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.

Welcome back to Tips for WAHMs - I hope you are ready for today's quick tip of the day for WAHMs. When you work at home, sometimes it is difficult to get it through the "thick" heads of others that yes, you actually work. Some seem to have the idea that since you are working from your home, you can do whatever you want, or worse, what THEY want you to do. If you are trying to make some money, this can be frustrating to you as a work at home mom.

Today's quick tip of the day for WAHMs is this - don't let people take advantage of you!!! It's all to easy to drop what you are doing to take care of things for someone else. It can be any number of things. Someone wants to talk on the phone for hours, they want you to take them somewhere, they want to come over for dinner, they want you to go out with them, or they have some task they'd like your help with.

This is where you learn to say "NO!" Sure, there is some flexibility when you work at home, but without discipline you won't be able to accomplish the things you need to do and make a living. You must be first committed to your family, then to your business, and other people come last. It's time you start standing up for yourself when people try to take advantage of you.

You can kindly let others know that you work hard and you need to focus on your business. Let them know that there are some times you just can't drop work and go do whatever they want you to. Of course this doesn't mean you can't plan a time to go out with them or help them out. Just let them know that they have to work around your schedule, and not the other way around.

You work hard as a work at home mom. So, don't let others take advantage of you and ruin your profitable business. Stand firm, but do it kindly. It will make a big difference.

Hi there and welcome back to Tips 4 WAHMs. I hope you had a wonderful weekend and had some time to catch up on some rest.

Today we are back to the quick tip of the day for WAHMs and I have a great tip that I often need to remember myself.

Today's quick tip of the day is this: Get Out of the House!!!!!

When you are a work at home mom, you live at home and you work at home as well. Now while this comes along with many advantages, it can also have a few drawbacks. If you don't get out enough, soon you are going to feel like the walls are closing in - yes…cabin fever.

I know I deal with this a lot and I'm really happy to have a husband who does his best to make sure I get out of the house. He's probably better about remembering it than I am.

Sometimes I get so buried in my work and everything that comes along with running a home and having a family, that I totally forget to take time to get out. In fact, just a personal example, a couple weeks ago I had enough. I told my husband I needed to get out, left the house, and went out for the afternoon.

While I was out, I didn't do anything to exciting. Went shopping, didn't find anything I liked, ordered Chinese food for the family, and came home and didn't have to cook. Later that night I shut myself in the master suite, did some hair care and nail care, took a nice bath, and by the end of the day I felt like a new person.

My husband is great about surprising me and taking me out for lunch or we plan an early afternoon movie date to get out of the house. I think he's found that getting me out of the house is good for HIS sanity. LOL!

If you work at home or you are a stay at home mom, try to get out. Even if it's just for a cup of coffee, a trip to the library, or a walk to the mailbox. Remember there is a big world out there. Don't let yourself get closed in or you'll begin to feel restless, frustrated, and irritated.

Welcome back to Tips 4 WAHMs. Hump day is over, and in two more days the weekend will be here. I know that sounds as great to all of you as it does to me!

One thing I have noticed as a work at home mom is that sometimes it is easy to let the stress levels get out of control. You know what I mean. Your face turns red, you feel like you are going to boil over, your blood pressure goes through the roof, and once again you get that nagging pain in your back…a sure sign that you are stressed again.

Unfortunately all that stress really has a negative impact on your life. However, when you are trying to meet deadlines, worrying about the bills, trying to get dinner done on time, and working on that mountain of laundry, it's definitely hard to keep from getting stressed out. Over time it can become a lifestyle of stress, which can have you at the breaking point before you know it.

As a mom, especially one who works at home, you don't have time for a meltdown. So, what can you do to combat all that stress? Well, that's what I want to talk to you about with today's quick tip of the day for WAHMs. The tip? Crank up those tunes!

Yep, it's as simple as music. Music has been proven to provide healing effects to the body and it also helps to relieve stress as well. Although this isn't the only thing you should be doing to tone down the feelings of stress in your life, it's definitely a great one that provides results.

It doesn't matter what kind of music you use. Choose the music you enjoy. Maybe you've heard classical music is relaxing. Well, personally I find it to be at times, but if you hate classical music it won't do the trick. Chill out to tunes that you really enjoy. Pick out a play list of your favorite tunes (I use iTunes on my computer where I can save favorite playlists) and then crank up the volume a bit and just relax to the music you enjoy.

Music is great for just kicking back and relaxing, it's wonderful while enjoying a relaxing bath, or even great while you are working to keep you in a relaxed vibe. Just a plug here, one of my favorite things to listen to is the Delilah show online. It's a relaxing show that focuses on relationships and sappy love songs, and I've been listening to the show for years. It's always a sure way to provide me with a bit of relaxation as I work in the evenings.

Of course then there's always my personal favorite, the chipmunks. Go ahead. Laugh. You just can't be upset or sad when you listen to them. Gotta love those rodents. LOL.

So, when you start feeling like you can't stand the stress anymore - don't flake out. Instead, crank up the music. Sing. Dance. Do whatever you have to do to get rid of that stress. You'll feel better. I promise!

Spring is here and so is cold season. As you may have noticed, Tips 4 WAHMs hasn't been around for a few days, and that is all due to cold season. Let's just say that the kiddies like to share, and unfortunately left with a case of bronchial pneumonia I've been on an unplanned hiatus.

As a work at home mom, this is something you are probably going to end up dealing with. Some how the kids always like to share. So, for today's quick tip of the day for WAHMs I'd like to share a few good tips for avoiding these colds when you work at home.

1. Have hand sanitizer on hand. This is invaluable when you are a work at home mom. Even when the kids get the sniffles, you can try to avoid it by using hand sanitizer after each time you touch them. Have your kids use it to, to cut down on them getting colds at school. Put some in their backpack and it may help them to avoid the colds.

2. Get rest. Yes, as a work at home mom, I know this is tough, but especially if your kids are sick, try to get a bit of extra rest yourself. Unfortunately many of us work even harder taking care of work and a sick family, and then end up getting a double dose of the nasty bug.

3. Push water like crazy. I'm a big fan of water all the time and I think many people forget to get enough water. However, this is most important when you are trying to avoid getting sick. During cold season and especially if the kiddies are already fighting colds, start drinking a LOT of water. Eight 8oz glasses is the normal recommendation. When you want to boost your body's immunity you need even more water. Go for 10+ glasses when you are trying to fight off a bug.

These are just a couple of quick tips to help you out as a work at home mom. Inevitably the kids are going to catch something, and you may too. Hopefully with these tips you'll avoid the illness or cut back on the time down.

If you are a work at home mom or a stay at home mom and you haven't discovered the power of the bubbles, then it's about time you were introduced!

I'm talking about the bubble bath. You may not realize it, but there is some kind of strange power in those bubbles. Lol. Not only is a bubble bath a relaxing way to spend a few moments to yourself, but if you're like me, it's one of the places where you get inspired.

I can't tell you the times I've been taking a long, hot bubble bath and suddenly had an inspiration of something to write. This blog post is a prime example, lol. Somehow those bubbles allow my mind to work in a different way, and I get all kinds of great ideas.

I look forward to bubble bath time several nights a week. It's my time to relax, enjoy the smell of the bubble bath, and spend some time reading, thinking, or even dozing.

If you are a mom, especially a work at home mom, never underestimate the power of the bubble bath. Take time to pamper yourself once in awhile. You'll feel like a new person when you're done...and you may even get some inspiration.

Hello again moms and thanks for stopping by Tips 4 WAHMs again. I hope you're ready for another great quick tip of the day for WAHMs.

Today I want to talk about your desk. When you are a work at home mom, chances are you spend quite a bit of time at your desk, especially if you work online. Unfortunately, half the time your desk may be hard to find, buried under papers, books, and more.

Clean your desk. It's one of the best tips I can give you. You'll be surprised how much better you'll be able to work with a clean desk. First of all, you'll actually be able to find things instead of digging through the piles for them. Also, studies have shown that people accomplish more when working at a clean desk.

One of the main reasons we work at home moms don't clean our desk is because it looks like a task that will take forever. In reality, the job probably won't be as hard as you think. Usually 15-20 minutes is all you'll need to get that desk clean. Those minutes will definitely be worth your time when you find out how much more you get done once it's clean.

So, take a break today and clean off your desk. You'll be surprised at how fast it goes and then at how productive you become when it's clean. Then, work on keeping it clean. Never let your desk come in the way of making money again…lol.

Okay, I know I have your attention. You're probably wondering why my quick tip of the day for WAHMs is to bribe your children. In reality, bribing may not be the word, (but it made me laugh) but I want to talk about how you can save some time with the help of your kids.

Ever had a child who didn't get their allowance and wanted to earn it back? I have. In fact, that happened today. My daughter wanted to know how she could get her allowance back. (She didn't do her chores and missed out last week.) I came up with a great plan/bribe. Lol.

Since she is off on Spring Break this week, I came up with a list of chores for the week. Of course she has to take care of her regular chores like usual, but I added one more chore a day, so she can earn this weeks' allowance and earn back last weeks' too. Double allowance after no money sounds great to her.

So, this week she'll be cleaning up the living room and vacuuming it (she did that today), cleaning and vacuuming the office, cleaning her room and washing the bedding, sweeping the back porch, and taking down the Christmas clings which are sadly still on the windows in the house. Each added chore will take about 15 minutes a day, and she earns her allowance back.

Better yet…mom gets a break. I'm a work at home mom swamped with work. No spring break for mom. However, with this quick tip, the house will be cleaner, I'll get the time I need to get my work done, and my daughter will be richer. I'm loving it!!!

Today's quick tip of the day for WAHMs is one that I need to do better on myself. When you are a work at home mom, there is always a lot to do. Not only is there work to do, but there is laundry to do, dinner to cook, kids to take care of, and a house to clean. Sometimes it can be overwhelming.

Sometimes I find it easy to become so immersed in everything I have to do that I don't take a break. However, taking a break is important to your sanity. Sometimes just a 10-15 minute break is enough to give you a huge recharge. When you start feeling frustrated and stumped with a problem, it's time to give yourself a bit of a break.

Don't think that you can work for hours and never have a break. Instead of pushing so hard, take that break. You'll actually find that you end up getting more done in the long run.

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.

If you are a work at home mom or a stay at home mom, you probably don't have a lot of time on your hands. That's why I want to introduce a new idea - quick tip of the day for WAHMs. They'll provide you quick tips that can make your life easier in just a couple minutes of reading.

Today's quick tip of the day for WAHMs is about cleaning the kitchen. More than likely if there are kids around, keeping the kitchen clean is a never ending chore. To keep the kitchen cleaner in just a bit of time, don't walk away from a mess. Quickly clean it up. This way it won't grow on you. Enlisting the help of your kids for certain kitchen chores can help keep it cleaner too.

Keep this tip of the day in mind. It can save you from spending an hour at 10pm trying to clean up a disaster in your kitchen.

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.

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.)

When you are a work at home mom, things can get kinda hectic. So, it's important that you learn how to survive. Here are some tips from one work at home mom to another that will help you to preserve your sanity.

Tip #1 - Learn Quick Cooking - Learn how to come up with quick meals for your family. This could include looking for quick recipes or even making extras a few nights a month so you have some meals frozen to pop out when you get particularly overwhelmed with work.

Tip #2 - Try to Help Other People - Work on helping others. When you do so, it makes you feel better and also reminds you that your problems and challenges aren't all that bad.

Tip #3 - Keep Yourself Healthy - It can be easy to forget about staying healthy when you work at home. So, take some time out to go for a walk, go to the gym, or play outside with your kids to burn off some calories and improve your health.

Tip #4 - Stay Organized - If you stay organized, you'll save a huge amount of time. Clear your desk, organize your email, and come up with innovative ways that you can stay organized and save more time. Remember, time is money.

Tip #5 - Use Great Time Management - Time management is imperative. Make sure that you prioritize your time to get important tasks done. Remember, you want to spend as much time as you can with your family, so manage your time accordingly.

Tip #6 - Take Time for the Family - Take time for your family - your kids and your husband. Take time for games, meals together, and special time for you and your husband.

Tip #7 - Laugh Every Single Day - Laughing is so important and it will help you keep your sanity as a work at home mom. Look at cartoons, read something funny, or just find something to stimulate that laughter. It is healthy for you and you'll feel better for the rest of the day.

Confession #1 - I hate getting up early, I just pretend to like it.

Confession #2 - It's not as easy as it looks.

Confession #3 - Sometimes I just want to take the day off and go to the beach.

Confession #4 - I occasionally forget there is a real world out there.

Confession #5 - I don't really like washing dishes.

Confession #6 - I should have invested in the earplugs.

Confession #7 - Yes, I procrastinate from time to time. (Usually it's to do laundry or go grocery shopping)

Confession #8 - Sometimes I work all day and never get any work done.

Confession #9 - I've decided cleaning is exercise.

Confession #10 - I feel guilty when I tell people no.

Confession #11 - Occasionally I lose my cool.

Confession #12 - I love school....I mean the kids going to school.

Interested in becoming a work at home mom or perhaps you already are one and you sometimes find yourself wondering how to make it all work? Well, having your own home business can definitely take up a lot of time and have your life going 100mph or faster, but it definitely can be done. No doubt you want to be a successful work at home mom, and while it can seem impossible to take care of kids, run a home, and have your own home business, it can be done. Here are some of the top secret tips that can help you become successful with your own work at home business without losing your mind.

Secret #1 - Create a Schedule...But Don't Always Follow It - Organization is going to be important if you are going to work at home, so you will want to create a schedule, whether it is on paper or in your head. However, it's important to remember that you don't always have to follow the schedule. Just because you plan to work for certain hours on your schedule doesn't mean you'll actually get to do so without interruptions, especially if you have kids at home. Sometimes your life seems to have a life of its' own, so if you don't always follow that schedule exactly, don't stress over it.

Secret #2 - Make Menus - While it may sound simple, another top secret tip for being successful as a work at home mom is to make sure you plan out menus. You'll spend far more time figuring out what to have for dinner and then cooking it if you don't already have a menu planned out. Of course if you want to know more about making a menu, grocery shopping, and saving money, you should read my previous post, "Take 30 Minutes and Save $100."

Secret #3 - Learn How to Say NO! - In order to be successful, one of the most important words you need to learn is "NO!" Many people are going to want to take advantage of your time. Your brother may want you to babysit, or the school may ask you to bake 6 dozen cupcakes for a bake sale, or perhaps your mom wants you to go get her dry cleaning, since you're at home. Well, remember, you're working, and time is money. You need to make sure that you meet your deadlines and get your top priorities taken care of. It's important that you become excellent at saying NO to the people who want to distract you from your work and you need to do it without guilt.

Secret #4 - Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help - Asking for help is important as well when you're a work at home mom running a home business. After all, you're not Superwoman, even if you'd like to be. Your family is there to support and help you and remember to assign tasks to everyone. The children are capable of taking care of chores and you may even want to ask your husband to help as well. When everyone works together, the work will get done and just asking for a bit of help can provide you with great rewards.

Secret #5 - Take Care of Yourself - Taking care of yourself is imperative if you want to be a successful work at home mom. You take care of the kids, the house, the laundry, your work, and more all day long, but it's important to take some time to take care of yourself as well. If you are not at your best, things can get pretty dicey. So, take the time to enjoy a few chapters of a book, a good movie, taking a walk, a nice warm bubble bath, or just a trip out for some time alone.

Secret #6 - Establish Goals - The last top secret tip that will help you become successful with your home business is to make sure that you establish goals. Visualize the goals you want to meet. Where do you want to be in 6 months or a year? Do you have goals to make more money? If so, don't just have the goal to make more money, but figure out how you want to spend it and how having that money will change your life. When you have goals and you visualize how your life can change when you meet those goals, you'll be far more motivated to achieve them.

So, if you're looking for success as a work at home mom, these six top secret tips can help. Remember, being a work at home mom is a powerful thing and you're probably the envy of all the moms on the block. You have a great career that is stimulating mentally and you have time with your family as well. So, yes, it really does appear that you are "Super Mom."

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!