Much to my surprise, Alice Seba tagged me the other day with the 7 Random & Weird Things about Me meme. Ah, the price I pay for commenting on someone’s blog! Some ways I dread memes, because it’s often hard to decide what to say, but I occasionally participate. Like today.

Here’s how this one works:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog; some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on each of their blogs. (I’m going along with Alice and leaving this part out!)

All right, here goes.

1. I pick my daughter up from school and drop her off by walking each day rain or shine. It’s a nice bit of exercise, and this being southern California, it’s mostly shine, sometimes way too much sunshine. Doubly so now that I’m pregnant enough to really feel the heat.

2. I read a lot, mostly science fiction when it comes to leisure reading. But if there’s reading material and spare time, I’ll read almost anything. We have a shortage of space for hanging family pictures because my husband and I have so many bookshelves. He shares my addiction.

3. I was very much the “shy girl” in school. You know, the one shaking and almost in tears when called upon, even though I almost always knew the answer. I’ve done a lot of work to get past that kind of thing.

4. I regularly try to push past my comfort zone. This is a big part of how I got past the worst of the shyness. Went away to college when all my sisters stayed in town. Tried out to be an expert on working at home for a local TV show once. Didn’t get it, but I tried.

5. My current pregnancy was a complete and poorly timed surprise. But sometimes statistics get you like that.

6. Despite living in southern California, I’d rather be in a place with more rain. Probably comes of living here almost my entire life, discounting those years away at college.

7. My son is one of 3 boys born on my mother’s side of the family in the past ~50 years. The other two are about a year and a half older than he is. All 3 of my sisters have daughters and no sons. I’ll take whatever I can get with this baby, but I have plenty of people cheering for another boy. Should be finding out within about the next two weeks.

And now the part I’m really bad at… tagging people. Hey Alice, are there tagbacks? Just kidding. Let’s see who’s been commenting around here…

Vered
Cath Lawson
Melissa
Charlene

Just if you want to, of course, folks. And anyone else who feels like joining in.

The post OK, Alice, I’ll Play Along! 7 Random & Weird Things about Me appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

I love working at home. It’s exhausting, but well worth the tradeoffs to be able to have the kind of time for my family that I can take at need.

The daily routine can be a bit challenging at times. These are some of the things both in terms of my business and home life I try to do daily. It’s definitely not the full routine.

1. Play with the kids.
   Can’t forget this one. Being able to have a little fun with them is the biggest reason to work at home.
2. Post on this website.
   Well, this is likely to be 5 or 6 out of 7 days a week, not really each and every day.
3. Check basic website stats.
   I don’t check all stats daily; that would take too much time. But a quick glance to be sure everything is running well is important. I go over things in more detail weekly.
4. Check email.
   The trick to this one is to not do too much of it. I try to keep it to once or twice a day, unless I’m actively communicating with someone by email.
5. Post on other sites of mine.
   Which ones varies. This site gets more attention than the others do; it’s my favorite.
6. Read relevant blogs in my areas of interest.
7. Follow my writing schedule.
   I plan out the kinds of writing I do at different times, such as writing articles for article marketing.
8. Make meals for my family.
   We hardly ever eat out. My daughter rarely buys lunch at school, although she always wants to. It just makes more sense to make it.
9. Read to my kids.
   I have a simple rule when I work during the day – if the kids interrupt me because they want a story, I stop as soon as possible. Similarly for games and such, but that’s balanced by making sure they know how to entertain themselves as well.
10. Get some exercise.
    I walk my daughter to and from school on school days. Other days I try to find something else active to do.
11. Take advantage of quiet time.
    If the kids are sleeping or out of the house, that’s serious working time. This is harder in the evenings, with my husband home, but still possible.
12. Clean.
    This is good for those times I know the kids are going to be interrupting me a lot anyhow, although things like sweeping and mopping are best done with them not so underfoot.
13. Get some downtime.
    Can’t be working all the time, even though it’s often tempting. I love what I do!

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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The post 13 Things I Try To Do Every Day Working at Home appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

My daughter’s kindergarten class has “Morning Read” each morning, Monday-Thursday. It’s really a fun time. I very rarely miss a day of it. Here’s what I like about it:

1. It doesn’t take that much time out of my day. Just a half hour or so extra at the school.
2. I get to know my daughter’s classmates.
3. My daughter gets to bring home a new book to read each evening. This is the book she will then read at “Morning Read”.
4. My daughter’s reading skills are steadily improving, and I get to see it.
5. Listening to the kids read.
6. Seeing my son learn to interact with the other younger siblings as I read with the other kids.
7. Seeing my son get still more interested in books. He doesn’t always play during “Morning Read”; sometimes he prefers to listen, and at home he has picked up the habit of repeating the words to the book after me when I read to him.
8. Picking different kids to read with each day.
9. Seeing my daughter light up when I pick her. Not every day, since she needs to show others how well she reads.
10. Noticing when one of the kids has forgotten their book folder and is nearly missed for “Morning Read”. They just look so relieved that someone has noticed them. Some of the kids have very busy parents and forget their book folders very regularly. It’s hard on them to feel left out. But they are allowed to get another book to read in class.
11. Talking a bit to the other parents while waiting for things to get started.
12. Knowing that my daughter’s teacher really appreciates the help.
13. Knowing that the kids are learning to appreciate books.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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The post 13 Things I Love About Helping in My Daughter's Class appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

Being a stay at home mom is not easy every day. There are days that it drives me up the wall. But on average I love it and have no intention of trading what I do.

1. Being able to help in my daughter’s classroom. It’s just quick things, like helping with the morning read, but it’s so nice to be able to do that without worrying about what time it is.
2. Time enough to cook for my family. I love not having to eat out a lot.
3. Never having to find a good daycare. I have nothing against good daycares, but finding good ones is tough, as I understand it.
4. Having time to read to my kids when they want to be read to.
5. Being able to work from home so I still bring some money it, yet with a flexible enough schedule to be able to focus on my kids.
6. Having a husband supportive of my choices.
7. Lunch at home. I like having an easy way to use up leftovers or make what I feel like having.
8. Seeing how creative my kids can be… all day long!
9. Working on projects with my kids.
10. No question who has to take time off if one of the kids is sick. Sick kids aren’t much fun, but at least there’s less stress.
11. The ability to cope with my son’s speech therapy needs without explaining it to an employer.
12. I love that I was able to discover a career option I probably never would have considered if I had worked outside the home.
13. Taking the kids to the park spontaneously.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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The post Thursday Thirteen – 13 Things I Love About Being a Stay at Home Mom appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

With my daughter’s school starting next week, what to pack for her lunch is much on my mind – especially since she loathes peanut butter. Not much on lunch meats either, so I have to get creative. But I also like the idea of having a few things in there. So I thought today I would work up a list for that.

1. Sliced carrots – great snack or part of a lunch, and she loves them.
2. String cheese – a staple last year for her preschool snack.
3. Pretzels – loves them. We get the large kind from Henry’s.
4. Yogurt – I’m thinking this will be a great choice for her.
5. Raisins – a wonderful sweet treat.
6. Apple – she generally prefers whole to sliced.
7. Cucumber sticks – another favorite.
8. Bell pepper slices – she snacks quite well on these.
9. Berries (in season) – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, if it’s in season and pretty cheap, they are wonderful snacks.
10. Cashews – hoping these will work. She likes them well enough, but rarely chooses them for a snack.
11. Applesauce – haven’t used this one often, but it’s very kid friendly.
12. Kiwis – my kids are nuts for these. My daughter even likes the peels. Apparently they’re ok to eat.
13. Cauliflower – she loves this, but only raw. Heaven help those who try to serve it to her cooked.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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The post Thursday Thirteen – 13 Healthy Additions to a School Lunch appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

Being scammed when you want to work at home is so common that a huge percentage of those who work at home have fallen for a scame one time or another. Sometimes they’ve fallen for multiple scams. The scams are so easy to find that many people think that they are all that exist.

Obviously that’s not so, but finding the real stuff is difficult. One of the best ways to avoid being scammed is to know what to look out for.

1. Read on the FTC website. They offer some great tips on spotting work at home and home business scams. They only really talk about the most common ones, but that’s a good place to start.
2. Read my list of common work at home scams. I don’t generally name names, but knowing what a scam looks like can be more useful because that stays consistent as names change.
3. Don’t pay for a work at home job. Home business opportunities often do cost money, but if you’re going to be an employee, they should pay you when you work. Searching for employees is a cost of doing business.
4. Watch out for exaggerated claims. Income claims should be backed up.
5. Ads written in all caps or with tons of exclamation points are trying to get you excited about the opportunity without really thinking about it. Do not let excitement cloud your judgement.
6. Ads that don’t really make it clear what you will be doing. Legitimate companies want you to know what you are getting into. You shouldn’t have to pay to find out.
7. “No effort required,” “No sales required,” etc., when you are obviously going to be selling something. A home business requires effort. If you want people to buy from you, you’re going to have to sell them on the idea, even if it’s only from your own enthusiasm for the products.
8. Pressure. Do not let yourself be pressured into joining an opportunity before you have done your due diligence on it.
9. Research. One of the simplest ways to check out a company is to start searching on it. The BBB site is a simple place to start, but not the best resource. But my own favorite is to type into Google the company name followed by “scam” and see what comes up. No guarantees that any of this will get you the information you need, but sometimes it tells you exactly what you need to know.
10. Understand the motivation behind reviews of a company. If someone is getting paid to recruit you into a company, it can change what they say about it. Be aware that excessively positive reviews are not necessarily honest reviews.
11. Follow the money. If you can’t tell where the money you will be earning is coming from, be wary of the opportunity.
12. Excessive earnings. Most people will never earn $8000/week working part time.
13. Have a friend look over the opportunity with you. Having someone who is not going to join the opportunity take a look means that they might spot something you missed.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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The post Thursday Thirteen – 13 Ways to Avoid Work at Home Scams appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

You know how much it can drive you nuts to let someone else do various jobs around the house. I decided to share today the things I’ve slowly learned I may as well just let my husband do his way.

After all, he’s helping!

1. Loading the dishwasher. No! Not that way! Arrgh!
   I’ve learned to mostly stay out of it. Only thing I correct now is when he forgets to keep the things on the bottom shelf low enough that the arm for the upper section can still spin. If it’s not spinning after all, the upper dishes don’t get clean. But even when he drives me nuts loading things differently than I would do, I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut and let him do it.
2. Sorting the laundry.
   He sorts into white clothes versus everything else, with the kids’ clothes in a pile separate from ours. I sort whites versus colors versus things that take longer to dry in the dryer. And the kids’ clothes are mixed in with everything else.
3. Folding the laundry.
   Drives me nuts. He likes to lay his shirts and such out before putting them on hangers. Still seems like twice the work to me, but so long as he finishes the job that’s his problem.
4. Driving.
   Aside from the occasional reflexive foot on the “brake”, this one isn’t too hard. Even when he takes what I know to be the long way because he thinks it’s faster.
5. Driving too fast.
   Well, most of the time. Except when I know he’s overdoing it. Or if I notice the police are patrolling particularly heavily.
6. Assembling things.
   Unless I want to do it myself (which I do when I want to surprise him), I let him do things his own way when assembling or building things for the house. Most recent case was our son’s new bed.
7. Cooking.
   Now if he could do the same. He loves to give advice when I’m cooking. At least until he catches the look I give him.
8. Managing the garden.
   I leave that completely up to him these days, aside from when I notice the plants need a bit more water. Great for him to have time with the kids too.
9. Parenting.
   Well, at least in front of the kids, as much as possible. I do still say if I think the punishment doesn’t fit the behavior. But I don’t like to disagree with him in front of the kids.
10. Cleaning.
    I’ve found it generally works if we clean in different rooms. Keeps us from driving each other crazy focusing on different priorities. Job gets done either way.
11. Television shows.
    If it’s not appropriate for the kids, I’ll say something, but otherwise, it’s just not that bad.
12. Yikes.
    This is a tough list to write. Had a few ideas off the top of my head when I started writing this Tuesday afternoon, then put it aside for Thursday. Now it’s Tuesday afternoon and I’m really short of ideas.
13. Taking the trash out.
    Still have to remind of some things, but at least he often does this without reminding. He tried to develop a habit of saving the plastic trash bags so that we’d use fewer, but I complained about the smell. There’s a reason why you don’t just throw trash in the can, after all!

Honestly, some of these are really easy to not nag him about. Others are really tough. But I’ve learned that he is much happier to help if I let him do it his way.

Now I just have to survive watching 4 kids today, ages 5 and under. Two mine, two my sister’s. If I start typing crazy things, you know I went insane.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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The post Thursday Thirteen – 13 Things I've Learned to Let My Husband Do His Way appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

Before I get started, remember that they are ages 5 and 2, so the limitations won’t always apply as they get older. Other things… my fellow parents will probably be able to guess which won’t happen if I have anything to say about it.

1. Ear piercing for my son. My daughter will probably start getting interested within the next year or two, and if I think she’ll be responsible for it, fine.
   My son can wait until he’s grown up if he ever wants that.
2. Cross the street alone. Not yet. As I said, they’re 5 and 2.
3. Play around the pool alone. I like to think this one is obvious.
4. Cook on the stove. My son (2 years old) badly wants to do this already. Obviously he has a few years to wait, but in the meantime he loves helping me assemble the ingredients and mix if necessary. He especially loves tasting all the spices.
5. Draw on the walls. I don’t care that the crayons and markers I buy are washable, they can’t do it. Although when we own our own place I may think about putting a huge whiteboard on one wall.
6. Answer the phone. Actually, I’m surprised my daughter hasn’t tried this one yet. But once the time comes I’ll have to lay down some rules on it.
7. Eat dessert without eating all their dinner. Nope, not in my house. Now at Grandma’s, that’s a different story and just fine by me. Grandparents are permitted to bend the rules.
8. Pet strange dogs without permission.
9. Pretend a crystal bowl is a computer. Yes, my daughter really tried this at my mother’s house and got into trouble.
10. Visit most websites. At their ages, they’re lucky if I let them touch the computer. Although my son is quite fond of Google Earth.
11. Drive my car. Now when they’re old enough to get a license, we’ll talk.
12. Hit.
13. Eat junk food too early in the day or too much of it. We don’t keep much in the house, but when it’s there, they can only have it later in the day.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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The post Thursday Thirteen – 13 Thing I Won't Let My Kids Do appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

Working at home means finding time to work mixed in with enjoying being with my kids. It’s an interesting balance sometimes, but very, very doable and ever changing.

Keep in mind, my kids are 5 and 2, so keeping them busy is pretty challenging and limited by their capabilities. And for those interested, take a look at the ebook on Keeping the Kids Busy I offer for subscribing to my newsletter.

1. Send them outside! I get more peace and quiet from this than anything else.
2. Baking with them. The trick to things like this is that once I’ve done this with them, they’re generally happier about playing on their own, not to mention the fun treat that is then available. We don’t do it very often, but they’re happy when I say it’s time.
3. Haul out the craft supplies. Crafts work best for my daughter, as she’s old enough to enjoy doing things either on her own or with me.
4. Haul out the art supplies. My son loves painting most of all.
5. Computer time. This one is generally limited. My daughter loves playing age appropriate online games. My son loves Google Earth or watching family pictures go by on the screen saver.
6. Science projects. I think my kids’ favorite so far was the Slime. We kept it sealed in a plastic container for months, and it lasted well until my son decided it needed more water….
7. Homework. We don’t really have homework as such to deal with yet. My daughter starts kindergarten next year. But that doesn’t mean we can’t tell her it’s time to practice her letters or numbers.
8. Chores. Both my kids help empty the dishwasher. They know which dishes they are allowed to help put away. Getting them to clean up their toys is more difficult, but possible.
9. Have friends over. When I really want to get some work done, I’ve found that having a friend over for my kids to play with really helps. When they need something, there’s more work involved then, but for much of the time, they’re so busy playing with each other they don’t mind me working.
10. Off to the park! This is especially effective for gaining a long nap from my 2 year old after.
11. Get them involved. My kids aren’t too interested in what I’m working on most of the time, but when they are, I encourage it.
12. Limited television watching. Honestly, I’m not that big a fan of setting the kids in front of the television for too long, perhaps because mine don’t just settle in and watch. They keep wanting snacks, want to tell me about the show, etc. For getting actual work done I’ve found this one not terribly effective for me. But I hear it works for some parents.
13. Get Daddy (or Mommy, for the Dads out there) to play with the kids.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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The post Thursday Thirteen – 13 Ways I Keep My Kids Busy appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

One of those things many families need to do these days is save money. Doesn’t matter if you’re a stay at home mom or if both parents work outside the home, money is tight for a lot of people.

1. Turn off those lights!
   It’s so easy to have more lights than you need on at a time. This is money you can save even though you won’t see it right away. In a lot of places the weather is nice enough that opening the curtains or blinds lets in enough light without heating the house too much.
2. Use fans instead of air conditioners.
   This works better in some places than in others, but if you can acclimate yourself to the rising temperatures, you can get by with using your air conditioner less as we really get into the summer. Trust me on this one; it regularly gets over 100 degrees where I live and I still rarely use the AC. Closed blinds/curtains, minimal use of lights, etc. does quite a bit for keeping a home nice in the summer. Just have to decide when following this tip is better than following #1.
3. Buy generics at the grocery store.
   The only time you need to buy the name brand is when you really find a difference in taste or quality… or the coupons make the price better.
4. Make sure you’re getting the right deal on telephone services.
   This includes both your landline and cell phones. If you aren’t using all the time you’re paying for or you regularly go over, it may be time to switch plans and/or carriers. If you’re stuck in a contract you may need to figure out if you are better off sticking with it or if that carrier will let you change to a more suitable plan and starting the contract term over.
5. Watch the small stuff.
   The little purchases each day can really add up. Coffee at Starbucks, lunches out put a huge dent in many a budget.
6. Take advantage of freebies.
   Sites such as Freecycle are wonderful both for getting rid of your old stuff and getting used items you could use. Many areas have really wonderful groups.
7. Pay attention to gas prices in your area.
   I don’t suggest you drive around looking for the best price when you need gas, but knowing which stations you pass regularly that have the best prices can help you tremendously.
8. Know when your grocery store marks down meats.
   Many stores have a particular time at which meats get marked down. If you can find this out you can buy meat on the cheap and throw it into the freezer until you need it.
9. Get your debts under control.
   Make a plan to pay off your debts as quickly as you can. This can be tough, but interest can eat up quite a bit of your monthly budget, yet returns nothing to you.
10. Watch those “wants”.
    If your “wants” are eating up too much of your budget, take control and figure out how often to allow yourself to get those “wants” so that you can more easily afford your needs.
11. Cut out the sodas.
    This one is better for your wallet and your waistline. Sodas cost quite a bit more than water or juices (so long as you buy the juice in large bottles, not single servings).
12. Combine errands.
    This is more fuel efficient, time efficient and money efficient.
13. Learn to have fun without spending money.
    There are plenty of things you can do to have fun without spending a lot of money, especially as summer approaches. Beaches, parks, hiking are all fun. In many areas museums offer free days for residents of the area.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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The post Thursday Thirteen – 13 Quick Money Saving Tips appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.