Merry Christmas, everyone!

As a work-at-home-mom, I definitely deserve a break today. I’m grateful that there are family and friends visiting. Not just because I get to see them, but also because my daughter enjoys seeing and interacting with new people.

My “break” is that other people will be occupying her so I can get some much-needed work done. (Do home-business owners ever stop working?) After being up late wrapping presents, and spending the morning trying to convince my daughter to open them (she’s more interested in the wrapping paper), I felt a little off-kilter since I hadn’t opened my laptop all day.

I hope you are enjoying today, however you define “enjoyment.”

Merry Christmas!

I haven’t talked about my life as a WAHM lately. So here’s an update.

I’m worn out!

My lovely daughter is now almost two-and-a-half, and deep in the throes of the “terrible twos.” She’s not as bad as most, I must admit.

But my days are long. Almost everything has to be negotiated because she’s pretty headstrong about–well– everything. Simple things turn into long, drawn-out ordeals that leave us both exhausted and upset.

The past few days she’s been home with me all day (no babysitting), and I’ve started a new cold email campaign, I’m looking for another “day job” (in case the cold emails don’t work), I’m trying to win the MyBlogLog Problogger contest (join my community), and I’m working on a couple of little projects.

Whew!

I could really use a cappucino right about now.

One of the lucky things about my latest computer crash is that I’ve been using my old clunky desktop (with Windows 98!) So now that my laptop’s been repaired, my daughter can play on one of them while I’m working too. That helps, since now she’s tired of many TV shows. I bought her a Disney-themed toddler game, and she really enjoys it.

She loves to say she’s “working,” or that she’s “busy,” just like she hears Mommy say all of the time.

But, like another blogger said, I’m hoping to stay the course. If I can take it.

Thanksgiving is coming up, so it makes sense to write about being thankful this month.

Obviously, I’m thankful for my daughter, the sweetest person I’ve ever met. I’m the luckiest mommy in the world!

Second to that, I have to give tons of thanks to my parents. Without their love and support (all kinds of support), I wouldn’t have been able to stay at home with my daughter for this long. There are just too many (like 2 million) things to thank my parents for, including my wonderful education and my skills.

Because I want to write something everyday this month, I’ll list some of the other things I’m thankful for in later posts.

Oh, one more thing, just to keep this on the topic of writing. I’m thankful for my high school English teacher, Ms. Dinwiddie.

I’m back to writing and blogging with a vengeance.

My day job as a call center representative didn’t last very long. Who knew that talking too much could be bad for your health? My throat is still recovering, even after having taken a two-month leave.

So that’s over, and I’m relieved. I’m back to being a work-at-home-mom. Kind of scary (I was enjoying a paycheck every couple of weeks), but great too (I missed being with my daughter).

I obviously think staying at home with my daughter is the best thing for her.

So I was pleased to accidentally find an inspiring, heartwarming post about WAHMs at Making Sales Making Money, a site about home based business opportunities. I found it on MyBlogLog (join my community)!

The author is also sponsoring a cool sweepstakes. So he recognizes the importance of WAHMs, and he’s trying to put money in folks’ pockets. What a find!

Part of marketing is letting people know you’re in business. So, listen up. I’m back in business! If you need a writer, I’m your gal. I have samples here on my blog, and also on my main website.

Spread the word!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted some interesting links, so here we go.

Using the Blogrush widget, I found a wonderful post about improving your blog, called 101 Essential Blogging Skills. Some of my favorites:

 ”Don’t go on hiatus or take a break from blogging. Many bloggers experience times when their passion for blogging wanes. Rather than going on hiatus commit yourself to low-intensity blogging for the duration of the slump (links, short posts, and so on)…” This is advice I should have taken the past couple of months.

“Be transparent. Disclose your biases and affiliations, particularly when it comes to potential profit.” I hope you read my Disclosure Policy in the the Advertise section. That’s my way of being transparent.

“Recognize when advertisements are negatively impacting on your blog. Be willing to part with or change them if necessary.” I recently got rid of a few ads, hoping to make this blog more readable.

If you’re looking to buy a baby gift, check out BabyGearToday for reviews of cool things for your little ones.

I can’t believe I’ve never raved about The Golden Pencil, a blog about freelance writing that includes dozens of writing-related job listings each week.

Enjoy the links while I try to fix the bug in my blog!

Whew! I never realized it would take me so long to adjust to working outside of the home. Then again, the last time I worked full-time was in May 2005, right before my daughter was born. Thanks for hanging in there with me, re-reading my old posts, and checking out the comments.

This week is also a special week for me. It’s my birthday this week! I won’t say my exact age, but suffice it to say that the picture of me you’ve been staring at is about 7-10 years old.

I’m going to be getting back into the writing business. My day job doesn’t allow any time for writing at work, but I’m beginning to carve out time at home. My daughter is as busy as ever, but she’s also getting into playing by herself.

For you other freelance writers who have regular day jobs too, any words of wisdom for making it all work?

One thing about my day job that is great: the steady income makes me feel more secure, so I’ll be able to work on my business soon without all the worries and pressure I had before. My advice for starting freelancers is to keep or get a day job while you grow your business.

Does anyone know how to make WordPress recognize multiple paragraph markings? I don’t feel I have enough spacing between paragraphs, and it’s driving me batty.

Until next time…

As professional freelance copywriters, we set rates that are comparable with other copywriters’ rates.

But family and friends often want a discount on your copywriting services.

How do you handle this sticky situation? I have a few ideas.

When you quote them a rate, tell them the lower end of your acceptable price range. Then be sure to let them know you usually charge clients the highest rate in your range. For example, let’s assume you won’t work for less than $50 an hour, but you usually charge your business clients $65 to $75 an hour. Give your family members the $50 rate, but tell them you usually charge $75.

Trade services. If your friend can knit, fix things, or the like, set up a bartering agreement with them.

Offer your family a discounted rate if they agree to a large job or a repeat project.

Tell your friend how busy you are, and agree to do the work for a lower rate, but it might take you a while to complete the project. This way you aren’t working for less and working a rush job too.

If all else fails, just say no, you’re just swamped, and you couldn’t possibly give their project the attention it deserves. Then refer them to a fellow copywriter. If you anticipate a headache when dealing with your loved one, this may be the only option to maintain a good relationship.

What tactics have you used for this situation?

Now that I’m back to work, am I still a work-at-home mom?

Yes. Though now it’s not full-time. I’m still running Theda K. Communications, so feel free to hire me if you have any copywriting needs.

I’m excited about my new life as a WAHM and a traditional working mom. And scared.

My daughter will almost definitely be going to daycare now, and I’ll be doing the whole routine. I’ll be packing her up, taking her to daycare, hugging her goodbye, going to work, picking her up, and then spending the evening loving her.

I wonder if it’ll make me a little more organized. As one of my readers commented earlier, when you’re at home you find all kinds of things to do besides work. And the TV is a huge time-waster. I’ve already found myself doing more housework than normal, and I’m making a little better use of my time.

Time will tell.

For you other part-time work-at-home parents, how do you juggle your full-time gig with your part-time home work, and your family?

Working for yourself is an interesting life, as I’m sure most of you know.

Darren Rowse just posted an interesting article about making a contract with yourself. It got me thinking about doing the same thing, and seeing where it leads me. In his contract, he stipulated that if he couldn’t stay on track for at least 2 months, it would probably be time to get a regular job.

I have to continue being honest with myself.

If I had a “real job,” my daughter would be away from me the entire time I’m at work. That isn’t happening with my home job. She’s with me about 80% of the time. That’s a lot.

Another work-from-home mom, Susan Payton, wrote an article “confession” on eMoms At Home. Her child is in daycare full-time. In her words, she works from home and is a mother, but is not a work-from-home mom.

Anyway, this has all got me thinking about the best course of action for my family. I’ve started applying for “regular jobs” in the meantime. As a single mother without a lot of money saved up, I have to make some type of income while I grow my business.

I’ve been extremely lucky the past couple of years to have lots of help from my family. But my daughter is beginning to enjoy (and seems to need) time away from me. And, I have to admit, I notice that I crave some time away from her (even though she’s a sweetie pie).

We get along so much better when she’s been away for a while. We miss each other, but we laugh so much more when we’ve been apart.

For those of you who are WAHMs and WAHDs, what are your experiences and thoughts?

If you’re a work-at-home parent, you know how tough it is to get any work done. Especially if you have babies or toddlers. Here are five tips to help you weather the storm.

1. Don’t expect to get any work done. That’s right. Expecting to get anything done can make you resent your child. Be patient and understanding, and consider it a lucky break if you get anything accomplished.

2. Get help. Hire a mother’s helper, get part-time daycare, swap babysitting with another parent, or bribe your family. Sometimes I have my daughter go to her grandparents’ house for just a couple of hours (naptime works well for everyone).

3. Have fun diversions tucked away, and bring them out only when needed. Toys or DVDs that your child hasn’t seen in a while will occupy her for precious minutes.

4. Don’t sleep when your baby sleeps, contrary to popular wisdom (unless your body leaves you no choice). Use those quiet moments to take one thing off of your “to do” list.

5. ‘Work’ with your child. Give her a spare keyboard and mouse when you’re on the computer, or some crayons and paper when you’re writing. Set her up at her own ‘desk’ while you’re at yours, and the two of you can go to ‘work.’

Have any suggestions you’d like to add? Please let me know. I’m always looking for ways to make working and mothering…well…work!

And if you have a Top Five list you’d like to share with the world, check out the contest on ProBlogger. Have fun. And go get some work done!

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