Dallas Moms Blog::: The Struggles of a Work-From-Home Mom!

Hop over to Dallas Moms Blog today to read about the struggles I face as a work-from-home Mom! My heart behind this post was to connect with other Moms who faced the same day-to-day struggles I did and also to shed light on what it's like to try and juggle both SAHM and working mom.  I felt like there was a lack of resources from this point of view.  Hope you enjoy it and hope it brings a voice to other hard working (from home) Mommas! You are doing a GREAT JOB!!!

http://dallas.citymomsblog.com/struggles-work-home-mom/

Weekend Woes and Working from Home

Over the weekend, we hosted my brother and sister-in-law at our house with their 2 littlest kiddos, Jude and Adam.  We had such a good time catching up and laughing and embracing the chaos that comes with 2 babies and 2 toddlers who want the same toy AT ALL TIMES!

During the weekend it felt chaotic and full and so much fun but the second they drove off yesterday, Stella burst into tears… and so did I! I don't know if it was hormones or what, but we walked into a silent, empty house where just mere minutes before there was buzzing about, yelling (because Stella has one volume these days), and giggles.

Stella missed her cousin and her playmate / partner-in-crime and I missed the adult interaction.  Thats the thing about working from home… It can get really lonely.  I love the flexibility and being home with my girls but I so desperately miss the conversations with people that aren't 2.5 years old.  Although Rodan + Fields has been an incredible outlet for me during the day, I am still "talking" to people online versus being around them in person.

I have found that for my sanity and well being, I need to have one outing per day.  Preferably meeting someone for a play date, but even a trip to Target will do.  It helps me get out of the house and around other HUMANS besides the 2 tiny ones that live with me.  I have found that the days where I make an effort (because with 2, it IS effort) are happier and more "full" days... filled with better afternoon naps! ;)

So I have come to grips that no matter if you are a full-time stay-at-home Mom or work-from-home Mom or you go into an office and your kiddos are at daycare or with a Nanny…. We are all battling some sort of loneliness as Moms.  Lonely FOR our kids or lonely FOR our friends and adult interaction.  I think the key is recognizing it and figuring out how to combat it rather than sitting in it every day.

So I will relish visitors with every ounce of energy that I have in me because I know once they leave, the silence feels deafening.  And when that loneliness creeps in, I will make an effort to fight that battle by making sure that I have a healthy life outside of my children and that we get out and DO THINGS as much as we can! Its good for them and for me to go have a daily adventure… even if it IS to Target ;)

THE NEXT CHAPTER: DALLAS MOMS BLOG!

About a month ago, my friend Katie Schlieve urged me to apply for a contributor position at Dallas Moms Blog.  At the time, I didn't know how I would handle it considering I already have my plate overflowing with 2 small girls, a successful R+F business, and a fun slideshow business… Not to mention the whole try to keep the house clean/ cook dinner/ do laundry / be a decent wife thing.  BUT I felt this deep desire to apply.  

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you may know that I grew up journaling my feelings and have literally filled hundreds of pages with my thoughts on life and analyzing silly boy drama all the way through college.  AFTER college, I started this blog as a creative outlet from my cubicle job in Corporate America. I found it to be much faster than handwriting in my journals although I still do that from time to time. ;) 

Since then, it has chronicled my love story with Logan, my wedding and honeymoon, our 2 years in France, my miscarriage, 2 successful pregnancies, and some of my adventures in motherhood.

THIS BLOG is my therapy. I LOVE to write. It helps me decompress and let off steam. It helps me connect with others who have had similar experiences and it makes me feel more sane.

So I took a leap of faith and applied JUST IN CASE they thought I would be a good fit… AND SURE ENOUGH, I was chosen!  I am ecstatic to be partnering with these women who I already look up to - I can't wait to learn from them.  

I am gong to continue to post on here more regularly and you can also find me over at The Dallas Moms Blog along with some of my new friends! 

http://dallas.citymomsblog.com/dallas-moms-blog/dallasmomsblog-contributors/

A Personal Milestone

This month I reached a very BIG goal that I was running for with my Rodan + Fields business.  I earned an all expense paid trip to Napa Valley to meet the doctors, tour the corporate office, and be wined and dined by the best San Francisco has to offer! I say that as I am picking my jaw up off the floor because I had NO IDEA I would be able to achieve this goal and I am still a bit shocked as to how quickly it has happened! 

For ME, this is not about the trips, the levels, or the promotions (although I don't mind them!)  THIS is about growing a business where I get to work flexible part-time hours, FROM HOME (with my Stella girl), and do something that is FUN with super encouraging and inspirational women from around the country. I have girls on my team from Houston, Seattle, San Antonio, Tyler, and Dallas. We have a very FUN culture and have developed lifelong friendships along the way.  We may be running our OWN businesses, but we are NOT in this ALONE. I would not be where I am today without my amazing team :) 

Thank you to my bestie Katie Schulze for giving me the courage I needed to take this leap of faith when I was SO skeptical that this would work for me. I had the misconception that this was a business model where only a FEW would succeed and I have been proven wrong time and time again... Now I can personally attest to that. SO VERY THANKFUL I took this leap of faith as I am well on my way to REPLACING my full time salary in Corporate America in just 8 short months.  If I can make this happen, anyone can!  (I never everrrrr thought I would do direct selling) 

If you are at all interested or curious about finding out more, I am happy to have a casual conversation with you.  You can email me at abbymisegades AT gmail DOT com.  I actually have 3 business partners (and now close friends) that became interested in this business as a result of this lil ol' blog of mine. Lets get the conversation started to see if this could be a good fit for you- The HOLIDAYS (AKA when you are on social OVERLOAD) is PRIME TIME for jumping in so you can share with everyone you will be around over the next 2 months! 

You can check out my products HERE or research the business HERE. 

Comfort Zones...

Direct Sales. An industry I had NO interest in before now.  Scary. Unknown. OUT of my comfort zone.  But I have learned so much. I have developed thicker skin.  I've been told NO.... A LOT... and it feels SO good and makes it ALL worth it when you get those few YES's.  I have a newfound respect, understanding, and appreciation for people who are in sales.  Its a tough industry, but a VERY REWARDING one as well.  This has been a HUGE week for my business and I'm hitting a few BIG milestones that are getting me closer to my BIG goal for the end of this year.  My activity is finally starting to pay off and the future is VERY Exciting! 

The Challenge: Working From Home

I absolutely LOVE that I am able to be my own boss and work from home every day, but it doesn't come without challenges.  Especially when my daughter doesn't take consistent naps every day. 

I have been struggling so much lately between being decent at lots of things but not EXCEPTIONAL at a single one.  I feel like sometimes I have my hands in too many things at once and it gets a bit overwhelming.  For starters, I don't know how to get Stella on a consistent nap schedule.  Frankly, the girl has a mind of her own. If she is not tired, she will wail and wail and never go to sleep.  In fact, she gets SO worked up that she starts coughing and it takes me awhile to settle her back down.  I have tried cry it out and it just doesn't seem to really work for her- It makes her MORE angry and MORE awake.  The approach I've taken is to wait for her cues- to rub her eyes - and then I put her down and she goes right to sleep.  The tough part about this is that some days she will take little cat naps on and off all day and on other days she will sleep for 2.5 hours!!! SO as far as planning my work schedule around her, I just have to wing it and for a Type A girl like myself, it is really difficult.  I don't want to feel like I am working on and off all day long.  I would much rather have a set 2-4 hours (during her naps) that I can count on to plug in and knock stuff out. 

I am really struggling because when she is awake I want to be engaged and involved, but not knowing how many or how long her naps are going to be that day, I find myself doing work while she swings or plays by herself.  I have looked into mother's day out programs but they were either already full for the year OR she is too little.  Seem strange that daycare can start at 6 weeks old but mother's day out they have to be 1! 

Does anyone have advice on "nap training" that doesn't involve crying it out? Or maybe a way to "cry it out" without her coughing and hyperventilating because she is so angry? 

LOGAN GOT THE JOB!!!

Yesterday goes down in my book as one of the longest days of my life. I barely ate, was nauseous all day and watching my phone like a hawk.  YESTERDAY was the day Logan was going to hear back on whether or not he landed THE job. The one he really wanted and was holding out for.   

Monday was his final interview and he walked out feeling defeated and like he had completely blown it.  And after talking with him... he had.  He got nervous, froze up, and wasn't able to really let loose and be himself.  He called the director back on his way home to own up to the fact that he'd blown it BUT that he knew he was the right fit for the job.  He sent an IMPRESSIVE sales pitch email Tuesday morning and was told he would hear something by end of day yesterday.  

The entire work day went by and we heard nothing.  He came home last night at 5:30pm and still nothing.  The reason this was so stressful is that Logan's part-time job ENDS on Friday and other than this, we had no hot leads.  Logan had walked away from a few opportunities because they weren't good fits, hoping and praying that THIS ONE would work out.  Talk about sweating it out... at 6pm he called the director but his mailbox was full and he couldn't leave a message.  He called the office and didn't get an answer.  So he followed up via email reassuring them that he was the right person for the job and at 6:30PM last night he got an email telling him that they need him in the office on Monday at 10am.  It will be his first day of work!!!!! 

When he got the email we were in shock.  We felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off our shoulders after months and months of disappointments and let downs.  We finally had our answer to prayer and we really do think it was a combination of GOD and MORGAN STALLINGS that got him this job because based off his interviews (and he will tell you this) he shouldn't have been hired.  So maybe that was God's way of saying that Logan can take zero credit for this gig, it was ALL God. Regardless, he has his work cut out for him to prove that this was not a mistake and that he WAS and IS the right guy for this gig. 

What will he be doing? He will be working for Fusion Logistics in a new division that just started in April doing operations and sales.  There are only 4 guys on the team right now (including him) so he is excited about being a part of something from the beginning and sees tremendous potential for both personal AND professional growth.  I have never seen him light up the way he does when he talks about this job and company.  For the first time, I feel like he finally feels like he was given a shot at a career and didn't just take a job to pay the bills.  His goal is to someday be a director and to open up a regional office on the Eastern or Western coast so who knows where this gig is going to take our little family, but we are excited and ready for the adventure! 

For now, we will be in Dallas. Saving up for a car and shopping around for a rental house or apartment... We don't care! :) 

Part-time job ends Friday.  FULL TIME JOB STARTS MONDAY.  

He is good.  His ways are Higher than ours.  His timing is always perfect. Thank you LORD for providing for us in our time of need. 

AND CONGRATULATIONS TO MY FRENCHMAN!!! 

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU AND YOUR PERSEVERANCE AND DETERMINATION AGAINST ALL ODDS! 

I love you :) 

FREEBIE TIME :)

Alright friends... It's time for some freebies! People ask me all the time about our amazing Rodan+Fields products so I decided it would be fun to give some away! Click on this link to complete a few short questions & I will put your free mini facial in the mail this week! 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/995NDDZ

These items have been featured in Lucky Magazine, Allure Magazine, and Harper's Bazaar and are in high demand. They give you incredibly soft skin with the first use! First come, first serve! I'll shut down the survey as soon as I run out. Thanks and HAPPY MONDAY!!! 

In other news.... THE ROYAL BABY IS COMING!!! THE ROYAL BABY IS COMING!!! Stella is singing "Someday, my Prince will come..."  Okay maybe not...but she's decked out in her British best today :) 

Rodan + Fields

So recently I have joined forces with the dermatologists who created Proactiv... Rodan + Fields!  I am so excited to have this opportunity! 

I first found out about Rodan + Fields through a few posts on Facebook and I must admit, I was extremely skeptical. I figured it was a business where you had to stock inventory or host parties every month so I did not even consider finding out more about it.  Plus, I had no idea the financial blessing it could bring to my family! 

Fast forward a few months... My husband and I were living in France and had our first baby, Stella Rose.  She immediately stole our hearts. WEEKS after she was born we were unexpectedly called to move back to Texas (8 months earlier than planned) We both needed jobs, had no cars, and no place to live.  It was like setting a "reset" button on our life... WITH a newborn. (MAJOR Stress!) My heart broke after thinking I would have to return to Corporate America so much earlier than I had anticipated.  I figured I would be doing corporate marketing like I had done before we moved to France.  My hearts desire was to still work, but from home and I had no idea how this was going to be attainable. We thought we had the whole year to plan, network, and prepare for our move back but God had other plans... MUCH sooner plans I might add. 

This is where I say TIMING IS EVERYTHING.  My best friend from college, Katie, joined Rodan + Fields last fall.  Katie would never sign up with a company that she didn't believe in and the fact that she was passionate about the company gave Rodan + Fields credibility in my book and got me interested in finding out more.  She was helping put her husband through seminary while working part-time doing cardiac rehab when the opportunity presented itself for her to make some extra "side" money.  She had no idea that after 6 months, she would be well on her way to making enough to stay home with her daughter Libby. 

When she told me this business model would allow me to work from home and that she wished she had started earlier, I was intrigued to find out more.  The fact that I would be able to work my hours around a schedule that fit my family and that I could be my own boss sounded amazing! The big "seller" for me was that as a consultant I had a 60 day money back guarantee if I tried out the business and figured out it wasn't a good fit for me.  Taking the financial risk factor out of the equation was huge for us since we were in a tight financial situation already. The bonus came when she told me that Rodan + Fields were the same doctors who created Proactiv and that the R+F brand was previously ranked the #1 clinical brand in Nordstrom before switching to a direct sales model.  I would be selling amazing, successful, top-notch products.  In other words, the products would practically sell themselves.

I am just beginning my journey with R+F but I am so thrilled to work with such amazingly successful and inspirational women every single day.  It is hands down the most positive and uplifting work environment I have ever been a part of.  The goal is truly to see EVERYONE succeed! 

If this is something that peaks your interest even just a little bit I would be happy to share more about it with you.  I don't care if we have never met and you just follow my blog (Believe me, I do that to a LOT of people ), I would seriously love to share more about this company and how it could bless you & your family as well. Just leave me a comment and I will be sure to reach out to you! 

OR if you are interested in our AMAZING skincare regimens you can shop for our products HERE.  Be sure to message me first though so I can get you 10% off and free shipping! 

I would LOVE for you to join me on this journey as we work together to achieve our goals! 

Abby Leigh Media

I wanted to tell you guys about one of the two businesses that I am launching in the next month or so.  As you know, my goal has always been to own my own business, I just didn't know what I wanted that to look like.  I thought about making scrapbooks, redoing furniture, or making slideshows/videos for people.

It wasn't until both of my parents came over to meet Stella that I figured out there was a market for slideshows and videos, especially in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area. You see, I make videos all the time documenting fun trips, anniversaries, and even Stella's gender reveal announcement! I always get the greatest response from these and thought - Why not make this into a business? I LOVE making them, there is a market for it, and it is a job I could do out of my home.   If it wasn't for all of their encouragement, I would have never taken this leap! So thank you to my Dad, Kelley, Mom, & Chris for believing in me.

So here we go... I am launching Abby Leigh Media next month!

www.abbyleighmedia.com

As you can see it is not live yet - My friend Colleen and I are working hard behind-the-scenes to get all the details ironed out before we go live.  But I am totally smitten with the logo.  I think Colleen captured "me" in a nutshell. I wanted something playful and whimsy and something that somewhat indicated preserving a moment in time, because that is what slideshows are for!  If you notice on the tree, the heart with the "M" is symbolic of preserving a special memory. I thought it was a really cute and subtle way to get the message across.

SO if you would like a slideshow for a graduation, rehearsal dinner, milestone birthday party, or to document a fun vacation, I would LOVE to make one for you! 

Just email me at: info@abbyleighmedia.com

I can't wait to share more as we get closer to the launch!

XO,

Abby

A Day at The Colorado

I have received this question a lot, so I thought I would give you a taste of my typical day working here at The Colorado. 

• 8:00am - Wake up, throw on some sweatpants, brush teeth and head to the "Big House" (the kitchen/ dining hall/ 6 room building pictured above) 
• 8:15am - Eat a baguette (we get them fresh daily) toasted with butter, add strawberry jelly, and sip on a hot chocolate. Yes, I am THAT predictable. 
• 8:30am - Clean rooms.  The boys are in charge of sweeping and beds.  The gals get the privilege of bathrooms.  Trash, toilets, and sinks/ showers. It is my least favorite part of the day.  I have finally gotten to the point where I can just attack it without really thinking about what I am doing. Wearing gloves helps. 
• 9:30am - We start prepping lunch and anything we can prepare early for dinner. We make 95% of our food from scratch so this usually involves a lot of washing and chopping.  
• 11:30am - Run home and change into nicer clothes. 
• 11:45am - 2:30pm - We are working lunch.  The ladies work the kitchen, the men do the serving. Then we clean up/ set up for dinner. 
• 2:30 - 6:30pm - We eat lunch and have the afternoon off.  This is when we run errands, take naps, go sit by the pond, I usually write my blog posts, and recently I've started doing pilates.  I have gotten a little too used to these afternoons off... I love them! 
• 6:30 - 10pm - We finish prepping dinner, serve, then clean up and set up for breakfast the next morning.  A French meal is not rushed, it is enjoyed and savored.  Therefore, the Frenchies LOVE to take their sweet time eating each course while we patiently wait for them to hurry up! (There are 5 courses: Aperitif, Entree, Plat, Fromage, Dessert/ Coffee) 
• 10pm - 12am - If there were no leftovers, we eat dinner. I know this is SO LATE, but it's our reality.  By this time of night we typically either don't eat or pop in a frozen pizza.  We also lie on the couch and search for anything that is showing in English.  If there is nothing, we fall asleep to a movie.  I usually don't even make it through the opening credits. 

I hope this helped give you a glance at our daily life.  It is long and the hours are sort of weird, but I have grown to love our set up.  I think it would be harder to be in a city where we had more of a social life/ plans in the evenings... but for our situation, this works really well.   We (for the most part) get weekends off, unless there is a big lunch or dinner planned so that is when we like to escape and go sight seeing, out to eat, or shopping.  

Our NEW Business Venture

Beginning last week, The Colorado tried out a new business venture. Currently we are a Bed & Breakfast that offers full pension if requested (that means 3 meals per day).  We have now decided to expand our lunches to the outside public as a restaurant (accepting walk-ins) instead of just serving clients.  We are hopeful that this will bring in some extra business seeing as it is not a huge stretch from what we are currently doing. 

We decided to position ourselves as "Tex Mex" since there are no other restaurants in the area offering the menu items we have come up with: Chili, BBQ, Hamburgers, Enchiladas, and Fried Chicken. Starting out, we will just offer the Plat du Jour (Plate of the Day) and the customer can choose between 2 appetizers and 3 desserts. We feel like this may be a good approach until we know exactly how many people (on average) will be coming in each day.  

Another fun idea that my Marketing brain came up with was our very first customer (Ali was his name) was named SHERIFF of The Colorado.  This means that if he flashes his badge when he eats lunch here, he will have bottomless coffee on the house. Pretty cute huh? He was pretty excited!

Who would have thought I would go from 3 years ago not knowing how to cook a chicken breast...to being a chef at a Tex Mex restaurant in FRANCE. Life is pretty funny :) 

A Day at Neiman Marcus

It has been so weird not having work this week! I still feel like it is Sunday or something and that I am going to work tomorrow.   I thought I would give you an overview of what a day at Neimans was like. 

I get to work around 9am. 

I typically snap a photo in the elevator to make sure I like my outfit. (Even though at that point it would be too late!) 

Answer emails. 

Send out the BG Email results. 

Make my way down to Starbucks for my Tall, Non-Fat Chi Tea Latte. 

Touch base with my team.

Around lunch time, I like to mosey to the Downtown Neiman Marcus store.

 

Don't take the elevators. ALWAYS take the escalators.  Especially past the 3rd floor so you can glance into the Bridal Salon :) 

I always check out the Shoes before I head out- these were 2 of my favorite Tory's, but I was "good" and kept walking.  

On my way to Campisis I walk past our beautiful windows.  We really have some talented individuals in the Visual Department. 

After picking up lunch, I head back to our building, on the 13th floor to eat.  This is the view from my Director's window. I love eating in there when she it out! 

I go back to my desk and continue working on emails, opening Marketing jobs with Account Management, getting our BG email prepared for the next day, updating our Promo Calendar, and maybe catching up on my Social Media/ Pinterest :) 

I may or may not be obsessed with bright colors and Post Its/ notepads...

My bulletin board w/ my projects. 

My bookshelf with all our current and past BG and Neiman Marcus Magazines. 

Around 3-4pm we usually like to find an excuse to order Tiff's Treats! They are delivered to your office in Downtown Dallas HOT & FRESH... WITH MILK!!! They are some of the best cookies I have had in Dallas... J.D's Chippery caliber. 

And at 6pm, I approve emails, wrap up, and head home! 

Below is a picture of my wonderful Manager & FRIEND Kristin. She was the BEST EVER to work with/ for. We have made a pact to work together again someday :)