Tag Archives: work at home moms

3 Cardinal Rules of Working with Kids at Home

By on February 14th, 2013

There is not much easy about our job unless you compare it to something like digging ditches or building a skyscraper. But that at least wears out your body rather than your mind. At the end of a day wrestling obligations to kids and careers, my brain is tired. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels mentally split almost constantly throughout the day. There is no question that working at home with kids underfoot is challenging. But it’s possible…if you follow a few ironclad rules of the trade. Never take on more than you can handle. For most …

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Clients We Love to Hate

By on December 20th, 2012

I love my clients. I don’t want you to think I’m a total jerk for getting up here on this proverbial soapbox and bashing the people who routinely buy my services. I’m not bashing them. I have no reason to – in fact, I’m suddenly thinking of dedicating a post to what makes them so amazing, but that’s not as much fun to write so I’ll put that one off for a bit. Instead let me tell you about some of the “clients” that I think we can all agree to hate. Yes, that sounds terribly ugly, but we hate …

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Game Changers: Is It Time to Throw in the Freelance Towel?

By on October 25th, 2012

It’s crossed the mind of every freelancer at one point or another, perhaps on the day that a major deal falls through or you learn you’re looking at a divorce or pregnancy. Is there a good time to stop freelance writing? While our knee jerk reaction may be to immediately deny the thoughts of walking away or scaling back, logically there are some times when life requires we reassess plans and make modifications – sometimes big ones. You Need Money Now Freelance writing can earn you some money quickly if you find jobs quickly or you already have a well-established …

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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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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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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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If You Worked for Free…

By on October 13th, 2011

If I were going to list some favorite movies, Princess Bride would be near the top. Forrest Gump would be up there, too. But the movie that really defined where I am now is Office Space. I spent my time in a cubicle with a boss who would peek in over our heads to see what we were up to. I even had a consultant named Bob – no really, I swear. But the biggest lesson I learned from Office Space was to find something I’d do for free. “So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, …

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The Trouble with Bedtime: Working Mom Woes

By on May 26th, 2011

While I love most things about having two jobs, the time I dislike being a double-time working mom most is at bedtime. Throughout the day I push, push, push to get everything done. And now that the day is winding down I want more than anything to just relax and enjoy myself. Unfortunately I can’t sit down and finish up a quick job just yet because my children won’t fall asleep. Every parent has bedtime woes with kids, but as a mom who works in the evenings (Yes, I was doing mornings, but I keep switching between morning and evening …

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Shhh….Mommy’s Working Now!

By on April 28th, 2011

I’m doing something crazy today. I’m working on this post while my children are awake. It’s crazy – I know. I’m used to working in the still of the morning now around 4 am, but yesterday about 2 o’clock my body decided that it was done carrying me through my crazy schedule and decided to develop a sore throat and general yuckiness. As I finished my day feeling a lot like I was slowly dying, I decided that getting up 4 in the morning was going to be a very bad idea. So I didn’t. I got up with my …

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Working Mom Sagas: Mornings or Evenings?

By on March 3rd, 2011

I’ve been working nights for years. This wouldn’t be a big deal if I wasn’t already working days and mornings, too. I’ve mentioned a few (dozen) times already, but I have the two kiddos to get up and out of the house every morning, while I get up and out of the house as well to head to the school where I teach at-risk teenagers. Then I come home with my kiddos, get them into bed and use the tiny sliver of energy I have left to crank out brilliant work, or at least what passes for brilliant after being …

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