never ran any distances in her life.  When I asked her she laughed and said “no way” and then she called me right back and very reluctantly agree to the challenge.

We set our schedule of running and I let her know what she should be doing on her own.  She seemed so nervous about running with me.  When we ran together she would start the run with a bunch of excuses “I don’t know about this, I really am not a runner” or “5km I doubt I will be able to make it, I hope I don’t hold you back”.

Every week we would run and every week she amazed me on how well she was doing.  We decided it was time to register for the race.  She didn’t want anyone to know that she was running in it and so she requested her name not be shown on the race website.

Well the race day came this weekend.  Although she said she loved the carbing up for the race she was very uneasy.  We stood at the start line and wished each other good luck.  We had agree in advance that it would be great to come in together but not necessary.  She crossed the finish line with her young boys jumping up and down and her husband smiling snapping pictures.  She also beat my time by 2 minutes!  She was actually in the top half of the runners.

So my friend who wants to remain anonymous  if you are reading this blog……thanks for running with me…you are my inspiration!!!!!!

Posted by EntrepreneurMom
on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 4:50:49 PM
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Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
Teenager Weekend

My husband and daughters left for California on Thursday to visit their Uncle that lives in Frenso. I couldn’t go with him and the kids… I’m just too busy with the business. 5 Days all to myself!! I make my list of things I would like to get done and secretly and quietly look forward to the quiet time.

My number one priority is some serious girl time. So, the first night I head over to my friend’s house and to watch an Amy Winehouse biography. I love Amy and feel that she is a serious talent (when she is sober) that cannot be matched by any current musician. My friends and I drink wine, eat chips and talk about Amy.

The next night, it’s my turn. I have 2 friends over to my house for goodies and movies. One of my friends has just gone back to work after taking almost 9 years off to be home with her daughter. My other friend has taken the summer off from her teaching job and is back in full force. We are all in need of a little fun. So, we make our plans and everyone is given a responsibility; I am in charge of renting the movies. I spend at least 45 minutes looking for the perfect movie. I rented Dirty Dancing, Sixteen Candles, and The Outsiders (they didn’t have Purple Rain…can you believe that!) Our dinner consisted of 5 types of sweets, chips, and some stuffed mushroom caps. We spend the evening talking and laughing about these great 80’s movies.

I almost feel silly writing this blog. There are thousands of other things I could have done, like sort out clothing, gardening, cleaning. But I knew that it would be a long time before I had this type of time to myself again. It’s funny - as a teenager that would have been a very normal and average, almost boring, weekend. Some 20 years later, it feels pretty special.

Posted by EntrepreneurMom
on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 12:57:10 PM
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