A Day In The Life Of PotPieGirl

What Does PotPieGirl Do All Day?

The emails I get are so great. I’ve had people email me and ask me to answer all kinds of questions about working online, ways to do this or that, and my opinions on ideas. This morning I got an email that I thought would be fun (and maybe embarrassing) to answer. The reader asked me what a day in the life of PotPieGirl was like. So, want to know what I do all day? Read on….

An Average Wednesday For PotPieGirl

Today has been a pretty common day so I’ll use today as an example.

I woke up about 10 am. One of the first things I do each Wednesday morning is check my bank account. Clickbank pays me each Wednesday in the wee morning hours, so I always check to make sure it went in my account properly. I really like Wednesdays…. lol

My daughter has college classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Since she is still only 17, I drive her to classes. In all honesty, I LOVE Mom Taxi time. My kids and I have always had the best talks and the most fun while we drive somewhere. I also know that the time we get to ride together is priceless….and ends sooner than I like. If you have teenagers, you might get what I’m saying about this driving time.

Ok, back to my day…

After checking my accounts, I put on jeans and t-shirt – then pushed my hair back with sunglasses and we left. Now the t-shirt I was wearing is my hubby’s t-shirt. It’s an old Nike shirt he was wearing the night we really spent any time together that led to us starting to date . Yes, the shirt is WAY too big on me, but I like it… it makes me happy. I spent so many years HAVING to wear certain clothes for work that I now only wear what I want, when I want. I am a jeans girl and I will be wearing jeans unless the event makes it totally unacceptable for jeans to be worn. As for the hair thing…. well, I have long hair. A brush and a pair of sunglasses do awesome in a pinch (oh c’mon ladies, you know you’ve done it, too! lol).

In the car, my daughter and I went over some of her Medical terms for the test she was having today and I realized again just how smart she is. We also talked about what kind of car she wants. While she wants something small and sporty… I want her in a tank!

Dropped my daughter off about 10:40 and went to run some errands while she was in class.

We are going out of town tomorrow for a long weekend. It’s my birthday Friday (yes, Friday, the 13th!) and it’s also Valentine’s Day weekend, so me and the sweetie are going to a casino resort to gamble a little, eat some great food, see a show, and maybe sneak in a round of golf if the weather is good.

The whole trip (room, show, meals…even GAS) is being comped by the casino. It’s a small resort in Mississippi and they are very accommodating in this economy to get guests out to the casino. Works for me…lol! But, we still needed “playing money” so I had to go to the bank.

PotPieGirl Goes To The Bank

I wrote a check for cash and gave it to the teller. She asked me how I wanted it (ie, what kind of bills…20’s, 50’s, 100’s etc etc). I told her, but as she was counting out I flashed back to my hard times and recalled that whenever I cashed a check for the whopping $20 I could afford to get out my account not that long ago, no one EVER asked me how I “wanted it”….lol. They just tossed a twenty dollar bill at me while I tried to figure out how far I could stretch it. I’m tellin’ ya tho… single moms can make $20 go a LONG LONG way!

Then I went to another bank to write a check and put money in for household bills. The teller there is so nice… sometimes she even gives me a lollipop!

Then To The Car Wash (are you bored YET?)

Next stop – the car wash. Some of you might remember, but last summer, the day before we left for our week-long family beach vacation, the hubby and I bought a new Expedition. Considering the gas prices at the time, it wasn’t the most economical move, BUT, also considering the gas prices as that time, we got a GREAT deal.

On our vacation, we took all 4 kids and two “friends of kids” – in total, there were 8 of us. Even tho my son and his fiance were driving down in their own vehicle, I REALLY wanted something that would fit all of us while at the beach. Remember how much I said I love driving with my kids? Well, I miss hanging with my son. I really miss the days he and I would drive around and he would tell me all the things I never ever wanted to know about life as a teenage boy.

Anyway… I took the Expedition to the car wash to give it a bath.

I love that tank. I’m not a very materialistic person, but there are some things I really, really love. That big SUV is one of them =) If it wasn’t dark out, I’d go take a picture of it. It’s all clean and shiny right now. I vacuumed and wiped everything down too. I even got that mysterious little person’s foot print off the far back window (I still don’t know how the 4 year-old got her foot back there).

And The Excitement Continues…

I finished with the car and headed back to get my daughter. I still had some time before she came out so I made some phone calls (you know, that work stuff….lol).

Now, usually after her classes we stop and get something to eat, but not today. You see, my daughter and I went grocery shopping yesterday and we did a MAJOR shop. She got a cart and I got a cart and we filled them UP. My daughter remembers the “hard times” we went through so she has a lot of appreciation for these NOT hard times. It’s really cool to have your teenager actually tell you how happy they are that you, the mom, are not so stressed anymore….and when your kid tells you that she is proud of you – wow! It’s enough to make a mama cry her eyes out!

Success = Paper Towels?

You know, people ask me sometimes what being financially secure means to me. One time, someone asked and I simply said, “Select-a-size paper towels”. You know, those great paper towels that tear into smaller sizes and they are so good that you could easily rinse them and use them again?

To me, that is a LUXURY.

When I am in my kitchen and see those paper towels, I am oddly filled with a “everything is ok” feeling. It wasn’t too very long ago that IF we got paper towels at all, they were no-name brand. Nothing wrong with no-name brand….but there is something for me about the option to buy the really great paper towels if I want to without my checkbook telling me I can’t (and without a coupon!)

Wow, I am so rambling…let’s get back on topic here…

So today we didn’t stop to eat because we both knew there was a HOUSEFUL of food at home. We came home and thought about what to eat. While we were deciding, we opened up a can of special “treat” cat food for our two whacky cats. My daughter and I got so tickled watching these cats with their treat!

Not long ago, I asked my family if they had ever noticed how dogs stand up to eat, but cats sit down to eat.

Why is that? (and yes, for the record, I am known to pop out with those kind of weird question observations at any random time).

But today, when we gave the cats their treat, my daughter started laughing hysterically. She said, “Mom, Look! They are both standing up to eat!”

By golly she was right. Both cats were so focused on the treat in their bowl that they didn’t take the time to sit down…let alone MOVE. Bailey, the gray and white cat, was so still and so focused that her tail was quivering.

That musta been some REALLY good cat food!

However, my daughter and I opted for chicken… human food chicken…lol

Uh, What About WORK?

Hmmmm, I guess I better get to the part where I did some work, huh? Okayyyyyyyyy, if you insist!

About 1:30 pm or so I sat down at my desk. I answered some email, checked some stats, and continued some research on other free-to-use sites for my up-coming diversification guide for One Week Marketing.

I also got things straight with my very first FULL TIME outsourcer! Starting Monday, I have a wonderful young woman in another part of the world doing work for me full time.

THIS THRILLS ME!

I want more time to do “PotPieGirl” stuff, but I really, really needed someone to help with the “to-do” lists and work. Now, I have someone!

After getting things with her all straightened out and set to start, I did some keyword research for projects she will be working on. I then wandered through some forums, did more email and then some more email (and I STILL have email left to do).

PotPieDude Comes Home

About 5, my hubby came home and we hung out a little. After awhile he went to get the 4 year-old who later came running in with news that Daddy got her a Happy Meal! (uh, didn’t I JUST mention that we went shopping yesterday? lol). But her delight with her surprise toy and chicken nuggets was contagious… and Daddy was a hero…so well, we can eat the other stuff later, right? =)

Now, it’s almost 8 pm and I am typing this “Day In The Life” post (and also wondering who REALLY wants to know all this…. my life is kinda boring…lol).

Priorities

From the living room I hear a familiar sound. Daddy is playing a Wii game… sounds like tennis. I called out to him to ask him what he was doing and he says, “Playing Wii Tennis…. you want some of this?”

A Challenge.

I tell him in a minute… after all, I AM busy typing to all of you at the moment. So then he says…

“Oh, are you SCARED??? Chicken???”

We are a weeeeee bit competitive in this house…lol

Just for the record, I am NOT scared – but, there is a small problem.

Flashback To Saturday Night

This past Saturday night, the hubby and I realized that we were all alone in the house with NO KIDS. So we did what every other happily married couple would do when there’s no kids around…

We played Wii games (hey! get your mind out the gutter!!)

We played Wii bowling, and Wii tennis, and Wii baseball, and Wii golf… In fact, I “Wii’d” so much that I was afraid I broke my shoulder! Today is the first day it doesn’t ache when I move it.

Important Decision For Today

Now, do I REALLY want to go in there and not only BEAT him, but also risk my shoulder hurting while we are out of town?

You bet!

No one calls ME chicken!

The Rest Of My Day

As far as the rest of the night, I’ll probably be back in my office to do some more email and set things up for me to be gone for a few days, but that will be about it work-wise.

I still need to pack and make sure all is set for the mom and dad to be gone…maybe wash a load of clothes. At 10pm I will watch Damages on F/X. That is one show that you can NOT miss an episode or else you are way off for the rest of the season.

So, that’s it… that was my day today. Exciting huh?

Shouldn’t You Work More?

Yes, there are days I work more than today, but my goal for 2009 is to make MORE but work LESS. That has been my goal since I started with my action plan….and all the work I’ve done the past two years has really paid off and got me to where working less/making more is a very realistic goal for this year.

I was up late last night – in fact, until after 3am. I was watching some seminar footage that was intensive. I like to do things like that when it’s quiet and I can really focus, take notes, and figure out how I can implement what I’ve learned. While I don’t spend as much time WORKING as I used to, I still spend a good bit of time on the computer or reading.. .. always learning. Always.

While I imagine I could all but stop working now, I have no desire to. Not only do I love what I do, I also know there is always better and more efficient…and more options for others like me who have little to invest to start their online business.

I also spend time doing random searches on Google. Yes, I’m weird…lol But, I do this often – just type in some sort of buying keyword phrase and look at the Top 10. Look at their on page SEO, look at their back links…then ask myself, “Why are they #1 – and what would someone need to do to take that first spot on Google?” While for many this may sound like a waste of time – for me it is very enlightening and I learn a LOT.

I’m not a “guru groupie” so I don’t follow all the big launches. In fact, I only ever really find out that there IS a “big launch” when my inbox blows up with all those “get MY bonus” copy/paste emails (ugh).

All in all, I am a very laid-back, content, and happy person who is FAR from “all business”. I love my life and I’m very proud of what I have created… but above all, I love my life and the people in my life. Being someone who knows the alternatives life can give you, I feel extremely blessed…. money or NO money.

The Truth About Money

Money doesn’t make you happy. When you don’t have money, it feels very hard to believe that having money won’t make you happy (I can totally understand how anyone would feel that way).

For me, what money DOES do is give me options and alternatives. If I hadn’t spent the time to build my online business, today I would’ve been working from 9-5 (or longer). I would’ve missed ALL of today because I was sitting at some JOB. Instead, I got to hang out with my daughter, run my errands (in jeans…lol), and plan for a trip. And yes, we have money for that trip so we can truly enjoy it…and that money won’t make even a tiny ding in the household financial situation.

Money also gives me the opportunity to help others follow a similar path – and that really, really matters to me. My hope is that those that achieve with a little nudge from me, will in turn make a point to nudge others to take a similar path.

Just for the record and in the spirit of full-disclosure, I will say this tho… Having money is WAYYYYY better than NOT having money. I can’t lie about that or pretend it’s not true. Just a simple trip to the grocery store becomes fun as opposed to STRESS CITY. Reality is – Life is expensive.

The toys and the trips are all really great, but the simple release of STRESS is priceless for me. Daily life just becomes….. well, it becomes easier. Hard times are no fun. Thankfully there is this internet that gives us all options regardless of how much money we have starting out.

Wrapping Up My Day

So, there you have it… a day in the life of PotPieGirl. Pretty boring everyday type stuff, isn’t it? I planned to post this hours ago, but yes, the Wii “peer pressure” got the best of me (I am SO bad at Wii tennis!) Now I am watching Damages and typing during commercials. I sure am glad I put a TV in my office! Multi-tasking!

Just for fun, I want to show you what my office looks like when the 4 year-old decides she is coming to work with me:

Princess Barbie table… notebooks, stickers, and oh yes, her purse, too.

Life is good!

See y’all next week when I get back!