You'd think with all the working I do, my butt would be off by now.

I'm really not sure how I have manipulated time to squeeze in ten hours of work a week... but I have.  Since registering with eLance, I have been hired for five writing and editing jobs.  Four of them are ongoing or weekly articles!  While I am absolutely thrilled to be doing what I love and making money at it, I can't say that I really had that time to spare to begin with...

Or did I?

What's fascinating about this transition time is that I feel compelled to work harder at EVERYTHING I do, because I don't want to fall behind.  I'm reminded of that common saying, "If you want something done, ask a busy person."  Is it because people who are busy are capable, or people who are capable are busy?  OR, is it just that over-booked people get caught in a crazy propulsion, an inevitable inertia created by caffeine consumption, compulsive schedule-checking, and a frantic idea that there is not enough time.

STOP.  Slow down.  Take a breath.  That's what I have to do.  Have a cup of tea... yesterday morning I read the paper.  Yep, the honest-to-goodness printed with ink on tree-pulp newspaper.  It was really relaxing.  I got out the kids' planners again, because for some reason I really felt I needed to organize things in the concrete world... my brain could not be trusted.    But it's all good.  I let the kids pick out a couple of great workbooks at The Teacher Store today... things they are interested in or need some reinforcement on.  Kayden started learning French today... her choice, on her own.  And she picked out a cursive book because she's been begging to learn it for a while, and I hadn't gotten around to it.

I'm thrilled with the fact that I'm following my dream and adding much-needed income to the family's coffer, and I'm taking this transition into work/mom/education at full speed.  Maybe I should have eased into it... but the world doesn't stop, the laundry doesn't clean itself, the grass doesn't stay in the ground (but the twelve year old son can cut it).  I'm learning that this can change things for the better, let the children have more responsibility, and the husband, too.

Otherwise, one day, I'll look behind me and won't have a butt... as it will have been worked right off.