Calling all (Work or Stay) at Home Moms
I really want to know how I can stay at home and not have to be scrambling to buy groceries.
I need to hear from those that are successful at doing so.
I see plenty of you moms out there that are able to stay home with your kids and survive on one income.
I see some of you doing this in places like California and New York, where the cost of living is pretty high.
How do you do it?
Are you always coupon clipping and having to second-guess your purchases?
Or are you able to do so comfortably and be able to go shopping every once in a while?
I mean, currently I bring in 50% of our household income, but being home with the monkey for two days (even if I was in pain and recovering from the wisdom tooth fiasco), REALLY made me want to turn in my resignation and stay home.
But, of course, things aren’t so simple.
To lose my income would put a HUGE dent in our lifestyle and budget. I don’t really think we can afford to live off just one income.
So, help me out here.
How do you do it?
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Posted in Sahm, Wahm on May 2nd, 2008 by ModernMami | | 9 Comments
Working Mothers - A Delicate Balance
It’s Wednesday!
What a hectic week so far.
Work is super busy. Of course, the home life is always hectic.
I find that more often than not, I have an inner battle going on.
Part of me knows that I can’t possibly keep up with everything - home, work, husband, daughter, myself, parents, etc.
Yet, the other half, for whatever unknown ridiculous reason, has it in her head that she should be able to keep up with everything. Not just should, but MUST.
It’s insane.
I realized the other day that this is probably due to years of brainwashing from my mother. And, when I say brainwashing, I mean that in the nicest way possible. Obviously, she did not set out to corrupt my mind. But, through example, it happened.
You see, my mother was a stay at home mom - way before that was even a term; in fact, I believe the term at the time was “housewife.” 
Anyway, since she stayed home with us until I was about 12 or so, I watched her keep the house in an impeccable state of cleanliness. She had no clutter, no baskets of laundry just waiting to be folded, no dust, and always had dinner on the table when my father came home from work.
Even when she did start working, she still managed to come home from work, and get right to the kitchen. Maybe it had something to do with our Puerto Rican culture. But, whatever it was, it still amazes me how she did it.
I struggle on a daily basis to be able to just put a quick dinner together. To spend some time with my baby girl after a long day at work. Don’t even mention trying to squeeze in some time for the husband.
I think (well actually, it was brought to my attention by the husband recently) that because I grew up seeing her manage so well, and because she often talked with me about having to be a “good wife”, I now have these extremely high (and false) expectations of myself.
It’s very frustrating.
How do you manage to keep up? Do you find you have false expectations for yourself?
technorati: balancing work and life, managing household, motherhood, working mom, working mother, sahm
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Posted in Motherhood, Sahm, Women, Work on July 11th, 2007 by ModernMami | | 16 Comments
Time Management Tips
Who’s Got the Time? Five Ways to Save Hours in Less Than a Minute
By: Christine Louise Hohlbaum
Time is a democratic commodity. Everyone has the same amount of it. Yet most people you talk to will tell you they don’t have any. Don’t buy it. Everyone has twenty-four hours a day. What your boss, spouse, neighbor, teacher, contractor or vendor is really telling you is something completely different. They are telling you they have other priorities: such as servicing another client, watching the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy or attending their child’s soccer game. It just sounds nicer to say you are out of time than that you are out of luck.
If you’ve fallen into the trap of saying you have no time, you’re not alone. Most Americans value their time more than their retirement funds. The question is what is time for?
Most would answer by closely linking their quality of life with how they spend their time. The real question is how much time do we actually spend doing the things we love? Goal-setting is integral to answering that question. To paraphrase Jack Canfield in The Success Principles, knowing where you want to go will get you there faster than if you don’t. Oftentimes we waste our time, however, on things that do not serve our ultimate needs and desires.
Juggling our commitments in this fast-paced world is not easy. It warrants, however, taking a step back to review how we might apply better use of our time. Test these five time-saving techniques on your own. You may find yourself saying yes to actions that will ultimately give you what you want out of life.
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Posted in Articles, Motherhood, Parenting, Sahm, Wahm on June 23rd, 2007 by ModernMami | | 0 Comments
Make Money Online by Writing
Moms United in Business has a good post up today about writing to make money online.
As told by Jenn, MUIB founder:
I make money by writing articles. I write what I know. I get paid. It is as simple as that.
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Posted in Money, Sahm, Wahm, Work, make money online on June 21st, 2007 by ModernMami | | 0 Comments
6 Ways to Make Money Online
AOL’s consumer advisor provides six ways you can make money online in the article titled, “Delete your commute with new internet jobs.”
The article lists the following six online jobs and links:
- Become a virtual juror - www.ejury.com
- Become a virtual assistant - www.virtualassistantjobs.com
- Become a virtual concierge - www.vipdesk.com
- Blog for money - payperpost.com
- Help others search the web - www.chacha.com
- Get paid for your videos - www.revver.com
The only one I’ve had experience with is PayPerPost. I’ve been experimenting a bit on my other blog, Modern Mami Reviews, and have had a good outcome so far.
Have you had success with any of these sites? Let me know in the comments.
technorati: blog for money, chacha, e-juror, ejury, get paid to blog, make money online, payperpost, revver, virtual assistant, wahm, sahm
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Posted in Articles, Money, Sahm, Wahm, Work, make money online on June 20th, 2007 by ModernMami | | 0 Comments
Work From Home Tips from Tory Johnson
I came across this article on ABC written by Tory Johnson which details work from home tips and links to various resources where you can search for a job.
Straight from the article:
Whether you’re looking to contribute to your family’s finances or earn some cash to cover special or unexpected expenses, many people want more ways to make money at home.
From freelance to full-time gigs, we have a range of fields and resources below to help guide you in discovering the options that exist. Only you can decide if an opportunity is right for you.
I haven’t had a chance to fully explore the article and the resources listed, but it looks promising.
You can also check out the main Take Control of Your Life site, which covers work from home scams, getting paid to lose weight, and asking for flex time, among many other topics.
Be sure to let me know in the comments if you have ever worked with any of the companies listed.
technorati: abc, flex time, good morning america, lose weight, make money from home, money, take control of your life, tory johnson, work from home scams, work from home tips, work from home
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Posted in Articles, Money, Sahm, Wahm, Work on June 2nd, 2007 by ModernMami | | 0 Comments
New Resource for Working From Home
I found a new site that looks to be pretty promising.
eMomsAtHome is both a great resource and blog for motivation, networking, and work at home ideas.
There’s a lot of content on both the main site and the blog and I’m just starting to peruse it, but I think you’ll find some useful information.
For my curiosity only, do you find sites like these useful?
technorati: eMoms at home, motivation, networking, work at home, wahm
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Posted in Sahm, Wahm, Women, Work on March 29th, 2007 by ModernMami | | 0 Comments
Everyone needs to quit!
We’re all used to the articles stating that children do better if mom doesn’t work and instead stays home with her kids.
Well it seems that now dads need to quit their day jobs also.
The Guardian recently posted an article about a new study which found that babies do better when dad stays home and spends more time with them. Titled, “Baby does best with dad off work, study finds“, the article begins by saying:
Children are more likely to suffer development problems if their fathers do not take paternity leave or spend enough time with them when they are very young, according to an analysis of thousands of babies born around the turn of the millennium.
How’s that for a guilt trip?
While all of us are going “Duh! Of course it’s better if we stay home and spend more time with our children!”, apparently, this is the “…first study to confirm that the close involvement of a father also has a significant impact on a child’s future.” - the word also referring to the fact that they already know a mother’s involvement has a huge impact on children.
If you wish to read the full article, you can do so at The Guardian’s site.
My question to you is, if both moms and dads stay home with the kids and don’t work, won’t you still be causing developmental problems in your children since you won’t be able to afford to feed them?
technorati: parenting, the guardian, stay home, motherhood
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Posted in Articles, Motherhood, Parenting, Sahm, Wahm, Work on March 21st, 2007 by ModernMami | | 2 Comments
Video of WAHM Tips
Take a break from your daily activities and watch this cute video of work at home tips. You’ll be sure to get a good laugh. After watching the video, my first thought was, she doesn’t even have kids around her! That would definitely be even more distracting!
Enjoy and have a great Monday!
technorati: WAHM tips, work from home
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Posted in Motherhood, Sahm, Wahm, Women, Work on February 26th, 2007 by ModernMami | | 0 Comments
I’m a Moms United contributor!
I’m definitely excited, honored, and just blushing, because I am now a contributor for the Moms United in Business Blog!
The Moms United site explains their concept best:
We are not merely a business community, promoting WAHMs and their
businesses. We are a community offering inspiration and support not only as
a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and/or friend, but as a woman in your own
right!
Go on over and check out my introduction to their community and my first post. The blog has a lot of good topics - business advice, inspirational posts, and parenting - just to name a few.
technorati: moms united in business, wahm, motherhood, business, women
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Posted in Blogging, Motherhood, Sahm, Wahm, Women, Work on February 15th, 2007 by ModernMami | | 0 Comments
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