Working from Home Ideas?

Hi T.,
Congratulations on your new little one. Hang in there. I don't have a suggestion about working from home (I'd love to do that myself) -please note I'm not trying to lecture you or anything like that. in the meantime, take really good care of yourself. with a 3-month old baby...my guess right now, your hormones are also all over the place too. take a look at what you're eating and what supplements you're taking. cherish every moment you can spend with them . Think of ways to cut back and spend less. Here is what I do when I find myself at work and wanting to be home with the kids: Thank God for the job you have when so many people are looking for work. write down how many ways your job is a blessing to your family and others. Ask God for ideas of how to spend more time with your kids and also have an income. I pray that you find an answer soon. in the mean time, carry a camera with you and take lots and lots of pictures! God Bless!
~C.~

I work from home. I'm a business analyst and have been with my company almost 12 years - I earned the trust given to me when they allowed me to WAH. Working at home is work, I could not do it if my kids were home. It is not fair to my job to be distracted by my kids when I'm working and it's not fair to my kids to be distracted by my job when I'm mothering. During the school year I have flex hours and am off when my kids are out of school. During the summer they go to camp, I can't even have them home with a nanny because it would be too disruptive to me.

I suggest you look into contract work as some of the other moms have suggested, that way you can control the hours. Typically regular telecommute jobs require you to have childcare, so those wouldn't work for you. Either that or PT might work for you.

You're obviously a "full-time" mom despite the fact that your work takes you away from your little ones! It stinks when we have to make money when our hearts are yearning to be spending time with our kids. I don't know any mom who hasn't experienced this at one point in time. I do think it's good for kids to see that their moms are multi-faceted and talented people who have a lot to contribute. I applaud you for approaching your current employer first. Getting out of the house is not all bad and if your workplace knows you and supports you, then that's something to treasure. Working from home is work. I'm a graphic designer and most times I'm working while my kids are in school and then after they go to bed. I get them off to school, pick them up, my husband and I split taking them to after school lessons and we always have dinner together. I am very lucky. It's also nice that I can juggle when to do errands, but sometimes laundry does get behind, because sometimes work does have to come first. I try not to let that happen, but my family must pitch in and be patient with me! There is no magical equation that works for everyone, but by being honest with yourself about what you want and how you might achieve it, you can put together a plan for what will work for you and for your family. I think the other mamas here gave some good ideas for work at home. Wishing you luck!

Well, this might not be so fun for you when you have your own, but babysitting, working in the schools, and so on. Anything that will put you near your kids is neat. I don't know what you do, but the time in life is short and those are the things that can keep you near your children are precious.

This type of post is here often. Just be careful because you'll get all the MLM/direct sales/pyramid recruiters hitting you up. Just keep in mind... nothing is get rich quick and if you have to pay out money then it is not legit.

What about exploring the option to telecommute. Of course, this would have to be very specific because most companies will require childcare because working at home is WORK, not watching the little ones.

Working from home requires self discipine, self motivation and a good drive. We do work from home. It gets old sometimes be we do love owning our own company and watching it grow. When you own your own company you work more 24/7 than a traditional work day. I manage all the financials, Quickbooks, taxes, payroll, travel, shipping of samples, etc. We are in the raw materials industry and sell/broker/consult manufacturers.

Can you tutor $50/hr here, babysit, sell things you no longer need on Craigslist/Ebay? I have an assistant bookkeeper who is a SAHM and she works from home to tutor me on Quickbooks when I need help. She is very savvy, knows the tax laws, etc and she is my right hand person to ask questions. I pay her prorated $85/hr.

Think outside the box .... If hubby is willing to watch all children, can you do the sampling of food at the grocery store, retail industry, etc.

Good luck.

Does your company offer telecommuting options? Are there aspects of your job that can be done at home via the computer?

My boss was always dead-set against having people telecommute, but currently three of us do it. The benefits for him was putting us on hourly rather than salary and not having to pay for benefits like sick days or vacation. Also, he would have lost us if he hadn't caved in.

I do accounting and computer work from home. I love the flexibility. However, I hate that I sometimes have to put my kid in front of the TV to get my work done and that often the lines between home time and work time get very blurry. Co-workers feel free to call me almost anytime of the day or night, which can get irritating. Someone just called me this past Saturday night at 11:00 pm about her W2. What? Still, it has enabled me to be home with my son for the past 5 years. See if it's possible to work something out with your current employer.

If you have an advanced degree, you can teach online classes (or evening classes) at a community college. The other big way to make money is working online. There are call centers that hire home workers. You can also open your own e-bay story or sell on craigslist.

I'd definitely suggest talking to your employer first to see if they would be willing to let you work from home. There is a website I found with work from home jobs on it called www.genuinejobs.com. You can sign up for daily alerts for those too. Yes, be careful of the people wanting you to join their MLM business to make lots of money. They are legitimate businesses but being in 2 MLMs myself, there is no easy money with it and you'll have to work a lot to make money with it. Also, it is not easy to work from home with a little one at home. I did that when mine were younger and was lucky to work 10-15 hours between naps and such. Many work from home jobs require you to be on the phone which is virtually impossible with a young one demanding attention in the background. Good luck with your search though!

I have a home-based business called ParentLink Info Services, and a website, www.metroprofiles.com. My business provides school, child care, recreation, and community information for cities/suburbs across the U.S. (currently about a dozen metro areas online, working on more over the next couple of years). I do have some commission-based opportunities (can privately email you info, or you can find the pages on my website, generally have links from the main page). Quite honestly, any job opportunities I can provide will likely not replace your current income should you leave your job, but can possibly supplement any other work from home arrangements. Just a consumer warning type thing: generally stay away from money upfront deals, possibly o.k. with established home party outfits such as Discovery Toys, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, etc., but definitely a red flag otherwise, such as with stuffing envelopes, medical transcription, etc.
If you would like to get in touch with me privately, my email address (which is also posted on a number of my webpages) is ____@____.com phone # is ###-###-####. Best of luck to you.
S. Redfern

Hi T.,

I am a Nurse Practitioner and work 2 days a week in a private cardiology practice, but I also started my own home-based business with Ambit Energy last Spring.

I wasn't looking for anything when I discovered Ambit, but I immediately saw the opportunity in it and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. Ambit Energy allows me to capitalize off the deregulation of energy (gas/electricity) and earn bonuses for gathering customers and helping others do the same and also the ability to earn money each time one of my customers pays their gas and/or electricity bill.

I really like that I don't have to "sell" anything because everyone already pays for gas and/or electricity and I can help them get it for cheaper. It's also very simple because customers sign up online and we don't have to do home presentations (unless you really want to) and we don't have to collect money or order/deliver products.

If you have an open mind about MLM/Network Marketing then you should definitely consider doing a business like this. Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki (the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad) actually wrote an article about why they recommend network marketing. I can e-mail it to you if you like...Just let me know.

Anyways, feel free to check out my website http://sealteam1.whyambitworks.com or e-mail me for more information.

Good luck,
J.

I see you already have some comments from consultants with other direct sales companies. I'm a consultant with Thirty-One Gifts. I love that it allows me determine my own work schedule and continue to stay home with my kids. Thirty-One is a faith-based company started by a woman and her husband in their basement several years ago. The name of the company comes from Proverbs 31, which talks about the virtuous woman who works hard and cares for others, and is therefore worthy of reward. The company strives to Celebrate, Encourage and Reward women. If you consider direct sales, I would really encourage you to look into the company. I'd be happy to provide more information and help in any way I can. You can email me at ____@____.com or through my website at www.mythirtyone.com/lisazaras.

Best wishes to you.

Definitely try to work at your same job on a part time basis. I work about 20hrs a week and it's perfect - considering I have to work for the income. Generally I'm at work while the kids are at school. It's still tough in that the hosue is always a mess and lots of things that I'd like to get done don't get done. But - I'm almost always able to pick the kids up from school or be home when the bus drops them. It makes orthodontist appts, sprots practices and music lessons so much easier to do. We have no spare money and rarely eat out - but I'm home iwth the kids which is huge. The only time it's tough is when it's busy at my work - but that's about 2 months and we get through it.

If you're a good worker many companies and bosses are trying to accomodate flexible schedules since they get to keep the good workers, there's continuity in the job, etc. Teh best wayt o request it is to show your boss what's in it for him. This is not about what's best for you - he's not concerned. he wants to know that the job is still going to get done, that you're dedicated and how you're going to make it work out to his benefit.

I've ben working P/T since my son was born 12 years ago and I don't think I'll every go back to full time. ever.
Good luck mama.