Tips for WAHMS

For work at home moms, there is no job description. No one would have the time to write one. After all, a work at home mom not only has a job, but also has the job of taking care of the kids, the home, the meals, the laundry…and the list goes on and on. You don't get training for this type of job, no sick days exist, and many days you may feel like you are struggling to keep a hold of your sanity and the peace within your home. There are definitely some things out there that can help to alleviate the stress that moms are dealing with. So, here is a list of five things every work at home mom needs.


An Understanding and Helpful Husband
Being a work at home mom is hard enough. If your husband isn't understanding and helpful, it becomes that much more difficult. There are some husbands out there that don't seem to get the idea that a work at home basically works two jobs and more. Lol. I'm fortunate enough to have a husband that is very understanding and helpful and it helps to take some of the stress and strain off me.


A Great Bed
Every work at home mom must have a great bed. Sure, the time spent in that bed may not be long, but when you have the opportunity to kick back and sleep, you definitely want to have a comfortable bed that you can comfortably enjoy some good sleep.


A Pair of Good Running Shoes
No doubt you spend a lot of time running around. You run to the grocery store, take the kids to school and other events, chase after the kids, and more. You need a great pair of running shoes. You may even want to use them to run away for a short bit during the day.


DVR
Of course you don't have time to watch television during the day. You're working, cleaning, or the kids are hogging the television. A DVR can help you make sure you actually can record and save your favorite shows. This way when work is over and the kids are finally in sleepy land, you can kick back and enjoy a few minutes of peace watching a great show.


Lots of Chocolate
Come on. Every work at home mom needs chocolate. There is just something about chocolate that is invigorating. It can make a bad day better. It can allow you a moment in your day to totally relax and enjoy the incredible taste. There are many "powers" to chocolate. Make sure you have some around, particularly on your busiest days.

Armed with these five things, a work at home mom can survive. I hope you have enjoyed this bit of humor in your day. Any other additions you have? Feel free to comment on Tips 4 WAHMs to let us know what you think.

Hi there again, and thanks for dropping by Tips 4 WAHMs! I'm back with another quick tip of the day for WAHMs. Today I want to give you work at home moms a tip that can save you a lot of time and frustration.

Get and use caller ID. If you work at home, this is a lifesaver! When you're trying to work, unless it's important, you probably don't have time to stop and talk on the phone every 15 minutes. This is where caller ID comes in handy.

When you have caller ID, you can decide whether to answer the phone or whether you should allow it to go to voice mail. If it's an important client, then you may want to take the time to talk. However, if it's that gabby neighbor calling again who enjoys talking for an hour before she hangs up, you may want to let that one go for another time.

Accomplishing your work during the day is difficult enough without having to play secretary and answering the phone all day. With caller ID, you can decide if you need to answer the phone. After all, they created voice mail for a reason!

Hello again from Tips 4 WAHMs. We're back again after a nice weekend with another great quick tip of the day for WAHMs. I'm hoping this one will help all you work at home moms as much as it has helped me out!

Sometimes when you are working at home, preparing dinner is the last thing you want to do. Perhaps you've had a long and frustrating day with work and dealing with the kids, and the last thing you really want to do is cook something. Unfortunately too many of us drive off for fast food. Let me offer you another healthier and quicker option that can help on those hectic days.

Start freezer cooking. Perhaps this is something you have heard of. It's simple. When you cook a meal, make double the amount and freeze the second meal for later. This works great for meals like spaghetti, meatloaf, Stromboli, and so much more. It doesn't take that much more work to make double the recipe, and later on you'll have a pre-made meal already in the freezer.

I love doing this. When I have a hectic day, it's always nice to know I have a couple dinner options already prepared in the freezer. All I have to do is thaw it out and reheat it and we have a tasty dinner. Try it out yourself. You'll be amazed at how much time it saves and how wonderful it is to have a great option waiting for you in the freezer.

Today at Tips 4 WAHMs, I want to share another great tip. Cleaning the bathroom is one of the most hated chores for me, and probably for many other work at home moms. So, today's quick tip of the day for WAHMs should help you out a bit.

To make cleaning the bathroom easier for you, clean it before you shower. Why? Because you always feel grungy right after you clean that bathroom. Sometimes it's hard to find the time to do cleaning chores, especially the ones you hate. If you fit a few minutes of bathroom cleaning before the shower, it's easy to get it done quickly, knowing you'll feel clean again in a few minutes.

Usually I simply clean the toilet and bathroom sinks before the shower. Then I jump in the shower and then spray the shower down when I'm all through. This way I get the whole bathroom done in one shot. It doesn't take long, and I'm much happier when the bathroom is sparkling.

Check back tomorrow for another great tip, and feel free to share your tips as well. I love reading them.

Welcome back to Tips 4 WAHMs! Today I have an interesting quick tip of the day for WAHMs to share with you. From time to time I enjoy pointing out some great sites that are great for work at home moms and stay at home moms, and I have one that I'm sure you all are going to like.

Take the time to check out Flylady.net. This is a website that is designed for people, especially moms, who find it difficult to keep the house in order. If you have kids, you're working, and you have so much on your plate, sometimes it's just hard to keep up.

At Flylady.net, this great lady teaches you how to keep your home in shape with just 15 minutes a day. Hey, I might even have 15 minutes. Check this one out ladies. I know I've found some helpful tips there for organization and keeping the house a bit cleaner.

I hope you enjoy and find some great ideas and tips to make your day a bit easier!

Today's quick tip of the day for WAHMs may seem a bit different, but I believe that it's really important. Today we're going to talk about getting rid of the cleaning guilt.

While some of the other quick tip of the day posts have dealt with quick cleaning, I need to remind you of something - you ARE a busy mother. Some of you are stay at home moms, some are work at home moms. Either way, you work hard and you are busy all day long.

Chances are, the house isn't always going to be as clean as you want it to be. However, many of us fall into the guilt trap. We feel guilty that we didn't accomplish more that we didn't get the entire house clean from top to bottom.

You don't need to go on a guilt trip because you didn't get all the cleaning done. Remember everything that you did today. You should really be giving yourself a huge pat on the back. You accomplished a lot!

So, get rid of cleaning guilt. Do what you can, if you don't get to it today…it will definitely be there tomorrow. Enjoy your evenings without guilt. You are really a Super Mom!

Recently I came across a great book - "The Invisible Woman." More than likely you have felt invisible at some point in your days of being a mother.

I read an excerpt of this book and was very touched. The writer, Nicole Johnson, specifically compared raising children to building a cathedral. Today we still don't know who built some of the greatest cathedrals, yet we see the beauty before us.

It was definitely an encouraging read. It's easy to feel invisible as a parent. Sometimes things you do go unappreciated and unnoticed. This writer tells here story of being a mother and feeling this way over and over again.

Then she read a book about cathedrals. There was a story about a rich man who asked a man working on a cathedral while he was spending so much time carving a small bird on a beam. He asked him why he'd spend so much time working on it when no one else would see it. His reply was "Because God sees."

This quote changed her life and the way she felt about being invisible. She realized that God saw everything that she did for her family. He saw all the things that no one else ever saw. She too was building a cathedral - her children.

I would definitely urge you to get a copy of this book. It's a great read and encouraging to work at home moms and stay at home moms alike. You can read an excerpt of the book HERE.

So, remember moms. If you feel invisible, you're not alone. When it gets you down - remember "God sees."

Here's another quick tip of the day for WAHMs. No doubt you'll find these tips helpful when you are in a hurry and totally busy as a work at home mom.

Today we want to focus on 30 second cleaning. What can you get done in just 30 seconds? Well, quite a lot actually. Cleaning is not any moms' favorite thing to do, but 30 seconds doesn't sound too bad. So, here are a few things to do in 30 seconds to get your home a bit cleaner.

1) Use a disinfectant wipe to clean up your sink each morning. It will quickly get rid of soap scum, hair, and dirt. All you have to do is wipe up the sink and then throw it away. 30 seconds and you are done.

2) Another great 30 second cleaning tip is to spray your shower with a few squirts of shower cleaner. Just spray and go away. It will help prevent that buildup of soap scum that gets hard to clean out later. You can do this in 30 seconds and you'll save big time later.

3) Wipe out your microwave with another disinfectant wipe. The microwave always seems to get nasty quickly. Don't save it for when you have to quickly cook in the microwave. Walk by, wipe it out…30 seconds later you're done.

4) Take your entry way rug out the door and shake it out. This only takes a few seconds and you'll take that dirt outside so it won't get tramped around through your home. This saves vacuuming time later.

So, there's your quick tip of the day. 30 second cleaning is possible, it doesn't take much time, and can save you time later. Hopefully work at home moms will find this helpful.

Hi there moms. I promised you last week that I'd be having my husband come on and give some tips for your husbands. Well, here it is. I think you'll enjoy what he has to say and you'll probably want to send this on to your husbands. Lol. Enjoy!


Well hello all of readers out there this is Mr. Burgess lol, and I have been asked to address the men of work at home moms and maybe give them a few tips about how to take care of their own WAHM’s. The reason this is important is because I have learned that if mom ain't happy then ain't nobody happy.

However I will tell you guys that this is not very complicated you just need to use your good sense and watch her body language. Besides all of that, she is the one that takes care of you and the kids, as well as works, and working at home makes being a WAHM a full time job…seriously. So what do you think? Should we get started?

Tip #1) Every morning never forget to say good morning, give her a kiss, and tell her that you love her. Not only is this the right way to treat someone you love, it is a very nice way to start the day. I’m sure she would like it and appreciate it to.

Tip #2) If you are gone all day or out taking care of business make sure to call her occasionally and when you do tell her you miss her. She will like the fact that she is important to you and is missed.

Tip #3) If you have to do the shopping make sure that she gives you a list. This is important for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is especially important for people like me who have low impulse control, because the list will help you to purchase what you need and not what you want, which can be a sore point and helps to control deficit spending. The second reason is that she usually runs the house and knows what you need to get anyway.

Tip #4) Never break a promise you have made her. Your relationship with your WHAM is built on trust and once you break her trust it is hard to earn it back. The last thing she needs to do is worry about whether you will break that trust again.

Tip #5) Never lie to your WAHM. This is important for the same reason as tip #4. In addition to that you would not like to be lied to either. No one that I know likes a liar or for that matter respects them either. Respect, like trust, is earned not given.

Tip #6) Even if you work away from the home, help out at home as best as you can. This is important because it will help to lighten up her day a little bit as well as making things go quicker and smoother so the family can spend more time together. Spending time together as a family keeps the clan strong.

Tip #7) Find the time to get her out of the house. This is very important to her sanity as well as your own. A WAHM with cabin fever is no fun to be around. Besides that she probably needs the break by the time you get her out and a little adult conversation with you will not only help you solve the parental and home problems, but will give her a little more elbow room to express herself and her feelings. She will also feel like your equal, which she is.

Tip #8) When you do get her out of the house go someplace nice, or fun, or both. Take her to lunch or dinner at her favorite place or try a new one she may have mentioned. If she likes movies go to the movies. You might even take her shopping for something she wants or likes. New clothes or shoes will work wonders for her self esteem and will work wonders for you too. After all, I want my WAHM to look good. Besides she deserves the best she can have after being super woman for a few days.

Tip #9) Definitely make time for the both of you to be intimate with each other. This is important for the both of you, because this is how you express your affection and desire for each other. Consider getting her some lingerie to wear or a piece of jewelry for her to show off. It is definitely good for her and you when she feels sexy.

What I am saying is basically that you need to be there for her whenever she needs you because chances are she will be there for you when you need her most. The only other piece of advice I might give you is to never put her work down, because it is how she contributes to the financial well being of the household as well as contributing to her sense of equal importance in you relationship.

That is all the advice I can give you guys for now and it is very good advice. The difference between me and most husbands is that I work at home to, so it is easier for me to accomplish these tips. Besides it is important for me to feel the same things that I want her to feel in our relationship also. I hope you all have a great life and I might be back again…Vaya Con Dios!

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.

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.

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.)

Hi there all your work at home moms.

It's been awhile since I last posted, due to unexpected medical difficulties. However, I'm back and getting in the groove of things again.

Keep tuned for more exciting articles, tips to help you out, and great information that is geared specifically to work at home moms.

From my house to yours...have a great night and you'll be hearing from me soon!

Many work at home moms today are getting involved in freelance writing and it's actually one of the most common pursuits for moms who are working from home today. Well, if you happen to be in the freelance business, no doubt quite a few jobs come your way. However, one of the important tips for success as a freelance writer is to know when to say "NO" to a job that is offered to you. More than likely you've taken a job before that you wished you'd never seen. So, here are four signs that you should say no to a freelance writing job you are offered.

Sign #1 - It Only Pays Revenue - One of the biggest signs that you should say a huge "NO" to a freelance writing job is that it only pays you in revenue. Now in some cases where a site or blog already has a huge following this may not be such a bad deal, but if you have to build up the following yourself just to get a percentage of the revenue, you might as well put the energy into building your own blog so you get all the revenue. Usually these jobs require a lot of work with very little pay, and the whole point of working at home is to actually make money.

Sign #2 - The Pay is Pennies Per Word - If the pay is only pennies per word, this may be another sign that you need to say "NO" to the job. After all, there are plenty of great paying freelance writing jobs out there for work at home moms. Why waste your time writing for a penny per word when you can make so much more. You don't want to be chained to your desk writing for pennies. It's not worth it.

Sign #3 - The Client Refuses to Pay Anything Up Front - How many people have been scammed out of their money because a client did not pay them at least some of the money up front. I know I've learned that lesson through hard knocks. Do a job, get promised money, and then you never see it. It's frustrating to never get a chunk of money that you worked so hard to earn. So, if the job is not going to pay you part of the money up front or at least hold money in escrow for the job, why waste your time on it if you're not sure you'll really get paid?

Sign #4 - They Ask You for Money - Last of all, if a freelance writing job offer asks you for money - RUN! You should never have to pay to get your writing out there. The freelance writing job market is an excellent one and there are plenty of people willing to pay great money to qualified writers. You shouldn't ever have to pay to work for someone as a freelance writer. The audacity that writers should pay to have the opportunity to work. It's absurd. So don't fall for it.

It's 2am....and what am I doing? That's right, here I sit working. Sometimes that's just par for the course when you're a work at home mom. Why am I working now? Well, this was one of those days that just didn't go as planned. Sure, I had good intentions at the beginning of the day, but there were many distractions (I'm sure you know what I'm talking about) that seemed to take away from my productivity. So, here I sit working after everyone else in the house is fast asleep.

Now, before you start feeling sorry for me, I must admit, it's actually kind of nice. All I can hear are the sounds of fans running in the house, a few snores from my husband, and otherwise there is a golden silence. No Barney playing in the background, loud music blaring, or kids popping in and out wondering how long it is until dinner. The laundry is done and there are no grocery runs to be done in the middle of the night...yes, this middle of the night thing is turning out to be quite a productive time.

Within the last hour I've written about as many articles as I got done the rest of the day, so it appears I make more money at night. LOL. However, on the negative side here, I keep hearing my bed calling me and knowing the time I have to get up in the morning makes me cringe, but otherwise, this late night, or rather early morning, working is a great idea. Sure, I wouldn't recommend it every night, but armed with caffeine and some chocolate, I'm good to go. Look out work!

As a work at home mom, this is definitely the desk that I need. Just think, get all your freelance writing jobs done, cook dinner, and do the laundry and never have to move away from your desk. I'm still trying to figure out if that's convenience or a nightmare.

If you're like me, most of you other work at home moms probably love finding a way to save money! No matter how much you're making from home, you're probably feeling a bit of a crunch right now, with gas prices soaring and food prices not to far behind them. In fact, within the past few weeks I've seen general grocery merchandise take a quick leap in price that's been making grocery shopping more like a brain teaser than a Saturday afternoon run to the store.

Since I'm pretty sure you are feeling the same way, I'd love to share with you how I have learned to take about 30 minutes and save $100 each week. It may sound small, but it's $400 or more a month, and $5200 each year, so listen up.

I'm always very busy with my job, kids, and a husband, so it's really tempting to just run to the store without a thought to get that grocery shopping done, but when I go I want to make sure that I get good deals. I want my family to eat well while spending the least amount possible.

So, what I do every Friday night is sit down with my husband and we go through all the local fliers from grocery stores, take stock of what we have, what we need, and then we plan a menu and make a grocery list. It takes about 30 minutes or so, but it's so worth it. We look at the deals, and try to plan meals around them. If you begin to do this, I can just about promise you that you'll begin to save about $100 a week, or maybe even more.

When I go grocery shopping, I have a list already with me for ever store I plan to visit, and usually I already know about what I'm going to spend. When I walk out of the store, my receipts show me that I've saved 30%, 40%, 50%, and a few times I've saved more than 60% in a store. All this by taking time to go over the best deals and planning out a good menu.

We eat amazing meals each evening, from Shrimp fettuccini, to Ravioli with Meat Sauce, Blackened Pork Chops, and a variety of great veggies as well, including corn on the cob, fresh broccoli and cauliflower, tomatoes, squash and zucchini, asparagus, peas, carrots, red potatoes, and more. Our diet is much healthier when we shop this way, and the great part is that we save a minimum of $100 a week.

Saving money is important, so I just wanted to share with you a way that I'm able to save an extra $100 every single week, just by taking about 30 minutes of time. It's definitely worth it!