Today is my blog birthday. It’s 1. Amazing how time flies. Last year I remember working on setting up the blog. What do I call it? What will I write about? How do I use wordpress and install widgets? I almost didn’t launch it. I wanted to wait until it was perfect. Then, I realized that it may never be perfect and that I just need to get it going. I’m glad I did.

Today, 365 days later, I still post daily on weekdays. I have regular readers. People comment on my stories. I feel like I have a purpose to inspire and share information with other moms having a hard time balancing their lives with all they have to do. We all have the same struggles. Housework, grocery shopping, careers, jobs, children, husbands, and taking care of ourselves along the way.

Over the past year I have learned a lot about you. You love stories that inspire you to be better mothers and better women. You really love baking cakes for your kids. Or at least you want to try to bake a cake. Overall, you want to relate to other women going through the same things.

You find Balancing Motherhood in strange ways sometimes. Sometimes the keywords you choose are sad. Which is why I’m glad you find me here. I hope to inspire you to be who you are and to be happy with your situation — or to find something new.

Thank you readers for coming. Thank you for returning. I’m moving on to another great year — thanks to you.

Related:

• Balancing Motherhood has expanded beyond the blog. We’ve got a Balancing Motherhood Facebook group that anyone can join, upload photos, videos or posts that you think would be relevant to share with other moms.
• Find me on Twitter: Alicialm

Another great segment from Tory Johnson on “Good Morning America” this morning. Johnson has a new book, “Will Work From Home.” In it, she highlights the five best businesses that allow people (not just women) to work from home. Everything from the uber-chic Etsy.com to hourly service-industry positions.

What I love most about Johnson is how she is so inspiring. She makes you believe in yourself and your dreams. I haven’t read the book, but think it will help many women define their futures.

Related:

• Buy Johnson’s new book, “Will Work From Home” now.
• Read the full article, “Five Best Work-From-Home Jobs.“
• Other work-from-home titles from Amazon.com.

The other day while waiting for people to arrive to a meeting, someone told an interesting story. I can’t remember how we got on the topic, but it is something to think about. It’s told as a joke, but I think that it has very deep meaning. Here’s my best attempt at the joke:

A business man drove past a man fishing in a pond every day. Each day the business man saw the same man fishing. One day, he stopped to talk to him.

“What do you do?” the man fishing said to the corporate man.

“I’m and executive and own a lot of companies. I work a lot,” he explained. “So that I can do what you do one day.”

“Man, you don’t have to do all of that to do what I do!” the fisherman said.

Very insightful, don’t you think. It goes to show that a lot of people don’t do what they love. They drive themselves to the ground, only to be disappointed in the end.

Here’s another article about moms who’ve figured out how to make good money working part-time hours. I think this is the wave of the future — utilizing women’s experiences and talents while allowing them more time with their families. It’s a win-win for companies and for American families. The companies benefit because they usually get more than they pay for from these moms, who are dedicated, smart and work savvy. Moms know how to prioritize their time and get more done with less. The moms get job satisfaction, quality pay and the flexibility they need to be at home.

The August issue of “Good Housekeeping” showcases five women who have figured out the magic solution to the work/life dilemma.

There is also a sidebar to the article that lists three companies that specialize in helping moms find good paying part-time jobs:

• flexibleexecutives.com
• momcorps.com (I’ve mentioned it before.)
• tentiltwo.com

Read the full article here.

Today I’m dedicating my post to Randy Pausch, the father who died last week of cancer. I’m sure most of you have heard all about Randy by now. Over the past 10 months he has been dying of pancreatic cancer. He was first given 3-6 months to live, but went to extreme measures to make every day count and to get as many extra days as he could with his family (a wife and three young children).

My husband met Randy once during a business meeting and says that he is just as nice in person as he seems on TV.

What Pausch has left us is a reminder to make every day count. If you only had 3-6 months to live, what would you do? How would you spend today? He gave “The Last Lecture,” last fall and wrote a book by the same title. Watch it. Read it. Then, decide how you’ll spend the rest of your life.

• Buy the book, “The Last Lecture.”
• Diane Sawyer hosts a special about Randy Pausch, it airs tonight on ABC. Check your local listings for showtimes.