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Archive for February, 2015

6 Real Ways You Can Make Money As a Stay-At-Home-Mom

6 Real Ways You Can Make Money As a Stay-At-Home-Mom

StickyNote_6RealWaysToMakeMoneyAsASAHMIt’s no secret, I’m a stay-at-home-mom and I love it!  There are so many positives to being home with my kids all day!  I know I sound all “chummy” and“happy go lucky-the world is full of rainbows,” but I really do love that I get to be home with my kids and also create income doing some of the simple and complicated things I do as a mom.  If you have read a lot of my blog posts you know that I’m very business-minded, God just made me that way.  In high school I spent all my time running our school store, as well as being a part of every business club our school offered and competing at the National level in many of them for things like Job Interview and Desktop Publishing.  By the time I graduated I was determined to make a million dollars before I turned 30 with my own business.  I was an entrepreneur from the get-go.  Now, I’m proud to say I’m a MOMprenuer and love that I can have the best of both worlds.  You don’t have to put your dreams of working and creating an income on hold just because you are now a mom and spend the majority of your day cleaning up spit-up and dirty diapers.  Trust me moms, I know!  I’ve been there and I’ve just passed the potty training stage for my youngest and am literally doing the happy dance!  Through all the stages of my 3 kids, I’ve kept a candle burning for my business dreams and am happy I’ve not quit.  When the kids were babies I was not able to spend as much time working as I can today, but being a mom comes first above any work EVERY DAY.  I’ve learned ways to work in a little bit of work here and there while I’m doing the mom thing and I’ve gotten pretty good at it.  Here a couple quick ideas of ways to keep working during the day when you are in full-time mommy mode – then, I promise I will give you some REAL ways you can make some money:

  • Make A List (I actually keep 2 at all times): Keep a notebook/notepad with you when you are being mommy-chauffer taking kids to and from school, soccer practices and dance class.  Jot down a list of things you need to do that day for your personal life when you are a stop sign or waiting on your kids during practices – like chores, phone calls you need to make, cleaning you need to do, etc.  I’m slightly crazy, so I actually have 2 notebooks that I take everywhere – one is for my personal life and the other if for my business.  Anytime I think of things for either one I add it to the list.  Oh and because I’m always thinking about coupons/groceries, in my personal notebook I always have a running list for the grocery store.
  • K_Kenz_work_webSchedule Your Time:  This is a no-brainer.  In order to be effective both as a mom and as a MOMprenuer you MUST schedule your time.  I know so many moms who struggle with time management.  They get so wrapped up in doing something silly (like watching a quick program on TV) that all a sudden the whole morning is gone and they didn’t get anything done.  I’m a huge fan of scheduling – and I’ve found that when I get up early in the morning and start the day with a some strenuous exercise as well as a good cup of coffee and some quiet time with the Lord and my Bible I have a much better day.  That helps me get going and then I can attack the day.  I will then spend the next 10mins before kids are up to get out my personal notebook and make a list of all the things I want to get done that morning while my older kids are at school.  I try to block out about 45mins each morning to spend some time working in my office.  I allow my youngest son that time to pick out the educational games he wants to play on my iPad and this is his only chance during the day to play uninterrupted (from his older siblings) on my iPad.  It’s a win-win and I know exactly which tasks in my office I want to get done and I set right to it (because I had already made my list).
  • Get Off Facebook:  Yeah, I just went there!  I mean it.  Get off your phone.  I’m so bad at this, but I try to be present for my kids when they are awake.  Let’s be honest, there is nothing more annoying than trying to talk to someone who is also checking their Facebook or phone at the same time.  Imagine how this feels to your kids?  Plus, think of how much time you truly do WASTE on Facebook.  A lot huh?  I understand, I have the same problem!  But I’m really trying to work on it.

Now on to the good stuff, 6 REAL Ways to Make Money as a Stay-at-Home-Mom and here they are:

  1. Start using coupons regularly.  Start to think of them as paper money, which they truly are.  Every single coupon you have is just like a couple quarters or a crisp dollar bill.  While they may not actually make you money – they will keep the money that you have made in your wallet by not having to pay as much for the items you need.   If you need help getting started with coupons download my FREE ebook – 7 Biggest Mistakes Couponers Make.
  2. Consign your old clothing.  This is a great way to make couple extra bucks on something you were going to donate or give away.  Go through your closet and your children’s closets and take all the stuff that is still current and in great shape to a consignment store and watch your account collect money!  You can get paid with a check, or you can buy clothing directly with the money you just made on the clothes you brought in.  It’s a win-win!
  3. Join an online selling group like VarageSale – it’s a local community app that you can put on your smartphone to buy and sell anything you have or want to have!  Clothing, household products, toys, shoes, etc.  All you do is take a picture of the item and pick a price and upload it to the group.  I personally love my community Varage Sale group and love that I can sell stuff without having to ship the items out.  Your community members just stop by your house or wherever you plan to meet them and yOu are done!  Check out VarageSale.com and see if your community has a group and get involved.
  4. Have a Garage Sale!  I love, love, love, love garage sales!  They are one of my favorite things to do from spring to fall.  You can make a great amount of money and get ride of a ton of stuff all in a matter of days!  It’s wonderful!  Make sure to check your community and home owner’s association for any rules they may have regarding garage sales.  My community is pretty strict, so I have to really be careful.
  5. Blogging is another great way to generate an income.  Set up a free blog and start writing.  What you have to say may go viral!  I love blogging, it’s a great way to relieve stress – it’s almost therapeutic to me.  Plus I love “meeting” new people online!  You never know what post will skyrocket your blog to the top of a search result.  Add some affiliates to your blog and you can start generating some income right away.
  6. Network Marketing – consider working part-time for a network marketing company.  There are many out there that have amazing products that you can share with people from makeup, to bags, to health and wellness products.  Choose whichever one fits you best and get online and start marketing your business.  Of course, I have my favorite that I think is best and would be happy to share it with you if you want to know how I make extra money.  Leave me a comment or shoot me an email and we can set up a time to talk to hear more info.  You also need to download this FREE eBook that I have written – 5 Financial Success Secrets For Stay-At-Home-Moms.

Hope this list helps!  If you have any questions, let me know! Love ya all!

 

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February 20, 20150 commentsRead More
How I Potty-Trained My Stubborn 3 Year Old

How I Potty-Trained My Stubborn 3 Year Old

 

How I Potty TrainedOk, this might be a dicey topic to tackle but I’m going to share my journey to potty-training my very stubborn, strong-willed 3 year old.  Meet Rylyn, my adorable, fun-loving, very adventurous, super strong-willed 3 year old son.  Rylyn turned 3 in November of last year, depending on who you ask he is either ‘way past the age he should be potty trained‘ or ‘just barely 3.’  If you are still scratching your head trying to figure out how old he is, he’s 3 years old and 3 months.  Ever since he turned 2 I’ve had friends, relatives and random moms I’ve met ask me when I’m going to get him potty-trained.  It’s like there is some unwritten rule that every child must be potty trained as soon as they have their second birthday or you as a mom are doing a terrible job being their mom.  I’m here to say, that is absolutely WRONG!  Hate me if you want, but it’s wrong.

Here’s my story.  I’m a mom of 3 children.  Rylyn is my third child.  Oh I can hear the gasps out there – yes he is my third child, this is myrylyn_jeep third time down the potty training road.  Before Rylyn was born I was on the same team that said you should really have your child potty trained sometime after they turn 2, and if it took until they were 3, then your mommy potty training skills must be lacking.   Let me take a minute to explain my older two children.  My oldest son, Coen, is a very inquisitive, too-smart-for-his-own-good type of child and he was interested in the toilet and how it worked when he was a year old.  By the time he was 18 months old he was asking to use the potty like a “big boy.”  Before his second birthday he was completely potty-trained, and at the time I totally thought that was because I was an amazing mommy that deserved a “gold star” in all things potty training.  In reality his personality was one that went hand in hand with being potty-trained early.  I got lucky, and he was my first!

My middle child, Makenzie, is a very agreeable, easy-going girl.  She loves to please and do what she is told and is always wanting to help mommy with everything.  I was due to have my third child, Rylyn,  in November, and had no intention at all of trying to potty-train Makenzie before he was born since she had just turned 2 in June.  I vividly remember being hugely pregnant with Rylyn, and planning to go grocery shopping with Makenzie one Sunday morning.  Before we left she very shyly asked me if she could wear panties that day.  We had never talked about potty training or even had her sitting on the potty or wearing Pull-ups.  I was surprised she asked, and thought it was the worst possible timing to potty train just weeks before Rylyn was born.  But, I said ok, and she never once had an accident in those panties.  She knew she was ready and it was a non-issue.  Done and done.  Now, again, I was giving myself a huge pat on the back and claiming my next mommy potty-training trophy.  In reality, she’s a girl, she just got it, and she decided she was ready.  I got really lucky with her too.  (She’s like this with a lot of things so far, she’s just a great kid and easy to be a mom to – she makes me look like I’m doing a good job being a mommy).

Kat_Rylyn_zooNow, let’s move on to my third boy, Rylyn.  He is very sweet, but full of spice little boy.  He goes 100 miles an hour all the time, and would leap tall buildings if he was allowed to.  He’s very stubborn and loves to throw tantrums anytime he doesn’t get his way.  He’s like fire and ice – all the time.  Now, when this child turned 2 he had no idea what the potty was for and didn’t care one bit – all he cared about were his trains.  At 2 and half, I was hoping and praying he would get a clue about the potty, but still showed no interest and in fact cried when the little potty magically showed up in the bathroom one day.  Around this time a lot of his little friends were starting to use the potty, he still showed no interest at all.  When he turned 3, I was really starting to stress about it.  I had well-meaning friends and family members ask me over and over when I was going to get on the ball and get him potty trained.  I’ll tell you what mommas – I chose not to listen to any of them, and here is why.  I’m his mother and I know my child best.  Period.  What I know about my child was that he is stubborn and pushing him to do something was going to make him dig in his heels even more.  I also know that he is a very smart child – so trying to bribe him with little gifts, or toys, or candy wasn’t going to work (we had tried that for a few weeks and nothing was motivating him).   Thirdly, after having two other kids go down the potty training road, I do know that their body needs to be ready and so does their mind, the two have to work together in order for potty training to click – and Rylyn at the age of 3 just wasn’t ready – he just didn’t get it and he didn’t care.

So, we didn’t push him.  We noticed he was starting to put the pieces together when his favorite cousin was visiting for Christmas (his cousin is about 5 months younger) and was regularly using the potty.  For whatever reason, Rylyn really seemed to pay attention and we noticed he started to get embarrassed when his diaper was messy.   About three weeks later, out of the blue Rylyn asked me if we could go to the store and buy some Chuggington (his favorite thing in the world) underwear because he was ready to be a “big boy!”  And later that day, we did just that.  He picked out his new underwear and it was a done deal.  I knew he just needed to make up his own mind to do it and as much as I pushed him, he was going to push back.  So we just stopped pushing and removed all the pressure and he just decided.  He is now 3 years and 3 months old and wears his underwear proudly everyday and has had very few accidents.  I’m completely confident that he gets it and I don’t stress about him having an accident when we are out and about.  I’m so glad that I listened to my own intuition and I didn’t force it on him.   I’m very proud of my little guy and the potty-training journey we went on together!

My advice if you are knee-deep in potty training woes:

  • Don’t listen to what anyone else says is the right time for your child.
  • Listen to your intuition.
  • Pay attention to your child – after all you know them pretty well.
  • Don’t put any pressure on yourself or your child to be trained by a certain time or date.
  • Find what motivates them – if it’s a toy, or candy, etc – and use that to your advantage.  (For Rylyn it was being a “big-boy” like his siblings and getting special “big-boy” privileges such as going to the “big-boy” class a church rather than the nursery with the babies)
  • Encourage them through the whole process.
  • Learn to bite your tongue when you are frustrated or when they have an accident.

You got this momma!  Potty-training is so hard, but chin up!  One day you will look back and can have a party when you get to pass all those unused diapers on to someone else!  WAHOO!

Comment below and share with me what things you have tried on your very own potty training journey.  What worked?  What didn’t?  What mistakes did you make?  What do you wish you have done differently?  I’d love to help, if you need advice or tips let me know! Hugs!

How I Potty Trained

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February 4, 201529 commentsRead More