Sanity Savers For Work

“Just do an excellent job and the money will follow.”- Eleanor McMillan Brown

After quitting my full time job to stay at home with my toddler and my newborn little girl, I did work-at-home jobs for years. It wasn’t until I had my son (third child) that I began doing things online. I didn’t have a “business” online right away, I just ran a website. It didn’t turn into a business until a couple of years ago (when I was pregnant with baby #6). While working at home I had to learn so many things to help my business, but most importantly to help myself and my family.

This needs to always come first! Get fully dressed every morning, brush your teeth and do your hair! This will revive you and make you feel like you are doing something important! Do this everyday, even if it sounds like the kids are tearing your house apart! Take time to shave your legs and put make-up on! I have tried the days of sweats and a t-shirt and I feel awful all day! I like feeling my best even when working at home!

Have a plan for the kids. Make a list of 10 things for them to do while you work and each day you and they can pick from the list. Sometimes it can be to watch a movie, others times they can ride bikes or play checkers! This way you aren’t just screaming at them to “be quiet and let mommy work!” Kids work and play better when there is a schedule and a set routine. Take a little extra time to work these out with your kids and hubby.

After being home for the better part of the day I need time to myself and to leave the house! My husband and I plan time for me to go “window shopping” while he feeds the kids or takes them to the park. Everyone needs to get a break. If hubby isn’t available, trade off with other friends. Remember to give yourself a break!

Because of my full plate of full time mother to six, homemaker and my online business sometimes my poor husband comes home to a frazzled and not often very romantic wife. My marriage is important to me and so is romancing my husband. I try to take at least one night a week out for him and we go on a date. I also make sure I schedule time to sit down with him every day after he comes home from work so we can just talk about our days. This has made a big impact on our marriage and we are closer than ever. It makes him supportive of my job because he feels needed and included too.

My sister is also a Work-at-home mom. She has a premature baby who is now almost two years old. My sister teaches violin, viola and piano lessons almost every single day. She also is my customer service representative. She has a full plate! Her daughter is especially fussy and hard to manage for her violin lessons. To remedy this, she hires my older two older girls to come over and baby-sit her two year old in the back bedroom whenever her violin students come for lessons.

You don’t have to hire a babysitter to watch your kids everyday. If you are feeling overwhelmed and overload, or you have a deadline to meet, hire a sitter either at your house or take them to theirs.

If you start dinner in the morning as part of your daily routine, your family will thank you! You will have the peace of mind while working knowing dinner is already taken care of! Crock-pot recipes are easy and taste delicious! I recommend “Taste of Home’s” recent edition of Crock-Pot cooking on the newsstands!

Think about your working conditions at home and take some of these suggestions and see if they help you and your family! Being mom, homemaker and care-taker of all is tough enough without throwing in working at home. Things can go wrong and there will be “bad days” but working at home is a better alternative to work outside of it. Hats off to you!

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Shiloah Baker is a SAHM/WAHM to six beautiful children-Cailynn-10, Charisa-8, Benjamin-7, Makenzie-4, Madison-2 & Meredith- 11 months. Her sweet husband Ben is her biggest supporter as she runs two online businesses/three websites. She currently lives in Copperas Cove, Texas. Her hobbies include: scrapbooking, cross-stitch, baking, sewing, quilting, crafting of any kind and writing. Her websites are: The Homemaking Cottage, Enrichment Cottage, A Homemaking Journey.