??? for WAHMs

[Mommieto2Girls]

I am looking to work at home doing something either by internet or through the mail work. I have been serching the net but not sure what or who I can trust. Does anyone have any info on a company that you trust and/or are currently working with.I am pretty open to all suggestions . I am looking for either full time of part time. I just want to be home with Madison. I don't want to have to leave her with a sitter.
All info is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[MommyToAshley]

I am a WAHM, but we run our own business (Programming, database, and web design) so I am not sure I am much help. I have heard a lot of the stuffing envelopes/mailings are scams so beware of those. If you find something that interest you, I would check them out with the BBB first. I wouldn't do anything that required you to pay money up front...but that's just MHO.

I hope you are able to find something that allows you to stay home. I value the time with Ashley, even though it makes for some really really long days since I usually work when she is napping or goes to sleep at night.

Good Luck and let us know if you find anything. Hopefully someone will have some ideas.

[kit_kats_mom]

Charlene,

I WAH and being home to see my DD's milestones and being able to teach her everyday is very satisfying. However, it is also VERY hard to WAH. Like Mommy to Ashley said, you end up being able to work only when the little one is asleep. Here is my schedule right now: We wake up, I shower and get us ready for the day, Feed Katherine, playtime or park, stories (about 3 hrs) then I rock her to sleep. I get in about 1 hour of work & a bite to eat then she is up from her nap. We play some more or run errands & she gets a snack. I try to start dinner around 5 so she watches a video while I cook and tidy up the toy bomb so DH doesn't freak out when he gets home. We all eat dinner around 5:30, DH cleans up the kitchen (THANK THE LORD!) then he takes her for 2 hours so I can get a couple of hours uninterrupted time for work. He usually takes her for a walk or to the baby room at the gym. They come home, one of us gives her a bath and an evening snack, we start the bedtime routine and get her to bed around 10-11ish. If she goes to bed on time, I get to work until I pass out from sheer exhaustion, around 2 usually. Don't forget the numerous nursing sessions throughout the day too...Oh, and my checking in with this board! LOL So, I get about 6 hours of work & 7 hours of sleep in on a good day. I finally had to hire a nanny to come 10 hours a week because I was unable to meet my deadlines. She comes to the house so it is ideal but very hard to find. If you have a college degree, or have taken any college courses, I relate it to that. There is ALWAYS something I need to be doing. I am NEVER "off". I feel guilty when I sit on the couch and turn on the tv and I rarely get to spend any time alone with my DH.

I am not complaining but it is something to think very hard about. It is satisfying but alot of work. I never realized what I was getting myself into when I took this job. You will need you familiy's full support to be able to do a decent job.

That being said, I have filed a complaint with the FBI, the BBB and the IL state atty office, against one work at home company that advertises WAH opportunities. I don't reccomend any of them. I found my job by networking and keeping my ears open. Whenever I heard about a job, I asked myself if it lended itself to telecommuting. I did alot of research on telecommuting, had my DH set up a very fast (although rather expensive) home DSL network, got a realistic idea of how many hours I could work and how much I needed to make, and I made up a list of jobs that I would enjoy doing or that I had the skills for. My list ran the gamut from party planning to computer tutor, to researcher to virtual secretary. I found out about my current position from a friend. She was complaining about a co-worker who did not return from maternity leave. I inquired about what she did and it turns out she just did alot of database stuff. I asked if it was something that could be done at home via a VPN and I sent my resume with her the next day. BTW, my resume stated clearly at the top that my goal was to find a "telecommuting position". Anyway, I got a phone call the next day and I inverviewed and was offered the position. It's a great job but when there are deadlines looming, I will admit I can be a bear to be around. You have to find a company that is up to date technologicaly (my previous job lent itself very well to telecommuting but the management was to scared to embrace it). It can be difficult to not have the "face time" too. I now have a meeting once a month at the office so that I can meet any new people and get any scoops that I need to know about. I learned this the hard way by finding out about a deadline that was 3 days away that I had no idea about, they simply forgot to tell me since they didn't see me. Oops!

Just keep your ears open, make sure it is what you really want to do and good luck!

[Mommieto2Girls]

Cary, thanks for all your info. I really appreciate it. I know it's alot of work to be a WAHM but where I live there isn't anything of a decent job near by. DH has to drive 1 1/2 hours to work each way everyday. I don't want both of us being that far from our daughter. I would like one of us at least to be with her. DH will never stay home. lol I am just looking for probley something simple to earn a little extre money. I haven't taken any college courses or anything, ( I just finally got my high school diploma in March).
Maybe someone will know of something out there . Thanks.

[kit_kats_mom]

Well, if you are just looking for a little bit of money, perhaps you could try to start your own business doing something you like and are good at. For example, do you like to throw parties? Then tell your friends that you'd be interested in starting an event planning service. You could do weddings, kids birthdays, office lunchens etc. Maybe you are crafty, could you sell any of your stuff? Are you really great at running a household? perhaps you could get a few travelling execs and take care of thier errends. I did this for a guy who was out of town for work all of the time. I went by his house, fed & walked his dog, picked up his mail, tidied his house, paid his bills, picked up his drycleaing, emailed him his account balances once a week, made sure that here was food & beer in his fridge when he got home. What are you doing now? Is there any customer contact? if not, maybe you could do your current job from home. Is there a job you could do near home where you could take your baby with you? For example, a locally owned toy store or something like that? The way I see it, it never hurts to ask. I was so desperate to stay at home that I even considered housecleaning. I pay the lady who cleans my place $50 every 2 weeks (she only comes 2 times a month). It would've paid the bills but then I thought about having to clean other peoples showers...I don't even like to clean my own shower. I probably would have done it though if my job hadn't come through.

[kit_kats_mom]

I forgot to say, I don't know where you are but if there are many small companies around you, maybe you could make up some nice fliers for a "virtual secretary" thing. For example, if they have alot of fliers to mail out, or an annual newsletter coming up, or something like that? You could help take some of the load off of their regular employees.

[kit_kats_mom]

I'm just throwing ideas out here. what I meant about college was that WAH is similar. There is always something to do, just like when you are in school, you could always study more. I didn't want you to think that I was saying anything negative.

[kit_kats_mom]

http://www.wahm.com/
http://www.4workathomemothers.com/
http://www.mothersworkathome.com/
http://mo.essortment.com/workhomemother_nvi.htm
http://www.athomemothers.com/infoguides.htm

I just found these links. Hope they help

[Mommieto2Girls]

kit_kats_mom, you know what, you are great. I will be looking into what you said, and you have some great ideas. I wish I lived in a bigger town but I will find something. Thank you for the links . I will be busy for a while. There are a few things that I love doing. I think I am kinda crafty too. You gave me great ideas . I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again.