Oh dear 2009, where did you go?

Looking back it doesn’t seem like nearly a year has passed since I posted here.

But I know that it in fact has been almost a year; one that was filled with amazing memories, struggles, and victories.

I almost considered letting this site fall completely by the wayside and not renewing the domain in two months. But then I thought, this site was my first baby. It rescued me from boredom when I found myself home for the first time in nearly five years with a new baby and three other children in school. We hadn’t lived in the country for long (maybe two years) and I was still struggling with leaving the city and all of the comforts that I found within it.

credit: Bartek Ambrozik

When I really thought about it, not renewing this site would be like kicking my firstborn out of a tree without a parachute, and really, What mother does that? (Birds not withstanding).

I’d like to think that this site has helped me grow and learn things about myself, both personally and professionally. Granted most of my time is now taken up at The Guilty Parent but I like to think that I’m a bit Sybil, in that there are many sides and faces to me. I think there is to any woman. Maybe that’s why women and moms in particular are among the fastest growing Internet users and bloggers.

So back to 2009… Now that it’s over, it kind of feels like “Did you catch the license plate of that bus that just hit me”. It feels very slow motion when I replay moments and events in my mind and yet, at the same time, the Millennium Falcon moves slower than 2009 did.

I’ll try to sum up 2009 as quickly as possible but if you’re still checking in here (thank you for being so dedicated with all kinds of time on your hands), then you know you should probably get comfortable. I don’t do much of anything quickly; except write copy for clients.

I made a trip to New York City in January of last year and while I couldn’t tell you about it then, that one day trip launched me into two opportunities that I couldn’t be more thankful or more excited to be a part of. I met with 11 other amazing mom bloggers and Lifetime Digital media to discuss their move into the mom space. Initially I thought I was being consulted with because of my experience with Babyspot.com and Cafemom.com but it turned out that Lifetime wanted to do more than just produce movies and digital media for women and moms, they wanted to launch their own network of moms and in August I became one of them. I’m the co-channel leader for LifetimeMoms.com Parenting section. It’s been a joy to see my work take off and be able to talk about issues that are important to me as a mom. Around the same time, Lifetime had acquired MothersClick.com and they were in the midst of relaunching and becoming more seated in the mom community so I was brought on to MothersClick.com as a community manager where I currently am today.

Of course that meant leaving Babyspot.com but the founders there have found much success in launching their Babyspot local networks and I couldn’t have been happier to be a part of their launch into online communities for parents.

I attended my first ever conference by going to BlogHer 2009. While I didn’t have a conference ticket (last minute planning and excitement are a part of the fun of Chaos in the Country), I made some great new connections, met BVFs including Shannan and Amy, and reconnected with the other soon-to-be Lifetime Moms.

Kids started school, they grew, had birthdays, visits from the tooth fairy, and we experienced all kinds of new adventures as well as some challenges when my better half had a nasty car accident that left him out of work for nearly 4 months and us struggling to make ends meet for awhile. Life is never boring, no?

I saw the new year in with my family, my sister, niece and nephew. We saw the new year arrive and breathed a sigh of relief on December 2nd when my niece reached the one year milestone with her new heart. All other days no longer compare to that. one. day.

Along the way, I dropped clients, obtained new clients and learned how to better brand myself both as a blogger and a writer. I’m still learning the ropes but I think that with what I’ve learned thus far, I can only go up from here.

That brings me to now.

I won’t be closing or letting this site fall by the wayside. In the past year, I’ve been approached by other writers and bloggers who have asked me how I do it. Once I get over the giggles (because I still don’t fully understand my rhyme or reason for doing things), I give them the best advice that I can based on what I’ve learned and has worked for me in terms of working from home and balancing this mom thing.

I want to continue giving that advice by offering this space as somewhere other moms or parents can go to find information on getting started working from home, managing their time, or just a space to get a laugh at my progress through it all. Along the way, we’ll talk social media, networking, and anything else that work from home parents may be going through.

Plan on 1 – 2 posts a month for right now as I get settled in the newness of 2010 and some new plans I have for the coming year; I’ll be sure to share them as I go.