WAHM-- work at home moms

shira

Wed, Dec 05 2007, 12:18 pm

As I mentioned, it takes time!
Thats unfortunately why multi level marketing has such a bad rap. People get involved and expect to get rich quick. They work it a few months and when they see that they aren't making millions immediately, they give up. Its a job that DEFINITELY requires some tenacity. I know people making 4, 5, 6 thousand dollars/month........but they've been in the business for a year and a half. I also know someone who sponsered TWO people into the business and she's now making about 2.5 thousand dollars/month. As long as your company is growing (which AGEL is, B"H- with millions of shekels of products being sold in Israel this past year alone!) then you really can't loose (if you give it enough time). Also, living in Israel, I cant tell you how liberating it feels to be putting in hours and having the same earning potential is my US counterparts. I worked for a company in Israel for SIX YEARS. After all that time the MOST I made was NINE dollars/hour. Why is my time worth less because I live in Israel? What can I say- I know I made a sound decision. What will be, lmaisa? only the aibishter knows!

spinkles

Thu, Dec 06 2007, 11:03 am

Hi Twinsmommy! I know who you are. Do you remember me? Smile

I work from home as a freelance writer. (Writing magazine articles.) I love the flexibility of being able to stay home with sick kids and not having to deal with office politics. I also really like writing, and I enjoy speaking with the experts I interview for quotes. I'm much happier when I have intellectual stimulation, so this is perfect for me. The down side is that since I don't have my kids with a sitter, I work a lot of hours at night, so I'm always tired. My house needs a thorough scrub, too, which I never find time for. And what's also difficult is waiting a long time to get paid, and the fact that at least 40% of my time is spent marketing myself rather than writing.

It's also hard when people think they can just stop by during the day, or they call and expect me to have time to chat, since I'm home. During the baby's morning nap I work hard! It's hard for them to understand that sometimes. I also find that a lot of people hear about what I do and think it's the perfect job for them, and want me to teach them how. The thing is, it sounds easy, but it's really not. I spent a very long time learning how the business works and how to write for a magazine audience. I'm happy to give general advice, but I wonder sometimes why people want to pick my brains for hours rather than just reading some books and blogs on the subject, or joining a writers' forum to ask their newbie questions.

Whoa! I sound totally whiny. Not sure where all these complaints are coming from. (Might have something to do with the kids having been home sick the last three days, including today....) I am going NUTS!!! Shaking

Baruch Hashem. Very Happy

TwinsMommy

Thu, Dec 06 2007, 1:33 pm

chana--- I Don't know who you are!!!! Pm me and tell me --- do I know you from another board?

I'm trying to schedule myself better these days and devote very specific times to working and other times to NOT feeling guilty about NOT working. If I made a decent amount of $$$ today and knocked a few things off the to-do list during the babies' naps, then I can relax and spend guilt free time just hanging out with my kiddos. I'm working on that!

ChossidMom

Sat, Jan 19 2008, 5:33 pm

I quit my corporate marketing/sales job in Jul 2006 and I'm now home with my 5 kids. I've gotten into internet marketing and I'm doing some stuff online but I just can't seem to find enough hours in the day right now to build up a real business. I am just too busy trying to maintain my home and deal with my kids. I still have a 2 year old and a 4 year old!
(Here are my two main blogs:
http://beginners-make-money-on.....t.com
http://mynaturalfitness.com/blog.)

I have been approached by a few about Agel but I don't do MLM's. Everyone seems to want me in their downline since I'm a great sale person, but I've just about had it with working for others (and that is how I still view MLM's). Also, you wind up having to target your friends and family as your potential customers and I HATE trying to sell to friends. Best of luck to everyone who's doing well with it though...

LuckyMum

Thu, Jan 24 2008, 6:42 am

Good to see that im not alone out there! (or rather, stuck in here) Im working as a project manager from home - 7 hrs a day! between work, and caring for my little ds I barely get the basics done around the house - meals are simple (if any). seeing the sun? forget about it - I could sometimes not leave my house for days or even weeks!!!!!! mathematically, it should work out - 7 out of 24 aint that much - but somehow I cant get organized, and end up working till the wee hours.... neglecting my house, hubby, baby.... anyone have any tips or suggestions on maintaining ones sanity and semi decent schedule while working from home? pleaase help!! Scratching Head

mimivan

Thu, Jan 24 2008, 7:05 am

LuckyMum wrote:

1. flylady.net!

2. do you have enough childcare..I'm struggling with this right now and still haven't made up my mind. right now my kids are in a half a day and I work at night to finish, but I get so tired and get almost no housework done. I really don't want them in full time all day, but women who work full time outside the home have to accept it..(I still have issues..) If you have only part time child care, I think supplemental babysitting and house help is in order...(I know it gets expensive) otherwise, just accept that things don't get done and lower your standards. As I tell dh..."everything is at the chesbon of something else and high standards cost money or energy or sanity!" (the latter I haven't really said to my husband yet...I'm waiting for the right time Very Happy

)

3. there are some things you can do while the kids are around...these little things can help alot.

4. plan meals, keep them very simple, make something really special (that dh especially likes) once a week and freeze enough for the next week.

5. use 5-10 minute work breaks for folding laundry, putting in laundry, boiling potatoes, picking up etc...

6. have a chaos basket that you can throw stuff in and sort out at the end of the day

7. are you sure you are only working 7 hours? Look at the actual time and you might be surprised...
8. Think of money like time and budget it!

(still trying to follow my own advice!) especially this one...if it gets to be too much, get more help...

LuckyMum

Thu, Jan 24 2008, 8:09 am

child care is stillnot in the picture. I have one little one - just going back to work after 3 months maternity leave, no pay. Gotta catch up b4 I can offord such luxuaries.....
hes still small so He sleeps quite alot - but still not enough for me to work, houswrk, eat, sleep, stay sane!!

yea, time is like the money budget - not enough!! Confused

Il check out that site - thanx, I just hope I dont get as addicted as I am to this one - Its one of my biggest time killers lately....

mimivan

Thu, Jan 24 2008, 3:49 pm

LuckyMum wrote:

Il check out that site - thanx, I just hope I dont get as addicted as I am to this one - Its one of my biggest time killers lately....

A seven hour a day job and no childcare...no wonder you are tired. b'hatzlacha...and I hope you one day can get the help you need. If I had no childcare, I would get 1-2 hours of sleep a night. With only part time childcare, I get 4-5...

mimivan

Thu, Jan 24 2008, 5:00 pm

wow, I don't know what to tell you. I used to have zero child care, but I was working just 4-5 hours a day and got no sleep and nothing done. Could dh help you out? At least with laundry and meals (my dh is allergic to housework for cultural reasons beyond his control but maybe yours isn't) Very Happy

I am hoping he may understand if you HAVE to work so many hours without childcare. I mean, in my opinion, it just isn't possible to do everything...I know because I tried and failed.

FrumWithPCOS

Wed, Jan 30 2008, 5:34 pm

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm working right now, but I'm pregnant with #1...and really want to be home, especially while baby is very small. Just had a talk with my supervisors today, and they're considering it. After a lot of research, soul-searching, and aitzah-asking, dh and I decided that I should try to work part-time from home instead of full-time. I'm still not sure that my company will OK it; they're talking to "the powers that be" about it for the next few days. But some of my coworkers are saying that I'm crazy and I'll never be able to do it...Do you think I'm going to over-stress myself?

A few points:
* It's only 20/hr (or possibly 30) a week.
* My mom lives close to me, and I could drop the baby off at her house if I was desperate (or even if I wasn't SO desperate, but needed tomake up some time).
* I'm the youngest in my family, don't have much experience with babies. (I babysat a lot, but the kids were always older.) So there'll be quite a learning curve.
* I work in the editing industry, and I'm well-established in my company.

What does everyone think? Is this do-able? Will I be horrible stressed? I'm not a great homemaker in general...I've gotten pretty good at fast meals, but cleaning is always tough for me. Dh isn't so particular, but it does bother me when the apt is really a mess. Dh is in kollel, and he'll be in night kollel too, so I'll definitely want to spend the time that he's home with him...and with the baby, of course!

TwinsMommy

Wed, Jan 30 2008, 7:54 pm

20 hours a week with a tiny baby is do-able, but either you'll need help for the cooking and cleaning and laundry, or you'll be working in tiny spurts every time baby naps and even when baby is awake but in a bouncy seat staring at you (those first few months are great for getting work done). As baby grows, you'll still find your 20 hours a week but you may need to depend on child care help from time to time--- did your mom OFFER, or are you just assuming? Better check with mom! Smile

I find I get good work done after the kids go to bed at night--- I email clients at 10:00 or 11:00 pm, package orders to mail out the next day, help consultants place wholesale orders-- that's all night stuff. When I need to do daytime interviews with potential new consultants or work face to face with clients, that's when I (now) depend on child care help but in the past was able to do that kind of stuff with babies sitting in bouncy seats staring at me or napping..... so take advantage of those first few months to get your work groove back on before you need more help.

My point is at the beginning I needed less help and now I need more now that they nap less and eat 3 solid meals a day (and with that comes sweeping under the high chairs, mopping hands and faces and high chair trays, and all the extra pooping from all the real food).

At the beginning, I could work for a bit while the kids were hanging out with me, sit on the floor between the bouncy seats and feed bottles, change a couple of diapers, plop the kids back into bouncy seats for a nap, and go back to work. Now that is NOT an option.

mimivan

Wed, Jan 30 2008, 11:07 pm

FrumWithPCOS wrote:

I was working at home with a very similar type of job. The boss insisted I have some kind of child care (not just a "once ina while" arrangement...He didn't enforce this too strictly, but made it clear that babysitting is needed for the job. Especially editing in which every mistake can cost credibility....

How much is your mother able to help? can she coordinate it with nap-time..

I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have when they start to work at home is the idea that one doesn't need regular child care.

mimivan

Thu, Jan 31 2008, 3:17 am

]
Me Too!!!

dh (incredibly...long story) has to work today and I don't know what I'm going to do...I usually pull an all-nighter or something close to it anticipating a day like today, but I already stayed up most of the night to get work done ahead on Tuesday night and crashed last night, so I'm stuck today!

My regular babysitter isn't working today, and even if I could find another one, our front porch is so slippery I couldn't possibly ask someone to come and risk falling...

Ahhhhhhhh!

FrumWithPCOS

Thu, Jan 31 2008, 9:07 am

Yes, I know my mom would be willing to help. Not only did she volunteer, but she takes my other nieces off of my sis-in-law's hands when they need it - which can be up to a couple of times a week, for a few hours at a time - and she's very happy to do so, and actually asks them to "go out and do something tonight" so that she can play with the grandkids. Now, I wouldn't be able to send kids to her on a regular basis (she says "I already raised kids once, I'm not going to do it again"), but if I really needed to catch up on work (or sleep, or housework), I have that leeway to call and ask if she can take them for a bit.

I don't want to rely on childcare - at least for the beginning. I realize that once baby gets older and needs a lot more stimulation (as opposed to sitting in a sling in my lap, or napping a lot), part-time childcare will probably be a necessity. But for right now, I'd really like to try it on my own. I also want to make sure I'm giving my baby enough attention, though. That's one of my biggest concerns. I don't want to stay home in order to give my baby more attention, and then end up giving him/her much less attention than a playgroup lady would...