Want to work from home? Here’s a warts and all reality check!

This is a contribution by Dana Flannery, who successfully established a work from home career in 2009. Her work from home venture grew into Talk About Creative a successful digital agency, with over thirty contractors, most of whom work from home.

I work from home. I have our spare room set up as an office and I spend my days in there, pounding away on my computer. Living the dream right? A cousin was looking for a work from home job and called me to pick my brain. This is what she was after:
“I want to find a job where I’m paid the industry standard to work part time out of my house so I can spend quality time with my young kids and still make enough to cover the mortgage.”

Sounds realistic right? Could be. Could be that everything falls lovingly into place and everyone lives happily ever after. In my experience (and I’m playing devil’s advocate and being a bit pessimistic here) this isn’t a realistic expectation. This is a warts and all view of why this is unrealistic. Warts. I am including ALL the warts.

Problem 1: I want a job

This woman wanted a job. She didn’t want to be a contractor. She didn’t want to freelance. She wanted a job. Job security. Paid holidays. Sick leave. While the world is slowly heading in the direction of remote workforces, it’s not there yet. Finding an employer who will hire a stranger to work from home is near impossible.

For one, it’s a pain in the butt having work from home employees. It’s inconvenient. For 99% of businesses, that means that there’s nothing in it for them having you at home. If you were already employed, you might be able to negotiate flexible working for return to work but otherwise why would they give this high trust, high demand option to “the new girl”? Just about every woman in their office wants this option. Don’t you think they’d get “first dibs”?

Problem 2: Paid the industry standard

Not too much to ask is it? Generally, if an employer is actively seeking a work at home employee, it’s because they’re a start-up, or they are expanding into a new territory. If it’s the first, they probably won’t have much money. If it’s the second, your first work at home job will likely be to find office space to go work from! So say you do find a well-paid job you’d love through a site like Lifestyle Careers or School Hours, you can bet thousands of other people will be applying for that sucker too! You’ll need a kickass resume.

Problem 3: Spend quality time with my young kids

When you work from home, young kids see you as “being home”. They want you to play with playdough and do finger painting and have a Frozen concert in the lounge room. They don’t understand that you’re “working from home”. “Not now, mummy’s working” is a hard thing for a kid to accept and you’ll say it, a lot. Your boss will want to know that this work from home arrangement still gets him/her access to your time and that you’re not slacking off.

“Not now, Mummy’s working” becomes the sentence you say most to your little one. Suddenly your mummy guilt goes through the roof. If you’re out in the office all day, your young kids don’t lay the guilt on, you get the privilege of doing that to yourself. It’s not right. It’s not simple. It just is. Working from home doesn’t mean an end to mummy guilt. Not one little bit. If you work from home, you need childcare.

Problem 4: Still make enough to cover the mortgage

So you’re in a lucky situation. You have a partner who earns some cash. The bills are mostly covered, you just need a bit extra to live happily ever after. Contribute to the mortgage and pay for enough day care to get the job done. About $600 a week? That’s not much to ask is it?

Let’s say you’re going to do admin from home. The award rate, pro rata for permanent part time will be between $25 and $30 per hour depending on your experience. Let’s call it $30. So that’s 20 hours per week. But, that’s $600 in hand, so you’ll have to factor in about $3600 tax a year. Another 3 hours give or take a week for tax. So you’re doing 23 hours per week. Easy right, that’s like three days. You can totally do it! Those three days will be three days of childcare expenditure. That’s about $240 in most capital cities and the more you earn, the less you get back from the government on that. So, of your 23 hours a week, 8 will go straight to the childcare centre. Eek. Maybe you could work nights and weekends to save on childcare? That quality of life you were seeking isn’t looking so high quality is it?

When kids get sick (and lordy, how often these little blighters are sick!) you’re going to be the one that it falls on to care for them. You work from home – to everyone else, that means you have oodles of time on your hands. To you, a sick kid means paying for childcare you can’t use, while working your heart out to stay on top of workload. If you can’t manage all the balls you have in the air, you could find yourself unemployed and unable to make that mortgage.

Yes, I know, I’m a big old pessimist

Maybe I’m just jealous of women who get dream jobs that don’t have the stress I have! That’s entirely possible! Back to my cousin, I explained some of the challenges she would face and she seemed a bit annoyed that I wouldn’t just hire her and be done with it. I told her that most women in her situation set themselves up as a contractor/freelancer/consultant and go from there. I suggested that she get herself an ABN (that sounds hard) and register a business (oh, really, I wouldn’t even know where to start) to get some contract work.

She was right of course. If it sounds too hard to get an ABN (literally one form) then running a freelance business isn’t right for her. Working from home in your own business is hard. It’s lots of unbillable hours, and learning TONS of new skills (some are painful to learn too – hello GST) and making sales. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it is a viable way to work from home, make good money and live happily (but tired) ever after.

Some of the same problems apply, childcare is still a necessary evil, but if you can choose your own hours, you can plan your week to fit to childcare – and therefore do it all more efficiently. You might be able to squeeze your working week into two days of childcare instead of three if you commit to doing emails and admin in the evenings. Your work week will be as long or longer as it would with an employer but your time can be managed to best suit you, not the boss.

The biggest benefit to running your own work at home business is one that you might not expect. Working with young children is HARD – for full time working mothers, full time working fathers, part time working single mums, parents who study – young kids are just hard in general! When you run a work from home business though, the hard work hurts less because it pays off directly into your bank account. It’s not working your heart out to make your boss rich. It’s working your heart out to make your family comfortable.
That’s worth its weight in gold.

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How To Reduce Headache In Children

Don’t freak out at the first sign of a headache in children, read this, there are plenty of things you can do to reduce their pain.

No parent wants to see their infant or child suffering from headaches and sometimes they need more than a cuddle to make it better. Consider the following to help ease their discomfort.

Remedies to reduce headaches

While you want to do everything you can to make your child’s aches go away instantly, sometimes you have to wait just for medicines and methods to take effect.

• Reduce sugar intake – we have all heard the stories about how addictive sugar is, well unfortunately it is true. Too much or too little amount of sugar, especially if your child is regularly eating/drinking it, can cause severe headaches. Slowly reduce the amount to a healthy level to avoid future withdrawals and overindulges.

• Rest – Lack of sleep is a common cause for headaches. Your child should be regularly getting sufficient rest to minimise this tiredness. A damp washer or towel placed over their forehead will also help to relieve their pain.

• Drink water – Dehydration, no matter how mild will cause headaches. Not just in children but adults as well. Ensure your child is drinking sufficient water throughout the day, particularly in the warmer months!

• Exercise – Regular exercise does amazing things for the body by reducing stress, improving moods and helping to maintain a healthy weight. All of these factors contribute to headaches.

• Tech free time – Get your children away from the screens, Tv’s, iPads, etc. When they are staring at these devices for long periods of time their brains become overstimulated and result in headaches. Monitor and reduce the time with technology.

• Medicine – Whether you opt for a natural supplement or Nurofen to help ease headache in children, they will generally begin to improve within 15 minutes. If their pain persists, please seek the advice of your doctor.

Unfortunately not all headaches can be relieved easily; this is when there is probably another underlying cause. Your medical professional will be able to advise if your child has an ear infection, viral infection or another cause entirely. For more information on headaches in infants, children and teenagers click the link.

Parents want to relieve a headache in children as efficiently as possible which is why you should bookmark this page for future reference!

How do you reduce headache in children? Tell me below!

This is an S1 POST.

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How Arts and Crafts Benefit Children

Before you put art and crafts in the too hard basket, consider what consequences that could have on your child!

Yes crafts are chaotic and you may not particularly want your house to get messy after cleaning all day but arts and crafts benefit children in more ways than one. Here’s why you should embrace the arty, crafty mess.

Benefits for kids

We all want our children to have the best start to life and that includes their development. Arts and crafts play a vital role in improving their skills and can be encouraged from a young age. Benefits include:

• Makes learning a positive experience by making it fun.
Participating in painting, drawing, collage and so many other activities, encourages children to have an interest in learning from a young age. It allows children the opportunity to experiment with different textures, colours and shapes while identifying patterns. It also incorporates knowledge of colours, counting and numbers.

• Encourages the use of imagination and develops self-expression.
This skill is crucial for building self-esteem and allows them to express their feelings in an inspiring environment. Thinking creatively ensures each piece of art they create is an original piece they can be proud of.

• Assists in developing skills.
Using different tools, textures and uniquely sized objects; children will hone their fine motor skills and continue to develop their cognitive skills.

• Develops control
When painting or gluing for craft time, children learn that they are required to wait for their art works to dry. This gives them the opportunity to develop patience and control.

For more understanding of the importance of art in child development, click here!

Craft ideas

There are so many options available for children to enjoy arts and crafts.
Our favourite ones are: Chalk / crayon drawings, painting with brushes / gloves / wool, experimenting with textures using fruit / rubbing plates / leaves, finger painting with shaving cream paint, collages, telescopes and even toilet paper roll people with pompoms and glitter.

Comment below with what arts and crafts your children love.

Do you see the benefit it has on your kids? 

This is an S1 POST in collaboration with Child.com.au.

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As a parent, you surely understand the importance of guiding your child as they forge their own career and life beyond school. There is absolutely no wrong time to encourage your child to think about their career, and even young students can benefit from awareness of particular job options and the steps required to create a future full of happiness and success.

Connection Between Interests and Career

One of the best things you can do is help your child realise how their interests can influence and be relevant to their future career path. It’s helpful to enlighten your child to the fact that not all these paths have to involve tertiary study; university study is not for everyone and not all careers require a degree.

Many young people appreciate knowing that a broad range of relevant, interesting and practical courses are available through high quality training providers, such as Careers Australia, and many of these courses develop the skills needed to enhance participants’ chances of securing lasting employment.

Observation of Work Environments

Take your child to your own workplace or facilitate their exposure to a range of work environments. Through observation, your child will develop an understanding of the skills required for various jobs and the sorts of behaviours expected in professional contexts.

Do the Research

In this day and age, we are fortunate that a wealth of information about many careers is freely and readily available on the internet. Through research into career options, children will acquire a better appreciation of the industries that interest them most and the sorts of jobs available.

Encourage Volunteering

Volunteering is one of the best ways to be exposed to the realities of work while making a positive contribution and having a hands-on experience. A range of organisations actively seek volunteers and others will take on people for work experience. Sometimes, exposure to a workplace in a voluntary capacity will convince an individual of a career choice or reveal that it is not appropriate for them.

Help Your Child Take an Interests Quiz

If you or your child have few ideas of the careers they might be interested in, taking a quiz to highlight their specific interests can be helpful. Many of these tools are available online and are an effective way to define interests that can then be pursued through a career.

Holiday Employment

The best time to consider career options is during holiday periods. Taking on a job during the holidays may be a good idea for your child. Even if the job they take on is far from ideal, your child will benefit from learning about skills needed for various positions and the skills needed to communicate with people at a range of levels within an organisation.

Above all else, as a parent you should be encouraging and optimistic as you help your child to find their path in life. Show your child that you believe in them and their dreams, and will support them as they forge their path in life beyond school.

This is an S2 POST.

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Returning to the workforce after having kids can be daunting. Depending how long you have been out of the workplace, you may find your confidence a little challenged. For anyone who has been engulfed in nappies and feed-times, the thought of going back into a professional environment can create anxiety.

Fears are generally twofold. It is common to be afraid that you will no longer have what it takes to make it in the workplace. Being ensconced in all things children can make you wonder if you will ever be able to keep up in the professional adult world again. Secondly, many parents returning to work fear that they will not be able to do everything; maintain house and children and work. Guilt is a common emotion for parents returning to the workforce.

My 1st day back at work after being a stay at home mum for 6 years.

There are steps you can take to help make your journey back to work easier and more successful. Here are some of them.

Rethink Your Options

Before you return to work, think about what kind of career you want to pursue. Don’t necessarily assume that you should go back to what you were doing before you had children. Think about what you love to do, where your talents lie, what gives you satisfaction and consider a career in that area. Too many parents return to their old job without giving it a second thought. Use your re-entry into the workforce as an opportunity to reassess what you want from your career.

New Priorities

You may want to find work that offers more flexible hours and you may want to work closer to home to avoid long commutes. Your priorities will probably have changed and you may find you value more time at home over a higher pay rate. Think about what is most important to you now and what is least important and look for a job where you can get your highest needs met.

Get Prepared

Don’t let a lack of training put you off. You can gain the qualifications you need for a new career path by studying from home. This is an excellent way to get your mind back into work mode. Vocational training and study can open up a whole new world of opportunities to you post-baby. If you are interested in finding out more about vocational training options and what career paths they can lead to, go online and check this out for details of costs and learning delivery modes. Most training programs are self-paced, a great option for people with families.

Update your Resume

You need to revisit your pre-baby resume and make changes. Get some professional advice on creating a ‘stand out’ CV that will get you a job interview. Your resume is extremely important, so make sure it is up to date. Don’t forget to mention new skills you have acquired through your time parenting, including any courses you may have completed. Perhaps it’s time to add some new design elements to the layout?

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Parents often ask themselves how can we prepare our children for school because I don’t want them to behind or struggle. How do we educate them to differentiate letters, how do we teach them the basics for reading, how do you make them want to learn? In all honesty some kids are just plain not interested and need to be encouraged. Kids want (and often need) to know that learning can be fun and thankfully many of the new tools available to parents today do exactly that.

My 4 year has been ‘playing’ with the new LeapReader for the past month and I say playing because that’s exactly what he thinks he is doing. He doesn’t realise that he is learning to take his time and listen to instructions before racing into the activity. Kye is also being more assertive with letters and is now excited to read and write. The LeapReader is designed to assist children in becoming confident, independent readers and writers. It does this by building their knowledge of reading fundamentals, sounding out letters and words, trace letters and eventually read sentences.

 I love that it takes an approach in education that is suitable for all ages and all levels of learning. With over 40 different books available for the LeapReader (and a wonderful selection at that) there is definitely something to suit every childs interests. We have been using the Learn to Write with Mr Pencil the most because it teaches children to write upper and lower case letters, shapes, direction, helps to understand letter sounds, correct stroke order and pencil control. Most importantly though – It is fun! The LeapReader is available from all major department stores and independent toy retailers for $99.99. For more information click over to the LeapFrog website.

As the title suggests I have a giveaway for Mad Mummas readers! I have 1x LeapReader with sampler book (RRP $99.99) that LeapFrog has generously given me to giveaway.

  To enter all you have to do is follow the instructions on the rafflecopter below.

Winner is decided based on skill and chance plays no part. Australian residents only! Sorry everyone else. **The mandatory instructions MUST be completed or your entry will be void!**As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries. It’s good karma though and I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!

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With the festive season well and truly upon us many families have to travel to get to their Christmas or holiday destinations. With extra traffic on the roads also comes an increased risk of accidents and when you have children in the car you want to make sure they are in the safest possible car seat. You may have seen the new Safe-n-Sound Platinum SICT convertible car seat in stores and online; they are suitable for newborn – 4 years and are Britax Safe-n-Sounds safest seat yet. I have been reviewing this specific car seat for the past few weeks with my almost 6 month old daughter and when it’s said how great this seat is they are not exaggerating!

 There are so many things to tell you about this car seat that I don’t even know where to begin! So I’ll start at my favourite features and then move to the safety side of things. The car seat is padded enough that it is soft and comfortable for babies/kids to sit in for long periods of time and remain extremely supportive on their little backs. I love the thick fabric behind the buckle (also known as the EZ-Buckle System) because Hadley is at the ‘big chubby thighs’ stage and this prevents any digging in of the buckle and straps or accidental clipping of the leg and it also retains the buckle in a forward position for easy access.

The fabric used in this car seat is also breathable unlike a lot of others on the market. While it is wonderfully padded and soft they have managed to do so while using a material that breathes which is great especially now that we have hit summer. Hadley hasn’t come out of the seat sweaty or hot once which is the complete opposite to what happens when she gets out of her other car seat in Mr Dads car.

The Platinum SICT has deep side wings that provide side impact protection and when it’s accompanied by SICT (side impact cushion technology) and AHR (active head restraint) which provides head protection and grows with your child you will not have to be concerned if this provides enough impact safety for your child. The SICT is positioned in Torso and Headrest region to minimise the energy generated in a side impact crash.

There are two other little features that they have been added to make parents lives just that little bit easier. One being they have included harness holders to help keep the harness out of the way while placing your child in the seat and the other is the easy adjust which automatically re-positions the shoulder straps. They have truly thought of everything!

The Platinum SICT comes in 3 colours (silver is my favourite), has 4 reclines options for forward facing use and shoulder pads for extra comfort. While it is a little dearer than many other car seats on the market it is worthy of the price tag that comes along with it. The peace of mind knowing my child is safe is worth it. The RRP is $659. For more information and to see stockists please visit http://britax.com.au.

Disclaimer: I received a Safe ‘n’ Sound Platinum SICT as shown above for the purpose of this review. As always opinions are my own.

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Pregnancy is not all glamour and perfect glowing skin. I know many expectant mothers are under the illusion that pregnancy brings so many wonderful experiences and benefits. I’ll admit it does bring with it some of the most amazing experiences a woman could ever imagine however it doesn’t always come with no strings attached. I’ve personally learnt that sometimes you do really have to take the good with the bad and learn to accept the changes that have occurred; things that may never be the same again.

 A friend of mine was expecting nothing but radiant glowing skin, a perfectly round belly and complete and utter joy. This was not the case for her and I’m sure many other women out there are expecting one thing but end up experiencing something completely different. Mood swings, the amount of changes to her body, lack of sex drive and being uncomfortable are not things she expected and because she had this expectation of the perfect pregnancy her journey has not been as joyous it could have been. I am a little nervous about publishing this post as I share images of my body that have taken me an extremely long time to come to terms with and accept that is what I’ve been dealt. 6 years to be exact!

My body has gone through a transformation that could be described (and has been by me in the past) as nothing short of complete and utter destruction. I was blessed with beyond ridiculous stretchmarks and a flap of excess skin on my lower belly due to the size of my beloved children and their C-sections.

This current pregnancy the damage has been increased and has presented itself in the form of varicose and spider veins. They are not only unattractive but they can be extremely painful and spread like fuel to fire. They started near my knee and have spread up my thigh and down to my ankle, on the bright side at least they have only taken over one leg. Apparently they get worse with each pregnancy so I think it is safe to say this will be my last baby.

*26 years old and I have legs like this!*

It isn’t all bad though; I have experienced the radiant glow of an expectant mother, the ability to feel my baby grow and be nurtured inside me, the perfectly round (as huge as it may be) pregnant belly and of course the joy that motherhood brings. I’m not saying it has all been sunshine and rainbows but I have learnt to appreciate what I have. I can say I am more comfortable with my body now that I have acknowledged and accepted that it has done an incredible job creating and protecting my children.

I would like to let every woman out there who is suffering from poor pregnancy body image (before and after) that even though your body may no longer be perfect to you, it doesn’t mean it isn’t amazing. I have shared my images to let you all know that you are not alone and there is no reason to be ashamed, embarrassed, disgusted or disappointed in your body. It is strong, incredible and deserves credit for the hard work it has done – without it you wouldn’t have the little people who now or soon will call you mum.

TOTALLY WORTH IT!

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I don’t know where the years have gone, it seems like it was such a short time ago you were playing peek-a-boo, taking your first steps, climbing on everything, feeding yourself for the first time and drawing on the wall with crayons, squeezing baby powder over everything and now you are about to begin year 1, you can read and write and you are a wonderful, caring and kind big brother.

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Parents are More Influential than Peers

Talk and Listen

Use Teachable Moments

Give Them Responsibility and Trust Their Judgment

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