Tips for WAHMS

I'm always on the lookout for new sites that offer information and resources for work at home moms and stay at home moms. I wanted to introduce to you Mommies Online, which I have found to be an excellent site.

On the site you'll find great articles, job opportunities, free stuff, printable calendars, and even advertising in their directory. It's a great site to check out.

I like bringing quality sites to the attention of my readers, and this one definitely has a lot to offer. It's especially great if you are trying to get a work at home job off the ground.

Do you have any great sites for moms? Let me know, I may feature them on here.

Having a hard time finding a few minutes to read a book, write in your journal, pray, or engage in some other activity you enjoy? It is possible to carve out a few minutes in your day for yourself as a work at home mom or stay at home mom. While it may seem impossible, here are some important tips that can help.

Tip #1 - Learn to Say NO - Keep your life simpler. Don't agree to more commitments. Learn to just tell people "NO." Sometimes moms have a tendency to take on more than they can handle. This can be prevented by saying "NO" kindly, but firmly. This will definitely add minutes to your day.

Tip #2 - Order Out - Some night consider ordering out. Pizza, Chinese…it doesn't matter. You'll save on prep time that will give you some time to yourself. You may even want to consider letting everyone eat on their own. Serve them up, then go spend some time by yourself.

Tip #3 - Leave the Dishes - Every once in awhile, it won't hurt you to leave the dishes in the sink a bit. Take those few minutes, get the kids occupied, then cherish those 10-15 minutes on your own.

Tip #4 - Shut Off Your Television - Give up a show you normally watch and take that time to do something important for yourself. If you have shows you love to watch, record them. You'll be able to fast forward through commercials, saving time.

Tip #5 - Take a Day Off - Get your husband to stay with the kids and take the day off. Go out and do something you enjoy. Instead of taking your kids out, let this day be your "vacation" day to recharge and enjoy a bit of time alone.

Finding a few free minutes to yourself is important and you shouldn't feel guilty about it. With these simple tips, you should be able to recharge with some free time to yourself.

On another note, stay tuned readers… My husband will be posting on here in the next few days on tips for the husbands of stay at home moms and work at home moms. You'll definitely want to read this and you may want to let your husband read it too. LOL.

Hello readers.

I'd like to take a minute and thank you for reading my blog. I enjoy writing and getting your comments.

I just wanted to take the time to let you all know that I'm starting up a new blog. It's a blog for parents. Whether you are parenting teens, you have a new baby, or you have toddlers, this blog is for you.

We'll be getting this started this week, and I'm looking forward to some exciting topics and great comments from my readers.

If you have any suggestions on topics for the new blog, I'd love to hear them!

The name of the new blog is Parents R Us. So, later this week give it a visit. I think you'll enjoy it!

Are you looking for a little extra cash? What stay at home mom or work at home mom isn't these days? Well, while you may not be ready to get into something full time, there are some interesting ways online that you can bring in a bit of extra cash.

I personally work at home running a writing business. Along the way I've come across some interesting sites where you can make some money. Some don't pay a lot, some take some time before you make money, and there are others that really pay fairly well.

I want to introduce a few great places you can go to make some extra cash. Now these are just suggestions. You need to understand that the ability to make money on these sites is going to be up to you. Don't expect a full time income out of them, but if you are willing to do a bit of work, they can earn you some money. (I'll link to the sites so simply click on the title of each opportunity I mention to visit their site.)

eHow - eHow is a website where you write "how to" articles, submit them to the site, and you earn money based on the views that your articles get. It's easy to sign up to be a contributor on the site. You don't have to worry about any editing process either, although the better your articles are, the more you can earn. I personally do some writing for eHow on the side. However, the income you earn from royalties isn't enough to do more than give you a little pocket change. I do know some people who have 100+ articles on the site that make about $200+ per month, just from those articles. Once you submit the articles, you simply try to get your friends to visit, link to them on your blogs, and try to get as many views on them as possible. It's easy, but not that lucrative - so don't quit your day job. LOL.

TextBroker.com - This is another site that actually pays you for writing articles. Simply sign up, write a test articles, and depending on your score, you'll qualify for different amounts of pay, ranging from $3.50 per 500 words (not really worth your time) to $25 per 500 words (definitely a great rate.) Of course this all depends on your score. I'm checking this one out, so I'll let you know more about it.

ConstantContent - Yet another writing site. The great thing about this site, is you can randomly submit any article you want to, as long as you own the rights to it. It doesn't matter what the topic is, but it will have to be approved by the site. Simply take articles you have already written or something you sit down and write, then upload it to the site. You can set the price that you want to charge for the article. You can set a one time use price, or a price for full rights where the person who buys owns the article. The only problem here is that you have to wait for a buyer to come along and purchase your articles. However, they pay off pretty well, I received almost $30 for one 450 word article. Good pay!

Demand Studios - Now if you are a bit more serious about writing and you have some time, Demand Studios is a great site. I myself enjoy writing for their site on the side. Basically the money I earn there is gravy to my income. You write "how to" style articles, although there are opportunities to write other styles of articles as well. For titles that you take, they pay $15 per article, which has to be 400 or more words. It took me a few times of writing these to get used to the style of the articles. However, now I can write them in about 10-15 minutes per article. You do the math…that's pretty nice money per hour!

These are just a few sites to consider if you want to make a bit of money. Of course these are based on your writing skills. The potential is there though to bring in some extra money on the side, something that most moms do love! If you are interested in getting into a writing career full time, let me suggest the Freelance Writing Gigs blog, which gives job leads for freelance writers every day during the week. This blog was very instrumental in helping me get my own freelance writing business off the ground. Not only do they have many great job opportunities listed, but they also provide a lot of helpful information for writers.

I hope this post will be helpful to some of my readers. I love the ability to work at home and becoming a successful writer has been a dream come true to me. I have helped others get involved in this career so they could work at home, and I hope I can help more people to enjoy this opportunity of making money while being a stay at home mom.

If you're a work at home mom or a stay at home mom, chances are you get cabin fever from time to time. I know I do! My job is at home, there's cleaning to do at home, the kids need my help with homework at home, and there's cooking to do at home. Everything begins to focus around being at home, and after awhile, you feel ready to scream.

If you've ever felt like you want to talk to telemarketers just to have an adult conversation...this article is for you.

Social networking may be the answer. I've found that the ability to communicate with friends and family online at social networking sites has often offered me a touch of sanity in a crazy day. It allows me to keep touch with what's going on in the world, keeping me less focused on my problems and helping me get a bigger picture.

The great thing is that there are many different social networking sites out there. Join one and you may just be surprised at who all you know. Many of these sites offer groups specifically for moms, giving you a place where you can get advice, give advice, vent a bit, and have a good time.

Some of the top social networking sites out there include Bebo, MySpace, Facebook, WAYN, and Multiply.

Personally, after trying several social networking sites myself, I have found Facebook to be my favorite. It's easy to use, functional, and I like the layout. Of course everyone is different, so consider trying out several yourself and figuring out which one best suits you.

So, if you are feeling at the end of your rope, cooped up, and like you need some adult time, check out the social networking sites. It's a great way to keep your sanity and still be a mom.

Recently in my blogs, here on Tips 4 WAHMs, I've been talking on the importance of keeping the romance alive. Along that same topic, I'd like to take the time to talk a bit about a movie I recently watched - Fireproof.

I know that maybe several of you have already seen this movie. If you haven't, I'd definitely recommend it. I found it to not only to be a touching movie, but it had a deep and excellent message contained in the movie as well.

The movie is about a couple that just seem to have nothing in common anymore. They always fight, and finally it comes to a head where the wife says she wants out. However, the husband is challenged by his father to try a 40 day "love dare." On each day of this love dare he does something different to try to save his marriage.

For the first half of the 40 days, he does things half heartedly. Meanwhile his wife is feeling lonely and spending more and more time with a doctor she works with.

When he comes to the end of himself, his father helps him realize that without knowing the love of God, he can't ever truly love his wife. He comes to salvation, and it changes the way he goes about the "love dare."

I don't want to spoil the story for you, so I won't tell you the rest of the story. I'll just let you know that they both end up coming to Christ and renewing their marriage. It's a beautiful story.

I know this story challenged me as a wife and mom. It's truly important that as work at home moms and stay at home moms, we work hard to make our own marriages "fireproof." Unfortunately in this country marriage has become something that is broken. It's easy to let your marriage go with all the cares of life. However, it is something to be protected.

If you get the chance, check out this movie. Make it a date night with your husband. I assure you that you won't regret it. It may even help you save your own marriage or prevent your marriage from ever getting to such a horrible place.

Also, since the movie has come out, there is now a new website, FireproofMyMarriage, which is geared towards couples. It offers great resources for couples and so much more. It may be something you want to check out as well.

Last time we started talking about how important it is to keep the romance alive in your marriage when you are a work at home mom or a stay at home mom. We also discussed a few tips to get you started. Well, today I want to focus on a few more tips that can help you keep your marriage strong and the romance burning.

Get Physical
Touching is one of the most important ways you can keep the romance going in your marriage. Remember how you used to be thrilled about holding hands? How much do you hold hands now? Take the time to just hold hands. Get a long hug. Kiss each other. These physical touches are important to your relationship. Remember, romance isn't all about what happens in the bedroom. Couples that don’t touch each other usually have problems.

Give Him a Compliment
Go out of your way to compliment your man on a regular basis. Sometimes when you are busy and harried, it's easy to get into the mode of just asking your guy to do things for you or perhaps even griping when things don't get done. Take a moment to give him a compliment. Thank him for something he does for you. Tell him you still love the way he looks. C'mon…you know you can think of something original. This will make him feel great and bring you both closer together.

Know Who YOU Are
One of the biggest problems when it comes to romance and marriage is a mom who doesn't know who she is anymore. Once kids come into the picture, your always running in different directions, and you spend much of the time feeling overwhelmed, it's easy to lose who YOU are as a woman. Many times this gets in the way of romance in a marriage. Since you are unhappy with yourself, the way you look, and your frustrated with everything you have going on in your life, you don't even feel romantic, desirable, or sexy.

YOU need to take some time to know who you are. Find that woman deep within. Embrace who you are. The happier you are with yourself, the better off your relationship will be. You need to think of yourself as a woman - not just a mom. Remember, your not just a mom, you are a wife, a lover, a half of one whole. Never lose this identity. When you bring back the fire within your own heart, you'll find yourself better prepared to work on the romance within your relationship.

Well ladies. That's all for now. I hope that you have enjoyed today's post and that it has been helpful to you. I truly believe that this is a subject that doesn't get addressed enough for moms. It's easy to lose that romance in a relationship with so much on your plate. From one work at home mom to another, I hope you use these tips and ideas and fully explore and reignite the romance in your relationship.

First of all, whether you are a mom who has a job (ie. Writing, transcription, virtual assistant or other home business) that you do at home or you are a stay at home mom, I believe you fall under the category of "work at home moms." After all, even if you don't have another job, being a mom is a full time job. So, if you are a stay at home mom, this article is for you too!

Sometimes when you are a work at home mom, it's easy to feel overwhelmed with everything that's going on in your life. After all, you are asked to fill many roles. More than likely you do some cooking, some "taxi driving," cleaning, laundry, child care, and so much more. If you have a job at home as well, you also have to fill different roles for your clients or employers. With all of these other roles you end up playing, it's easy to let your role as a wife slide by. However, this is the most important role you have - after all, if you are having marital problems, everything else is probably going to suffer.

Even though you have a thousand other things on your plate, taking time to nurture your relationship and to keep the romance alive in your marriage is important. You must take the time off from being employee and mom to being a sexy woman in love with her man. Now I realize a few of you may be a bit shocked here at what I have to say, but one of the main things that work at home moms complain about is not feeling sexy any more. Well, while your husband needs to take the initiative to make you feel beautiful and sexy in his eyes, some of this is your responsibility. YOU need to take the time to feel sexy and to build up that intimate relationship with your husband. Don't let the kids or your work at home job get in the way.

So, you're probably wondering, how in the world can you add one more thing to your day? Well, first of all, you have to want to do this. You have to determine that this is IMPORTANT to you. Once you have decided you are willing to take time for this and you want to work on your relationship, here are some top tips to keep the romance alive.

Tip #1 - Talk to Each Other - Sometimes married couples spend a lot of time talking "at" each other, instead of "to" each other. You know how it goes. "Honey, can you get the kids from school." "Pick up some take out on the way home." "I really need some help here with the laundry." It's easy to get into a mode where you simply talk "at" each other. However, it's important that every day you take some time to sit down and really talk "to" each other. Communication is imperative to a great relationship. If you stop talking, the rest of the relationship is going to suffer. It don't have to be for hours, but even 20 minutes if just spending time talking can be a huge help.

Tip #2 - Keep Dating - With kids, jobs, and everything else going on in your life, it's easy to stop dating and courting like you used to. Sometimes you need a break to go out and enjoy each other's company. It's something that you can look forward to. Plan one time during the week that you'll have a "date." It can be an evening when you are able to find a babysitter or even while your kids are in school. Even if it ends up being a date after the kids are in bed with pizza and a movie, make sure you do it.

Tip #3 - Protect Your Time Together - Finding time together with your husband can be tough. Maybe he works during the day and you're at home working. When you are home at the same time, there are kids and other duties that take up your time. Then at the end of the day, often you are so exhausted that you both just fall into bed. Well, don't allow the rest of life to get in the way of spending quality time together each day. Set aside some time that is just for you. Perhaps it's right after the kids are in bed and you spend some time watching your favorite shows together. Maybe you get up before the kids do and have coffee together. No matter how you do it, protect that time together. It's very important.

(to be continued next time…check back for part 2 of this series.)