Tag Archives: SAHM

4 Ways to Make More Time For Your Family…Without Slowing Down

“Jakey, go find something else to do, I am trying to work”, my three year old barked at her little brother. A few days later, she pointed her finger at my laptop and said, “mommy, go work on your ‘peu-ter’” after I told her that I wasn’t going to get out the play-dough for her. (She was clearly hoping that I would get preoccupied so she could grab it on her own.) While in the back of my mind I knew that I was probably putting in too many hours, it wasn’t until I overheard my “mini-me” bossing everyone in … Continue reading →

Find Your Passion, or Fake it Until You Make It?

“Just find your passion”. If you’ve spent any time looking for home business opportunities, you’ve probably heard this piece of advice more than a few times. While we would all love to be making a great income doing something we are absolutely passionate about, it isn’t always that simple. When I started my work-at-home journey, I was convinced that I would make a tremendous amount of money selling crafts and painting children’s furniture. After all, I enjoyed it, I was passionate about it, and (if you can stand a bit of bragging) I was pretty darn good at it. Ultimately, … Continue reading →

How to Get Your Husband on Board with Your Home-Based Dreams

My grandmother was a spit-fire. I’ll never forget her favorite saying. “When you want to do something make sure you ask your husband and if he says ‘no’, do it anyway”. While I appreciate my grandmother’s spunk, unfortunately the “do it anyway” approach simply doesn’t work with my type-A husband. I can still remember his response when I told him about my latest business venture. “What are you getting yourself into now, Traci”? Okay, so it wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for but I really didn’t blame him. I had tested out a few home-businesses before and had earned … Continue reading →

My Introduction

I thought it would be appropriate to start my very first blog here at families.com with an introduction. I am Traci and I have been an “official” work-at-home mom since 2003. Prior to my various work-at-home “gigs”, I was a youth counselor, victim’s advocate and child abuse investigator. I am a self-proclaimed expert in the work-at-home world for a few reasons. First, I am fairly certain that I’ve tried just about everything under the sun to make a living from home (all legal and ethical, of course). Second, because I have have a severe aversion to pantyhose and the stereotypical … Continue reading →

Three Hot Tips for Luxury Living on a Meager Budget.

I miss having two salaries. When I worked full time I had lots of extra money to go out, buy things, not count pennies. I didn’t know it then, but I was living the high life! Now I have to be conscious of bringing a bit of luxury into my life. Here’s three hot tips for today: Find the local gas station that still pumps gas for you. When it rains or snows, allow them to pump your gas, wipe your windshield and bring you the bill for your signature. Almost every town has one still somewhere, and when the … Continue reading →

Would Your Family Survive Without You?

Our family went to a local amusement park for the 4th of July celebration. While standing in the various lines with our children I noticed a man who was clearly hurting, sad, and appeared very lonely. He hardly smiled watching his three young children enjoy the day. At one point while standing in one of the lines we had a conversation. The man told me that just before Christmas his wife suffered a brain aneurysm and suddenly died at the age of 31, leaving him to raise their children alone. He said, “I never stopped to think about the financial … Continue reading →

Legitimate Work at Home Opportunity: Writing

Freelance writing from home can be a great experience. It can be quite lucrative and rewarding. If you have ever felt the urge to write, you should give it a try. There is plenty of information available online to help you brush up on your skills if necessary, and there are many legitimate writing opportunities. One area that can be a bit challenging is the whole networking aspect. The solution is to start networking online with other writers so you can utilize their knowledge and experiences. Look around to find a writers’ group that you think you will enjoy. Register … Continue reading →

Great Expectations – Housewives versus Career Wives

Did you know that one of the largest sources of stress for husbands in the modern day is an inability to provide enough for their families so that their wife can stay home? It might seem surprising that this is an actual source of stress considering the trend of women who want to work and who competed to work in the workplace. “There’s a difference,” offered one husband in a recent survey. “If my wife wants to work, that’s great. If she brings in more money than me, that’s great. I don’t want her to have to work if she … Continue reading →

Housewife vs Career Wife

About ten years ago, I could not imagine being a housewife. Reared in the 80s, I had some pretty strong viewpoints on the rights of women and believed rather firmly that any woman who was a housewife was surrendering her right to be her own person. Okay, now I didn’t say I was bright back in those days. Still, the concept seemed alien. What a difference a generation can make. Having been both a career wife and a housewife since that time and maintaining what I believe is a happy medium between the two (yeah, there is a happy medium) … Continue reading →

Me a Stay at Home Mom?

I know that the choice for the mother to stay at home or to go to work is an individual one. Each couple needs to decide together what their families needs are, and only they know what circumstances they are facing. As I write this blog, I am not judging anyone, but simply writing about how I came to make my choice and how it has affected my family. Staying at home with my kids was not something that I planned on doing. Growing up I thought that being a mother was the most boring job in the world. I … Continue reading →