Stay-at-home Jobs – Some People Love Them, Some Don’t (Guest Post)

Working from home is a subject that is met with both positivity and negativity for different reasons. While some believe that it is a great thing that people are able in this day and age to complete their work duties from the comfort of their own homes, other consider that this is not a beneficial thing due to the fact that it brings with it some disadvantages.  Both sides could be considered correct depending on which you choose to lean on. However, it wouldn’t hurt to have some arguments for both for and against working from home. Many people want to learn more about what it means to work from home and they would surely love a couple of reasons for which it’s a good or bad idea. If you’ve already decided that you want to work from home you can try this out.

Let’s go on and see what the disadvantages are. We’re starting with the negative aspects then hop over to the pluses to see which side makes a better point. In the end you can draw a line and decide whether or not a stay-at-home job would suit you.

• You don’t get to chat with your office friends if you work from home. If that’s something you like doing, this may be considered a downside
• You have to constantly find the willpower to start work each day since there’s no schedule to tell you that you have to start at a precise hour
• It can be challenging to maintain the same work ethic when there is no one around to correct you or your work
• Speaking of correcting work, your boss won’t see how hard you are in fact working and will only judge you based on your number, so if you don’t put out the same performance each day he’ll think you’re slacking
• You have to re-arrange a significant deal of space in your home to accommodate your home office especially if you have a lot of things that you need around you for work

Now that we’ve seen what the downsides are to working from home, let’s take a look at the positive aspects.

• You can save up a lot of money on gas and other expenses that come up when you have to commute to work
• You get to spend more time home with your family and also take care of the household more since you can set your own schedule to a certain degree
• You can work without distractions like office chatter and commit fully to your tasks for the day
• You can sleep in more since you don’t have to wake up as early to get to the workplace
• You can wear whatever you want and sit in whichever position you see fit so that you are in your most comfortable state

Wall Art Prints from Minted.com

I am a very simple person. I am not into a lot of "stuff" all over my home. As a matter of fact, although I have owned my house for many years, I still have a lot of empty walls that could use some sprucing up. One place in particular is my office. The only thing I have hanging up is a calendar and some random sticky notes. I have been browsing  wall art prints from Minted.com and came across a few pieces that caught my eye. This one called, "Museum" is my favorite:

What's neat about this particular print is that you can choose from 3 color schemes. It has such a feminine and sophisticated feel. You can choose from a variety of sizes and frames. You can also go with an unframed piece if you want to personalize it with a frame of your own.

The Minted site gives some great suggestions for grouping wall art prints for a contemporary and unique look. I saw some fun pieces that are all kitchen or food related that would make a cool clustered look for my dining area. 

With the amount of time I spend in my office, my wall needs to be treated to a lovely piece of art. My eyes could use the treat as well! 

Be sure to connect with Minted.com on Facebook and Twitter for the latest products updates and promotions.

I received a gift code as a thank you for sharing this article to promote Minted.com's wall art prints. All opinions are my own as always. 

New Post-It Mobile keeps you organized, on-the-go!

Being a homemaking, mother of 3 keeps me on-the-go at all times. Now that I think about it, my entire family is always scattered all over the place... school, work, college, activities, travel and more. We try our best to stay as organized as possible. When the school year started, I purchased planners for all of us. I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to scheduling, labeling and sorting things. I was thrilled when I received the entire line of Post-It Mobile products to review. Post-It really came up with some neat ideas for busy people like myself. I was really impressed with the selection and the versatility behind this line.

Post-it Mobile products are designed be attached to items you carry like notebooks, binders, laptops, book bags, cases and more. I love that I can attach tabs to my planner so that I can keep track of the most important tasks by color. 

All you do it peel off the backing from the sticky surface. I added these cute tabs on the back of my planner so I always have them on hand when I take it to-go in my purse. 

My husband loves the convenience of having Post-It notes and tabs that are attach to his book bag for when he goes to his night college class. He gets a lot of use out of them with those enormous books he studies from!

One of my favorites is the assorted tabs and notes that fit into binders. I have this one in my family bill binder and if I need to take the binder in the carpool line to do some quick updates, I have my Post-It Mobile items already in there! Oh and even better for the carpool line, they have a clip-on portable Post-It note holder that attaches to your visor. Oh man, I just had a nerd moment!

Check out this neat highlighter with tabs and pen in one! It clips onto most anything and would be especially good at the office. It is even great for students since it can easily be attached to a lanyard.

Post-It even has attach & go pockets that fit on your laptop or the back of your tablet or planner to hold important things like business cards, documents and more. The whole family fought over picked out what they needed the most and I can see them being a great benefit for our busy lives. It's also a great way for me to use the color-coded tabs for my blog post scheduling and giveaways.

You can find out more about Post-It Mobile and Post-It products on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. I really love their Pinterest page for all the great ideas on organization. You have to check them out!

I received free products samples in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own as always. 

Why didn't I do this sooner?

It just dawned on me a few days ago that William's bedroom is a lot bigger than my office. Both rooms are next to each other and they used to be the girls' rooms before William was born and then they moved into bedrooms downstairs.  He only goes in his bedroom to sleep at night. How did I let a little kid get the bigger space? He doesn't even have that much stuff! It is also the one room in the house that is coldest in the Winter and warmest in the Summer. A light bulb went off in my head. I grabbed the girls and we switched rooms. Yep, I kicked the boy out of the big room with a full-sized closet and put him in a smaller, cozier room. Would you believe that now he wants to hang out and play in his "new room" all day long? It was a very smart move. It took me 3 1/2 years to think of it but at least it's done. I am loving my new office space and William is enjoying his new bedroom. We both win! :)

Do people take your blogging for a joke?

A lot of times when I tell people I am related to or those I know very well that I am a blogger, they say they don't have time for the computer like I do. They brush off what I do as if it is strictly a hobby and act as if I must not have anything better to do with my time. I hear things like "I don't know how people can stay on Facebook all day" or "I don't have time to look at blogs and don't know how stuff like that even works". Well I have been doing this now for years and at first it was more of a personal journal/social thing. It has blossomed over time and I now have PR firms I work with that provide me with products to review, host giveaways and sometimes even pay me to write. Blogging has become a part-time business for me. It has allowed me the opportunity to contribute to my household no matter how small it is. I don't want to sit on a computer all day long. I don't want to Tweet or Facebook all day long. I do it throughout the day in between taking care of my homemaker/SAHM duties. I do it because it helps my family. I never set out to become a "Mommy Blogger". It just happened one day. It is a lot of work to put out good posts and reviews. Some are easier than others. I really wish I would get the respect I deserve for my contributions as a mom blogger.  After all, don't moms know best anyway?

Don't slam me for being a SAHM

Just a warning that the normally peaceful and sweet Shelly is not writing this post. The raw and outspoken Shelly is in charge. I have something to say to people who seem to have a big problem with the stay-at-home mom. If you meet someone who is a SAHM please do not say "Oh it must be nice". That is not a freakin compliment. Most people did not pay attention to what the word ASSume means. They like to assume because you are at home that your family is rolling in dough. This is not often the case for most of us. I stay home because I choose to. I am a very low-maintenance woman and do not feel like I have to have everything material. With 3 kids we would struggle worse financially if I worked. The cost of daycare/after care, arranging rides to and from school, cost of work clothing, additional fuel cost for travel and the list goes on.

Another assumption is that because I am home I have all this "free" time that I can sit around and do whatever I want. Granted, I do have more time than working moms however I utilize my time to benefit my family. I manage my home and always come up with more ideas and solutions for cutting costs without making the family feel short-changed. I do spend a good deal of time online but that has it's benefits as well. I don't just sit on the computer all day because I have no life.

I don't appreciate people asking me when I plan to go back to work or when I plan to put William in pre-school so I can get a part-time job. It's none of your damn business what my plans are. Again, please do not assume you know anything about my personal life. I really wish folks would realize that it is my choice and the choice of many others to stay at home for our children. I am sorry if I offended you but I just had to say what I needed. Please feel free to give your input on this subject whether you are a SAHM or if you work.

My part-time job

I have been working on my new part-time during the past few weeks in order to make some extra cash in my pocket. It seems as if Summer break mean an extra $50 plus on my grocery bill each week. I had to do something that did not require working outside of my home. I am making gourmet baskets for businesses. I will pretty much only work with businesses because most people don't want to spend what I have to charge in order to make a profit. I am having fun doing it and the kids enjoy watching me be creative. Here is the latest basket I put together...

Momfiles- Flip That Foreclosure

Moms and Dads Real Estate Investors trying to Profit from Foreclosures! Stage one, the delinquency phase is the time to structure a deal.

Coming across a homeowner willing to liquidate the property at this stage is priceless. I say this for 2 specific reasons...

(1) Partnership: There's a lot of external pressure on the homeowner(s) at this time. The home loan lender is calling, and most likely so are other creditors. The environment in the home is very challenging for everyone. If you are in a position to bring a "SOLUTION" to the homeowners problems. You place yourself in a very favorable position. Always remember "foreclosure is an emotional process" to deal with from a homeowners perspective. Partnering with the homeowner(s) to solve their problem is where you want to be. As a partner you are someone they can trust, someone who is honest in their dealings, compassionate, and professional. The best win/ win deals are created here in my opinion. Having worked to structure many foreclosure purchases for my investor clients, I have seen the stage one strategy work many of times. This is the best way to ensure you get the deal.

(2) Lack of Competition. When a person is trying to Profit from Foreclosures! Speed is very important. I remember back in 1997, the ultimate deal that got away from me because of my fear of moving forward. I was so afraid that I would make a mistake that I literally made the mistake of taking my time. I read a quote once that says " you can't steal second base in slow motion". After losing my deal, believe me I understood that quote very well. I often drive past that home on Oakland Avenue just to remind myself of what non-action can do. Anyways, when you deal in stage one, the delinquency phase, you do not face much competition from fellow investors. Trust me in Foreclosure Deals there is no honor amongst investors, each man or woman for themselves. I am not writing from a fairy tale story. I am writing from in the trenches. I have counted money that was taken at the last moment by some slick talking investor who got a tip that the house I was working on was in play. This is in the trenches talk. Oops, I am rambling again- sorry.

When you have a homeowner partnering with you. They are more likely working with just you. They may have gotten your information from a trusted friend of theirs. However, when stage two comes into play. The flood gates open and your homeowner will have more investors coming at them, like an A rated celebrity has paparazzi on Oscar night, and everyone wants to get that one perfect shot.

Your homeowner will begin to get mail solicitations, phone solicitations, and investors just showing up at the door. Remember "foreclosure is an emotional process", and with your homeowner meeting all these new investors with their solutions. Well, let's just say, you begin to move down the totem pole. With each new investor singing to the choir, your homeowner starts to hesitate on moving forward with your deal even if it is the best solution. Do not take this personal. The homeowner is only seeking what they perceive to be the best "SOLUTION" for them.

Now can you understand why I say stage one is the best stage to create win/ win solutions? So go for it, and remember "You can't steal second base in slow motion".