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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - Clean Your Room!!
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Guest Article - Working at Home Isn’t All Fun and Games
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For those of you who haven't checked elsewhere on the site (blog, discussion boards, etc.), the surgery went great! Gage stayed two nights in the hospital and he's doing well at home now. He's even sleeping well at night. I've been getting lots of help from family too.
Pretty soon, things will be about as normal as they're going to get around here for me for a while. We'll still have lots of doctor's appointments for at least 3 months (weekly is the minimum!).
Caring for Gage isn't the hardest part, actually. Taking care of Ariel, whose world was turned upside down for a time is a lot more work. We got her sandbox set up finally so that she has a good place to play outside, and I'm focusing as much as I can on her. She has definitely been a little insecure with everything that has happened recently in her life.
All of this means I'm still a little slow to respond to emails right now, and even getting this newsletter out is a little tricky, but I'm getting things done bit by bit. Only people who have never worked at home would consider what I and other at-home parents do "easy."
Don't forget, you can contribute your articles or tips anytime for consideration. Just use the contact form.
How many times have you said that as a parent? Or...how many times have you heard that as a kid?
The whole "keep-your-room- clean war" happens in just about every household, but believe it or not, there are ways to make it not such a headache for both kids and parents.
The first thing you as a parent must remember is that every kid is different. Just like every adult is different. YOUR idea of clean is most likely not the same as your child's.
Also, all people (adults and kids) organize a space in their own way.
Let me give you example: My five year old son's idea of an organized room is that everything is in it's place. He likes things lined up where he can see them and when he cleans his room, everything goes back in the same spot where it belongs.
Now my 7 year old daughter, who is the creative type, doesn't really care where it goes. She has the "out of sight, out of mind" mindset. So trying to get her to put things in the same place every time is like pulling teeth!
After realizing and accepting that both kids are completley different I had to come up with different ways to help them keep their room clean.
What I just said is KEY! Coming up with ways to HELP them keep their rooms clean. If they have no system in place or nowhere to keep their things, then cleaning their room will seem like an impossible task. But, if you as the parent can adapt their rooms to their personality type, it will make things a lot easier.
Now back to my kids...For my son, having things labeled is a big help. He has a bin labeled "army men", one labeled "dinosaurs", etc. So when I say, "please clean up your army men", he knows exactly where they go.
As for my daughter...I tried the labeling technique and what did she do? She took them off because she didn't like it. She said, "I know where my things go". So for her, dividing her room into zones (dress-up, doll house etc.) with a bin or two for each helps her keep her room clean.
I tried having one drawer for all her dress-up shoes and one drawer for all her dress-up accessories, but it just didn't work. She wants them all in one bin and doesn't mind digging for her things. Digging drives me crazy, but for her, it's just fine...and maybe even fun.
Last but not least, just walking into your kid's room and saying "Clean Your Room!" is usually not the best way to go. For toddlers, elementary age and for some teenagers it is a good idea to be specific.
For example: "Please put all your dress-up clothes in the box and all your doll clothes in their box." That way they have a specific mission. Instead of just looking at their room in a state of confusion, you have given them some direction.
One note to parents: Keeping YOUR room clean also will set a GREAT example for your kids! Hey, just making the bed makes a world of difference ;) .
Julie Bonner is the co-owner of www.cool-kid-bedrooms.com and has had extensive experience with organizing and decorating kids' rooms as well as all other rooms in a home. She lives in Georgia with her husband and three children.
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I enjoy telling people that I “work at home.” I can see that wistful look in their eyes, and I can hear it in their voices when they say, “That must be nice.” And then for about five minutes, they do a little daydreaming about what it would be like to “work at home.” I never explain to them about the measure of self-discipline it takes, and how great are the temptations to take a “break” and reorganize my sock drawer when I find myself faced with working on a project that is less than interesting (or worse yet, “not as profitable” as other projects). Why burst their bubble? Let them daydream awhile….
Working at home can be all the wonderful things that those people daydream about. Setting my own hours, working at my own pace (project deadlines permitting), running to the market at 1 o’clock on a Wednesday afternoon when there’s nobody there---these are just a few of the plusses of working at home. For parents (whether it is the mom or dad, or both working at home), being able to adjust their working schedule to school schedules, being able to take the kids to the orthodontist or to soccer practice, working at home is a definite plus. For people who don’t work at home and who want to work at home, it is probably hard to think of even one minus. But the fact of the matter is, the minuses do exist---in abundance.
It is not my purpose here to ruin all your hopes or plans to establish yourself as a work-at-homer. In fact, I do encourage you to follow that dream and be your own boss. However, I want you to take just a few minutes to take stock of your situation and once and for all decide if working at home really is in your best interest.
First, and obviously, you have to have a job skill that is amenable to the at-home environment. If you trim poodles on the weekend and think you can turn it into a full-time at-home business, then look around. Do you live in a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor and just do your neighbor’s poodle once a month (but you do it really well)? Or do you live a four-bedroom ranch house with a three-car garage that can be made over into “Donna’s Clip Joint” and happen to live in an urban neighborhood where everyone has pets? And even if you do, what about all the permits that you will need? Will you be able to pursue this type of work at home, and do so legally?
The most applicable work-at-home job skills involve the use of a computer, the Internet, phone, fax, and other small business/office machines. You can hardly drive from home to the grocery store without seeing those signs nailed to telephone poles: “Got a Computer? Earn up to $2000 at home!” Of course, you can, but can you?
For the sake of argument, let’s presume then that you have a computer and an assortment of small business machines, and that you do indeed have some skill that you believe can be marketed. Let’s focus on you for a minute: Are you self-disciplined? Are you organized? Do you have the proper workspace where you can work undisturbed? Are you able to face a workday where you have no supervision or guidance? Can you work at home, day after day, without having the people contact that you would typically find “on the job”? When you have overlapping projects, will you be able to cope with the necessary prioritizing so that you get the time-critical job done on time without jeopardizing the next job in line?
The list of questions goes on. And this doesn’t begin to address the “what ifs” that go hand-in-hand with working at home. What if you don’t have any work this week? What if work doesn’t come in the week after that? What if you get sick and can’t finish a project on time? What if your client doesn’t pay you on time? What if your client doesn’t pay you at all?
Financial gurus recommend that we all should have three months’ wages tucked away in a “bail out” savings account so that in case of illness or work stoppage, we can “bail out” our sinking checking accounts and pay the bills, pay the rent, buy groceries. Let’s face it, how many of us really have three months’ salary bankrolled? Most of us are lucky if we have one months’ salary in a demand savings account that’s hooked to our checking account that gets dipped into on a more regular basis than we’d like to admit. If that is the case, then are you really in a position where you can handle the uncertainties of establishing and maintaining a work-at-home business?
This isn’t to say that even if all these things are true, that you shouldn’t make the move to be your own boss and work at home. I’m a perfect example. I did have the fortunate circumstance that I had a husband working full-time and earning “decent” money (not a fortune, not more than enough, but “enough”). He believed in me and gave me great support while I established my business. It took me more than five years to get to the point where I can count on having work just about every day (based on a five-day, 50-week “normal” annual work schedule). During that time, I had periods when I didn’t work for five weeks or more (and even still, my primary client goes through a month-long “dry spell” while their organization holds its annual meetings). It took me over three years just to finally break the “one client” barrier (I now have five “regular” clients). The point here is that I did it; I built my own at-home business, and I now think of myself as “successful.” I don’t earn a fortune, but I “make a living at it.”
I don’t think that anyone could ever honestly tell you that there is one no-fail method of how to become your own boss and establish a “successful” at-home business. The variables are endless and there is no way to provide you with a formula for how you go about setting yourself up as an entrepreneur. In the end, becoming successful and realizing your dream of working at home depends on you, and you alone. You must have a marketable skill; you need adequate workspace and supporting equipment; you must have the personal demeanor that lends itself to this type of work environment; and you must have confidence in yourself.
With these things, you can be a success. You’ll be able to tell people, “I work at home”…then stand back and watch them daydream.
Jan K., The Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor. Visit http://www.janktheproofer.com for more information about Jan’s services; http://work-at-home.janktheproofer.com for work at home articles and free printables; and for work at home moms, visit Jan’s sister site http://work-at-home.momsbreak.com for articles, free printables, and work at home T-shirts and other fun products.
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