southcarolinamom Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I work 25-30 hours a week at home, doing medical transcription. I've been at it for over 15 years. Some years it's been 40+ hours, which is REALLY hard to do, trying to homeschool at the same. I tried to have the kids start school about 8 AM and we finished by lunchtime, when my first batch of dictations came in. In this economy, I'm soo thankful for the work. My husband has not had full-time, gainful employment in almost 3 years. He's in the audio/video/home automation/pre-wiring/home theater business, which is directly tied to the housing industry. He gets piecemeal work some weeks, sometimes he goes a month without any income. He's studying for his insurance adjuster's license, trying to get out of his current field of work completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Isn't that funny....as a WORKING mom, *I* feel like an oddity. Especially among other homeschooling moms. I always feel like people (often here) judge me harshly, and make assumptions that I"m only working because we're the greedy, selfish parents of an only child and want to fuel some extravagant lifestyle. (Ha! nothing could be further from the truth.) I can't tell you how hurtful it is to read comments (again, here, mostly) from someone who doesn't know the first thing about me, my family or our situation yet feels perfectly justified in asserting that women like me don't really NEED to work. I like to work. I want to have some retirement income. I want to feel somewhat secure in the knowledge that if something should happen to my dh, I could make the mortgage payment after our emergency fund ran out. And truthfully, no one knows how far that emergency fund will actually go if medical bills, etc. are suddenly a concern. So am I the only one? Working moms--- give us a shout! astrid No judgment here and I'm sorry you've had to endure the naysaying. I have been working at a quilt store and completed a semester at a local private school as a part-time guidance counselor and as their chemistry teacher. I enjoy the quilt store and though we have dh's medical bills paid off and don't need the income, I am likely to continue. It's three Saturdays per month, though I did not work in June and won't work again until the end of this month due to our 4-H responsibilities, plus whenever the owner is traveling, and all of the big sales and trunk shows. The money is actually not enough to be worth my time in all reality, the store owners - economy being what it is - can only afford minimum wage and this is seriously skilled labor that I perform from helping people out of their sewing problems, to teaching newbies the basics of quilting because the owners don't have time, coordinating field testing days for the quilt book they writing, handling problems with a less experienced employee who has needed a LOT of training, and well, then there was the kerfuffle with the VISA company. I should be paid several dollars an hour more. But, I love these ladies and the job is really satisfying. So, I'll be keeping it for now. It has also been a very good mental break from the stresses of homeschooling two high schoolers and all that entails, plus living in a male dominated household. With dd gone, I'm the lone estrogen in the house and all four of these males are demolition experts! :D Somedays, it is a very, very good thing to turn my back, walk out of the house, and go sell fabric, run a class, or help a newbie figure out why her blocks aren't fitting together properly. It's a female dominated store...Ahhhhhhhhhh...it's my personal sanctuary! :lol: I refused to renew my contract with the private school however. The stress level was off the charts and I never felt like I made the slightest difference in any of those kids lives. The high schoolers were not even capable of high school level work and what constituted chemistry class was taking them back to 7th grade level general science so they could figure out what an atom was and all of the basic knowledge they would need plus tutoring kids who had supposedly completed algebra 1 and were in algebra 2, but who in reality did not even know their order of operations much less could solve even a simple linear system (could not even begin to do the math work in a non AP chemistry class)...but, the parents thought I was a putz for sounding the warning bell that just possibly the kids were behind in their college prep path. The administration begged me to renew; it would take full anasthesia and a set of wild horses to drag me back into that school. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I like not working, but it was time to do something and the reality is once ds graduates I'll need to have income to support our lifestyle - which is minimal. A car with working AC would be fancy to me to right now. :lol: :iagree: I hear that! It has been REALLY hot, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I work full time, outside the house. I hate it, but we need the income and insurance. I'd quit in a heartbeat. :iagree: This is me. I'm now a divorced parent so I have no choice about it. Some day I hope to be able to stay at home again, but chances are that with where the economy is no matter what I will most likely have to work part time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I work full time as a school principal and I LOVE MY JOB!!!!! :D That's very interesting! I love all of the teachers and principals, etc. around here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Wow. I had no idea that so many of you moms work AND homeschool!!! How do you juggle that? What does it look like practically in your home? I work full time and I hate that my dd will be in childcare (preschool) full time. It's just a personal over-protective mommy thing. Ack! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 (Posting after reading the OP only) I no longer homeschool, but I was WOH before I stopped homeschooling. To your commentary, I'd add that the assumption seems to be: 1. I worked because I couldn't budget. If I just made everything from scratch, I'd manage. Just tear off some of that old t-shirt for a make shift sanitary pad. :glare: 2. I worked because of consumerism. 3. Because I worked, I was less of a mom and less of a homeschool mom. 4. Because some of my work involved teaching others in my home (before the wOh phase), I was not really a homeschooler. :lol: :lol: I almost spit my coffee out on my computer screen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Wow. I had no idea that so many of you moms work AND homeschool!!! How do you juggle that? What does it look like practically in your home? I work full time and I hate that my dd will be in childcare (preschool) full time. It's just a personal over-protective mommy thing. Ack! Honestly, I get more done in a day now that I have to! I am unbelievably fortunate in that I own my own business, I get to work with my husband, and I only have one left homeschooling. My husband and I own a real estate company together. My son is 13 and the older two are now in college. I start early in the morning and schedule everything. Right now I am sitting at my desk taking a little break from accounting and have already gotten my son started on his algebra! He sits in the conference room or in the floor in my office and works on his schoolwork just like his sister did before college. I have days where I only work until 2 or so, but I normally come in to the office 7 days a week. We have a new office we are rezoning and will be moving to next month with a pool and lots of room for a basketball goal so my son will be much happier there and we can have his home schooling friends join us more! My husband and I manage to fit in time to train for marathons, practice yoga and spend an evening out together once a week. It isn't easy and we don't have any extra time. I was a stay at home mom for years and I loved every second of it. I love my life now, too, and can't imagine doing anything else. There are times when we get overwhelmed, frustrated and drop a ball we've had in the air but it comes back together because we focus on it. Will my kids need therapy? :D Most likely. I tell them that they will at least be able to pay for it themselves because of the stellar education they've received and the fabulous examples of self reliance they've had their whole lives. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerforest Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 (edited) So glad for this thread.. I work full time too.. I'm an information architect/UI content owner/writer for a large high tech company. I am a full-time telecommuter, and I make more. He was a SAHD until about 2 years ago when I was laid off. He returned to his IT manager career and got a good job right away, but then I was rehired right away. We decided that his career path has more security but mine pays more. So, we're juggling both right now. We just have 1 child, and because I work from home and DH has a super flexible schedule, it works. I handle academics, we do stuff together on weekends, DH takes time off to do field trips, I run a few things at our house each year, and we juggle drop off/pick up to activities. I'd say that the hardest thing for us is our inability to really be part of the local homeschool community like we were previously. DH used to bring her to ever park day, group gathering, field trip, etc. She was essentially unschooled, but they had a blast. It's all a delicate balance, and I don't sleep much, but it's what works for us right now. ETA: Our schedule also explains why I have fewer than 150 posts after being here for about a year. ;) People wonder how it's possible to do essentially two full time jobs. I think it's about serious time management and setting priorities...at least that's how it is for us! Edited July 17, 2012 by deerforest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Honestly, I get more done in a day now that I have to! I am unbelievably fortunate in that I own my own business, I get to work with my husband, and I only have one left homeschooling. My husband and I own a real estate company together. My son is 13 and the older two are now in college. I start early in the morning and schedule everything. Right now I am sitting at my desk taking a little break from accounting and have already gotten my son started on his algebra! He sits in the conference room or in the floor in my office and works on his schoolwork just like his sister did before college. I have days where I only work until 2 or so, but I normally come in to the office 7 days a week. We have a new office we are rezoning and will be moving to next month with a pool and lots of room for a basketball goal so my son will be much happier there and we can have his home schooling friends join us more! My husband and I manage to fit in time to train for marathons, practice yoga and spend an evening out together once a week. It isn't easy and we don't have any extra time. I was a stay at home mom for years and I loved every second of it. I love my life now, too, and can't imagine doing anything else. There are times when we get overwhelmed, frustrated and drop a ball we've had in the air but it comes back together because we focus on it. Will my kids need therapy? :D Most likely. I tell them that they will at least be able to pay for it themselves because of the stellar education they've received and the fabulous examples of self reliance they've had their whole lives. :lol: WOW! Now, that's what I call an active lifestyle. That sounds like such a great idea to have the pool and basketball court for your son! Great thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathesan1 Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Another working mom here. I work 24 hours a week as an RN in a busy emergency department. Love it. Get to spend time with other adults that share my sick sense of humor. I mostly work on weekends so ds gets to spend quality time with dad while I'm at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Wow. I had no idea that so many of you moms work AND homeschool!!! How do you juggle that? What does it look like practically in your home? I work full time and I hate that my dd will be in childcare (preschool) full time. It's just a personal over-protective mommy thing. Ack! The key for us is to be flexible, and not tied to tradition, whether it's gender roles or schooling hours. DH does his share of the teaching and household stuff. School has (in the past, before I worked weekends) taken place primarily during evenings and weekends. Getting kids working with increasing independence (and making curriculum choices that facilitates this goal) helps, too. It also really helps that full time for me is 3 long days a week, so I'm still home more days than not. That is part of the reason I chose this career. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrookValley. Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I work full time as a technical writer and part time at a small health food store--altogether about 60 hours per week. I am able to homeschool because my technical writing work is done mostly from home. I only go into the office about 4-6 hours per week. I am very, very lucky (and grateful) to have such a flexible work schedule! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 The key for us is to be flexible, and not tied to tradition, whether it's gender roles or schooling hours. DH does his share of the teaching and household stuff. School has (in the past, before I worked weekends) taken place primarily during evenings and weekends. Getting kids working with increasing independence (and making curriculum choices that facilitates this goal) helps, too. It also really helps that full time for me is 3 long days a week, so I'm still home more days than not. That is part of the reason I chose this career. I agree. Traditional roles just cannot even be considered at my house. Everyone works, everyone does laundry, everyone cleans up after their own happy selves. I admit, I cook most of the time because I enjoy it and I am home earlier most of the time. I also do my husband's laundry because I am a control freak in that area. Everyone learns how to do laundry and cook very early. We love the classical method but we do love to mix unschooling in there, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 The key for us is to be flexible, and not tied to tradition, whether it's gender roles or schooling hours. DH does his share of the teaching and household stuff. School has (in the past, before I worked weekends) taken place primarily during evenings and weekends. Getting kids working with increasing independence (and making curriculum choices that facilitates this goal) helps, too. It also really helps that full time for me is 3 long days a week, so I'm still home more days than not. That is part of the reason I chose this career. The medical field seems to be the way to go if you both have to work full time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 (edited) DH and I are both full time students. I'm in law school, he's an undergrad. I've worked paer time since before DD was school age; it's not always easy and it's not ideal, but we manage. Once I graduate I want to work full time in the public sector, and enjoy the medical and loan repayment bennies. Hopefully by the time DS is in high school, DH will. Have reached his career goal of a tenure track professor position, and I can go solo/contract or half time. Edited July 17, 2012 by Ravin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I work full time as a hospice nurse on the weekends. This way I can be with the children Monday thru Friday and dh is with them on the weekends. Because of ds medical issues this works well for us. Our schedule is what helped us decide to homeschool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I can relate. And I'm an even worse mom because not only do I work full time outside the home, (gasp!) I enrolled my kids in school when it became necessary for me to return to the workforce. No matter what a mother does to occupy her time or where, someone will judge her for it. It does hurt to be told, for example, that I "traded my birthright for a bowl of soup" by returning to the workforce instead of continuing to homeschool no matter what, but I try not to dwell on such comments. I can't believe someone actually said that to you!!!!! :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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