A Work at Home Mom’s Blog

I’ve been doing some figuring, and I just might be able to cut down on the hours I work outside the home. I’m not done yet, but so far it’s looking pretty promising.

According to my calculations, I could work about twelve hours a week at my regular job, and with what I’m making from writing I would make the equivalent of working 40 hours a week. I’m not going to cut down that much, because I want to get ahead of the game. But maybe 3 days a week would work out.

Like I said, I’ve still got some more number crunching to do. But I’m gonna be thrilled if things work out like I hope for them to! :grin:

The Internet is full of giveaways and contests. The problem is that to get that “something for nothing” you usually have to sign up for paid offers, give your email address (which will of course be spammed to death), or give them your firstborn. For that reason, I have traditionally steered clear of them.

Whogets.com is a new sweepstakes site that is looking to turn all of that on its head. Members can enter contests for prizes such as video games, DVDs, gift cards and more with no strings attached. Then seven entrants are chosen at random to tell the world why they should get the prize. The community votes, and the person with the most votes wins.

This looks like it has the potential to be huge. I plan on giving it a whirl myself. If I make it to the finals, be a pal and vote for me!

Today I had to take Pumpkin back to the doctor for the same old thing. I have been pretty stressed anyway, and her being sick again was putting me over the top. I was prepared to give the doctor a piece of my mind. Luckily for her, the one she’s been seeing wasn’t in today. So I took her to a different one.

I toned it down a bit, but explained in no uncertain terms that I was tired of having to bring her to the doctor twice a month or more. We can’t afford it, and she deserves to get better and not have to see the doctor all the time. He put her on a month’s worth of antibiotics. I’m not crazy about giving them to her that long, but I’m going to give it a go and hope for the best. That’s all I can do.

Today has been gorgeous, sunny, and warm. The upcoming week is, according to the forecast, supposed to be more of the same. It’s about time.

I owed Pumpkin a special surprise for staying in bed all night for two nights in a row, so Hubby and I took her to the park for a picnic. She thought that was the greatest thing that had ever happened, I guess because it has been so long since the weather has been fit for something like that. I hope to be able to do things like that often now.

It’s still not too late in the year for nasty weather here in the mountains. I’ve lived in this area for six years, and I can remember at least one spring when it frosted several times in May. I hope this won’t be another one like that. That bout of cold weather last week killed off some things that were starting to bloom, and I would hate to get another one that made things even worse.

When I was much younger, I occasionally sat down and watched one of those thirty minute infomercials from start to finish. I haven’t done that or had the desire to in years, but I do still watch a few minutes of one in passing from time to time. It’s amazing how much enthusiasm the people on them have (or pretend to have because that’s what they’re getting paid for) for these products.

I must admit that some of the most innovative products I’ve seen have been on infomercials. Take TV trays, for example. I rarely see them in stores, but I’ve seen many different varieties of them on television. I have even thought about ordering the Table Mate- you know, the one that adjusts to dozens of different positions and folds away for easy storage.

If you’re not quick enough to jot down those toll-free numbers or web addresses when you see something you like on a commercial, check TVProducts4Less.com. If it’s on an infomercial, they probably have it.

You may have noticed that there haven’t been as many entries here as usual. I’ve been very busy with my writing jobs, and haven’t had much time for blogging. But I haven’t forgotten about it.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about blogging. It has become ingrained into my personality that I must share my thoughts with the world through the good old World Wide Web. But time is one of those things that doesn’t budge an inch, and between my job, my writing, and my family, there isn’t much of it left. So my blogging has suffered.

Please don’t hold it against me. One day, hopefully one day very soon, my outside the home job will be the thing that I can let go. Then I can write and blog to my heart’s content. I hope you will still be with me then. Yes, I’m talking to YOU. Until then, I’ll keep in touch as much as possible.

I’ve been trying to get into business for myself for longer than I want to think about. It’s a rough road, one on which you must keep your eyes on the prize in order to avoid giving up at times. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be able to buy an existing business that is already established, if for no other reason than to tide me over until I can get my own thing going.

At GlobalBX you can find all sorts of businesses for sale. They come in all shapes and sizes, from small businesses to franchise opportunities. And best of all, you can list and browse for free. You can even apply for financing on the site.

If you are looking to buy a business, GlobalBX provides one-stop shopping. And if you want to sell a business, it is one of the few places where you can list it for free.

I’ve been thinking about putting up a profile on eLance. From what I’ve read, there are some freelancers who have been making a killing on there. I’m sure those that do are putting a lot into it, but what I’m curious about is how many are putting a lot into it and not getting much in return. I looked through some of the writing profiles, and found that there were pages upon pages of results of people who had made $0.

Another thing that concerns me is the fact that I don’t have any writing credentials. My only degree is in business management. I’m thinking that could quite possibly hurt me, even though most writing for the web should not require a Master’s degree.

And finally there is the price. You can post a profile for free, but if you want to be proactive and bid on projects you have to pay a monthly fee. There is a starter type package that only costs $11 per month, so that’s not too bad. I’ll have to look at the budget and see if I have that to spare on something that is not a sure thing- if I decide to proceed.

Has anyone out there had any luck with eLance? If so I would love to hear about your experiences.

I’m not really a soap opera fan. As a matter of fact, I haven’t watched a soap in years. But CBS is having an essay contest in which the winner will be meeting two stars from As the World Turns, and I would love to win. Here’s why:

• The stars involved are Austin Peck and Terri Colombino, who play Brad and Katie on the show. And that Austin is a hottie! Sure, it would be nice to meet… er, what’s-her-name… but it would be awesome to see Austin’s pretty face in person!
• The two have to come to your house and do your least favorite chore. That would be a tough decision, but I’m sure I could find something for them to do… like washing the windows!
• The winner also gets a check for $5000 big ones! Enough said!

I’m off to write my essay now. If you would like a chance at all of the above, just click here to enter. And if you win, I expect pictures! It’s the least you could do since you heard about it from me.

I woke up early yesterday morning to go to work, only to find the ground completely covered with snow. And I don’t mean just a thin layer… it wasn’t knee deep or anything, but there was a respectable amount there. And it was still coming down.

I got ready and hit the road, and found it necessary to proceed with caution. There were several long stretches of road that were solid white, and a bit slippery. I made it there without incident. Unfortunately, one of my coworkers wasn’t so lucky.

When I got there I found out that one of the girls I work with had wrecked on the way to work. Thank God she wasn’t hurt, but her vehicle was by all reports totalled.

Most of the snow is gone now, but it’s still cold. We’re supposed to get a warm-up later this week. I hope so- I’ve had enough of these bone-chilling temperatures and hazardous road conditions.