First of all, your kids come first. But what about the clients who are waiting for you to send in work? You have a few options here.

1. Outsource. I’ve been trying to do this and quite frankly, it hasn’t been going well. I’ve spent more time rewriting articles that were poorly done than I’ve saved, so it isn’t always worth it. However, if you have someone trustworthy who can take on some of your workload, pass it to them.

2. Change your sleep schedule. My kids sleep during the day when they’re sick. So I do, too. The short naps that I get aren’t really sustainable long term, but they do hold you over for those long nights when the little ones seem to get sicker than ever! This also allows you to work at night.

3. Break everything into small pieces. If you can’t focus for very long, look at the task you have, then break it into smaller tasks that can be accomplished in 5-10 min. Then work on one small task at a time.

4. Let your clients know. If you have understanding clients, you might let them know that your family is out of commission and you will do your best to get their project completed on time, but it might be a day or two late. Most clients will understand and be fine with this if it doesn’t happen on a regular basis.

5. Get some help. Have your mother come over to help wrangle sick kids for a bit, or ask your husband to watch them while you take a nap so you can be more productive that night. Whatever it takes, remember that there’s no harm in asking for a hand.

Another tip which I’ve discovered helps keep everything more organized is to simply write everything down. It’s easy when you’re trying to meet a deadline and soothe a sick child to forget things. So, write down the time and what the child’s temperature was, which medicine you gave them and any other pertinent information. This will save you so much hassle when you are trying to wrack your frazzled brain to figure out when you need to give the next dose of medicine. Trust me.

What are your tips for dealing with sick kids and work at the same time?

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If you’re a work at home mom, you know how much time goes into building your business, spending time with your family and there is very little time leftover for anything else, right? Well, imagine if you had to spend hours every day just trying to get the very basics for your family? What if you couldn’t turn on a tap and get water instantly, but had to hike many miles to find water and then haul it back home again?

That’s the reality for millions of women around the world, yet they don’t even have access to clean water after all that trekking. Did you know that every 15 seconds a child dies from water related diseases?

In many 3rd world villages, the women need to be cultivating a garden for food. Some of them might have dreams of starting their own business, but when they are forced to spend the vast majority of their time on the very basic needs of their families, plus caring for their children who get sick from the unclean water, there’s not much time for anything else.

You might not be in the position you want to be. Maybe you only have one family car and your kids go to public school on the bus. But you have supermarkets full of food close by, running water . . . even internet! And best of all, you have time. Time to spend with your family, fulfill your dreams and make your business ideas into reality. That’s a HUGE privilege!

While being thankful for what you have is a great start, giving back is also a good idea. Often we can help people for less than a meal out with the kids would cost us. There are a number of ways you can make a huge difference in another woman’s life, but if you’re worried about money, here are a couple of ideas as to how you can raise some cash to help someone out.

• Challenge your family to eat like a 3rd world country for 1 week at dinner. Rather than having a full meal, sit down to beans and rice. Not only will you save money, you’ll also learn what it’s like to eat the same food each and every day. Remember that for many families, this would be the only meal of the day and would likely be made with contaminated water.
• Drink water for 7 days. Relish the fact that you have clean drinking water and skip the sodas, juices and other liquids for a week. Use the money you save to donate and help women elsewhere get the same access to clean water.
• Knock off the sweets. Avoid sugar for a week. It’s good for you and will give you a tiny taste of what it’s like to undergo deprivation. Again, the money saved can be used for aid.

I’m sure you can come up with more ideas. Post them in the comments!

Now, how do you actually help women get the water we take forgranted every day? Water.org has a program in place that costs $25. For that small amount of money, they can provide one person with clean, sustainable water for an entire lifetime. That’s pretty awesome. Imagine, if your life revolved around survival techniques like hiking 20 miles a day with a 40 gallon jerry can on your back, filling it with water and hauling it home again, what could you do with the time that would be freed up by having water made available to you? A LOT!

Even if you don’t have $25 to spare, you can still help. The Water site offers several ideas for anyone to help boost water availability to 3rd world women.

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This week, I’ve joined a gym to start knocking off some of the weight that has piled up thanks to sitting at a computer for 18 hours a day. My first instinct with everything like this is “I don’t have TIME!” But it’s important to actually make time to do the things that you want to do . . . or all that work just isn’t worth it!

How does work at home balance work? It takes a lot more effort since work is always right there. You have to be determined. You need to know that you need time away from your ever present work.

Still not sure if it’s possible? Let me pose you this question.

If you have 10 hours to finish a project, how long will it take you to finish that project? Now, if you are only given 3 hours . . . how long will it take you to finish it?

See, what I discovered was that I was taking a loooong time to work on things when I had the time. I puttered about, distracted myself and took too long to research. I wasn’t focused. But if I go out and take the kids to the park or bake something yummy with them for Gourmet Mama, then get back to work, I’m far more efficient. I can do the same job in less time because I’m focused. And not only that, but I’ve gotten other things done. Try it. You might be surprised at how much you can actually fit into a day.

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These days, I’m working with clients who need contact, plus my freelance course includes actually speaking time with me. These usually mean online meetings that require, gasp, audio! While they understand that I’m a mom and have two little ones, that doesn’t mean I don’t need to keep the boys calm while I’m working.

Fortunately, my husband is home most days to look after the boys, but there are times when he has to take off for a bit and I’m on my own, trying to juggle talking with my clients and keeping a 2 and 3 year old relatively quiet. Here are a few things I’ve learned.

Keep toys in reserve. There should be a couple of toys that you ONLY let them play with while Mom’s on the phone. And in another part of the house, preferably. Works wonders and they will happily anticipate the next time you’re busy.

Build a quiet box. While this is similar to the last one, instead of toys, you have things to do. My go to is plasticine, which requires the kids to sit at the kitchen table and mold. It’s usually good for 10-15 min. of peace. Other quiet activities could include coloring books or activity books, beads to sort, an etch-a-sketch, etc.

Water play. Set yourself up so you can watch the kids, then turn on the sink and let them wash dishes. Sure, there’s a mess to clean up after, but for now you’ll get the peace that you need to talk. For a bit . . . I’ve found that after approx. 10-15 min. they start hurling soap bubbles at each other which rapidly escalates to water throwing . . . but your kids could be different.

Get some help. I have a maid and on occasion, I’ve asked her to take the kids outside so I can get something done that requires not having shrieking little ones in the background. While I prefer not to use this option too often, if you can get someone, even the neighbor, to watch the kids for a few minutes, you’re golden.

Put on a movie. Even (or actually, especially) if you don’t usually watch TV in your house, a movie can be a great way to distract kids and keep them occupied. Hand them snacks and drinks and you’ll be good for a longer session, like a teleconference, etc.

What are your tricks for work at home meetings?

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I still have five spots left in the beta course, so if you want to get in, it’s a good time to do so before the spots sell out.

I’ll be teaching you how to turn your existing writing skills into something that you can use to earn money online, from home. It’s an 8 week course and unlike most email courses, it’s fully interactive. You’ll get an hour one on one with me to use anytime during the course and I’ll be available via email the entire time. All homework needs to be turned in for checking, so this is definitely good for those of you who need that extra kick in the pants to stay motivated and on track.

Sign up today.

Looking forward to meeting my newest students!

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1. A mom who is at home with her kids, being a full time mom, who may (or may not) squeeze in a few minutes to work after her kids are in bed, if she’s not too tired or there’s nothing good on television.

2. A mom who is home with her kids, but works her butt off during naps, after bedtime, or whenever her husband or a sitter can keep an eye on the kids. Heck, she probably works while the kids are dragging all the laundry out of the basket, I know I do!

So, why the fuss with the difference? Because if you are a mom who works occasionally, I don’t think that counts as being a work at home mom. This will likely offend some people, but the fact is, if you can’t follow through on jobs that you take on, you can’t be considered a worker. Plain and simple.

Yes, being a mom means you are going to care for your children, possibly at the expense of your work. Yes, life gets in the way sometimes. Yes, it means you work longer hours because you’re doing two jobs instead of just one. BUT. If you can’t hack it, don’t do it.

If you are going to leave clients in the lurch because your son has a school play and needs a costume and you work on that instead of deadlines, guess what? You will lose those clients. You might shake it off and say that your kids come first and you don’t want a client who can’t respect your needs as a mom. They shouldn’t have hired a mom if they weren’t prepared to deal with the interruptions that kids bring.

Am I saying that you should forget your kids and family and just focus on work? No. What I’m saying is that if you can’t balance the two and consistently drop client work to handle family affairs, then you shouldn’t be a work at home mom. It’s not fair to the clients, it’s not fair to you and it is not fair to other wahms who do work hard to make sure their clients are happy.

You cannot be a full time mom, with a few minutes of work sprinkled here and there and expect people to pay you for it. Not to mention it gives wahms everywhere a bad name and that is just not cool.

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I know I tend to be a bit lax in updating things, particularly since so many things are still working out the kinks, but in this case, it is definitely a good idea!

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They are offering new versions of their software, Trend Micro™ Internet Security and Trend Micro Internet Security Pro, which are nice and light so your computer doesn’t get held up in long drawn out processes that slow you down. As work at home moms, we just can’t afford that kind of down time.

While the Trend Micro security products work well to keep your computer safe, they have actually combined a number of useful features that every mom could use. First of all, if you tend to travel, you can keep track of computer security remotely . . . perfect if your kids tend to visit iffy sites that have malware (think download and gaming sites).  Plus, everything is easily viewable in the dashboard area so you can see precisely what the software is doing to protect your computer.

That’s not all, though. My favorite feature is the kid safety section. We all know that danger lurks on the internet but did you know that 65% of parents figure their kids are safe enough online? Most of us just don’t realize the full extent of the problems that can be caused by a little information slip. And since you probably don’t have time to just sit by your kids and make sure they don’t use the computer in a way that could jeopardize their safety, Trend Micro has a solution for this, too. Their security software is more than an antivirus and offers parental controls so you can prevent certain information like addresses and phone numbers from being entered. There are also inbound features, so when your son accidentally searches for a term that could turn up suggestive results, the software checks the hyperlinks in the search results and can block anything that shouldn’t be seen by your kids. Definitely a great idea.

While there are browsers for small children, like KIDO’Z, older kids are going to be online, doing research for their schoolwork, checking up on things and hanging out with friends, so it’s important to keep them safe.

I haven’t personally tried Trend Micro’s products yet, but I have to admit, they sound very well thought out and worth installing. If you want to know more about them, you can read more on the Trend Micro site.

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I don’t usually rant here, but these changes to PayPal drastically affect work at home moms because if you sell online or have a freelance business, chances are you use PayPal. I know I do. I’ve looked and looked for alternatives, but buyers all seem to want to use just them.

My Own Lousy Experience

I have had personal experience with how crappy their customer service is (emails are usually returned with “we can’t help you”). When I left Canada, I had a Canadian account, with a bank account attached to it. I had set this bank account up as a joint account with my mother so that I could have her add money if needed and I had the debit card to it. I sold a computer right before I left and my sister was to send it out when I got payment, since the guy hadn’t paid before I left. When he did, I told her to send it, she didn’t for a couple of weeks and the lack of delivery was reported to PayPal. Though this was resolved with the buyer, Paypal shut down my account, taking the $400 that was still in it. Not only that, but the account was never completely closed, just frozen, which meant I couldn’t set up another PayPal account with my bank account attached. That’s the main reason I didn’t earn much in writing for my first few years down here . . . I had no way to get an account without returning to Canada and having to create a NEW bank account.

Existing Issues with PayPal

There are a number of existing problems with Paypal. You can find them mentioned everywhere on the internet. Here are the ones that I see as being the worst.

1. Very specific countries. Many countries that could really use the access to online money don’t have it. That means fraud if they want anyone to pay them.

2. Existing accounts lack features. Canadian accounts were able to to get debit cards for their accounts a couple of years ago. PayPal discontinued this. Americans can still use these cards. Guatemalan accounts were able to receive payments but not connect the accounts to a local bank last year . . . but this inexplicably changed after a few months . . . now you can load a credit card to your PayPal, but cannot receive payments. None of this makes much sense and it renders many international accounts useless because no one can get their money out.

3. PayPal does what it wants when it wants and doesn’t tell people. Oh, yes, this is an ongoing issue! The above mentioned changes were never made public. People found out by attempting to do what they had done before and being refused.

4. Making refunds without actually checking into the issue. I’ve had this happen to me. I have sold services, had the client complain to PayPal and PayPal then withdrew the money from my account and gave it to the client without even verifying my side of the story. Scary!

The New Issues

PayPal is definitely pushing things with their new policy changes. I had heard that the changes didn’t affect you if you have a Premier or Business account, but that’s false. It DOES affect anyone who has a PayPal account.

What’s more, they are now charging by country. Bad news for those who live outside their preferred zones. Converting currencies whacks you with a lovely 2.5% on top of the exchange rate, as well. More punishment for anyone who isn’t American . . . seeing a trend here?

Here is one of their changes to policy from their site:

I don’t know about your clients, but I’m pretty sure mine are going to be wanting ME to pay those fees and that means I either have to raise my prices to accomodate the new fees or find a new payment method.

There is also a lot of mumbo jumbo about customer protection, but I personally don’t believe any of it. I’ve dealt with PayPal on several disputes and issues and they have never resolved a single one. If I was the one initiating, the response was always that they couldn’t help me or there was no response at all. When someone else initiated it, they removed money directly from my account to pay that person or made it impossible for me to refuse to pay the person back. I’m fine with making refunds when the situation warrants, but I want that to be my call and also to apply to ME when I have an issue.

If anyone were to start up a legitimate, functioning and international alternative to PayPal, I think a little competition could do them good. And yes, I am aware of places like eGold, etc. but none of these has a very good reputation . . . not good enough that clients would want to use them, anyway!

Thoughts? Ideas?

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Some moms are lucky enough to choose to work at home simply because it’s more convenient, they want to spend more time with their kids, or they want to start their own business. Some moms are thrust into working from home because their child is born with, or contracts a serious disease or condition that requires constant care. As much as you may want to support the organization that advocates finding a cure, or raising awareness if there is no cure, for the condition your child has, it may be difficult to find the time to participate in a walkathon or any type of event that takes you away from home, from your child, and from your work. This doesn’t mean you can’t embark on a fundraising project of your own that will fit into your busy schedule.

Use Your Online Social Network

Working from home means you don’t have coworkers to bounce ideas off of, to get inspiration from, or just to socialize with. If you’re like most work-at-home moms, you’ve found a virtual coworker network online. Whether through a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter, a discussion forum on a site specific to your line of work or personal interest, or just commenting on a blog for Web workers, you communicate daily with dozens, perhaps hundreds, or even thousands of people. Don’t be shy about sharing what you’re going through, and ask for your network’s support. Direct them to the advocate organization’s Web site where they can either make donations directly, or get involved in some other way. At the very least, you’re raising awareness and educating others about your child’s condition.

Speaking of Facebook, if you’re a regular user, you may have seen they have a feature called Causes. You’ll find everything from common health issues like Diabetes, to more obscure conditions listed. There is some overlap for some of them, so do a little reading and choose one that was started by, or legitimately supports the advocate organization you’re interested in. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, check the site’s policies on starting a cause page. Then use your Facebook profile to promote your cause, and ask your network of friends to join that cause, and donate if they’re able. This has a domino effect because whenever someone joins a cause, it’s displayed on their profile, and in the newsfeed all their friends see, which may lead to some of them joining, which all their friends will see, and so on. The Causes application also tracks your impact by showing you how many people you’ve recruited directly, and how many people your recruits have brought on, so there’s an immediate sense of accomplishment in getting people involved and promoting awareness.

Raise Money From Home

Many fundraising events would require that you give up several hours, or even a few days of your time. It’s all for a good cause, sure. But it can be difficult to find the time between caring for your child and keeping up with work. A perfect at-home project is a cookbook fundraiser. First, find a cookbook fundraising company that has a simple process and low publishing costs. Then, use your social network again to collect recipes of all types. Dig into your personal recipe books, and ask your family members to contribute as well. When you have all the recipes collected, you submit them to the fundraising company, and they take care of publishing the cookbooks.

To save even more time, some cookbook fundraising companies offer pre-made cookbooks, and you just customize the cover. You can use a photo of your child or your family, or an illustration, if you prefer. If you’re not artistically inclined, ask someone in your network if they would mind donating some of their work for the cover. You can then pass the proceeds from the sale of your cookbook on to the advocate organization. The best part is, all of this can be done online, through social networking sites, discussion boards, and e-mail.

You don’t have to run a 10K or go door to door soliciting donations to support finding a cure or treatment for your child’s illness. But you also don’t have to feel guilty for not helping at all. Just a few minutes out of every day is enough to offer your support, and get others involved, and you don’t even have to leave home to do it.

Heidi Sorenson is a freelance writer covering many topics on sites all over the Web. She is a regular contributer to FundraiserInsight.org.

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