When Mommy is A Lyft Driver

 I believe in working hard to give yourself the best life possible. I would not be happy in the 1950's lifestyle where the wife is at home while the husband brings home the bacon. I need to have my own life outside the home. Dont get me wrong I love being a mother, but I cant lose myself either in the process.

I want to be the best mother and the best ME I can be, which means I have to balance to make sure one does not over power the other. It is not always easy but in the end it truly makes life so much easier. I see the difference when I follow through and not just go with the flow.

One thing I have always struggled with in my life is being a workaholic. If I love my job, you can bet I will be giving it 110 percent. It started when I was 16 working in a nursing home and never stopped from there. But the day I became a mom that whole guilt things mother feel for leaving their infant at home, yep I felt that .

I have learned to make sure that sometimes you just have to log off and puthat job or side hustle behind you for a little awhile. If you do not that burned out feeling comes and everything will start feeling out of whack in your life. That is one of the great things about my side hustle vs my full time job, I make my own schedule and can easily just not even give it a second thought. Right now I have a calendar on my fridge that outlines when I will be on the road and when I will be at home doing the family thing.

I try to stick to routine to make sure everything flows the same way. When you get into a good routine your life will show it. So following the same times and same routine it becomes second nature. I always try to do the same work schedule so I can mentally prepare myself and my daughter also is used to the schedule.

Priorities are so important. You need to know what you is most important to you. I work because of course life comes with bills and expenses. I want to know I do not have to worry about bills. There is nothing worse than being strapped for cash and the worst possible time. I sent myself a weekly goal I need to hit. It also gives me a chance to work hard because if I hit that goal early enough I get to take the weekend or possibly long weekend off. 

Another priority is making sure my daughter is exceling in school and not being neglected. I want to be there for every little milestone she will reach in life. So that will always come ahead of any thing else I have going on at that moment.

Last but not last I make sure I also make time to just be me. I want to make sure I do not lose touch with extended family and friends.My family is pretty close and we spend almost everyday together. I cherish that because one day that will not be the case.  Sadly my best friends do not live in the same state so I only get to talk to them through text and Facebook but I make sure to always being checking in on them.

How do you balance your life? 

Day in The Life As a Side Hustler

 At this moment I am a full time side hustler, until my client base picks up. Its a crazy life, but definately not a boring life.No day is ever the same as the one before. I prefer it that way!

I prefer to have my evenings free to take care of my daughter after school and do evening routine, so I try to start my day as early as I can. This means being up by 3 AM to be out the door no later than 4 am. My goal is to get at least 6 hours of drive time with Lyft. Weekday mornings are the best because that is when people are needing to get to work. 

I drive in Rockford which is 45 mins from where I live  so the drive is MY time to drink coffee and listen to my favorite music to set the tone for the day. As soon as I get to Rockford I go online and hope to hit it hard all day. Most days  that happens but other times I can hit some slow time. So I have decided to start picking up Shipt orders in downtime. I am just waiting on my card to be mailed to be.

I usually call it quits around 1 or 2 depending on when I notice slow time. Sometimes I will go to the max and do the full 12 hours that we are allowed to do.

Then its home to pick up my daughter from school. We grabbed some supper and start our evening routine. It can be hectic and crazy but its never boring that is for sure!!

My Upcoming Events

 I love this time of year when the sun is shining. The birds are singing and life is bustling around. Just the other day I got to my summer fun plans. Every summer I try to have something to look forward. The previous summer we went to Disneyland. The summer before that I brought a best friend from Boston to Illinois for two weeks and just had a staycation.

So what did I plan this summer, well I am glad you asked! We are going to Tennessee the first weekend in June. We are going to take a nice long road trip from IL to Memphis. We will stay there a few days and visit Graceland, Sun Studios and Memphis Zoo. 

After Memphis we will travel 3 hours away to see Nashville, TN. We will pretty much just be taking in the sights of downtown Nashville. I want to be able to that after its dark to get the full effect. Plus  I like the nightlife.

I truly believe I am more excited about this trip than I was with Disneyworld. Of course that trip was in August in the hot heat of Florida, so it was more a trip of endurance than enjoyment sadly.

Do you have any fun trips this summer? I would love to hear them....

General Randoms

 Sometimes I just have so much going on in my head that I need to just throw it out there somewhere so I can basically lay it to rest. I am on overthinker to the point it drives me crazy. I wish I could overthink important things. But nope its stupid pointless stuff I cant control. 

For May I am going to let all that stuff bonging me down to leave. I never realize how much work it is to be calm. In all honesty staying calm is harder than just going with the stress. I have done it so long by body thinks it is second nature.

How do you stay calm and focused?

May 1 - Time for Newness

 It is May 1st. I am not sure why I am excited by that fact, but I am. I feel like this month is my month. I see myself starting some new adventures and reaching some goals.

I want to relax and just let things unfold. I think I spend most waking hours being uptight and trying to control things with body. I am not sure why I do this, but I am replacing it with relaxing and breathing. I feel I will be checking in with myself several times an hour until it becomes second nature.

I am going to drink more water and have no soda for the month of May. I want to see if it makes a difference in how I feel. There is nothing worse than feeling bloated and having no energy. I used to drink Mountian Dew like it was going out of style, but lately that craving is no longer there.

Another goal is to exercise 3 times a week. I am going to renew my membership to Planet Fitness. I would prefer the YMCA but there hours are so limited its hard to get there.

I would love to hear what your goals for May are!!!

How I spend My Sunday

 Sunday is the first day of the week between Saturday and Monday. Most people consider the day of rest and the Lords day. The day when people go to church and spend time with the family. 

I grew up in a Christian home and we would always get up and go to church on Sunday mornings. There was no question asked we knew that is what would happen every Sunday. I will not lie it did not always go smoothly and Sunday mornings could be hectic.

Sundays are a day to not think about our problems or hectic life. Its about your relationship with Jesus and refocusing. Its also a time to spend with family, which can be hard during the work week. 

I like to get up early and grab some coffee and just watch the sunrise. It gives me time to reflect and myself and how I am growing spiritually.  During this time I  like to start my planner for the next week and make sure I am giving myself self care time.

After I am done with planning and self reflecting I love making a nice big breakfast before church. Breakfasts in my house in the mornings can be rushed with school, work and other obligations. Sunday mornings I love making my daughter a nice hot breakfast.

This Sunday I have decided to start doing my Sundays a little different. I will make it a social media free day. I will not even pick up my phone. We live in a society where everyone has their cell phones in their hands during their waking hours. I will not let my phone run my life any longer. 

I also made another big change on this Sunday. I am meal planning for the week ahead. Another downfall of mine is running to fast food. I feel like we never just sit down and eat at home. I am hoping by planning my meals for the week ahead, I stay away from ordering out. 

I also decided this Sunday to get out and enjoy nature. I took my daughter to the park to run around be a kid. Of course we also fed the ducks.  It was nice to get away from the busyness of life for once. After that it was time to go home and relax and just watch tv and read and get ready for another week.

February 1 2023

 I cant explain why but I am very excited for this February. Its like the new year is starting. I think of January has a free trial to the new year. I feel like this is my year. I can look back on December 31 and say "wow girl you really rocked this year". 

One thing I want to do is take back my house and get it organized. I feel like a clean and organized home leads to more productive days. When you are surrounded by chaos it is hard to focus on what you want to accomplish.

My first room I want to organize is my office. I want it to be where I want to hang out and be productive. This decorating project will take some creativity since its actually a big walk in closet/office.   

My main goal is to be organized so I can find everything I need. Since I am a single mom I run the household. I need to be able things fast and effectively. 

The first step is organize all drawers and shelves. If you are like me you are always hunting through piles to find that one thing you need. Well that stops here!  Everything should have a place. Then after everything has a place, my best friend gets to come help (label marker) Put those label stickers on everything.

I like to be OCD about certain things