The Balancing Act: Caregiving, Curb Appeal, and Coding a Business
Writing these blogs is definitely for me. I’m a talker—I can talk about almost anything! It doesn't mean I’m an expert on everything, but I certainly have a lot to say.
I started this journey to help my husband and me fulfill a dream: relocating across the country in less than a year. It’s a huge life transition. Neither of us is big on change, so we are feeling that mix of being scared and excited all at the same time.
The Full Plate On top of opening an online store to give us more flexibility, I’m also sharing the struggle of getting our home ready to sell—a house we’ve called home for almost 23 years. I’m doing all of this while:
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Working full-time as a caregiver.
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Keeping up with the "everyday life stuff"—laundry, cooking, and cleaning.
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Making time for my "fur babies" and my husband (who works opposite shifts from me!).
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Caring for my parents who live an hour away (the plan is to move them with us!).
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Staying connected with our grown children who have busy lives of their own.
Learning to Lean In Then, there's the physical side. I recently started physical therapy for a birth defect I’ve lived with for over 50 years. Some things just get tougher as you get older, and I’ve been diagnosed with congenital torticollis. It basically looks like I have a permanent crick in my neck, and trying to treat it this late in life is a whole other story. I think I’ll do an entire blog post on that journey another time.
The Learning Curve I am still "learning the ropes" of the online shop world. I’ve spent several late nights and early mornings this week correcting my SEO. I think I have two major social media platforms down, but I haven’t even dared to tackle TikTok yet! I’ll get there.
Stay Weird, Stay Authentic, Stay Inspired Right now, I’m just trying not to bore anyone. I hope you find our story interesting enough to follow. If not, don’t give up on me just yet! I’m bound to make mistakes along the way that will have you shaking your head and laughing at the same time.
That’s why my motto is: Stay weird, stay authentic, and stay inspired. I am most definitely weird and authentic. I wear my feelings on my sleeve and I have no filter (which means I "open mouth, insert foot" quite often!). I can make myself laugh harder than anyone else can.
I’m not "creepy" weird—I just love animals and children, and I’m often more comfortable around them than other adults. I love to help people and make others happy. My brain is a mix of ADHD, a little bipolar, and a dash of menopause, so things get a little "all over the place" sometimes. Focus, Linda, focus!—that’s what I tell myself.
I hope and pray you find my family’s journey interesting enough to follow. If you don’t, I understand—but I’m not giving up. I’m determined, I’m me, and I am who I am. Perfectly Imperfect. Annette -AllyBay
