Fitness is an important issue and thankfully we have made steps to ensure that our family spends time being physically fit. Currently we are tackling cardio exercise requirements through daily, early morning walk and sport. Soon we are planning to upgrade into joining the run craze or get into even more stringent regimens. The best diet pills can help you get slimmer but they cannot save you from the bad side-effects of unhealthy eating and lifestyle.

Car maintenance is never ending…! Now we are plagued by problematic interior problems – with the front doors and the power windows! The seats on the driver side also need a new foam pad and we also want to change our seat cover. Sigh! Anyway I’ll be taking it for repairs either this week or the next – once we get some free time to do it.

Lack of exercise has always been an issue with our household – being both work at home parents and raising a home school boy ties us to chairs and leaves us with little to no physical efforts. Instead of working out, we are hiding behind our venetian blinds so to speak.

To change this we have started to wake up early in the morning for an hour of basketball while our youngest walk around the court. Our weekend has also been very busy lately – we have resolved to take our kids outdoors from some physical activities. Our current favorite by far is the Quezon Circle park, with its biking and gokart options, even us parents are assured to break enough sweat.

Last weekend, we went to the mall. After a week of hard work, we thought we always make time to take a trip to the mall to relax and run some errands.

First on my list was some audio and video cables. My existing ones are old so I thought it was time to change them.

Then we went to the toy store to buy the kids some toys. We don’t buy them expensive toys nowadays because we noticed they’re still happy even if we buy then inexpensive ones. Maybe the saying is true, it’s the thought that really counts.

Anyway, before we went home we dropped by the restaurant for a quick meal.

Working at home has been very rewarding for me and my family. Just being with them 24/7 is more than enough reason to make it worth all the trouble. But it doesn’t excuse home offices from the usual problems and hiccups. Here are a few of the problems I encounter and the steps I took to prevent them.

1. Internet Connection – ISPs will most certainly fail from time to time so it is essential to have a backup. You can get one of those USB modems just for those emergency moments or when you need to go out and still need internet connection.

2. Communication software – The most commonly used software is Skype, but there are other audio and video conferencing solutions available. You need to clarify with your client or boss which messaging and video client they prefer

3. Power Failure – Use a laptop, my laptop has saved me from losing work data because of power failures because it has a built in battery. Besides most laptops are powerful enough to handle day to day office type duties.

4. Health Risks – This is very crucial, since you no longer travel, being physically idle becomes a health risk so remember to have a regular exercise schedule. I have dumbbells near my station for some quick arm exercises and I run to our time works machine for cardio.