Being a WAHM

It's a slow day today at work so I decided to jot down my thoughts in being a Work-at-Home Mom. Whatever I write here are my personal opinions and/or experiences as a WAHM.

Being able to work from home is a blessing for someone like me who does not drive [yet]. As a matter of fact, my inability to drive is one of the 2 prime reasons I decided to try my luck in finding a telecommuting job. What's the other prime reason? Motherhood.

But those 2 primary reasons are not the only things to be considered when deciding to work from home. There's a lot of other important things to think about before taking the plunge diving into the work at home industry. So what things did I consider before getting into this thing called telecommuting?

*Family Income. Questions like: Can we survive with only one income while I look for something I can do from home? I was already pregnant when we decided that I should give it a shot to work from home. Understandably we were a bit scared that we may not be able to make ends meet especially with a baby on the way. But we were able to work around it for me to start my quest for an online job.

*Do I have what it takes to be a 'telecommuter'? Self-discipline is a must when working from home. It's very easy to get distracted since I have no one breathing down my neck. I am essentially my "own boss"....although I do have a boss.

These were only 2 of the many things I tried to think about before finally coming up with a decision. About 7 years later, I'm still working from home. Hopefully, I'll be able to do it 7 or more years to go.

Winter yet?

Courtesy of: TBO.com

It feels like it anyway. And in other states, it does not only feel like it's winter, it looks like it is with the snow piling up already.

Per the 7-day forecast from the TBO.com site, our 'cold' weather is not going to last for long. It seems the coldest [at least this week] was this morning which was in the 40s. The weekend weather was very nice. I was able to go out and pull some weeds with the sun shining brightly.

I am inside the comfort of home so the cold [or hot] weather doesn't really bother me. If it gets too cold for me, I just turn on the heat. If it gets too hot, then AC it is. Right now, the heater is on. Can you say: WIMP WAHM??? LOL! I may have to turn it off later on because it will be in the 70s in the afternoon.

Anyway, it's another Monday again. In about 2 weeks, Halloween will be here. The little one already knows what she wants to be and we ordered some of her costume already. The most important item has to be shipped yet. I am hoping it makes it or we will be really disappointed. We ordered it at the beginning of this month and as of today, it hasn't even shipped yet. Arggh! I've been in contact [via email] with the seller and she's assuring me that the item will be here by Halloween so we'll see.

Aside from the aggravation because of this much delayed delivery, I've also been stressed out because of a software I need to install for work. The software has so many bugs that I decided not to install it until they get rid of all of them. It seems the tech people that developed it are doing a "trial and error" because they want us to let them know of the problems we encounter while installing it. Yeah, right! I wouldn't take the risk of my computer crashing just because they couldn't make it right the first time.

Work was released and we were told to use the new software which I hadn't downloaded yet. So I went ahead to download it. It took me approximately 2 days to do it because of, yes, BUGS! I was able to install it nonetheless. But it was so so so sllloooowwww that I was only able to do very little work. Our boss said that they're going to address the issues as soon as we're done with the project. Ugh! That means there will be more de-bugging in the near future.

Earthquake...Tsunami....Typhoon...Flooding

I know that a lot of people are in really bad situation because of all that's happening brought about by the different calamities that took place within days of each other. Those affected by the massive flooding in the Philippines have not even recovered yet when the news about the tsunami in the Samoas came. A day after the tsunami, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in Indonesia occurred. Because of all these, I can't help but think...

Is Mother Nature telling us something? I'm sure I'm not the one thinking this. Or am I?

One of the things I do on a daily basis is browse the internet for the latest news. The news in the past couple of years have been full of the economic crisis that the world is facing. The past few days though, it seems that the crisis has been taking a back seat giving way to all the devastating effects these natural calamities have causing.

As I am writing this, the Philippines is again bracing for another typhoon. They are labeling it as a super typhoon. The worst part is, it seems to be taking the same path that Ondoy took. I am hoping and praying that this latest typhoon changes direction because those who got hit the hardest by Ondoy can't take another devastation. It's just WAY too soon.

RECALL Alert: Tylenol for Children/Infants

Here's a complete list of the Children/Infants's Liquid Tylenol that are being recalled. This is what the little takes so I had to go through her medicine cabinet to make sure we don't have any of these listed products.

I lifted this list from Tylenol.com to share it here. Go check your little one's medicine cabinet to make sure you're on the clear on this one.

Recalled Products - Full List

Lot #	Product Description
SBM041, SBM067, SCM037, SDM027, SEM109	Children's Tylenol Plus Cold MS Suspension 4 oz. Grape
SBM042, SCM015, SCM036, SDM034	Children's Tylenol Suspension 4oz. Grape
SBM043, SBM044, SCM029	Children's Tylenol Suspension 4oz. Bubble Gum
SBM045, SCM011, SCM030, SDM035	Children's Tylenol Suspension 4oz. Strawberry
SBM064, SCM033, SDM020	Infant’s Tylenol Grape Suspension Drops 1/4oz.
SBM065, SCM005, SCM006, SDM032	Infant's Tylenol Suspension 1/2oz. Cherry
SBM066, SCM068	Children's Dye Free Suspension 4oz. Cherry
SBM068, SCM035, SCM070, SCM080, SDM005	Children's Tylenol Suspension 4oz. Cherry
SBM069, SBM070, SCM081, SDM006	Children's Tylenol Plus Cough & Runny Nose 4oz. Cherry
SCM012, SCM067, SDM007, SDM068	Infant's Tylenol Suspension Drops 1/2oz. Grape
SCM013, SCM014, SCM069	Children's Tylenol Plus Flu 4oz. Bubble Gum
SCM016, SFM024	Children's Tylenol Plus Cold Suspension 4oz. Grape
SCM017	Children's Tylenol Plus Cough/ST Suspension 4oz. Cherry
SCM082, SDM039, SDM040	Infant's Tylenol Suspension Drops 1oz. Grape
SCM083, SCM084, SDM008	Infant's Tylenol Dye Free Suspension 1oz. Cherry
SDM064	Children’s Tylenol Pediatric Suspension 1oz. Cherry
SDM038, SDM009	Infant's Tylenol Suspension Drops 1oz. Cherry
SDM033	Children's Tylenol Plus Cold/Allergy 4oz. Bubble Gum
SDM078	Infant's Tylenol Drops 1oz. Grape
SCM034	Infant’s Tylenol Grape Suspension Drops H/G 1/2oz.
SDM028	Children's Tylenol Suspension 4oz. Cherry, Hospital Govt.

Time for....

...an UPDATE! Ha! It seems that's all I've been doing on this blog. Updates and more updates.

Not much happening around here actually. I guess the saying 'no news is good news' would have to do for now.

Home front...same-o same. I had a couple of appointments with regards to my 'hyperthyroidism' saga. Last week was blood work appointment and this week, today actually, was my doctor's appointment. It turned out to be 'good visit' because he reduced the dosage of my medication. That means it's actually working. Yippeee! But I'm not going to be overly-excited because my thyroid still has 'ADD'...but I'm happy enough.

Work front...still kinda' slow. One of the companies I work for has steady work. It's not much [as my boss likes to say], but it's still work and it's steady.

My latest work-at-home gig is going well so far. It's not as busy as I first anticipated it to be but it's something. It's definitely a part-time job but I'm liking it so far. Right now I don't care much about the money I make with them. I am more concerned in 'learning the ropes' so to speak.

Anyway, it's now officially Autumn. A lot of people are actually waiting for this season to get a break from the scorching heat of summer. Since Autumn only lasts a couple of months, it won't be long before we hear people complaining again not because of heat but because of freezing temperatures. But for now let me just say....

Early Bird or Night Owl?

Which one are you? When I was still working on an 8-5 job, I was definitely an early bird or shall say, a morning person. I didn't have a choice but to be one. I was a "slave of the clock" so to speak. That meant going to bed before the clock hits 10 PM and waking up before the clock hits 6 AM. That was my life for more than 10 years. But that's all in the past now.

Now that I am a WAHM, I have the choice if I want to be an early bird or a night owl. Sort of, anyway. The time I go to bed at night is MY decision. The time I have to get out of bed in the morning...that's a whole different story. In other words, it's not ALWAYS my decision when I should get out of bed and it's called 'mommyhood'.

During the first few years of my being a WAHM, I would work until 2AM most days. The little one was just a baby then so her sleeping wasn't the best. Instead of waking up in the middle of the night to attend to her, I would choose to stay up late and work in case she'd need me. I got used to that so for a few years, I was definitely a night owl.

Now that she no longer wakes up to be fed or changed, I can go to bed pretty much after she does...but I sometimes don't. I am no longer staying up till 2 AM but I still go to bed later than I would want to. The result? Me having a hard time getting up early, well, earlier.

Just like today and the other day. It's easy for me to wake up and get ready. The hard part is staying up alert throughout the day. Ugh! We had an early delivery earlier this week so we needed to be up by 7. The husband stayed home until after the delivery which meant he left a little late than normal. Today was my appointment for some blood tests and I scheduled it at 7 AM. Hubby has to drive us that's why it's that early. Everything went well with the visit to the lab but guess what? I am sooooo sleepy right now. I could have taken a nap but I didn't think it would be any good so I just stayed up. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep good tonight.

It is days like today that make me want to go back to my old sleeping routine. Being out and about that early in the morning is very refreshing. It also enables me to do more as far as chores and work are concerned. Hmm...maybe I will...go back to my old 'sleeping-waking' routine, eh?

4 More Months....

...and 2009 will be over? Actually, it's a little less than that because it's the 4th of September already as I'm typing this. Where did time go? Nothing much changed with me except a few pounds here and there, a few additional gray hair on my head and a new WAHJ.

Yes, I have a new work-at-home job. I just started last week so it's my second week with the new gig. I still have the old WAHJs but it's been so slow so I decided to start hunting for a new one a few weeks ago. Well, let me correct that. I am ALWAYS on the lookout for a potential work-at-home job even if I have a few already. You just never know when that "perfect" [wah] job would come along. It doesn't matter if it's a temporary one or something longer lasting. What matters most is being able to gain that experience as an additional 'ammunition' in your CV, right?

Due to some confidentiality agreement I signed, I cannot reveal what kind of job it is or which company I work for but I can at least say that it involves a lot of phone work. One thing I would like to say though is legitimate work-at-home jobs exist. I have been working from home for the last 7 years and thousands have been working from home way longer than I've been doing it.

Be patient and keep on looking. One day you'll get that 'dream work-at-home job'. YOU JUST HAVE TO LOOK FOR IT....