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!

November was my month for marketing my freelance writing business. 

I did a bit of cold emailing (as time permitted, considering I have a very busy toddler), and I have a few warm leads as a result.

I also started a new blog, Marana Unwrapped, both because it’s an interesting topic and it’s a more specific niche. (I consider Crayon Writer to be a more personal blog that also has some universal appeal.) Hopefully the exposure in my community will help me gain more clients, and the niche should attract advertisers also.

So December is my month of looking for freelance gigs, while I also continue looking for another day job.

What’s a freelance gig? Projects I find not by marketing myself, but by perusing freelance sites. Right now I only use Craigslist. With access to cities across the country (and the world, if I choose), I should be able to find some nice side work.

If you’re a single parent or sole breadwinner, how did you get started with your freelance business, and how do you keep on keepin’ on?

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.

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!

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?

Thanks for all the wonderful comments about keeping the blogging romance alive.

I’m going to continue Crayon Writer for both fun and potential profit, but I won’t obsess over it anymore.

Crayon Writer is my first blogging baby, so I’ll make sure to keep writing however I see fit, without worrying about page rank, Technorati rank, or anything else. I won’t forget those things exist, but trying to monetize this blog became a full-time job…and I certainly don’t want to have three full-time jobs!

What else is on the horizon for me?

I’m accepting at least one blogging job. I’ll be writing for a company that hosts several blogs, and I’ll actually be paid for my posts (and I’ll receive part of the advertising revenue). I’ve seen several companies that offer income to authors solely from advertising money. So I appreciate having found one that pays per article.

When it goes live, I’ll definitely announce it and post links to my articles there. I’ll be writing about the care of certain pets, and possibly the city where I live.

Have any of you taken on blogging jobs? How is it working for you?

You’ve no doubt heard it before. Being a mother is a full-time job.

I really got that message loud and clear when I was a staying home with my daughter. But I was only working part-time at home. Hard enough.

Now I’m working oustside of the home too. That gives me a break of sorts, in that I’m not mothering all day. But after dealing with people all day (I’m working as a customer service representative), I find it exhausting to then come home and be a full-time mother also.

Not that I wasn’t exhausted before, mind you.

I don’t know how people do it! Let’s see how long it’ll take me to acclimate to my new lifestyle.

I’m beginning to understand why it’s recommended that you blog for fun, rather than for profit or even for marketing.

Blogging for fun is natural. You write freely. You write often. You write because it feels…well…right.

I began this blog to write about my daily life as a work-at-home mother and entrepreneur, intending for it to be a minor marketing tool for my copywriting business. It’s a great way for potential clients to get a feel for my writing abilities. And it’s a good way to keep my website front and center.

But then I learned about professional blogging.

While making money from blogging is a great idea, and while it’s certainly a nice goal, I’m finding that it distracts me immensely from writing.

I start thinking too hard about what to write. I spend hours constructing wonderful articles.

But it’s not fun anymore. As a result, I’ve been writing less often (though that’s also due to my new job).

So how will I keep the blogging romance alive?

I’m going to go back to writing for the fun of it.

Even better, when I write a post, I’m going to post it when I’m done! (Rather than re-reading it and perfecting it for days.)

I’m also going to write shorter pillar articles. For instance, I want to keep writing the comma series, but writing those lengthy articles takes quite a while. I’ll be breaking up future lessons into shorter chunks.

So what can you expect from Crayon Writer in the near future? More short articles, work-life anecdotes, and suggested sites.

What about you other bloggers? Do you still find blogging fun, or has it become a chore? How do you keep the blogging romance alive?

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?

Well, I finally did it.

I decided to get a “day job.” As I previously wrote, I was finding that my business and blog weren’t growing as quickly as I needed. And working with my almost 2 year old at home made it even more difficult. Being a single parent, I am the sole income source. Things can get kind of scary when that income is unpredictable.

So I finally got a day job. The great thing about it is that it’s flexible. The next two weeks is training, but I can work a different schedule each week or two. I won’t be able to work on my blogs while I’m at work, but that’s a minor inconvenience for the perk of making a steady income.

For now, I chose a job that will allow me to slowly re-enter the workforce. Being at home with my daughter for almost two years will make working a regular job sort of like culture shock.

But maybe it’s like riding a bike. We’ll see.

Honestly, though, I’m enjoying my time apart from my bossy toddler. I love her to pieces, but I desperately need to be a single person again, rather than a perpetual twosome. And I can tell by the way she cheerfully, almost bossily, tells me, “BYE Mommy!” that she’s happy to separate from me also.

I’ll try to keep up with my blog writing, but expect more sporadic posts for a while. If you haven’t already subscribed, now would be the time. It won’t be much fun checking my site regularly, only to find no new articles. Subscribing will be worth it.

Now that I’ve learned about future posting, I’ll start writing away on the weekends and in the evenings.

Have any of you work-at-home parents gone back to the regular workforce? What was it like? Were you still able to keep up with your at-home job?

Wish me luck!