Image credits to nkzs

I am a work-at-home mom. I freelance my writing services for a living, wash the dishes, do the laundry and feed the baby at the same time. Sounds like too much of a juggle? I don’t think so.

It is true that being a work-at-home mom poses a lot of challenges, and so do traditional jobs. The only difference is that being a work-at-home mom allows you to still be able to keep a career for yourself while being able to spend quality time with your family.  This spells out F-U-L-L-F-I-L-L-M-E-N-T for me. There’s no other kind of work that would allow me to grow professionally while watching my 11-month old baby turn into a charming toddler. And for those who’d rather keep arguing about the challenges of being a WAHM, let me tell you: No pain, no gain! I was a call center agent before and I used to be a sounding board to irate callers. If you aren’t willing to sweat your way to have a good income, there’s no way you are going to get any. I am a work-at-home mom now, and I earn way better than what I earn when I was still working for others. The work is equally challenging, but I get to enjoy the following benefits;

I get to manage my own business

They say that the only way to gain financial independence is to set up your own business. This proved true in my case. Working on traditional jobs comes with investments: transportation, food and clothing allowance. As a work-at-home mom, I am able to work without all these. My desk is just within my room, I get to eat what my family eats (which is within the family budget) and I get to work even if I am still in my pajamas! Now, most of the expenses that used to burden me when I was still working outside home are already well-spent on fun family outings, business investments and/or allotted to family savings.

I treat working from home as working on my own business so there are still times when I don’t get to work in my pajamas. I still occasionally wear the ‘dreaded’ corporate attire when speaking to clients personally or on Skype. I also invest on it, but I get to keep my investment just like my laptop which allows me to work on café’s and out-of-town sans worries of losing business because of unreturned e-mails.

With it as a business of my own, I am able to maximize every earning/savings opportunity that it has provided me with. I am also able to plot my own goals for my own business. The flexibility allowed me to be the best that I can be sans the boss asking me to work harder for a paycheck that’s not even worth it.  As a work-at-home mom, I am working smarter to keep my business growing so I can be financially independent very soon.

I get to choose my clients

When working on traditional jobs, choosing a boss is not an option. You have to work with an ‘ancient dinosaur’ whether you like it or not. As a work-at-home mom, I am able to classify prospect clients as either bad or good. Of course, I only work with the good ones.

The good ones aren’t difficult to find. There are more good ones than bad in the market because the marketplace is literally crowded with professional and business- minded people who are also working smarter to grow their own businesses. In addition, work-at-home people are a lot cheaper to work with than regular employees, so if you are good at what you do, you can expect to attract good clients too.

I get to choose my projects

I prefer to work on writing projects on topics of working from home and freelancing— and I am able to observe this preference when applying for new projects. With a market as wide as the world, you are definitely going to find work that suits your taste and passion. Not to mention finding work that pays you your worth.

I get to choose my work hours

I am a night person. My brain seems to be most efficient at night. Therefore, 9AM-5PM work is simply not for me. As a work-at-home mom, I get to work on my preferred hours without hurting my timecard with absences and lates.

I get to see my family grow as I do all these

Now, the best thing about working from home is the ability to grow my own business while seeing my family grow at the same time. Life is short to spend most days at work, but you can’t earn a living unless you work. I feel so blessed to have a skill that I am able to market online. It allowed me to pursue a passion, earn a living and take care of my family without having to send my baby to day care when I work. Sure, it is challenging, but it is all worth it.

How about you? Are you a work-at-home mom, too? Or are you looking to be a work-at-home mom soon? With time management and strong desire to grow, working from home can be the best career decision that you can ever make. Leave your tips and questions as comments below.

How is it to be torn between a freelance job and a toddler?

The boost in internet and technology has given birth to a new breed of independent moms who have learned to earn despite being Stay At Home Moms (SAHM). This is through freelance jobs made available by freelance bidding sites and blogging. Now, they would be on our spotlight- not just to let them know that we salute them- but also to take into account why they are worth a spot on this page and how is it to be torn between a freelance job and a toddler.

We can never deny the fact that being a mother is a full time job that no woman can get away with. In this job, excuses and missed deadlines are fatal so extreme caution should be consistently exercised. Furthermore, being a mom alone is already difficult and exhausting. How much more if you are a woman working full time as a mom and working part time as a freelancer? How will you keep your sanity?

Stay At Home Moms (SAHM)

There are a lot of reasons moms already moved out of their comfort zones and tried their luck in the virtual world of freelance jobs. Three of the most common are boredom, a need for self-fulfillment through a career and a need for a source of income. Whichever amongst these may be a mom’s reason for staying at the comforts of their home while maintaining a career despite the difficulties that they encounter along the way, one thing is for sure- they have found that being a value provider for freelance jobs is a rewarding career and there is no way they are letting go of these opportunities.

We are proud to be Freelancer SAHMs!

I am a freelancer SAHM myself and I can attest that it is not easy to live the life of one. You have to be able to creatively juggle among your responsibilities to your husband, your children, to yourself and to your clients! Well, I consider this a challenge. In fact, taking my bath on time has also been a challenge to me ever since I started working on freelance jobs, but I am not complaining. Time management has been my constant companion throughout my work hours. After months of struggle, I am now able to find time for everything- from my daily bath, breastfeeding my baby up to working on both hourly and fixed price jobs. Therefore, it is to be noted that being highly organized is a skill that a freelancer SAHM has to develop. This is one of the advantages of being a ‘mommy freelancer’. Each challenging day is a learning opportunity which in itself is already self-fulfilling. The career and the attractive compensation for the hardwork are just a bonus.

Who wants to join?

Freelancing has indeed become an irresistible option for a lot of moms out there who are looking for something worthwhile to do while they spend their ‘loving time’ with their family. If you are one of these awesome moms and you think you are up for the challenge, feel free to visit freelance sites. After all, your ‘loving time’ is not supposed to be spent to your family alone. Self love is still an available option for a devoted wife and mother like you.

Happy Freelancing!