Working from Home

In today's economy, I feel strongly that I am not the only stay-at-home mom looking for work that can be done either online or at home (like stuffing envelopes or telemarketing).  I have been blessed to land two online tutoring gigs (http://www.brainfuse.com/ and http://www.ed2netlearning.com/) - both of which allow me to work at home, online, with rather flexible schedules.  I am paid $10 an hour if my students show up, but if no one shows, then I am paid 1/3 of that hourly rate.  Doesn't sound like much, I guess, but the gigs are allowing me to make some cash while I am at home.

Even though I have been fortunate to obtain some online work, it does not provide a stable supplementary income and that totally bums me out.  There is a dollar amount in my head for which I need to earn per month in order to help pay the bills.  As I mentioned before, this is a supplementary income - my husband is the breadwinner and is bringing home a good paycheck but the amount is less than what our family needs to survive.  And let me tell you, we do not live outside our means by any stretch of the imagination! 

Hello?!?  Six kids?!?  You do the math: spending roughly $1,000 a month on food to feed us (we do not go out to restaurants - no McDonald's, no CiCi's Pizza, nothing!)  All food is bought at Wal-Mart or Costco.  Then you add in the bills we need to pay (gas/electric, trash, phone/internet, water, life insurance, etc - no car bills here, thankfully!) and the miscellaneous such as the amount needed to drive us around town to work, the grocery store, the library, YMCA practice, and church and voila!  Where did the money go?

So, back to making some money online.  I love the idea of online tutoring because a) it is flexible, b) I can do it while the kids are playing or napping - no interruptions for me, c) utlizes my Elementary Education degree as well as my M.Ed., and d) gives me money!  But....there is a problem: I stress myself a bit trying to make sure that all my tutoring is done during nap-time because one company uses headsets while the other one doesn't which means if the children are playing while I'm tutoring using a headset, the online students can hear my children = huge no-no!!!  I also get a bit stressed and totally discouraged when students do not show!  I'm waisting time while I sit and stare at a computer screen for apparently non-existent students!!! 

I absolutely LOATHE the idea of wasting time!  I do try to do something constructive while waiting such as Facebook or Gmail (no time like the present to catch up with family and friends!)  But is this waiting worth the frustration and discouragement?  Should I continue to stay on as an online tutor if students are never guaranteed to show up?  It would be great to have the ability to rely upon making a certain amount per month with these tutoring companies but sadly this isn't happening.  I suppose the biggest thing that gets me is this: I am qualified to teach but our state isn't currently hiring teachers, or substitutes for that matter, and I'm torn between the desire to teach full-time and stay at home with my kids.  I know the Bible says to be content in your situation but sometimes it just feels good to earn some money - personally makes me feel validated for having earned my college degrees (and having to pay off the loan debt still!). 

I love my kids so much and don't want to leave them so that's why I absolutely LOVE the idea of staying at home and working from home...I suppose sometimes you can't have it all?   What do you think?  Any successful stories out there from moms staying at home and earning sufficient money to make ends meet while not taking away time from the kids and husband?

Family

Have I ever mentioned the dynamics of my family? Well, let me give it to you straight, real quickly!

I am the mother of SIX beautiful, gorgeous, highly intelligent, active, and sometimes bratty/whiny children. My oldest is 9 years old and the youngest is 5 weeks old tomorrow. The oldest and youngest kids are boys and we have 4 girls sandwiched in between. I never thought I would have so many females in the house - talk about way too much estrogen! The girls are nowhere close to embarking on physical change, but I promise you they have periods already! Makes for fun dialogue or rather arguing and screaming amongst the kids...never a dull moment here, people!

I have been married 10.5 years to my bestest friend and love of my life. We met in college when I was a sophomore-transfer student and he was a senior looking for fresh meat - just kidding! I thought (and still do think) he was/is the most handsome guy I had ever seen and was totally nervous to make eye contact...met the 2nd weekend of school, believe it or not, and he became "the one" by Christmas - the guy I knew I wanted to marry...and thankfully he felt the same way!

As for the last dynammic of the family, we have 2 dogs: 4.5 year-old pure-bred boxer named "Justice" - which oddly enough is my maiden name but we didn't name the dog, she came with the name from the breeder, and we also have a 3.5 year-old pure-bred beagle named Plato. His name, however, is an oxymoron because the dog totally exhibits no brain cells but boy, is he cute! So there you have it - my family in a nutshell!

I am a stay-at-home mom who homeschools these crazy, lovely, fun children while working part-time as a Research Assistant in the field of Character Education for my former professor at Regent University. I also freelance write articles regarding education on Associated Content and I tutor online for Brainfuse. In the midst of these little jobs, I am trying to pursue my Ph.D. in Education - I'll let you know how that goes...I'd love to eventually get back in the classroom, but for now, it's all about being Mommy to these amazing kids and Wife to my best friend!

So, there's a bio on my family and a little bit about me - just so you know who is writing this blog! I love my family!!!

Summer Blues

"Bring out those lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer..." Around my house there are certainly no lazy days! I only wish for a breath of laziness every now and then! As a homeschooling parent, it's been rather busy this year (we moved several states away after my husband and I finished Grad School in December) which means our homeschooling calendar has seen severe revisions. Thus, no lazy days here but rather days still filled with schooling - teaching, learning, homework, hands-on activities, etc! Couple the work with a ton of visitors and it seems this summer will be over before I know it!

So, where do the summer blues come into play? Well, with this hectic schedule, I haven't had time to just relax and enjoy being with my husband and kids. It seems that whenever I'm not teaching, there's plenty of laundry to do, people to entertain, and the list of tasks just continues! The school year will be over in about 2 weeks which gives our family roughly 4 weeks to relax until another school year begins again. But, we're expecting at least 2 weeks of visitors which crams the family time to 2 weeks, thus my summer blues. I am looking forward to any break in the schedule where I can just be Mom and no one else (teacher, wife, cook, counselor, entertainer, etc).

Enforcing Exercise

There are so many temptations today that pull at kids and lure them away from daily physical exercise. These temptations come in various shapes and forms: I-Pods, computer games, board games, TV, PSPs, etc and although each of these products are not bad they do however take away from physical exercise if kids are using them incessantly. Many parents do not take the time to enforce daily exercise for their children because they either are too busy or they feel that the daily allotted exercise amount is reached during physical education class. Nothing can be further from the truth! When current research says that our children in America are becoming increasingly more overweight at earlier ages, it is time for parents to take notice! Of course, diet does play a role in determining the weight and size of a child, but there is nothing better, more productive in helping kids remain healthy than a good dose of outdoor activity each day.

When I was younger, in the summers my mother used to kick us five kids out of the house by 9 AM every morning and we weren't allowed to come back inside until lunch and then we were promptly thrown back outside until dinner. We could bring a book to read if we desired but mostly my summer days were spent playing kickball, basketball, baseball, soccer, tag, and make-believe scenarios with my siblings and neighborhood kids. I was never bored, that is for sure, and I never lacked an imagination! Parents today could stand to be a little bit more like my mom and although I realize I was lucky to have a stay-at-home mother, children should still be forced to exercise and play outside even if they have a baby-sitter or other childcare giver while the parents are at work.

TV has become the substitute for parenting or caring for children in many households throughout the United States and it is for these children that I pity for they are losing out on the fun and imagination of being outdoors and forced to devise new games to keep them entertained. Enforcing exercise does not mean ignoring your children and shoving them outdoors until you feel like being with them but rather parents should partake in the physical activities with their children. Role modeling will not only show that you feel strongly about physical exercise but it also increases the amount of time spent with your child and that is what is of utmost importance. Parents are the best role models for their children and because most parents do not have the option to stay at home all day and home-school their children, it is that much more important for families to participate in exercise together.

Some activities which draw families closer together while having fun and exercising:
playing tag
playing soccer
playing kickball
playing basketball
playing baseball
riding bikes
hiking
taking a walk
doing yard work
playing at the pool/beach
name your own idea!

All children desire to spend time with their parents and exercising together as a family is the perfect opportunity to cultivate love in the family as well as creating a happy, healthy family. May you and your family have an amazing exercise-filled spring, summer, fall, and winter!

Keeping a Happy Attitude Amidst an Economic Crisis

The current economic state of our country has not only effected banks, CEOs, and politicians, but rather it has hit home most in the family. Marriage counselors have often stated that one of the major causes for fights between couples is that of finances and with the slippery economy our nation now faces, it is no wonder that relationships among family members is being hit hardest. How can one keep a marriage relationship strong and thriving when a spouse has recently lost his job? How can familial relationships encourage one another even when parents are having to cut back and cannot afford to spend money on fun items for their children or take a trip to a local museum, amusement park, or restaurant? With so many talking heads saying that the economy has yet to hit rock bottom, how can our marriage and family relationships survive the pressures and demands that face us?

It is important to remember that love is not built on wealth or rather love should not base its foundation upon the expectation of receiving things, having a certain lifestyle for when hard times come like the current economic crisis, this "love" will fold and collapse upon which it becomes too costly to get a divorce, thus the couple is forced to simply coexist. That idea sickens me to the very core as I have a family and the idea of not being able to afford my kids the simple luxuries of trips to the zoo, eating out once a week, going to the movies, etc. disheartens me. And the fact that my husband and I are both without jobs is also extremely troublesome but what can we do except to keep plugging away, filling out job applications, and praying that something soon will turn up!

Does this state of lack of jobs affect my relationship with husband and children? I would be lying if I said it didn't but I also have to remember that this state is not what defines the love my husband and I have for each other. We both meant the whole idea of "for richer or for poorer." Sure, we're in the "poorer" state of our lives, actually the poorest ever in our ten year marriage, but so what? We love and support each other and we are not going to let this economy cause a rift or struggle between us nor will we sit and mope and become irritated about the things we cannot do nor afford. We love our kids and we will continue to have family time whether that means playing games at home instead of going to the movies or eating hamburgers at home instead of eating out at a restaurant.

Any family or marriage relationship can survive these difficult economic times, but it will not be easy. We must determine to make the relationships work and figure out creative ways in which to develop, cultivate, and strengthen the love in these relationships that are most important to us. There is no need to be down, depressed, irritated, and agitated during today's economic state; those feelings will arise, but look around you and see what is most important - your family, your spouse, your children. Seize every opportunity to show them love for their love will reciprocate and may propel you forward to finding the job you need to make it through this crisis. And when you come out on the other side, you will not be alone but rather you will have your most significant relationships with you.

Getting Started...

Motherhood Overload? Sound intimidating? Maybe evokes the idea that I'm on the verge of pulling my out my hair and that being a mother requires too much? Or am I extremely blessed and motherhood is oozing out of every part of my body? Well, I actually feel all of the previously mentioned emotions. There are days when I would like to take a break from being "Mommy" or "Mom" and just go out and be by myself! But, then I sit back and look around me and see my five beautiful kids and I think, "No way! There is absolutely NOTHING that I would rather do with my life nor is there anyone I would rather be than me!"

What's the purpose for this newly-founded blog? I mean so many blogs exist in cyber-space but what is different or significant about my blob? Simply put - it's here so that other moms from any walk of life can view my ideas, opinions, and suggestions for keeping the family unit in tact. I weep for this country as I feel that the family is constantly being diminished for families are being split apart through divorce or are forced to begin as single-family homes when both partners do not partake in the responsibility of raising a child. This blog aims to share humorous postings about how joyous motherhood can be and that it is not a constant chore to be with your offspring all the time (although breaks are a good idea every once in awhile!). I would also like to share how to keep relationships functioning well within the family whether that be between spouses, parents and children, or sibling relationships. I have a lot of grand ideas and plans for this blog and so sit back and see how things go - feel free to post comments and share your own ideas as well. Thanks for visiting and welcome to "Motherhood Overload"!