I work from a desk in the corner of our kids’ small playroom. Full time. Usually more. For almost three years now. Managing social media, strategic relationships {and the website (in)courage} for DaySpring, a subsidiary of Hallmark.

It’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had.

And while I wish I had a Martha Stewart style office, I’m learning ways to make life between the Legos and the baby dolls work for this work season.

Right now there is a curly-haired, toddler girl napping in the room next door and two boys who will need to be picked up from school and fed large quantities of food this afternoon. There is a hamster chugging circles on his wheel and last night’s dishes are still on the dinner table.

It’s a good day.

But it requires a peculiar kind of rhythm to make it work.

So here’s what I’ve learned from the last three years about working from home without losing your mind.
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Alright, so I promised to give you a few more of the details behind the how of writing my recent book. It’s a great question, how to write a book, because on the one hand, you can simply open up a word processing document and start typing. On the other hand, there are a few things that’ll make the process a bit easier and more enjoyable.

Just like I already shared, I made my environment work in my favor as much as possible for working smart and not hard. I had our babysitter come as often as she could, Kyle rolled up his sleeves even more than usual and cooked most of the dinners, and I cleared my calendar to do almost nothing but write.

But I picked up on a few tricks of the trade that helped me, and I’d love to pass them on to you. Read on.
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Phew… I’m done. With my book, I mean. Or, at least the first draft. I emailed it to my editor a little over a week ago, and I’m still catching up on sleep.

I definitely went through that phase I hear is all too common with other authors, where you just want the thing done, for heaven’s sake, and you kinda feel guilty for having such unloving feelings for a book. But in all honesty, I love the thing, and I’m so happy with how it turned out. So very happy. I can’t wait to share it with you.

Now, a few of you have asked how I wrote the book, and I’m assuming you mean beyond the What-program-did-you-type-it-in? sort of stuff. So I thought I’d write a post with a few of the things that helped me write a 55,000 word book while not losing my head.

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“Will you be able to pull it off?” nagged a little voice inside my head when my husband and I decided to go into business together in 2011.

The decision did come after a lot of thought and brainstorming, planning and strategizing, but still there was this little voice inside that asked repeatedly, “Will it be a happy place to be in?”

Gladly, today, after almost two years of working together, I can say, “Yes, we did pull it off and yes, it is a very happy place to be in.”

However, it certainly isn’t easy and, like every partnership, both partners have to work hard at it. Here are some tips that help me work happily and successfully with my spouse right beside me.
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This post was first published on January 30, 2012, and even though my days are slightly different right now (we’re not homeschooling this year, for instance), the general vibe remains the same.

7:00 – My alarm goes off on my iPhone. We had a late night last night. I grab it, hit snooze, and tuck it under my pillow.

7:17 – I get up and grab my phone, journal, and Bible off the nightstand. I head to the bathroom, splash water on myself, brush my hair. I weigh myself. Down three pounds since January 1!

• 7:20 – As I walk out, I see that my boys’ door is open. Darn cat. I try to sneak by, but Finn sees me. He was quietly playing in his crib not two seconds before, but now there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. I sigh. I tiptoe in there and grab him so that Reed will stay asleep. Finn in my arms, I close the door as quietly as I can.

Not two seconds later, Reed calls, “Mom! Mom! Mom!” from his bunk bed. We’re working on him waiting more than one second to give me a chance to answer him, but he doesn’t remember this freshly awake.

Reed climbs down and follows us. Quiet morning alone is over.
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