I’ve come to my senses today, and with a good stern talking to, I have been put on “maternity leave” sooner than anticipated.  Running your own business makes things so tricky.  I can obviously take as much time as needed before I have my baby, and as much time after I have my baby, but the way things are going, that means not working for four full months.  Yesterday, I had eleven sessions still left to shoot, going all the way to June 8th.  I thought I could handle it.  Today, I’ve “cancelled” all but three of them.  And this is why-

The Life of a Pregnant Woman in Her Third Trimester Who Stays at Home with Her Children and Also Runs a Business and Also is the Creative Arts Planner for Her MOPS Group:

7:00 am- Wakeup, Breakfast, Computer time catching up on client emails, Playtime, Coloring, Laundry, Straightening up, Prepare for evening photo session

8:00 am- Get MOPS craft ready and together and print off directions

9:00 am- Grocery Shopping then Bank

10:00 am- Reading, Playtime, Lunch

12:55 pm- Get one child on the bus

1:00- Work, while trying to keep your other child occupied for two hours

3:00 pm- Clean up some things around the house.  Vacuum.  Put away clothes.

3:35 pm- Get one child off the bus, have snack, play outside

4:15 pm- Take a shower

4:30 pm- Get dinner ready

5:00 pm- Have family eat outside so they don’t get the house all messy before your clients come over, then shovel your dinner down while pacing in the kitchen and then pack their bag for swimming at the YMCA so that they don’t have to come back in the house and disturb the session.

5:30 pm- Client arrives, start session

6:45 pm- Finish session.

7:00 pm- Upload images and post a sneak peek

7:15 pm- Remember that you are supposed to go to church to set up the MOPS craft for the next morning

7:30 pm- Go to church and set up craft

8:00 pm- Go to Joann Fabrics to pick up the rest of the MOPS craft stuff.  Forget your coupons in the car.  Waddle out to the car to grab the coupons and go back into the store.

8:30 pm- Return home and work on editing pictures from sessions.

9:30 pm- Finally sit down on the couch and relax by laying down and watching 45 minutes of TV.  Have contractions.  Have more contractions.  Lots and lots of them.  Drink lots of water. Thinking about calling the OB about forty times.

10:30 pm-2:30 am- Fitfully sleep while still having contractions.

2:30 am-5:30 am- Awake and unable to sleep.

6:50 am- Up for the day, begin again.  Consult about what I should do about current situation and decide that my health and the baby’s health is more important than trying to make money for our summer needs.  We will work that out later.  And that is why I have nearly cancelled all of my remaining sessions.  It’s too much for being too pregnant, trying to take care of myself and the boys and a business.  So that’s that.  I will return in September!