The Magic of Working at Home
by Melody

I have entitled this section "The Magic of Working at Home" because to be honest, sometimes working from home can seem unmanageable, tricky, and impossible. Yet, when it is managed, it magically becomes a wonderful way to keep the home fires burning and making money at the same time.

Steve and I have both worked at home for many years.

Steve has worked exclusively at home off and on since we've been married, and has consistently done extra work at home even when he has had a full time job. He has been the owner of Creative Connectivity AKA: crecon.com, created the Niche Creator and many other projects throughout the years.

I have mostly worked from home: doing the billing for Creative Connectivity, designing and creating the website for Mouser Realty & Auction Co., Inc. and updating their website with new info as it comes, writing eBay descriptions for a local antique furniture seller, designing the website and updating the menu for The Lighthouse Restaurant when needed, as well as selling a few things on eBay for myself.

What I have found that I need when working from home with children changes depending on whether I am doing an intense concentration needed type projects or data entry type projects.

If I have to concentrate on the project, I first of all get a mommy's helper to keep an eye on the kids, play with them, and feed them snacks. To concentrate deeply and not be pulled off track, I need my work place to be out of the traffic of the household.

Most of my work, though, is just doing a project that is more data entry work, like updating a website with new info. For those projects, I like to have my work station in the same room as the tv, stereo, and toys so that the kids can play and I can keep an eye on them while I do the quick bits of work necessary. With a big project, I break the task into bite-size portions, so that I can work on the project a section at a time in between changing diapers, making snacks and meals for the kids, and putting in a new movie when needed. I do use the tv a lot when I can't be available to entertain the kids myself. I try to limit the tv watching at other times so that they still have a lot of interaction time with me.

I have enjoyed working at home with the kids throughout the years because it allows me to stay and home and raise my children myself, I don't have to buy a new wardrobe for an outside job, and there is no commute time. I highly recommend it for women or men who desire to spend more time with their family while making money at the same time.