Nix9to5

The Work at Home Reality

// August 27th, 2010 // No Comments » // Balance, Time Management, Work at Home

My dedicated readers have noticed that, once again, I have been missing in action.  My husband returned to work two weeks ago when teachers reported for the beginning of school.  Since that time, the reality of being a work at home mom has set in.  I am so happy to stay home with my Bear all day, and I don’t regret my decision for a second.  I went up to my old school yesterday to have lunch with a friend, and while it was good seeing them, and I miss my friends, being there for even the short time I was there just really helped solidify that I made the best decision for myself and my family.

However, the reality of being a WAHM is more difficult than I anticipated.  I told myself that I knew that I would be every bit as busy as a WAHM as I was as a mother who worked outside the home.  I told myself that, but I am not sure I fully grasped it.

Here is the reality: (more…)

Great deal on Web Hosting!

// August 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // Money Matters, Work at Home

I’m currently working on getting my professional copywriting website up and running so I can continue to generate new clients.  As I registered my new domain with SiteGround, the host of Nix9to5, I came across this fabulous hosting deal for friends only.  This deal is not publicly available, and it is a much better deal than you can get going to their website to order hosting.  Plus, its a better deal than I’ve found anywhere else.  For only $9.95, you can get a year of hosting, which includes domain registration and domain transfer.  If you need a website, check out this web hosting deal at SiteGround!

Bzz Campaign: Lifelock

// August 4th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Life in General, Money Matters, Opportunities

A few months ago, I became a BzzAgent.  BzzAgent is a word-of-mouth marketing network, which means companies rely on BzzAgents to try their products and tell people about them.  BzzAgents are expected to tell the truth about the products and services they try–even if they don’t like the product.

As a BzzAgent, I’ve been able to try full size samples of Cover Girl products, and I have received samples and coupons for got2b hair products.  My most recent BzzCampain is for Lifelock.  Lifelock is an identity theft protection service.  You may have seen their commercials, where the president of the company stands in front of a semi-truck driving around with his social security number painted on the trailer.  Anyway, as a BzzAgent, I get a Lifelock trial in return for telling you what I think of the service.

I just signed up for my trial yesterday, and so far, no one has stolen my identity.  Of course, no one stole my identity prior to my enrollment with Lifelock, either, so I don’t really know yet how well it works.  One cool thing about Lifelock, though, is that it immediately removed my name from mailing lists for pre-approved credit card offers.  I’m pretty excited about that.  I hate junk mail, and I particularly hate junk mail that includes my personal information!

While its too early for me to decide whether Lifelock is worth the fee to renew when my trial is up, they do seem to be off to a good start.

Stay tuned for my BzzAgent review of L’Oreal Paris Collagen Micro-Pulse eye treatment!  If you’re interested in becoming a BzzAgent yourself, click here to join.

WAHM Tip #4: Keep the Little Ones Entertained

// August 3rd, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Children and Babies, Time Management, Work at Home

The Bear has moved to a big boy bed, which means that when he wakes up from his nap, he just gets out of bed and comes to find me.  Before he figured out how to climb out of the crib, he would wake up from a nap and just play, buying me an extra 15 minutes or so to work.  Also, in the crib, he would wake up, realize he couldn’t go anywhere, and fall back asleep.  Now, the minute he wakes up, he’s ready to “Get down play!”  Unfortunately, this occurs before Mommy thinks it should.  Naps have gone from two or two and a half hours to an hour and a half–if I’m lucky.  That makes it much harder for me to accomplish all of my work at home tasks.

I’ve been wondering how I can keep the Bear entertained while I work, and my fantastic sister sent me a couple of links that might help.  (more…)

More on Time Management

// July 27th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Balance, Organization, Time Management, Work at Home

When my All You magazine came this month, I was pleased to see that, in addition to a bunch of coupons, it had reader tips called “Organize Your Life for Free (or Close to It!).”  Here are some of the tips that I liked:

• Maintain a family schedule online: “We use cozi.com, a free site, to keep our schedule in order.  It also has a shopping list tool, which is great because I can jot down products as I think of them.  It links directly to my husband’s work calendar, so we can be sure our appointments don’t conflict.” — Kristin Strobe, 35, Avon Lake, OH (I haven’t checked out this site yet, but since I spend so much time on the computer, it seems like it might be a good way to keep up.) (more…)

WAHM Tip #3, continued: Organization

// July 26th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Balance, Life in General, Organization, Time Management, Work at Home

About a month ago, I asked for your suggestions on getting organized and effectively managing time–things that I have definitely been struggling with as I make the transition from working mom to work at home mom.  I got two responses, which lets me know that one of the following is true:

1. You are struggling just as much as I am.
2. You know enough about time management to list “Don’t Waste Time Commenting on Blogs and Piddling around on the Internet” as one of your top time management strategies. (Note to self:  Stop piddling around on the internet.)

I’m just going to hope it is #1 so that I don’t feel so lonely as I fumble along trying to make this work (plus, if you aren’t wasting time on the internet, then you aren’t reading Nix9to5).  Since I’m working on the assumption that balancing it all is hard for you, too, I’m going to give you the two bits of advice that came from Nix9to5 readers.  Tomorrow, I’ll follow it up with some tips from the August issue of All You magazine.  (If you don’t subscribe to All You magazine already, consider it.  It has great ideas for saving money and time and comes loaded with coupons.) (more…)

Shame on me!

// July 22nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Balance, Life in General, Time Management, Work at Home

I was mildly chastised today for my failure to keep this site updated.  Those of you following me on Facebook know that I recently got a new project from one of my clients, and while I thought I was almost actually ahead on work, that one project has now put me thoroughly behind.  Never fear, though.  I got a lot done tonight and I’m planning on hitting it furiously over the weekend.  With any luck, I’ll be back on track with Nix9to5 by Monday.

Oh, and Mom?  I got some new pictures up  on the Totsite, too.

Amen.

// July 16th, 2010 // No Comments » // Balance, Children and Babies, Life in General, Time Management, Work at Home

I borrowed this from the Facebook page of a Nix9to5 reader:

Another Long-Lost, Insanely Talented WAHM Friend

// July 16th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Life in General, Work at Home

On a recent Nix9to5 blog post I told you about a childhood friend I rediscovered recently.  Kelly and her husband run the Sowell Honey Farm in Texas, where they produce raw, organic Texas honey and make amazing beeswax lotion bars, lip balms, and soaps.  I might be a little bit in awe.

Well, a loyal Nix9to5 reader alerted me to another long-lost Texas friend who is also accomplishing great things as a work at home mom.  Melanie, like Kelly, is someone I thought was my cousin growing up.  As I got older, I realized that Kelly and Melanie are cousins of my cousins, and of each other, but they are not my cousins.  Which is good, because I maybe had a little crush on Melanie’s brother when I was in elementary school.

Melanie is a textile designer, seamstress, quiltmaker, jewelry maker, and who knows what else.  She’s truly an artist–the photography on her blog is vibrant and eyecatching.  Check out her blog, Texas Freckles, to see her beautiful quilts and, if you are a seamstress yourself, view her patterns and tutorials. 

I’m overwhelmed at the number of talented women I’m privileged to know, and I’m proud that so many of them are Nix9to5 readers!  You’re amazing ladies!

(To my three male readers, you’re amazing, too.  Two of you can build stuff and do complex math, and the other one is a musician.  If there are more men out there following this little journey, give me a shout!  I’ll say nice things about you, too.  Working at home isn’t just for moms.  I know one of my three male readers is an accomplished work at home dad!)

Where have you been?

// July 15th, 2010 // No Comments » // Life in General, Work at Home

Right here, actually.  For those of you not following me on Facebook, my laptop crashed as soon as we got back home from Hot Husband’s reunion in Kansas.  I frantically called HP, who sent me through a bunch of steps on the computer–most of which I had already attempted–before deciding that my hard drive was morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably, and reliably dead (thank you, Munchkins).  They shipped me a new hard drive and recovery disks.  Th hard drive came the next day, which I found pretty impressive, but I had to wait several days for the recovery disks.

With much hopefulness, I installed the new hard drive and booted up the recovery disks.  Alas, in the words of the Coroner of Munchkinland, my computer was not only merely dead, but really most sincerely dead.  I called HP again, and they sent me a box to ship my dear ol’ laptop far, far away for repair.

I just got a shipment notification from them that my laptop has been overnighted to me.  Perhaps, it will arrive tomorrow in working condition.  With my laptop back, I’ll be able to do a better job of keeping Nix9to5 up to date.  It’s much easier to get the work at home jobs done when one is not trying to share a laptop!