Working From Home

I've worked from home for the past ten years. I often have people ask me how they can get a job like I have. I often just smile as I don't really have an answer. Yup, I can stay in my pajamas all day (although that gets depressing). And I can volunteer at the school or do my visiting teaching during the day (although it usually means staying up later that night to get the work done that I didn't while out). My experience has been, though, that most people really aren't interested in working from home. They'd like to get paid, but they don't really want to work. I probably work more hours than I would if I went and found a regular job. However, every time one of my children is sick, or needs to be picked up early from school, or when there's a field trip to go on, or I go for a leisurely lunch out with my husband I realize I wouldn't trade this for any regular job. I also can't stand the idea of someone telling me when to work and I love being home, so I keep doing what I'm doing. Will I do it forever? I don't know. For now it sure works for us though.

There are some good websites out there for people intersted in learning more about working from home. Working Naked is one of my favorites - probably just because the name of it is hilarious!

I also have a blog I often read called Work At Home Mom Revolution. I'm amazed at the postings the author finds! There are a number of work at home options out there.

This past month I've worked a lot. I would guess probably 8 - 10 hours a day. I get up earlier now (5:00 or 6:00 am versus my previous 7:00) and work for an hour or so in the morning, then get the kids off to school. While the kids are at school I keep my nose to the grindstone. I've learned that if I take a 15 minute break every hour or so I'm much more productive, so every hour an alarm goes off to remind me to go change the laundry, or clean the bathroom, or make our bed, or get the meat out of the freezer, or whatever else needs to be done. After the kids go to bed I do it again for two or three more hours. There's no time for scrapbooking, no time for TV, and no time for long telephone conversations: all the things I imagine other stay at home mom's do. But that's okay. My house isn't always clean and sometimes we have toast and peaches for dinner, but that's okay. I'm pretty happy with the opportunity I have had to work from home. I am looking forward to this project wrapping up though! I'm much more comfortable simply working 8 hours a day. LOL