Work At Home Musings

Fall Break is Over

Administrator — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:34:53 +0000

This past week, all three of my children were home from school. While we were hoping that we might be able to pack up our Eagle Creek luggage and head out of town for a few days, the timing, and our finances did not let us!

Instead, we:

Played Video Games
Folded and Put Away Laundry
Cleaned the House
Visited Chuck E. Cheese
Finished Homework and Worked on Projects
Got Sick - uggh!
Hung out with Friends
Went Shopping

We tried to keep busy almost every day!

Home Business Safety

Administrator — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:08:33 +0000

I have often been concerned with home business safety issues. It is not about fall protection or fire concerns, but more about keeping my family safe. Often when operating a home business, you need to give out your home address and phone number. If you do not have clients visiting your home, then you might want to think about obtaining a PO Box at the local post office and having a separate phone line. Google Voice, a service from Google, will let you set up a virtual phone number to forward to your home number. This way you can give out a number without worrying about calls on your family’s home number.

Other issues to be concerned about include:

Making sure that your home is secure. You should have locks on all windows and doors. Think about having a separate entrance for a home office that can be locked away from the rest of the home.
Use a business email address instead of a personal one. Keep your email separate.
Have regular business hours and don’t let clients come late at night.
Let others know when you have clients over and have a safe word to let friends and family know that you are ok.

50s Girl

Administrator — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:11:32 +0000

This year, my middle daughter decided to go as a 50s girl Fortunately, I had made a skirt a few years ago. I found a Hannah Montana black leather jacket at WalMart for only $20 to complete the outfit.

Christmas Countdown

Administrator — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:06:27 +0000

This year, I decided to use Google Docs and make a spreadsheet of Christmas Gifts for the family. I made a form that everyone can use to type in their wish list and then the items appear on the spreadsheet. Since we pick names in my husband’s family, this will work out great. We also use the list for the children so that the aunts, uncles and grandparents have an easier time picking out gifts. This year, I might need to pick up some pet supplies for the newest member of the clan - Rex, the dog! My nephew received a cute little puggle his summer and of course, he will need a gift too!

First Halloween Costume

Administrator — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:02:26 +0000

Here is the first Halloween Costume that I completed this year. My son wanted to be Obi Wan Kenobi. I found a tunic pattern and adjusted it (with some online Jedi help) to make it into a Jedi robe. I also made a cloak and belt. He has already worn it once and is thrilled with it. We found some boots online to complete the outfit and he had the light saber in his Star Wars collection.

Online Degrees Can Help

Administrator — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:56:46 +0000

If you have been thinking about changing careers, an online degree can be a good way to accomplish your goals. Western Governor’s University (WGU) offers online degrees in many different fields. WGU is a fully accredited online university that serves over 14,000 students from around the United States. It was founded by the governors of 19 different states and is support by more than 20 corporations.

Online education is all about flexibility. Often, students must continue in their current jobs in order to support families and online degrees make is possible to still be the breadwinner for the family and obtain a degree at the same time. At WGU, you will also save with their flat rate tuition system. Students are charged a flat rate for each term no matter how many courses they take.

Some of the degree programs offered at WGU include online business degree, health profession, teacher and information technology programs. Both Bachelor and Master’s degrees are offered.

If you are thinking about a new career, WGU is a great place to start.

The Meltdown

Administrator — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:09:12 +0000

Don’t get me wrong, I have great children. Of course, I have my share of wrinkle cream products that I use due to all the worrying I do. One of my children (who will remain nameless), is my meltdown child. If she doesn’t get enough sleep the night before, the problem just escalates.

Last night, she was working on her homework assignment and she just didn’t understand it. Try as I could, we were just butting heads and I was getting more and more frustrated. Finally, I gave her a list of things to try, took my other child to bed, and let her cry for a while. Fortunately, her dad, stepped in and helped her complete the assignment.

I just need to learn how to handle it better, but the more I try the more frustrated we both become. I am so thankful for another parent in the house who is willing to step in and help out when needed.

Too Many Programs!

Administrator — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:15:28 +0000

I am always trying out new programs on my computer. Some work great, others not so well. Unfortunately, I do not always delete them right away and with all the programs I have, I should upgrade to an industrial computer!

Instead, I have decided to slowly go through my old programs and carefully remove the ones that I no longer use. Also, when I download a new program, I put a reminder on my calendar 30 days from now to re-evaluate the program and decide at that time if I should remove it or keep it. This way, my computer will not be bogged down with so many different programs that I do not use.

Halloween Treat Bags

Administrator — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:07:42 +0000

I always enjoy making cute little treat bags for my children’s classes for Halloween. This year I am going to take this idea and make it into a Halloween themed bag. I use my die cut machine to cut out the note card and fold it in half. Then I am going to stamp it with cute Halloween stamps and add EEK! where the orange is. I will fill the bags with wrapped candy and voila, instant treat bag!

Please, Can I Buy a New TV?

Administrator — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:45:51 +0000

I am so frustrated with our living room television. The TV, which is probably more than 10 years old, is starting to fade in and out and the picture wavers too. A couple years ago, we did some research on tv stands and found a beautiful one for the living room which I finished with a nice white wash stain and now it needs a new television.

The problem: I really don’t want to spend the money right now. I would love to buy a flat screen television with a great picture, but do I really want to spend $1500 or more? I could buy a cheaper television, but is it really worth it since I may need to replace it sooner.

Aggh! I think I will just have to save my pennies each month and hope that they add up to a new television next year.