Many a mom has been faced with the need to be able to work from home and still maintain our homeschool. I’m in that boat with you. All of us find ourselves looking just like the little person in the graphic above! It is possible! The first thing I want you to do is stop, take a deep breath, and PRAY! Get God in on this thing!For some of you, what I’m about to say may not be new because they are things that you may already be doing, but for the sake of being thorough, I’m going to elaborate.
- Have a definite work hours and a flexible schedule for both your work and your family. This will cut down on and save you much confusion! Involve the whole family in coming up with the plan and consider using responsibility charts and other helpful tools to keep appointments and activities straight.
- Sit down with your spouse and tweak the family budget, looking for any funds that can be allocated toward your potential work needs, if possible. Should those funds be available, I suggest implementing an envelope system, using cash only until you get things going.
- If at all possible, have dedicated workspace with a computer, laptop or tablet that you can use strictly for your work. It’s hard work to get work done in between everyone else in the house using the computer! You’ll be climbing the wall in a matter of seconds!
- If you haven’t already, institute meal planning! Even if you have the same dishes on a rotating schedule, it saves time and money because you already know what you need, where to get it, how much it costs, how much prep time is needed, how long it takes to cook, how long it takes for it to be eaten, whether or not it’s good as leftovers, and how long it takes to clean up.
- When it comes to things you may need to start and run your business, shop around! A friend recently told me that it’s not a crime to learn to do things yourself as opposed to spending money. For example, I make my own business cards and promotional materials. Why? Because buying the right type of paper, a good printer, and more printer ink is less expensive than having it printed elsewhere.
- Learn the dynamics of documentation for your business. If you’re required to document your homeschool, you can use those same skills to create the necessary reports for your business if required.
- Establish a network! Find out who you can talk to, where you can go, and what you can do to get your name and your business out there! Also, build relationships with those who can offer a helping hand and you may be able to trade ideas or products, thus helping you and them!
- Use the Internet! When you tell people about what you do, they will most assuredly ask you if you have a website, Facebook page, Instagram, or Twitter. As painstaking as they process may be, create those pages and promote them as much as possible.
Moms, the sacrifice that you are making will be worth it. Why? It is because your kids will see you doing it and just might catch the same bug that you did. Who knows? It might even turn into something that they get involved in now or once they’re older.You are showing and teaching them valuable skills that they can use in their own lives. It’s worth it because I know what it looks like to see your husband breathe a sigh of relief because he can have one less thing on his mind. It’s worth it because your efforts will help someone else get through the very thing that plagued you at one time. It’s worth it because you took the time and prayed about it and you are seeing God move!It will take some doing, but you can do it, Mom! God didn’t give you that desire for you not to use it. He knew that this season would come and He has prepared and equipped you to get it done!
