Many moms who choose to work from home do so because they would like to contribute to the
household income without handing over their entire paycheck to childcare services. Plus, many
mothers, even those that have had fulfilling careers outside the home, simply can’t bear the thought
of being away from their children, letting them be raised by strangers, and missing out on some of the
many firsts that will never come again. So there are multiple reasons that you might want to work from
home and the prospect is a fairly attractive one in a number of ways. The only real problem is that you
have to be a fairly organized and disciplined individual if you want to make a success of it. However, if
you know what you need to do, the battle is half won. So here are just a few things to consider before
you give up your day job and move to the home office.

1. Setting a schedule. The first step is to set a daily schedule. This can be difficult with some work-
from-home occupations because you may not know how much work you’ll have from week to
week. That’s okay; all you have to do is populate a schedule with the things you know about
(taking kids to school or activities, weekly errands, appointments, and so on) and then pencil in
other items as they come up. Having an established routine is merely a springboard to making
sure time is not wasted, but it is a necessary place to start. Otherwise you’ll find that you’re
getting up later in the day and running errands in your pajamas. A structured schedule helps
you stay in command of your life.

2. Flexibility (having a plan B). Of course, whenever kids are involved, plans are bound to change,
so it pays to have a backup plan and leave a little wiggle room in your schedule. If you’ve got
everything scheduled to the minute you’ll [Read more…]

[Read more…]

We all know times are tough, and though we would like to pretend the recession is over (and getting better, or getting worse, or getting better, or getting worse? Bah, who knows!) It’s important to remember how many families are still struggling every day. There are lots of people who help others during Thanksgiving or Christmas- but what happens for the rest of the year?

Did you know that 17 Million Kids right here in the USA struggle with hunger? Here are a few more facts on hunger in the USA-

• More than 17 million children are at risk for hunger
• More than 700,000 children were reported abused or neglected in 2009. The numbers are suspected to be much higher—these reflect actual reports.
• A child is abused or neglected every 41 seconds; 71 percent of them are victims of neglect. Infants are the most likely to suffer from maltreatment. Almost 40 percent of child victims receive no post-investigation services and many more receive far less than they need.
• 1,200 children enter foster care each day remaining there on average more than two years. Thirty-one percent of the children in foster care are Black, double the percent of all children who are Black.
• About two-thirds of public school 4th graders cannot read at grade level; 6 out of 10 cannot do math at grade level.
• Well over 500,000 children remain in foster care each year.
• More than one in eight preschool children live with a parent who abuses alcohol or other drugs or is dependent on them.

Great news, yeah? Not so much. SO- what can YOU do to help? Lots of things. You can go big, or go small- how big is your commitment to change? In the words of a famous musician- “If you want to make the world a better place, you better look at yourself, and make a change”. So get moving, shake and bake! What will you’re legacy be? One of love, of caring? I don’t just mean when it is right in front of you, calling your name and being obvious- I mean when it isn’t convenient. Lets make 2012 the Golden Age of Men- for real- and let it begin with me.

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a
communist.
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the labor leaders, but I did not speak out because I was not a unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
As one day became another and others disappeared, gypsies, mentally retarded,
homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, criminals, anti-socials and emigrants, I remained
silent because I was not one of them. Then it was they came for me,
but no one spoke [Read more…]

While most work-at-home moms are necessarily go-getters, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that’s
looking to add even one more thing to her very full plate. And yet, many women who opt to wear the
dual hats of mother and breadwinner do so because they get fulfillment out of raising their children
even as they continue to pursue a rewarding career. Although many do this for practical reasons (a
supplemental income, for example, or because the cost of daycare is too high for them to effectively
work outside the home), these are the women that want to have it all. A big part of that means realizing
success in both arenas. But if you haven’t yet thought about branding your home-based business, you
could be missing out on a major opportunity to see your professional life really soar. So here are a few
basics that will help you understand the concept of branding, the inception, and what it could do for
your business.

First of all, you may be unclear about what branding is. There’s a lot more to it than designing a
logo and a snappy slogan. Creating a brand image is about considering the way your clients and the
consumer public see and recognize your business. You might not think that this is important for your
small slice of the market, but think again. Even on a small scale you probably face stiff competition
for jobs. This is your livelihood! You need to do everything you can to ensure that consumers choose
you over the next guy (or gal)! And this is where branding can make a difference. Even if you’re just
offering freelance writing services or local tutoring, you rely on [Read more…]