Home Based Business Mom

GERD is not fun.
Those of you that have it – KNOW what I’m talking about.
Those of you that don’t have it…don’t even know what GERD stands for.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

I’ve been struggling with GERD knowingly for about 3 years….the 5-6 years prior to that – I did not know it was GERD. I was SURE it was a heart issue….the chest pain HAD to be a heart issue. Well….I don’t have a heart issue…..at least, I can say that I have been thoroughly looked over for a heart issue, including the infamous 64 slice CT scan like Oprah and her friend Gail had. Now….does that test rule out micro-blockages….no. Does it mean my mitral valve prolapse isn’t part of the issue? No. But I feel pretty confident that GERD is the issue that plagues me.

I’ve had the chronic cough, night time coughing fits (including literally waking up choking, unable to breathe). I’ve had the ENT look at my throat using  a scope that is threaded through my sinuses and looks down into my throat. It always shows a red, irritated, raw throat eaten up by acid. I’ve been on all the meds…..aciphex, nexium, prilosec, zantac…..
I currently take prevacid solutabs in the morning and zantac at night – but starting kapidex soon. Getting an endoscope soon too.
You see…this GERD….it’s not going away. Just last night after a day of my Prevacid, eating carefully and then zantac at night….I had a big ole coughing fit in the middle of the night. My bed is elevated like the doctor says it should be, I’ve lost over 10 pounds and was only about 12 pounds over weight when this GERD stuff started….
But still….it sticks around. Worse when I’m stressed.
So…2010….I’m still fighting this battle. I am sure the endoscope and the biopsies it takes will shed some light on maybe h pylori being part of the issue….or if the GERD has turned my delicate esophagus into Barrett’s Esophagus (pre-cancer)…but I am trying. I am not letting this get me down.
Some days are bad with that constant cough or that constant feeling of a lump in my throat….or sore throat….
Some nights are bad with the coughing…
Eating is no longer an all out whooohooo fun activity. I have to try to be careful – but I do slip.
So…that is my update for now….I will again post on this GERD topic after the endoscope and we’ll see what that leads to. Not a fan of surgery….I’m thinking that would have to be an absolute LAST resort.
Those of you suffering from GERD as well….let me know how you’re doing and what is working for you. GERD is more common than you think….and can cause a slew of symptoms other than heartburn. It’s a sneaky booger!

Nag..Nag…Naggity…Nag… Not a Language I Wish To Speak – but I have learned to be fluent.
Case in point:

“I am so friggin tired of nagging. If I don’t nag…nothing gets done around here.”

Hey ladies! Heard that line before? Sound familiar? Has something similar ever come from your lips?
You can act coy if you want. You can get all stiff shouldered and shake your head “no” as well.
I won’t believe you.
And I’ll tell you why.
If you’ve got a husband and kids….
You’ve said it. Or you will say it…eventually. I promise.

And I tell you why as well…
Your husband and kids are like super spies. Not even that….they are like little terrorists. They are actually
implementing their torture skills on you daily. They are MASTER game players.

You are naive to it at first. You’re a GOOD mom and a GOOD wife.
You pick things up….you vacuum and dust. You pick up wet towels and dirty clothes. You flush poopies that
didn’t get flushed by the POOPER. You fix meals. And not just frozen french fries and corn dogs. You fix GOOD meals.
Healthy meals. And guess what? You were the one that went to the store and bought the food. You made a list, spent an hour at the store, loaded up the car, brought it home, unloaded it and put it away….
You clean out the fridge.
You get the pets to the vet.
You get the kids to the doc and dentist.
And again….there’s more poopies to be flushed?? Didn’t you ask the POOPER nicely the last time to kindly flush?
And didn’t you ask someone to pick up their dirty clothes after their shower and bring them to the wash? I mean hey….when the clothes are being WASHED AND FOLDED AND PUT AWAY FOR YOU….can’t you at least get them to
washing machine once they’re dirty?
And could someone get the dog fresh water? Is that so hard?
And what about these granola bar wrappers and Popsicle sticks?? The trash can is RIGHT THERE??

And since when does it fall on MOM to change the furnace filter?
Call the mower repair guy?

See….see…
This is what I mean.
Little stinkin’ terrorists! Gamers.

They bring you to the brink with their quiet ways.
They leave little crumbs everywhere….it’s all part of a master plan to make you have a total spaze.
A few dishes left here and there….or just plopped in the sink…
Empty toilet paper roll sits unchanged.
One swig of lemonade left in the gallon pitcher in the fridge. WHY??? WHY???
The madness.

It starts to break you.
It festers in you.

And then….
Voila!
Certifiable MeltDown!

And you scream…
“I am so friggin tired of nagging. If I don’t nag…nothing gets done around here.”

Game Over.

Author: Kelly Land lives in Weaverville, NC ( near Asheville ) with her husband, two kids, two cats and dog.  She owns the popular, award winning work at home website, www.MoneyMakingMommy.com. She loves writing, gardening, playing guitar and seeking out the “real” deal in life – and then pushing her opinion (in a nice way) about it on others….hence, her blog www.HomeBasedBusinessMom.com.

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Dreaming of starting you very own business?

I do it too.
I have pity parties for myself.
I don’t actually throw down and cry – but sometimes I sit and sigh. That big kinda sigh…..
::ssssiiiiiiggggghhhh::

It’s almost like  a yawn/sigh.

A cross between “I’m kinda bummed….” and “Where do I even start?”….with a little “What am I doing?”

Yep…that’s what it feels like sometimes to be a work at home mom. It’s scary, frustrating, elating and exhausting. And there are days where you think it all might swallow you up because you’re just this tiny entity out there trying to find your way and grab your piece of the pie.

Having a home business or working at home can feel a bit isolating too. Who exactly do you go to when something screws up? What department do you call when you have a tax or payroll question? What’s the extension for the IT guy when you have a computer problem? Yep…..it’s you.

There have been many times over the past 8 years that I have just said…..I quit. I push my chair away from my computer desk or I slam my laptop shut and just walk away. How many all-nighters and obstacles and learning curves does one person have to endure to actually make it on their own??

A lot.
And there will always be more. (Please don’t kill the messenger! But it’s true!)

I don’t really believe in over night sensations on the internet. Not as far as a “mom” website, blog or home business go. It’s little steps….little achievements. Each one building on the other. And it’s hard to gauge these little accomplishments with your head down and working like a crazy woman. But it’s happening.

There is no co-worker or boss to pat you on the back…..and that can be hard. So give yourself credit. Even when you feel you’ll never figure out HTML, widgets, SEO……or whatever – just stop….and take stock in what you have figured out. Heck….even if you just figured out HOW to buy a domain name – and picked a domain name today – that is still a step. A step in the direction of your OWN dream.

MoneyMakingMommy.com was never an over-night success. I have a lot of women email me and say…..”I want to do what you do…..” Or…..”How do I get started…..how do I get traffic…..how do I figure out what to write about….talk about…..sell…..”   ETC

I don’t hold a “magic” answer. There has been nothing easy about this path I’ve been on. I still feel small sometimes – like I haven’t gotten to where I ultimately want to be. And it’s not about money or hitting some kind of income goal….
it’s about self-satisfaction.

Did I really offer anything of help today? Did a single person out there garner anything…even a smile, from something I passed along? If not? I ask…..”How can I do better…..” What path do I take tomorrow?

Every day I am learning something about me…..and something about the lives I touch. It guides me, inspires me – and I pull myself back up to my computer desk and try again. Not everything I’ve done or gone through the trouble of learning has been a success. But I have no regrets – because every experience has a lesson in it.

And if it had ever been just about money – I would have quit for good a long time ago and just gone back to radio. I’ve been knocked down a lot out here on the internet. I’ve looked at other sites, and seen others successes and started to try and measure up – or cut myself down for NOT measuring up in my eyes. Those are the times that lead me off track the most. I allow myself to feel small.

In the grand scheme – maybe we are all tiny – but I’m not trying to be everything to everybody. And neither should you. That’s impossible. You will feel so burdened and burnt out – you’ll set yourself up for failure from the get-go.

So take a step…
Find what you like….
This is what happened for me. I LOVE to write. I LOVE computers. I LOVE researching. I LOVE connecting with people over a common interest (That’s what I did on the air in radio for years!)
So…to this day….that’s my passion. I love it. It doesn’t get old for me. If you hate to write, hate computers, hate great big books that teach you about FrontPage or Dreamweaver……or have no desire to learn about search engine optimization….maybe this isn’t for you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work at home or have a home based business – it just means…..your path is different than mine. So what?

Start with your heart in the right place….and take the first step. You cannot go wrong.

Author: Kelly Land lives in Weaverville, NC with her husband, two kids, two cats and dog.  She owns the popular, award winning work at home website, www.MoneyMakingMommy.com. She loves writing, gardening, playing guitar and seeking out the “real” deal in life – and then pushing her opinion (in a nice way) about it on others….hence, her blog www.HomeBasedBusinessMom.com.