I've mentioned before that I was extremely blessed in my first marriage to have been a Stay At Home Mom for 12 years. That decision was made when my second child was born and we were faced with the cost of 2 children in daycare. 2 children turned into 3 and I was a full blown homemaking, cookie baking, over-organized, adult conversation deprived, sweat pants wearing Mommy. I never gave in to the mini-van however! SUV with a third row seat was my mommy mobile of choice!
Those years taught me so much about being a mom, a wife and a homemaker. You can read more in my "ABOUT ME" Confessions HERE.
Fast forward through the diapers, first days of school for all 3 of my children and into our life today - this year they are or will be ages 19, 15 and 10 and I'm a GrandMommy! In the midst of the fast forward, there were many life lessons, experiences, trials, failures & successes that all brought me to where I am today and who I am. Funny how life does that.
It is in that respect that I can tell you, without a doubt, and with great clarity, that I am a Work At Hom Mom. The Stay At Home Mom & Work At Home Mom terms tend to get lumped together. Having been on both sides of that fence, I'm here to clarify the differences.
No, this is not a debate! Both roles are equally time consuming, have their ups & downs and are commendable. With that said, it is my intent to share my experiences as a Work At Hom Mom and as a Stay At Home Mom, for so many of you that email me daily and have a desire to do so, as well, with no clue how to budget and transition your finances and/or lifestyle into either one.
If you choose to be a Stay At Hom Mom, I am here to share the ups & downs of being at home, as well as some insights and tips for how to live on one income. I will be publishing a series of posts, just for you, titled "Becoming A Stay At Home Mom".
For those of you that would like to begin building an income in order to become a Work At Home Mom, whether to replace your current workplace income or to begin a new venture in your life, I will be publishing a series of posts, just for you, titled "Becoming A Work At Home Mom".
Stay Tuned...both of these series of posts will be jam packed with lessons, failures & successes that helped me along the way!
Please leave me a comment below and let me know if you consider yourself a Work At Home Mom (WAHM), Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) or if you work outside the home!
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ReplyDelete-Jessica
And Then There Were 4...
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Hello! New reader here :) Please follow me back at my blog The Nutritionist Reviews and Giveaways:
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I'm a stay at home mom who loves her job but also leads a Single Mother's ministry through FBCIT....I'm busy....but wouldn't change it! Looking forward to comparing notes!
ReplyDeleteMarlana
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Indian-Trail-NC/Garden-of-Hope-Ministries/340499124892?ref=ts&__a=11&
Can't wait to read more. I'm a SAHM but do small things to bring in a tiny bit of cash each month like socialspark.com posts etc. Would like to learn more about making money at home. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a WAHM transitioning into a SAHM, but I've got do something besides being a wife and mom to keep myself sane!
ReplyDeleteThanks Marlana for the visit & comment! I will definately check out your ministry! I was a single mom for many years and it's a much needed 7 deserved area to devote your time & gifts !
ReplyDeleteMageeBaby, thanks for the visit & posts! Those "small bits" is how it starts ! It's taken time to build that into a dependable income that can replace a weekly paycheck! Look forward to your future visits & comments! WELCOME & Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWendy
L. Eleana, thanks for stopping by and posting a comment! I've been there...hehe...over my years I transitioned from working mom to SAHM to WAHM back to SAHM then WAHM and again & again! LOL You are right about having to find something outside of kids 7 hubby to keep yourself sane! I think that's why I was more focused in my final transition to full time WAHM - my kids are older now and in school and I really had to find an outlet for myself first and the income came later!
ReplyDeleteStop back by again soon!
Wendy
(from Felicia Barringer)
ReplyDeleteWendy, honestly, I am looking forward to WHATEVER you will share on these topics. My husband and I were married a long time before we had kids and during that time I worked, worked, worked (for someone else)! I was so used to working that staying at home and homemaking (what???) was like a foreign language when we started having children nearly 6 yrs ago. Now that they will both be in school, I have some options to consider, but I know it won't be a return to my regular 9 to 5 because of the inflexibility of it and other church/ministry obligations. Whatever I do, it's got to be flexible! (Oh well, there's my 2 cents for the day, lol!) Felicia
Wendy, I am pretty sure that I have asked you all about this before. lol. I am a SAHM who would love to become a WAHM. I never planned to be a sahm but my daughter was born at 26wks and needed a lot of care. I do work but don't really consider it work bc i only get about 8hrs a week and I don't feel like that is a job :(. I would really love tofind a job that would at least cover for my daughter to go to a fulltime preschool, but with my husband working odd hrs and ud not being able to afford for daycare of any sort, I am at a dead end :/. I can't wait for all the advice you will be providing to us. Thanks for all you do <3
ReplyDeleteI'd say stay at home mom for those who can afford it, but for those who can't -work at home is definitely a choice to make. I can't wait to read the two post “Becoming A Stay At Home Mom” and "Becoming A Work At Home Mom". I have so far read good posts in line with that topic but we all have so much to learn and share. I like sharing about my experience of working from home.
ReplyDeleteMany work at home moms are finding that social media sites like Squidoo, RedGage and Flickr help them grow their creativitiy and make new friends.