Member Articles

A very realistic outlook, to be sure. Are you open to a suggestion?
I don't know what your line of work is but, it may be beneficial to team up with someone, say another mom, who has similar needs as your own and work together. A Coop of sorts where you can work from home (or each other's homes) and trade off time with the children. It's what I did when my children were small and I was working and going to school. It takes organization and dedication but, in the end, it works. But, what do I know :)

Let me just chime in and agree that work is work no matter what. But working at home with little ones around is very difficult. It is hard to find something that will entertain my 20 month old long enough for me to get in the zone. It's a struggle. I also want to agree with Leslie: I so miss the health benefits to working away from home. I used to bike to work 25 minutes each way, and for lunch I'd have a Balance Bar and a piece of fruit. Working from home, with a toddler in the house, it's hard to get out for exercise, plus there's the tendency to snack. Needless to say, I have gained some weight since I started working from home. :(

Thanks for your comments.
Wendy, you are right, that is another point I forgot to make is that family members see working from home as not working. That's why I made it a point to say, "work is work, anyway you put it."
Leslie, I think that the age does make a difference. I had a hard time explaining to my 4 year old that I was working. He would still come to ask for things, even in the presence of a babysitter.

I could never ever imagine trying to do a full time job while I had a 1 and 4 year old around. Over year ago I had enough of someone else having all the "fun" with my daughter so I tried to change from full time to part time - no can do. So, I quit. A few months later, they contacted me asking if I would do some consulting work. The pay was good. I agreed to 10 hours a week - thinking I could take care of my 2 year old at the same time. Nope - she wouldn't leave me alone and I was working nights while everyone else was sleeping. I now have her in a Montessori day care two days a week and work from home. At first, it was great - I would eat good and all that and sneak in some exercise. But, now, I am back in my work routine. I have candy in my fridge - munch it all day. Don't move from my desk. The hours are horrible - some weeks 2 hours - some weeks 20. So I still work nights at times and am completely bored at other times. Don't know when I have work or not - so have to hover around the computer on the days she's in school and sometimes miss opportunities if I run errands. I get distracted so easy at home. The little old lady down the street thinks I can be her chauffer since I don't "really" work. My husband comes home to do projects at noon. They distract me. I still have to figure out what to feed everyone for supper and keep the house cleanish. It's really hard to focus.