Pajamas, Pacis and Projects - OH MY!

Thinking of Working From Home… Where to Begin?

kags — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:30:15 +0000

Are you thinking of working from home? Things such as, monetary constraints (the cost of child care to return to work), not wanting to leave the child(ren) in day care or with someone else while working, or realizing how little time is actually spent with a child each day while maintaining a job outside of the home, often makes the idea of working from home very appealing.

However, no one outside of the situation can decide if working from home will be a good fit for your family, but some advance planning and research can help, and is strongly recommended. Determine the type of business that you want to start. Perhaps you can you do some consultant work for your present employer so that you don’t have to start from scratch? Also, if your household is used to a two-person income, then making the adjustment to a one or one and a half income while business grows, can have a serious impact.

Begin by preparing a budget to determine if it is feasible to make the switch. Remember that gas usage, professional clothing budgets, day care expenses, etc. will probably go down, but the cost to start a home-based business, setting-up a home office, and the amount of time it will take to generate an income will also have to be calculated into the budget.

If you have time, give starting your business extra serious thought. It’s an awesome experience, but requires hard work and dedication. There are often numerous peaks and valleys throughout the process, but it’s an awesome ride and a wonderful way to make your mark your way.

Celebrating Work at Home Moms – WAHM Week 5/19 – 5/25

kags — Sun, 18 May 2008 10:41:55 +0000

Working and raising a family under the same roof can be one of the most challenging and rewarding opportunities there is for a mother (or father.) There is typically little or no time to switch gears. There are household duties, family errands, and work responsibilities all vying for your undivided time and attention. But these challenges are off-set by the ability to stay home with the children and be present for their firsts, to meet them at the door after school, to be able to direct their education, and to let them know that mom is there for them. These are some of the primary reasons why working from home is so attractive! Along with the added bonus of being able to still contribute monetarily to the household coffers.

During WAHM Week, remember to pamper yourself—at least a little bit! You’ve got a tough job and spend so much time caring for others that it’s easy to be neglectful to you. Remember the saying, ‘If Mom isn’t happy, no one is happy!’ It’s so true! It’s difficult to be happy when you’re run down.

This week, celebrate the wonderful era that we live in, revel in the technology that makes it all possible, and self-nurture, by treating yourself like the queen that you are for keeping it all together. You deserve it!

Hello World!

kags — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:51:26 +0000

Welcome to my blog! For anyone wondering about my blog title…Pajamas, Pacis and Projects completely typifies my life as a Home-Working Mom.

Pajamas refers to those things everyone assumes we wear all day long while we work from home (Okay, it sometimes happens, but hey, they’re just envious that we have that option!), and while the little ones are little it happens WAY more than anyone wants to see, but almost any Mom can attest to that fact!

The Paci part…a paci is…it is an abbreviation for pacifier, another word for binky or Nuk. The infamous tool that allows a Home-Working Mom to become the Supreme Multi-tasker. Working (typing one-handed of course), while calming and caring for baby (paci in mouth!), while talking to client on the phone and hoping client cannot hear baby sucking on paci loudly albeit contentedly. (Think Maggie Simpson!)

Projects of course refers to the work! Crazy deadlines, long hours, balancing work/family, all sounds familiar, right? But becomes even more chaotic when you work where you live. Work hours versus home hours, cell phones in diaper bags, children answering phones (Yup, doesn’t matter they haven’t spoken their first word yet!), all while cranking out the work that keeps this crazy existence in existence! Oh, did I mention the lack of sleep, mommy-brain and lack of sleep? (This was NOT a typo!) Hence the OH MY!

Home-based businesses are storming the business scene. There are more than 35 million home-based businesses in the United States! And the majority of them are being started by women. Many are moms, are expecting, or are planning to become moms in the not too distant future and want to be home with their babies/children.

It’s my intent that Pajamas, Projects and Paci’s – Oh My! provide a little help, provoke thought and deliver humor to the largest growing sector of business within the United States – the Home-Working Mom.

Glad to have you along for the ride!