Tag Archives: wahm moms

The Greatest Things About This Freelancing Gig

By on April 25th, 2013

I’m a teacher. I chose to be a teacher, and I continue to teach because I enjoy the challenge and the rewards of the profession. But there are always downsides, and in this season of assessment testing and stress, I was thinking today about my other job. I’m a freelance writer. I chose to start writing and to continue this career in addition to the full-time teaching one about eight years ago. It makes for full days, and there are times when I’m ready to throw in the towel, escape to a beach somewhere and lay still. Okay, we call …

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Posted in Freelance Writing Life |

Shifting Schedules (Again): How to Tell When It’s Time

By on April 11th, 2013

As any work-at-home parent knows, your schedule is at the mercy of your family. The exception might be those who have a babysitter or daycare lined up, but for most of us, we have to plug along as best with we can with holidays, changing sleep schedules, summer vacations and the rest of it. Over the almost eight years I’ve been working from home, I’ve had to adjust my schedule a few times. I went from working naps to nights to nights-and-naps to just nights again. I tried mornings and then went back to nights. And that’s where I’ve been …

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Posted in Work at Home Parents |

Soft Skills of a Professional Writer

By on March 14th, 2013

I’m not going to split hairs about what makes a professional writer different from a full-time writer or different from a freelance writer or blogger or any other industry distinction. When I talk about being a professional writer, I could care less what you write – I’m referring to how you treat your clients and your business. There are two elements to being a successful writer. The first is that you can deliver what you promise. If you promise a well-written feature article, then you should be able to produce an excellent article. If you promise some short descriptions using …

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Posted in Freelance Writing Business |

Freelancing Tricks: Find a Comfort Zone

By on October 11th, 2012

One of the hardest things to do as a freelancer is also one of the most critical. You need to find a comfort zone in your professional life. If you don’t find a happy medium where you’re driven to succeed without overwhelming yourself with projects and obligations, your professional life will quickly bleed over into your personal life – and soon you find yourself trapped in a freelance career.  Determine Your Goals Everyone writes for a different reason. Some freelancers want to surround themselves with the written word and they cultivate their passion for writing by pursuing a fully-immersed career …

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Posted in Work at Home Parents |

When Working Conditions Are Never Right

By on June 7th, 2012

There are those among us who can only work when the conditions are just right. They must have the right music or show on in the background. They must have their ergonomic chair positioned just so and their office door opened exactly three inches to allow for cross ventilation while blocking 93 percent of all regular household noises. I’m not that person. Nor is any parent working at home – if they choose to work while the kids are around. Working in Chaos While I wouldn’t call life with two kiddos chaos, it can reach that point quickly enough. For …

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Posted in Work at Home Parents |

The Small Joys of Working Online

By on April 26th, 2012

It might be the hours I keep, but there are some things about this business that just strike me as funny at the most unusual times. I’m sure it’s not a condition isolated to this working-mom-freelance-writer-person, so let’s see how many of you have the same random bits of humor that I do: I’m a Mystery to Advertisers Everywhere I don’t know why, but it cracks me up when I realize that once again I’ve fooled Google. I use Gmail to consolidate some email accounts so that I can check everything no matter where I am or what computer I’m …

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Posted in Work at Home Parents |

3 Ways to Kick Into Writing Gear NOW!

By on April 12th, 2012

It’s amazing what a three-day weekend can do to your morale when it comes to picking up that virtual pen and getting back to work on Monday. I won’t lie to you – my schedule sucks sometimes and this is definitely one of those days. My day started at 6 am, I was in a meeting on a Monday morning at 7:30 where I learned I’d be “privileged” to have groups of other teachers possibly coming by to learn from and question my teaching practices. What a way to jumpstart a Monday after a break, right? The day continued in …

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Posted in Work at Home Parents |

So, You’re a Working Mom?

By on January 5th, 2012

There was an interesting comment in a recent article of mine that made me think. Another mom-who-happens-to-work-at-home mentioned that she “just can’t call herself a WAHM.” It made me smile for a couple of reasons. One – I smiled because I suspect I know exactly why that particular title makes her uncomfortable. And – Two –  because I use that particular term on purpose here on the blog. (Even if it’s not one that I am ready to march for waving my own little flag necessarily, and she probably already knows that, too.) WAHM Baggage Okay, here’s the scoop. If …

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Posted in Work at Home Parents |

Working with Kids: Boosting Productivity

By on November 10th, 2011

I’m split at times about how kids affect my working life. In many – okay most – cases I feel very limited by having kids underfoot or in the house when I’m working. But other times I wonder if I’d be as effective as I am if my children didn’t already have me so well trained. It takes a lot of dedication and discipline to freelance from home. As I sit here, a book I started and the newest episode of Glee are calling my name. But I won’t stop writing to give in to the temptation. I can’t. I …

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Posted in Work at Home Parents |

Freelance Lessons Learned the Hard Way

By on October 27th, 2011

I am so very not perfect. I would never claim to be the best writer around, the best mother around or the best teacher around. I do like to think I work hard at all of my various life choices, and I have some nice successes to show for that work. But even if you’re an amazingly awesome writer coming into this career or you’re looking at a dramatic change, as many writers suddenly are, there are going to be some knocks. I’m admittedly an imperfect writer, so feel free to take my advice with a large grain of salt …

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Posted in Work at Home Parents |