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When Gluing Your Fingers Together Isn’t a Good Idea

Although this post has nothing to do with work, I know my fellow work at home moms will nod along with a knowing, “been there, done that” nod.  At least I hope so, and that I’m not the only one!

Friday night my 12 year old son Alex and his close friend Madison had nothing to do so they decided they would bet each other to do silly things.  Let me preface this first by saying Alex is a relatively intelligent child, in all accelerated classes at school, holds a straight A average and was accepted to National Honors Society.  I feel that I need to say this before I tell you what he did.

The evening started with the first bet that Alex wouldn’t use the palms of his hands for the rest of the night.  Madison promised him $5 for this one.  Because my son is a sucker for money, any amount, he agreed.

Somehow the bet must have gotten boring because Madison decided to up the ante and bet him $1.00 he wouldn’t glue all his fingers together with Gorilla Glue.  For those of you not familiar with Gorilla Glue, it’s not as strong as Super Glue but is from the same family of strong glue.

Maybe he was mystified by the scent of cold crisp cash, but he took her up on that bet. And here he sat on a Friday night, resembling Gumby because he couldn’t get his fingers apart.

The two of them thought this was funny and proceeded to find it funnier when they really couldn’t get his fingers apart.  They even slathered his fingers in a toothpaste/fingernail polish remover concotion but nothing happened.

Finally they went next door for some “Goo Be Gone” type stuff and eventually whittled his fingers apart.  The strong compound left a burning sensation on his fingers, so of course he managed a little drama…running around screaming, “My fingers…they burn!!”

He got his dollar the next day.

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Your Home Business when Disaster Strikes

South Florida in August is a peculiar time for small business owners and for us work at home moms. There’s a little shadow following us from June through November called hurricane season.

Not that it’s a blast for anyone living in a bulls eye zone, but when you have a home business totally dependent on things like electricity and phone systems, you find yourself looking over your shoulder waiting to see if you will be out of work for an undefined amount of time.

Unfortunately I have experienced being knocked off the grid due to a hurricane. Two years ago when Hurricane Wilma slammed into South Florida we were lucky because most people suffered only minor structural damage but we also lost water, power and phone systems for weeks.

From a business standpoint I learned a valuable lesson that anyone can use even if you don’t live in hurricane alley. Unexpected illness, natural disaster or even a minor hiccup in electricity can throw you off your game unless you are prepared.

Back up your work. You never know if your computer will crash or if your power will be out so get an external hard drive, back up your documents and keep it in a secure place.

Call or e-mail your clients ahead of time. Especially if you have clients who live outside your immediate area, call them when you believe you may be out of work and let them know why so that they can make preparations to deal with circumstances without you.

Record where you left off before your “forced vacation.” Maintain an accurate, up-to-date record of where you left off on each project and any notes that will help you resume work when you are able.

Keep your computer and documents in a water safe, strong room in your house. My home office sits in front of a big window which is nice on a regular day, but if a hurricane visits my office is toast. Wrap your documents in plastic and move your computer, client files, and work to a safe room that doesn’t have windows such as a downstairs closet or a basement if you have one.

Remember to take a few days to breathe before you jump back into the grind if you’ve been away due to an emergency.  Familiarize yourself with files and projects so you are on top of your game when you return.

…the latest news is that the current storm should miss us here in Ft. Lauderdale…but then again, hurricane season has only begun.

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Daily Work Interuptions and Poop

As I was nearing the end of an exhausting workday in my home office I realized that I’ve let the house “go” over the summer, thanks to a kicked up work schedule and a parade of children through my house.  I made a mental note that house cleaning was next, once I finished yet another mediocre masterpiece…still needed to find the words to describe foods to eat on a low carb diet when…what was that smell?

Could I have let the house go so bad that the pungent smell of excrement waffled through the house into my home office?  Now I was grossed out and worried that my house was dirtier than I thought, when my 8 year-old daughter Catherine announced that she smelled poop and it was coming from our one-year old Labrador Retriever, Alley.

First Catherine shrieked, and as I tried to maintain razor sharp focus on work, her screams and shrieks of Alley getting poop everywhere prompted me to spring from my chair and assess the situation.

Yes, my dog reeked and it was bad.  She’s a black Lab so I couldn’t see the actual poop but she needed to be washed immediately.  Alley, much like a bucking Bronco, first played chicken with me for about five minutes in the living room racing around coffee tables and bobbing and weaving away from every meager attempt to catch her.  The entire time I felt as if I were chasing a large piece of poop as the smell worsened.

I finally latched the leash on her and leaned all of my body weight into dragging her into the back yard for a bath under the hose.  Of course the South Florida August heat didn’t make bath time any more pleasant but I managed to suds her up with my husband’s nicest smelling shampoo and rinse poopy girl.

At least I can rest a little easier knowing that my housekeeping hasn’t fallen too far off the wagon.  O.k….now what was I doing before this happened?

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Keeping Your Work Computer Safe from the Kids

How safe is your work computer…from your kids?  A constant struggle we work at home moms face is keeping everyone else off your work computer to avoid the pitfalls of unnecessary pop ups and dreaded viruses.

Learn from my story.  I allowed my children to play online games on my computer while I ran around the house doing chores.  Two weeks later came the big crash.  I had 500 Trojan viruses on my computer, it was finished.

Luckily my next door neighbor, an extremely nice and helpful soul, who is also the VP of IT for a national company, offered to fix my laptop.  Hearing this, my husband said that we should get the virus protection program, Spyware not only for my laptop but for my son’s computer as well.  My neighbor was generous enough to fix my husband’s desktop computer a few months ago and installed Spyware.

Little did I know that my 12 year old son Alex was listening to our conversation.  I didn’t see the color drain from my son’s face because I was too busy wringing my hands over our computer having what we affectionately called “the H1N1 pandemic flu.”

While my husband and I are going back and forth about who brought those viruses into the house, Alex spills his guts to my mother about some unapproved sites he and his buddy checked out during a sleepover.  He heard the word, “Spyware” and the only thing he could surmise is that installing Spyware meant that we are going to have the capability to not only spy on his Internet activity but actually spy on him while he is in his room.

If only this were true!  My mom immediately pulled me aside to dish about what she learned, trying desperately not to pee in her pants from laughing so hard.

This information was too good not to act on.   I figured I could use it as a lesson on Internet safety and to keep him and my daughter off of my computer.  Of course there was that hilarious element involved too, that I simply couldn’t resist.

Thankfully, my IT neighbor’s sense of humor is just as twisted as mine so we developed a covert mission called  “Operation Spyware” to rid the children of using my work computer and make them too paranoid to anything naughty on any other computer at home.

The next day, the neighbor showed up at my house loaded with wires and other useless gear for show, ready to pick up my infected PC and start working on it.  While he was standing in my doorway he checked his phone when my son entered the room and said, “Oh yeah…I see…hmmmm,” like a doctor making a terminal diagnosis, while flashing the Blackberry at me.  “Alex what happened on the computer?”

Stuttering, Alex said, “Nothing, I didn’t do anything.”  The neighbor replied, “According to this instant message I received you were in an illegal site.  Your dad’s computer has the Spyware software on it so I get regular text messages when security has been breached.  To be extra careful, we’ll install it on your computer and your mom’s so there’s no more crashing.”

Speechless, my son leaves to retreat to his room and, I can imagine, start deleting history on his laptop.  Of course the adults had a good laugh but I’m happy to report that my computer is fixed, we have some decent virus protection on all computers and my son hasn’t left Club Penguin in weeks.

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Mom, the Internet is Not a Slot Machine

It is with great sorrow that I must dash the mistaken beliefs of perhaps thousands of moms around the globe when I say that the internet is not the great slot machine in the sky that some would have you believe.

I know that many treat it that way and a few even tell stories about popping a virtual quarter in the slot and pulling the lever with great results… but I must let you know that these stories are misleading at best and maliciously self serving at worst.

There’s no end to the number of business opportunities available these days.  Some are good opportunities for a dedicated person, some involve a steep uphill battle and some are just bunk.

How to know the difference?

Well, start by knowing WHO is selling you on the opportunity.  If it is someone who directly profits from your sign up you have to be careful.  It’s not that all recruiters are untrustworthy - many are completely ethical.  Just remember that profits are their end goal - and that doesn’t necessarily equal profits for you.

If an opportunity is good, others not involved with the company will have good things to say about it.  It’s the nature of our community.  If the only people saying anything positive are those trying to recruit you, that can be a bad sign.

Find out about your recruiters past experience with busienss opportunities.  Are they new with this company or have they been long established?  How many other busiensses did they recruit for before this one?  Are they skipping from opportunity to opportunity year after year?  That doesn’t speak well to their stability or business wisdom.

Beware the Easy Button.

Some of the ‘opportunities’ offered these days aren’t even business opportunties.  There’s an abundance of websites offering ‘get rich quick’ programs.  Auto surfs, click for cash, refer for dough, etc.   Anything that promises you something for nothing should be avoided.

I know it’s tempting.  I know the person posting that referral ad makes it look amazing - but these programs never last.  Some who get in early make a few guilty bucks but the majority end up frustrated.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to make a dollar at the cost of another mom’s grocery money.

Forget the so called Slot Machines.

There are great ways to earn an income online.  It isn’t ‘easy’ but it is doable.  I’m doing it.  Thousands of moms are doing it. Slow down.  Do your homework.  Listen to established members of our community.  You’ll find something that fits you.

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Welcome to the new WAHM.com!

WAHM has undergone a drastic makeover! We wanted to give WAHM a new image to make the site more modern, sleek, and easier to use. We’re still working out the kinks, but we’re excited to provide you with a new and improved WAHM.com experience.

Look forward to easier, more efficient navigation, new, updated content, and more recipes (one of my favorites).

See ya on the site!

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Do You Work Well In The Heat?

Well, it’s summer and the temperatures are high.  After sweltering in my apartment for a couple of days I couldn’t run fast enough to buy a new room air conditioner.  I just don’t work well in the heat.

Eighteen  years ago I was doing Home Interiors. I remember the first time I arrived to a party and discovered that the hostess didn’t have an air conditioner or central air.   She lived in an upstairs apartment and owned one single fan - which of course we aimed at her guests.  I had to lug my case and bags up the stairs and get set up - all the while wearing pantyhose.

I was determined to maintain a good attitude and not make my hostess feel bad, but on the inside, I was miserable!  I was never so glad to leave a party.

How do hot summer temps affect you and your business?

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What to Say When You Switch Direct Sales Companies

One issue facing women who change direct sales companies is what to tell family, friends or previous customers about why they are switching companies.  One of our members, Chefshe, recently asked the question:

“I was just wondering if any of you have switched companies more than once, how do you approach people and say yes I’m doing “such and such” now, and I’m not a flake?”

WAHM.com members offered many great responses and EstherL offered the perfect solution:

“When people ask you about your changes, you can simply ask them, ‘Have you ever changed from one job to another?’  Chances are, yes, they have!

For some reason, when people change home business companies, it can be perceived as ‘betrayal’ or ‘flakiness,’ but when people change jobs, no one bats an eye.  We all have to make choices based on what works best for us and our families, and we can’t let others’ opinions of us influence our decisions.”

EstherL is right - if you need or want to change companies for whatever reason, don’t put so much pressure on yourself about what others will think.  You have to make the best decisions for yourself and your family.

Have you changed direct sales companies?  What did you tell your family, friends and customers about why you switched?

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WAHM.com Weekly Blog Roundup — Take Time for Yourself

When working from home, it’s common for moms to be unable to separate themselves from their business and shut the office door at the end of the day.  When you work at a 9-to-5 job outside of the home, you leave the building at 5:00 and the workday is done.  Not so when you’re a work-at-home mom, and not knowing when to take a time-out makes for one stressed out mom.

Today’s blog roundup lists work-at-home blogs that offer some great advice about how to take time for yourself and/or your loved ones.

Home-Based Working Mom:   Every work-at-home mom I know at one point struggles with trying to do it all and the guilt that comes when they find that they can’t be Supermom.  Angie Peters shows us how to fight the Supermom Syndrome.

The Bizy Mom:  Lisa Paige at BizyMom.com offers advice on taking time out of your busy schedule for a little romance.  What better way to relax than spending some one-on-one time with your husband or significant other?

Working at Home on the Internet:  Brook Long nailed it when she posts, “Do what makes you feel good and relaxed and you’ll be a better mom and provider.”  Be sure to check out the rest of her awesome tips on taking time for yourself!

Do you take time out for yourself?  What do you like to do in your “time off”?

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School’s Out — Now What? Working at Home with Kids

Summer is finally here and the kids are out of school.  While we all love having our kids at home and getting the chance to spend more time with them, this can totally wreck any work-at-home mom’s schedule if you don’t have a plan for the younger kids.  Here are a few tips on what to do with your kids this summer.

Change your work schedule.  This is a tough one if you’re used to working the day, but if your kids are younger and need constant attention and your schedule is flexible, it’s best to work while they’re napping or after they’ve went to bed for the night.  If you’re too pooped at night to even think about working, you can always get up earlier and work for a few hours before the kids get up.

Take a time-out.  If your schedule isn’t flexible and your child will play on their own for a while, take breaks to spend some one-on-one time with your child, even if it’s just for ten minutes.  As you’re winding down your time with them, start them on a project of their own that will keep them busy.

Arrange for childcare.  While most moms want to work at home to be there for their kids, there are going to be times that you just have to stick to your schedule without interruption.  It’s time to enlist childcare.  Your children do not necessarily need to leave the house, though.  A neighborhood teenager who’s looking to make a little extra cash can come to your home to take care of the kids while you work.

How do you handle working at home when the kids are out of school?  Leave us a comment and let us know!

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