Do any of you work from home? What do you do?

[Angel in FL]

I was a travel agent for 10 years back in the late 80s to late 90s. I have been contacted about getting back into the business but working from home as a Disney Specialist. I would love it but I know it would take time to build up clients.

 

So, if you do work from home - do you find it difficult to juggle?

[HistoryMom]

Yes, my husband and I own and operate an IT support company. I do the back-office stuff and some client contact. It only adds up to 10 hours per week, but it still is hard to prioritize sometimes. Do I supervise DDS7's history project or work on invoicing? It does mean I often have to push one or the other back, but so far I'm getting it all in. I'm trying to get the kids involved somehow and think of it as a business curriculum. :)

[Heather in OK]

I do, sort of. The majority of the day-to-day of my job I do from home. We see clients at an office once a week (neither my partner and I want to office out of our house..too stressful with kids and trying to keep it spotless all the time lol). Then the births are at the client's home.

 

If I am in the middle of a lesson I don't answer the phone, unless it's a client I am on-call for. When there are emails to respond to I do it at a time when the kids aren't needing my one-on-one instruction.

 

We do appointments on Friday because our school week is Monday thru Thursday. That way I don't have to miss a day away from their school work every week. We used to do appointments two days a week which meant I was gone and that was hard to juggle it all!! I'm very grateful for the flexibility.

 

When I am gone to a birth they proceed just as if I am here. Their lessons are planned out each week so they know to look in their assignment book and do that day's lessons. My dh also works from home so if they need help they can go in and ask him. If they have something they absolutely need my help on, we just wait and cover it the next day.

 

As far as dh working from home, our new house is great because there is a small office off of our master bedroom that my dh uses. He can have his space away from the daily household noises. On his busy days we rarely see him out of the bedroom until dinner time! It's much better than our other house that was smaller and impossible to get away from the noise when he needed to talk to a customer or phone tech.

[ReneTL]

I sell a few Microsoft Access programs that I've developed to Thoroughbred stallion farms and consignors and I do find it difficult to manage it all. The horse business has taken a terrible dive with the economy, so my work load has also dropped. Last year (our 1st HSing), I was better about setting office hours for the week and putting it on my voice mail. That is one of my plans for January to get better organized. With business being so bad, I just sometimes feel like I need to answer the phone when it rings. My husband has told me my priorities are all messed up - especially since my self-care (exercise, prayer, time away, etc.) ALWAYS come in 3rd. Yet another "opportunity" for January! :glare:

 

Good Luck!

Rene

[AK_Mom4]

I work 20 hours a week from home. I generally start earlier in the morning (about 7am) and so am done with my work by 11 or 12. DD9 starts her work about 9am and works at the desk next to me or on the dining table (my desk is in the dining room). I make sure she knows what she needs to work on for the day. My work is mostly on the computer so I can be easily interrupted if she needs help. Occasionally, I have a conference call and DD9 knows to go on to other work if she needs my help while I'm on the phone.

 

We've been doing this for 3 years (until this year, I had 2 hs kids) and it has worked out very smoothly.

[Desert Strawberry]

I design and sew custom baby carriers. I work with a person-to-person sales cloth diapering and natural parenting company. The company is all WAHMs, so set up to be very easy to balance. All communication is online, and I have very little direct customer interaction. If I do need to speak with a client, I make the call when it's convenient for me. I do some of my work (taking orders, etc) while the kids play or do schoolwork. i take them with me to buy supplies, along with our other errands on errand running day. I do the actual sewing one or 2 days a week in the evening or on the weekend while dh watches the kids.

[wendylee]

I work as a technology journalist for a major newspaper corporation, and my work takes about 20 hours a week, but it's VERY flexible. I am in charge of my editorial calendar, output, etc. It's a huge blessing and I wake up thankful for it every day!

[Aubrey]

Does it count if you don't get paid? I guess probably not. ;) But I've realized lately that I'm putting in a regular amt of hours every week in writing, tutoring, researching, etc. In the past 6mos, I think I've gotten up to 20+ hrs/wk, although, no one's really counting. :lol:

 

It would be nice, though, to have the label "Work at home Mom"--if for nothing else, the validation. :D

[AlmiraGulch]

I'm work full time in software consulting, from home unless I'm on site with a client, in which case I'm in another city for a few days.

 

My only one home schooling is in High School, so it isn't too hard because she's very self-directed. I cannot imagine doing it with my little, who doesn't understand even when she comes home from PS in the afternoon why i'm home but can't stop and play with her or spend time with her at that moment every day. And having her here during winter break has been particularly challenging for that reason.

[Mynyel]

I work from home doing call center work, I don't like it but it brings us even every month. I have to be isolated while doing it which is about 15 hours a week. Doesn't sound like much but we know it is a giant hunk. I would like to find something that I can do at anytime and be interrupted if need be so I am :bigear:

[kristavws]

We raise heritage breeds of pigs. My dh has a FT job away from home, so it is just me during the week. I feed and take care of all the animals around 7 in the morning. I am usually back in the house, showered, and dressed by 8:00, which is when we start school. I check on all the animals during our hour lunch break, and we do not feed again until the evening. My boys have reached the age where if I have a sow go into labor during the day, and need to be at the barn, they are capable of doing their "seat-work" unsupervised, so that makes everything a lot easier. If the weather is nice, they will sometime bring their work down to the barn so they can watch the piglets being born. All of our big projects we save for the weekends and the summer (we only do math, Latin, and reading in the summer).

 

Krista