Parrot on a PorchA Journey Toward the Little Mansion Dream

I really am thankful that my home based online work has been doing great since early this year.  I maintain an excel sheet of my earnings and I’m really beyond delighted to see the increasing trend each month.  I’m happy to share that the month of July, so far, is the record-breaking, highest ever figure that I’ve earned in the span of 3 years that I’m engaged with this type of work.  It’s even way bigger than what I used to take home as my monthly pay in my last stint in the corporate world.  Yes, it’s a bit considered as an easy money since I do not leave the house and the stress is pretty manageable.  But, actually, it’s all hard work, too.  I’ve spent many sleepless nights, gave up a lot of “me” times, worked even on weekends and continuously writing from the mundane to extraordinary things can be draining, too.  The good thing is that, overall, I enjoy a lot what I’m doing.  So definitely, the hardships are paved away every time my Paypal account is credited with payments from my online bosses.  The pay I’ve received has gone a long way..we’re able to cope up with our debts and amortization.  Once we’re done with all our dues, we can then invest on promising Franchise Business Opportunities we’ve been longing to have.

I really am thankful for the internet for letting me get the best of both worlds.  By both worlds, I pertain to motherhood and work.  When I resigned more than two years ago from the corporate world to be a stay-at-home mom, the husband and I did not fret that much because I was already earning on the side quite a sum of paypal money that time from monetizing my blogs (just 3 then).  Then as I adjusted to my routines and offline obligations as a Mom, I got the hang further as well with my online career so I invested in a few more blog sites, one after the another.  Now I have 9 active blogs with different niches and 2 more that are in progress.  Problogging also requires great time, effort and skills but it is not as complicated and tough as the jobs I handled before in the corporate world.  I handle my own time, I work in my own pace.  I am remunerated generously, even way, way greater than my monthly paycheck in the call center I worked for.  Best of all, I do all these right at the comfort of our home and in between Mommy duties.  As I’ve said, it can also be quite stressful sometimes but I certainly am enjoying this kind of work.

Having said that, not just a good but the top web hosting service provider is necessary for all of my blogs.  It is imperative that they are secured, load fast and most of all, live and up at all times.   I’ve had a bad experience before when I contracted the services of a cheap web host provider for my first self-hosted blog.  I was always in distress and so stressed because every now and then, my blog experienced frequent down times.  Their customer support was very difficult to get in touch with.  Definitely, I’m not getting my money’s worth.

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When I was working in a call center company some years back, enjoyed figuring out what to wear daily when I go to office. We were not required to wear an office uniform so I was free to choose the look that I want as long as they are comfortable, fashionable and does not violate our office’s dress code.

Speaking of office uniforms, I read that Lead Apparel is one topnotch company that designs and supplies top quality clothing. It specializes in embroidered polo shirts and custom polo shirts for both men and women. At Lead Apparel, shoppers are given the best option when it comes to leather jackets, casual shirts, athletic uniforms, polo shirts, office attire and workout clothing. One can even shop for a victorinox luggage at Lead Apparel. It has been a trusted companny when it comes to customized clothing as it has more than 70 famous brands under its name like Timberland, Nike, Reebok, and Adidas to name a few. When ordering, the bulk of your order does not matter. You are always assured that you get the best offers, discounts, quality of items and customer service at very affordable prices. Moreover, you are guaranteed that your order is delivered right on time. Indeed, Lead Apparel is the best choice when it comes to customized clothing because they put customer satisfaction at the top of their priorities.

Everyone of us has his own low times. Whether we’re part of the workforce or not, like in my case, a homemaker, morale is an important thing that must be highly regarded in any group or team. This is more significant though in the the workplace where employees are motivated to achieve the organization’s goal and succeed as a group. When I was still working, I remember that our office would hold teambuilding activities, holiday parties, workshops, brown bag meetings, and other forms of morale uplifting initiatives like dress down Fridays, incentives and bonuses. In a more formal note, a pep talk where a motivational speaker is invited proves to be an effective morale booster, too.

A motivational speaker’s role is critical. Not only do they educate their audience but they reach the listener’s core and establish a connection. It’s their goal to get down and awaken their listeners to start creating action. They influence one’s thoughts and emotions. They tap their minds so they’ll get reminded of their very purpose in the company. Like for example in the field of sales, a motivational speaker sets clear messages so the salesperson become more productive and effective in the workplace.

It is in this regard that companies shouldn’t hire mediocre speakers. They need to employ someone who’s proven effective, inspiring and with a good track record…someone from Sharon Knecht International to be exact. An exceptional business motivational speaker, Sharon Knecht has a proven track in making listeners to stay positive and optimistic through the company’s sales records after every engagements. She offers her services in the field of Sales Training, Keynote Address, and Motivational Speaking. She has this certain charm and humor that stands her out from the rest. She’s not one stiff and boring speaker but rather, funny, spontaneous, animated yet influential and direct. She’s a mom so that’s where her gentle nature springs from.
organization or team.

My son has been extra clingy today, hence, I haven’t done much with my online tasks. I have tons of assignments that are due today and tomorrow. Then, I also need to come up with a bunch of supplement reviews I was tasked in another web sideline and are actually expected today. But with a clingy son, a blaring TV and all other distractions in the house, I find it difficult to concentrate and do my thing. This is one of the disadvantages that a work at home Mom has to deal with and it’s something that’s unavoidable. It takes tremendous patience and skill to juggle attention and time. Anyway, here’s wishing that the little one takes a longer nap this noon so I can get all my deliverables done today.

..in my life as a Work-at-Home Mom, that is.

6:30 AM – Wake up time. The husband prepares for work and the three of us eat breakfast all together.
7:30 AM – After sending the husband off, the little one takes a bath. It’s his “yayie” that bathes him most of the time now while I ready my laptop and set to work. There are times when his mood strikes and insists charmingly that I do the bathing to which I can not say no.
8:00 AM – Online routines begin. Check email, read feeds from Google Reader, review new online assignments received, check Odesk mail, catch up with Twitter and Facebook.
9:00 – 11:30 AM – Time for “Official” online work. Blog my heart out. Write fillers. Do Odesk tasks.

**In between, I would hear my little tot say “knock knock” on the door, shouts “MOMMYYYY! MOMMYYY” and demands entrance privileges, to which, again, I oblige. He waves “Hi, mommy!” then his kiss and hug signals that he wants to breastfeed…that’s what I call my breastfeeding break. Then he sets out again of the room to play with his Yayie shortly.

12:00 NN – Lunch time.
12:30 PM – Breastfeeding time again and lull time for the little one to nap. I resume my writing work on the puter.
3:00 – 4:30 PM – The little one wakes up. I shut down my laptop, take our merienda break then play time in the garden with the little one.
4:30 – 7:00 PM – Work..work..work.
7:00 – 9:00 PM – Dinner and quality time with my boys. We often watch the movie UP (as per the little one’s request) which has been played for like a thousand times already.
9:00 – 11 PM or until I get sleepy depending on my work load – Work..work..work and then lights out.

Working at home may appear comfortable but the truth is, there are also disadvantages like lots of distractions and tons of temptations (TV, eating and napping). That is why, I’m really trying my best to manage my time more efficiently and allots allowance for such disruptions. As my workload has immensely increased over the last couple of weeks, I’ve started limiting my Facebook time and little by little avoiding playing applications like Cafe World which got me addicted of playing over the last months. Glad I didn’t get to learn the app Texas Hold ‘Em which I think is very widely played and popular in Online Casinos. Besides Gambling Online has never been my thing so the word Casino Online will never be part of my vocabulary and routine.

But despite of the disadvantages, I feel lucky to have this type of work. I get to earn as much as I did in my last work in the corporate world but right at the comfort of our home. No overtime, no clothing and transpo expenses, no taxes and the best thing is that I am with my son 24 x 7 and I can kiss and cuddle him anytime I want.

I won’t deny that sometimes I miss working in the corporate world specifically the advancement, the new learnings, the jolly office moments with colleagues, the benefits and of course, the regular paycheck received. While I have my online works letting me earn just enough to augment the family income, irregularity of the load is a prime concern. Freelance writing is a seasonal thing. There are times when I get flooded but there are also times when I’m task-less. These are the times when I’m lured to go further and find other ways to earn more like enrolling in a cosmetology school. Armed with the proper education, I can perhaps have a sideline like be a makeup artist or a hair stylist in my free time. Who knows this could lead to a more flourishing business like a salon venture. It’s also great that there is an online job search engine for cosmetology jobseekers where they can easily find salon and spa owners who are in search of qualified and exceptional applicants.

Today’s a Monday and the start of my birthday week. Woot! So far, I’m doing great and I have a feeling that it’s gonna be even more better come Friday. I woke up this morning to a good news that I have just got accepted for a new freelance *huge* writing project and even though it’s quite a handful and this will entail busy days ahead, I feel blessed. Such a sweet birthday gift, indeed. Even sweeter than a new cellphone or a ps3 gift. I’ve always been amazed by God’s providence…that He never cease to give means and the answers to our needs at the right time. Thanks, Bro! Can’t thank you enough.

I really am thankful that I am able to work and earn at the comfort of our home and without having to leave my son behind. Looking back, my online writing job has indeed been instrumental in enabling us to put up some savings while the husband’s income is our main fuel for our everyday expenses. It’s doing good at the start of this year but not as great as the last quarter of 2009 which is actually not a good sign. This spells trouble and that means I have to double my effort in finding alternative ways to flourish my online gig or look for other means offline to earn on the side. I don’t think I’m ready to come back to the corporate world so that’s definitely out of the options. If only we can control everything but then again, in any kind of work or business, we have to deal with every uncontrollable factors that come our way. That is why it’s important to keep oneself abreast with the right business skills, attitude and know how to survive each and every undertaking in business. So aside from researching online means, I’m getting myself acquainted with lots of business opportunities like franchises Dallas, TX which I can hopefully make use or venture on in the near future. Who knows, I can finally apply the things I’ve learned in college and utilize my degree in business administration.

The husband works for one of the top Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies in the country. Not only performance wise are they almost number one in the industry but in terms of employee benefits and compensation as well. When I was still in the work force, I even thought of transferring to their company because the pay and benefits were really that attractive. However, my plans didn’t pursue anymore because I got pregnant and transferring to another company wasn’t a good idea.

The world recession made them cut a few of their benefits as part of their saving measures but a lot are retained and one of their well appreciated benefits is their Car allowance program where work-related mobile activities are entitled for gasoline reimbursement. According to the husband, the reason why the employees rave about it because the reimbursement process is very systematic, easy and efficient. I heard the company is contracting a third party consulting firm that specializes in customizable vehicle reimbursement program.

That is when I first heard about management consulting firms such as the Corporate Reimbursement Services, Inc. (CRS). Their expertise spares a company’s accounts payable staff from going through the very detailed and comprehensive process of such reimbursement. What’s great about this firm is that they have numerous vehicle-related reimbursement programs tailored to suit the needs of the client like easy report generation of mileage reports and trends, detailed reimbursement, specific insurance information, program compliancy reports and other miscellaneous customizable reports. Cost savings, reduced risk and liability exposure and ease of administration are just a few of the employer benefits.