For Christmas Cookies, that is! So I tried a different recipe this year that a friend said I could find here. Living in Colorado, one generally needs to slightly vary recipes because of the altitude, but I didn't mess with this one at all and oh my Christmas goodness, were these heavenly! The dough was really easy to roll out and cut, and they turn out this perfect texture.
In a big bowl, cream 1/2 cup of shortening (I used the non-butter flavor) and 1 cup cugar. Add in 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla and beat till fluffy. Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream.
In a seperate bowl, mix 3 1/4 cups of flour (I used regular all-purpose flour), 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp sale and 1/2 tsp nutmeg.
Gradually add in the flour mixture with mixing. You can use a mixer, we did it by hand.
Roll out on floured surface 1/4 to 1/8 inch thickness. Go to town with the cookie cutters. Decorate and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes till just lightly browned.
A trick we use when decorating with the sprinkles and sugar is to just take a tiny bit of milk on your finger and spread very lightly over the cookie before sprinkling with sugar. It helps the sugar stick and not fall off the cookies.
So even though it's Christmas Day, it's not too late for cookies. I'm going to have to bake another batch because these are almost gone!!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful day with loved ones!
Merry Christmas! Here's a little video message for you. I'm the short one. :-)
Self-employment is such a blessing in that way. You do gain more control over your life and most importantly your time. There is no one secret to finding the right opportunity to work from home. There are so many ways to earn a living that don't have to be tied to commuting and the 9-5 grind.
Over the years I've done a combination of working outside the home and working from home and I've discovered that for me, that's what works best. From home I've worked for small businesses doing administrative work, in advertising, call center work, web design, writing and more. For me, owning my life means choosing the work I want to do, participating in activities that interest me and having the flexibility to spend time with my family.
Up until recently, I was working outside the home in a job I loved. Sadly, my position was eliminated. Immediately, I found a great company where I am able to telecommute and work a schedule that suits my family's needs. It was actually perfect timing with the holidays. Tomorrow is the kids first day of winter break and I'm able to be home with them and not pay for childcare or ask family to babysit over the next three weeks.
It's also giving me more time to blog and to explore opportunities for earning an income from home. Currently my work consists of: IC for a marketing company from home, freelance marketing and web design from home, singing with a professional caroling group, and supervising events at a swanky ballroom. Sometimes it seems like a lot, but I've been able to schedule my time in a way that works for me.
Working from home is a wonderful thing. I like not having all my eggs in one basket and being able to choose work I truly enjoy. I'm feeling very blessed this Christmas! I hope you are blessed, too!
Over the years I've done a combination of working outside the home and working from home and I've discovered that for me, that's what works best. From home I've worked for small businesses doing administrative work, in advertising, call center work, web design, writing and more. For me, owning my life means choosing the work I want to do, participating in activities that interest me and having the flexibility to spend time with my family.
Up until recently, I was working outside the home in a job I loved. Sadly, my position was eliminated. Immediately, I found a great company where I am able to telecommute and work a schedule that suits my family's needs. It was actually perfect timing with the holidays. Tomorrow is the kids first day of winter break and I'm able to be home with them and not pay for childcare or ask family to babysit over the next three weeks.
It's also giving me more time to blog and to explore opportunities for earning an income from home. Currently my work consists of: IC for a marketing company from home, freelance marketing and web design from home, singing with a professional caroling group, and supervising events at a swanky ballroom. Sometimes it seems like a lot, but I've been able to schedule my time in a way that works for me.
Working from home is a wonderful thing. I like not having all my eggs in one basket and being able to choose work I truly enjoy. I'm feeling very blessed this Christmas! I hope you are blessed, too!
7/4/08 UPDATE - this list is tiny. You need to check out my newer post that has over 100 companies listed with links: Massive Listing of WAH Companies!
Not an all-inclusive list, but here are some companies that hire telecommutesr:
1-800-Contacts - they do hire at home workers, but from what their site says, you have to work at their facility in Draper for 4-6 months.
1-800-Flowers - Hires in these states: Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Ohio, New York, Texas, Virginia and Nevada.
Alpine Access - hires in many states.
Ansafone - Call center reps $7-$9/hour.
Blue Zebra - Appointment setting
Custom Loyal Concepts - hires in these states only: Alabama
Arizona,California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana
Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia
U-Haul - Call Center
Not an all-inclusive list, but here are some companies that hire telecommutesr:
1-800-Contacts - they do hire at home workers, but from what their site says, you have to work at their facility in Draper for 4-6 months.
1-800-Flowers - Hires in these states: Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Ohio, New York, Texas, Virginia and Nevada.
Alpine Access - hires in many states.
Ansafone - Call center reps $7-$9/hour.
Blue Zebra - Appointment setting
Custom Loyal Concepts - hires in these states only: Alabama
Arizona,California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana
Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia
U-Haul - Call Center
Self-employment gives you the flexibility to control your time. By choosing self-employment or independent contractor (IC) work, you give yourself the ability to set your own schedule and only take on projects that work for you.
Be creative! Think about the things you love and the types of things you choose to do with your time, then try to find a project or business around that. You'll haven enthusiasm for your work and your clients will love the results.
Remember when you are self-employed that you must set aside a good amount from your earnings for tax purposes. I highly recommend consulting a tax professional for advice specific to your situation. Not only will you find out how much you need to set aside, but you will also get information about the things you can and cannot deduct on your taxes. Most importantly - do NOT let the tax issue scare you away from great opportunities. Turbo Tax is a fantastic software that can walk you step by step through the process of filing your taxes as a self-employed person.
TurboTax Deluxe Federal with E-File 2007
Be creative! Think about the things you love and the types of things you choose to do with your time, then try to find a project or business around that. You'll haven enthusiasm for your work and your clients will love the results.
Remember when you are self-employed that you must set aside a good amount from your earnings for tax purposes. I highly recommend consulting a tax professional for advice specific to your situation. Not only will you find out how much you need to set aside, but you will also get information about the things you can and cannot deduct on your taxes. Most importantly - do NOT let the tax issue scare you away from great opportunities. Turbo Tax is a fantastic software that can walk you step by step through the process of filing your taxes as a self-employed person.
TurboTax Deluxe Federal with E-File 2007
Working from home brings unique opportunities and challenges. It can be tricky to find the right job or business that suits your needs. Some things about expectations:
1. If you're starting a business, you must expect to spend some money to start up and promote it. Even the "free" opportunities have some costs associated if you're going to be serious about it.
2. If you're starting a business, you must expect it to take some time to start making good money. Plan for this. Jumping into a business full-time if you're expecting to make a living isn't the best idea in most cases. If you must do this, I'd recommend having at least six months of living expenses saved up before doing so.
3. Expect to pay your taxes! Whether you're an IC or an employee, make sure you're ready when tax time comes. Keep all your pay stubs and/or copies of checks. Keep track of any expenses you incur as part of your business or job. Especially if you're an IC, set aside money from every check for taxes. Consult your local tax professional to find out just how much in your case.
4. Expect that your client or employer will expect reliability and results. Whatever your task is, keep track of your accomplishments. Do what they expect and more.
5. Expect to realize that working from home is not about spending time with your kids. It's always harder than you think it will be trying to work from home and supervise your children, especially if they are small. If you're caring for small children while working, make sure you take on the kinds of positions that are conducive to that environment. A call-center job probably isn't for you, but if you have a talent for web design or writing, you can probably find a fit somewhere.
6. Expect that your expectations may have to change after you gain more experience. There are so many different jobs and businesses to do from home. Finding your perfect fit can take time and change the way you think about working from home.
1. If you're starting a business, you must expect to spend some money to start up and promote it. Even the "free" opportunities have some costs associated if you're going to be serious about it.
2. If you're starting a business, you must expect it to take some time to start making good money. Plan for this. Jumping into a business full-time if you're expecting to make a living isn't the best idea in most cases. If you must do this, I'd recommend having at least six months of living expenses saved up before doing so.
3. Expect to pay your taxes! Whether you're an IC or an employee, make sure you're ready when tax time comes. Keep all your pay stubs and/or copies of checks. Keep track of any expenses you incur as part of your business or job. Especially if you're an IC, set aside money from every check for taxes. Consult your local tax professional to find out just how much in your case.
4. Expect that your client or employer will expect reliability and results. Whatever your task is, keep track of your accomplishments. Do what they expect and more.
5. Expect to realize that working from home is not about spending time with your kids. It's always harder than you think it will be trying to work from home and supervise your children, especially if they are small. If you're caring for small children while working, make sure you take on the kinds of positions that are conducive to that environment. A call-center job probably isn't for you, but if you have a talent for web design or writing, you can probably find a fit somewhere.
6. Expect that your expectations may have to change after you gain more experience. There are so many different jobs and businesses to do from home. Finding your perfect fit can take time and change the way you think about working from home.
Penelope Trunk is a really dynamic speaker. I just ordered her book from Amazon and am looking forward to reading it. She shared lots of ideas about how the workplace is changing. So much of what she said made sense.
Check out her blog too. I have a feeling she'll be one of my new favorites to read.
The workplace really is changing drastically and I think working from home is such a great solution for so many people.
There you are, dutifully searching for the perfect work-at-home job. You see a posting that looks interested and reply. Then you get an email something like this:
"The company is an interational MLM company using individual processors to accept payments from distributors/customers. The money is deposited into the processors bank account, which is why they need a separate account from their regular personal account. Processors then pay the suppliers and also some employees. Processors also may be required to issue invoices and check inventory. "
or
"Hello
Thanks for responding to my notice on WAHM. The job is for a Processor for Tahitian Noni International. Processors receive orders, confirm availability, receive payment for the orders and pay employees/vendors. Salary is $2000 monthly, paid bi-weekly via bank wire, plus 5% of every order you process. Orders are processed via bank wire and sometimes Paypal.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in, let me know and I'll send you an application and an NDA to sign. If you have any questions, let me know. My name on Skype is Renae.hrc, feel free to call.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Renae Lindley"
Then you think "wow, this is great - $2k a month for really easy work." Yes - really easy work that will land you in jail.
Repeat after me, folks: THERE IS NO LEGITIMATE JOB PROCESSING PAYMENTS FROM HOME.
It is always a scam. Every time. There isn't a legitimate company out there that needs its employees to transact company business through their own personal accounts.
If a job asks you to accept payments, keep some of it then forward the rest on, and you actually do it...you've bought yourself a ticket to debt and jail.
Any job that pays that kind of salary plus commission is going to take real experience and real skill. If it looks too good to be true, it almost always is. No such thing as easy money. And if they ask you to "process payments" - just run. Well, first report the scammer to the authorities, then RUN!
Good luck folks, it's a jungle out there...and behind every tree is some Nigerian scammer trying to make money off of people's ignorance about how real businesses run. Don't be fooled.
"The company is an interational MLM company using individual processors to accept payments from distributors/customers. The money is deposited into the processors bank account, which is why they need a separate account from their regular personal account. Processors then pay the suppliers and also some employees. Processors also may be required to issue invoices and check inventory. "
or
"Hello
Thanks for responding to my notice on WAHM. The job is for a Processor for Tahitian Noni International. Processors receive orders, confirm availability, receive payment for the orders and pay employees/vendors. Salary is $2000 monthly, paid bi-weekly via bank wire, plus 5% of every order you process. Orders are processed via bank wire and sometimes Paypal.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in, let me know and I'll send you an application and an NDA to sign. If you have any questions, let me know. My name on Skype is Renae.hrc, feel free to call.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Renae Lindley"
Then you think "wow, this is great - $2k a month for really easy work." Yes - really easy work that will land you in jail.
Repeat after me, folks: THERE IS NO LEGITIMATE JOB PROCESSING PAYMENTS FROM HOME.
It is always a scam. Every time. There isn't a legitimate company out there that needs its employees to transact company business through their own personal accounts.
If a job asks you to accept payments, keep some of it then forward the rest on, and you actually do it...you've bought yourself a ticket to debt and jail.
Any job that pays that kind of salary plus commission is going to take real experience and real skill. If it looks too good to be true, it almost always is. No such thing as easy money. And if they ask you to "process payments" - just run. Well, first report the scammer to the authorities, then RUN!
Good luck folks, it's a jungle out there...and behind every tree is some Nigerian scammer trying to make money off of people's ignorance about how real businesses run. Don't be fooled.
It's growing SO fast, you have got to check it out!!
Do you love to save money online?
Do you love to save money online?
I love to save money, so this was a no-brainer for me. All the local coupons, the thousands and thousands of online shops, gift cards. It's not about changing what you buy - it's about saving on what you already buy and use.
It was just amazing when I pre-enrolled for FREE and logged in to see the savings available to me in my area. Places I shop, eat, see movies and more were all there.
INCREDIBLE travel discounts! Even 50% discount lift tickets to a ski resort my husband enjoys! A little math and it was easy to see that the savings for us would far outweigh the small cost to participate in this program. It literally pays for itself.....then it pays YOU!
- WAYS TO SAVE:
- Discount Card - use at thousands of shops!
- Grocery Coupons - valuable printable coupons!
- Cash-back shopping online with THOUSANDS of popular retailers
Do you love to earn money online?
Share the savings with others and you can earn a stream of income from the comfort of your own home in your spare time. Make money online - work at home with our automated system. This is a fantastic opportunity for work at home parents or those who want to work from home.
We have something for you whether you just wand to save LOTS of money on the goods and services you already buy, or you want a home-based business with unlimited potential.
- WAYS TO EARN:
- Retail Bounuses
- Residual Income
- Infinity Bonuses
- Generational Bonuses
- Bonus Pools
I'm always searching online for news and information about working from home. Here's an interesting article I found:
Take Control Of Your Life
Take Control Of Your Life
I'm pretty exited about this. Being an avid saver, I was really attraced by the great discounts. There are SO many things I use and buy that I can now save on though this program.
It's totally worth it and I encourage everyone to check it out. There's no risk, you can pre-enroll for FREE and watch your Powerline grow before you even spend a dime.
I would spend the monthly fee as a customer of this product even if I didn't want to utilize the earning potential of this business. That makes it really easy to share. I've tried other opportunities before, but this one is so appealing to me. No stocking of anything. Just use the discounts and tell people about it. It can be done online and in person. There's something for everyone's comfort level in this.
Do yourself a favor and check it out for yourself. Watch this short movie and let me know what you think! MyWorld Movie
It's totally worth it and I encourage everyone to check it out. There's no risk, you can pre-enroll for FREE and watch your Powerline grow before you even spend a dime.
I would spend the monthly fee as a customer of this product even if I didn't want to utilize the earning potential of this business. That makes it really easy to share. I've tried other opportunities before, but this one is so appealing to me. No stocking of anything. Just use the discounts and tell people about it. It can be done online and in person. There's something for everyone's comfort level in this.
Do yourself a favor and check it out for yourself. Watch this short movie and let me know what you think! MyWorld Movie
because I've been too busy with work and kids. I have, however earned lots of points and some good cash with Global Test Market, Testspin, Survey Spot etc.
I have just found a FANTASTIC online business that totally fires me up. It's all about saving money. Since I'm all about saving money, this is a perfect fit! Check it out!
I have just found a FANTASTIC online business that totally fires me up. It's all about saving money. Since I'm all about saving money, this is a perfect fit! Check it out!
Totally swiped from the AOL message boards after years of posting on both sides of the "to work or not to work debate." As the intro paragraph reads, these tidbits were taken from actual message board conversations over a period of many years, mostly from the now non-existent TWONTW board and the OPP board. I gotta post this because I know there will be need to refer to it from time to time and AOL message boards are notorious for dissappearing.
I present to you, the 2007 new and improved version of the Script, complete with new additions from the last 2 years worth of Rabids. Keep in mind that many of these items (and all of the most recent additions) are verbatim statements of actual Rabid Mommys on this or other boards.
1. All Moms should stay at home with babies because it's better.
2. Why is it better? Well, it just IS. Because that's what *I am doing, and what *I do is what is best for all.
3. It is ok for a Mom to work for "financial necessity". Necessity as determined by *me. No Coach purses, luxury cars, European vacations or other luxury items are allowed. Working for *luxuries (defined by said Rabid SAHM) may also include, but is not limited to: retirement plans, investments for college, planning ahead for financial stability in the event of a catastrophe (unforeseen divorce, medical condition, death of spouse), and health insurance. Men are allowed to work (even to the extent of being gone for extended periods of time or long hours on a regular basis) for such luxuries -- they are being noble. Working women are not.
* Working women care so much about material things.
* Working moms who choose to work for the "mental health" or because the don't want to be home with their babies are sub-standard mothers, and all Rabid Mommys are entitled to feel superior to them.
* If I took a job outside the home, the cost of day care would take all the money I make. (This one of course applies to all women, because moms couldn't possibly be working in a higher paid professional field -duh!)
4. It is better to be on welfare and stay home with the children than work to support them.
* The father needs to work 2 or 3 jobs so that the mother can stay home.
5. All families with two parents working outside the home "dump" their children at daycare for 10+ hours per day, spending only one hour a day during the work week with their children.(This is the one that paints the picture that all situations are the same and everyone in the world works the same hours)
* Once you figure in the typical 3 hours of commuting that working parents do each day, such parents only spend 20 minutes a day with their children.
* Ok let's look at this - drop child off at daycare by 8 am, pick them up between 5-6 - quality time in the car as you rush home to cook dinner and do other household stuff. Or, stop at the fast-food place to fill them up with fat....then get home, change clothes or eat (whatever), give child a bath, put them to bed - GEE, maybe an hour of quality time? How nice for your child.
6. If you aren't going to stay home with your children you should not have children. Just get a cat. Don't get a dog. You are also required to stay at home with dogs when they are puppies.
7. None of the rules against working outside the home apply to working fathers. *They are still raising their children. Working mothers do not. Working mothers are not "full time mothers" either. Working fathers are still full-time fathers, however. Something about that penis that makes a difference.
8. All Rabid SAHMs have husbands who work shorter hours than anyone else, and therefore spend more time with their children than other working fathers.
9. Rabid SAHMs can send their children to preschool. Preschool is not the same thing as day care, even if they do the exact same things and children spend the same amount of time there.
10. I know daycares are awful because I worked in the Best Daycare in Our State, and children were left to sit in dirty diapers and cry for hours on end while the OTHER teachers took a cigarette break. They spanked and bit the kids and forced them to clean their plates. It just broke my heart. Of course, I never did call CPS or talk to the parents- I just quit."
11. It is ok to send children to school. Teachers are not "raising" children, even if children are in school as much or more than they are in day care. Besides, it is only the first 5 years of life that matter. As children get older, they need less of their parents' time and attention.
12. Kids of SAHM's are much better behaved because they don't feel neglected like those kids of WM's do. You can tell right away who goes to daycare and who doesn't. Plus kids of WM's always seem so "needy."
13. None of the rules against working apply to divorced (abandoned by their husbands) or widowed mothers. And all rabid SAHMs have perfectly healthy husbands and perfect marriages, so there is no need to plan for either of these possibilities.
14. The neighborhood children all get dumped at their house because they're the only ones home and who really care.
15. WM's always assume SAHM's will be home for emergency back-up child care, because of course, they have *nothing else to do.
16.They really don't sit around all day and eat bonbons ya know... and besides *other chocolate is preferred. They don't watch soap operas all day either. Dr. Phil is the show of choice. Or hanging out on AOL message boards.
17. The truly Rabid SAHM is staying home because of a special needs child, and no one else could possibly understand her life.
18. I thought about doing day care from the home, but couldn't stand a second away from my little darlings.
19. There is nothing better to do all day than stare adoringly into my child's eyes.
* There is something truly special about the bonding a mother experiences when changing her child's diapers. Day care workers don't have the same bonding because they are paid to change diapers.
* Really special rabid SAHMs use cloth diapers and berate anyone who uses disposables because they are uninformed and don't care about their babies. Those who don't use cloth diapers spend $100s each month on disposable diapers, or let the child set in a wet, dirty diaper for hours at a time. This Cloth Diapering wing of the rabids often spend hundreds on the cloth diapers, but that is different. Somehow.
20 Only a mother can kiss a boo-boo. Children *need their mothers to attend to all boo boos, and all mothers should want to be there for all of them.
21. Don't all you working Moms hate missing out on all the "firsts"? As a SAHM, I *know I have seen EVERY first. And videotaped them all for dh. It is an important part of the bonding experience for a mother to see every first. Even the first tooth. And the first successful deposit in the potty.
22. I stay at home because that is how nature meant it to be. Throughout history, women have stayed at home. Those that didn't would have if they could. {Rabids don't seem to have any explanation for the use of Governesses and Nannies among the elite thru history}
23. Babies don't keep.
23 A. Being a SAHM is the Hardest Job in the World, but it is worth it because you are paid in peanut butter kisses (or butterfly kisses).
24 I may go back to work when my kids are in school, because they won't need me as much then. But I will only work during school hours. I know there are plenty of jobs out there that will allow me to have those hours plus summers and all school vacations off. Or I can be a teacher, so I can leave at the same time as my kids.
24 A. The most critical years in a child's life are from birth to age 5.
25. I am willing to sacrifice everything because my babies NEED me.
26. When writing a goodbye post, rabids include this: "Now that I see that even the sahm's here do not express their opinions and beliefs openly here towards the op , for fear of conflict & disagreement, and to perhaps it seems, to 'preserve unity'"
27. When a rabid doesn't like what's going on in this folder she complains that the posters aren't posting the way she wants them to.
28. A. At the time of leaving the board, the rabid will complain that she was only in search of like-minded friends and can't believe how mean we were to her to disagree with her.
29. Some Rabids like to leave and come back under other names, pretending that they don't care what we say here.
30 Day care workers get rich off of mothers who dump their kids in child care.
31 I feel sorry for those poor women who work because their loser husbands don't make enough money to support them.
32. Children of today have so many problems because mothers no longer stay at home. Day care is the reason for all the problems with children we hear about in the news. Of course, none of those things ever happened before women entered the work force. (this is known as "rampant BeaverCleaver-itis")
33. If a fire breaks out in a day care, who will grab your child to make sure they are safe? Mothers should not work to avoid this oh-so-likely scenario.
34. I had my child in a day care that provided inadequate care, therefore all day care is inadequate care.
35 When confronted with the fact that Andrea Yates was a SAHM, Rabids protest that it just isn't fair to use such an extreme example.
36 It is so sad when WM's can't attend their child's kindergarten graduation. They should move heaven and earth to be at every such event. If a SAHM can't attend this event, it is because the school is uncaring about her need for care for other children.
37. Working moms doing chores around the house with their children are NEGLECTFUL. SAHMs doing chores around the house with their children are spending QUALITY TIME and TEACHING their children useful skills.
38. My kids are more to me than just a cute picture in my wallet.
39. When FATHERS travel for work, it's an unavoidable part of life, but when MOTHERS travel for work, it means that they love their job more than their children. No real mother would choose a career that could take her away from her child.
40. There are plenty of women who haven't yet had children or whose children are grown and out of the home who can be doctors and lawyers. If you spent tons of money on an education-great! Use it on teaching your kids and when they are grown get a job in your chosen field. Or don't get married and have kids. Or postpone having them until you can be available to take care of them.
41 Even single mothers can get assistance so that they can stay home with their kids at least when they are babies. I have much more respect for a woman receiving public assistance and raising her own kids than going to work and leaving them everyday. There's plenty of time for that when they are older and in school.
I present to you, the 2007 new and improved version of the Script, complete with new additions from the last 2 years worth of Rabids. Keep in mind that many of these items (and all of the most recent additions) are verbatim statements of actual Rabid Mommys on this or other boards.
1. All Moms should stay at home with babies because it's better.
2. Why is it better? Well, it just IS. Because that's what *I am doing, and what *I do is what is best for all.
3. It is ok for a Mom to work for "financial necessity". Necessity as determined by *me. No Coach purses, luxury cars, European vacations or other luxury items are allowed. Working for *luxuries (defined by said Rabid SAHM) may also include, but is not limited to: retirement plans, investments for college, planning ahead for financial stability in the event of a catastrophe (unforeseen divorce, medical condition, death of spouse), and health insurance. Men are allowed to work (even to the extent of being gone for extended periods of time or long hours on a regular basis) for such luxuries -- they are being noble. Working women are not.
* Working women care so much about material things.
* Working moms who choose to work for the "mental health" or because the don't want to be home with their babies are sub-standard mothers, and all Rabid Mommys are entitled to feel superior to them.
* If I took a job outside the home, the cost of day care would take all the money I make. (This one of course applies to all women, because moms couldn't possibly be working in a higher paid professional field -duh!)
4. It is better to be on welfare and stay home with the children than work to support them.
* The father needs to work 2 or 3 jobs so that the mother can stay home.
5. All families with two parents working outside the home "dump" their children at daycare for 10+ hours per day, spending only one hour a day during the work week with their children.(This is the one that paints the picture that all situations are the same and everyone in the world works the same hours)
* Once you figure in the typical 3 hours of commuting that working parents do each day, such parents only spend 20 minutes a day with their children.
* Ok let's look at this - drop child off at daycare by 8 am, pick them up between 5-6 - quality time in the car as you rush home to cook dinner and do other household stuff. Or, stop at the fast-food place to fill them up with fat....then get home, change clothes or eat (whatever), give child a bath, put them to bed - GEE, maybe an hour of quality time? How nice for your child.
6. If you aren't going to stay home with your children you should not have children. Just get a cat. Don't get a dog. You are also required to stay at home with dogs when they are puppies.
7. None of the rules against working outside the home apply to working fathers. *They are still raising their children. Working mothers do not. Working mothers are not "full time mothers" either. Working fathers are still full-time fathers, however. Something about that penis that makes a difference.
8. All Rabid SAHMs have husbands who work shorter hours than anyone else, and therefore spend more time with their children than other working fathers.
9. Rabid SAHMs can send their children to preschool. Preschool is not the same thing as day care, even if they do the exact same things and children spend the same amount of time there.
10. I know daycares are awful because I worked in the Best Daycare in Our State, and children were left to sit in dirty diapers and cry for hours on end while the OTHER teachers took a cigarette break. They spanked and bit the kids and forced them to clean their plates. It just broke my heart. Of course, I never did call CPS or talk to the parents- I just quit."
11. It is ok to send children to school. Teachers are not "raising" children, even if children are in school as much or more than they are in day care. Besides, it is only the first 5 years of life that matter. As children get older, they need less of their parents' time and attention.
12. Kids of SAHM's are much better behaved because they don't feel neglected like those kids of WM's do. You can tell right away who goes to daycare and who doesn't. Plus kids of WM's always seem so "needy."
13. None of the rules against working apply to divorced (abandoned by their husbands) or widowed mothers. And all rabid SAHMs have perfectly healthy husbands and perfect marriages, so there is no need to plan for either of these possibilities.
14. The neighborhood children all get dumped at their house because they're the only ones home and who really care.
15. WM's always assume SAHM's will be home for emergency back-up child care, because of course, they have *nothing else to do.
16.They really don't sit around all day and eat bonbons ya know... and besides *other chocolate is preferred. They don't watch soap operas all day either. Dr. Phil is the show of choice. Or hanging out on AOL message boards.
17. The truly Rabid SAHM is staying home because of a special needs child, and no one else could possibly understand her life.
18. I thought about doing day care from the home, but couldn't stand a second away from my little darlings.
19. There is nothing better to do all day than stare adoringly into my child's eyes.
* There is something truly special about the bonding a mother experiences when changing her child's diapers. Day care workers don't have the same bonding because they are paid to change diapers.
* Really special rabid SAHMs use cloth diapers and berate anyone who uses disposables because they are uninformed and don't care about their babies. Those who don't use cloth diapers spend $100s each month on disposable diapers, or let the child set in a wet, dirty diaper for hours at a time. This Cloth Diapering wing of the rabids often spend hundreds on the cloth diapers, but that is different. Somehow.
20 Only a mother can kiss a boo-boo. Children *need their mothers to attend to all boo boos, and all mothers should want to be there for all of them.
21. Don't all you working Moms hate missing out on all the "firsts"? As a SAHM, I *know I have seen EVERY first. And videotaped them all for dh. It is an important part of the bonding experience for a mother to see every first. Even the first tooth. And the first successful deposit in the potty.
22. I stay at home because that is how nature meant it to be. Throughout history, women have stayed at home. Those that didn't would have if they could. {Rabids don't seem to have any explanation for the use of Governesses and Nannies among the elite thru history}
23. Babies don't keep.
23 A. Being a SAHM is the Hardest Job in the World, but it is worth it because you are paid in peanut butter kisses (or butterfly kisses).
24 I may go back to work when my kids are in school, because they won't need me as much then. But I will only work during school hours. I know there are plenty of jobs out there that will allow me to have those hours plus summers and all school vacations off. Or I can be a teacher, so I can leave at the same time as my kids.
24 A. The most critical years in a child's life are from birth to age 5.
25. I am willing to sacrifice everything because my babies NEED me.
26. When writing a goodbye post, rabids include this: "Now that I see that even the sahm's here do not express their opinions and beliefs openly here towards the op , for fear of conflict & disagreement, and to perhaps it seems, to 'preserve unity'"
27. When a rabid doesn't like what's going on in this folder she complains that the posters aren't posting the way she wants them to.
28. A. At the time of leaving the board, the rabid will complain that she was only in search of like-minded friends and can't believe how mean we were to her to disagree with her.
29. Some Rabids like to leave and come back under other names, pretending that they don't care what we say here.
30 Day care workers get rich off of mothers who dump their kids in child care.
31 I feel sorry for those poor women who work because their loser husbands don't make enough money to support them.
32. Children of today have so many problems because mothers no longer stay at home. Day care is the reason for all the problems with children we hear about in the news. Of course, none of those things ever happened before women entered the work force. (this is known as "rampant BeaverCleaver-itis")
33. If a fire breaks out in a day care, who will grab your child to make sure they are safe? Mothers should not work to avoid this oh-so-likely scenario.
34. I had my child in a day care that provided inadequate care, therefore all day care is inadequate care.
35 When confronted with the fact that Andrea Yates was a SAHM, Rabids protest that it just isn't fair to use such an extreme example.
36 It is so sad when WM's can't attend their child's kindergarten graduation. They should move heaven and earth to be at every such event. If a SAHM can't attend this event, it is because the school is uncaring about her need for care for other children.
37. Working moms doing chores around the house with their children are NEGLECTFUL. SAHMs doing chores around the house with their children are spending QUALITY TIME and TEACHING their children useful skills.
38. My kids are more to me than just a cute picture in my wallet.
39. When FATHERS travel for work, it's an unavoidable part of life, but when MOTHERS travel for work, it means that they love their job more than their children. No real mother would choose a career that could take her away from her child.
40. There are plenty of women who haven't yet had children or whose children are grown and out of the home who can be doctors and lawyers. If you spent tons of money on an education-great! Use it on teaching your kids and when they are grown get a job in your chosen field. Or don't get married and have kids. Or postpone having them until you can be available to take care of them.
41 Even single mothers can get assistance so that they can stay home with their kids at least when they are babies. I have much more respect for a woman receiving public assistance and raising her own kids than going to work and leaving them everyday. There's plenty of time for that when they are older and in school.
This is something I'm just learning about. I'm just testing a few programs on the free offers to see how it goes. I joined Deal Barbie Pays a while back and today I actually signed in to check it out. We'll see how it goes...
Clipping coupons, getting discounts and frugal shopping is a wondeful thing. When you keep track and manage it, you can really make it work for you. Decide where you want the savings to go...toward a vacation or special trip, college savings for the kids, down payment on a house - the possibilities are endless. Pick something and go with it. I'm using my survey earnings towards our vacation. For my grocery savings, I'm putting it aside for long term savings.
Just yesterday I did my big monthly shopping run, stocking up on staples like meat, canned goods, frozen etc. With my store loyalty card savings, buy-one get-one free offers and coupons I saved $117.00. So I took that amount and transfered it into savings. It will be exciting to see how much that account grows by the end of the year. It motivates me to keep organized with coupons and knowing what the sales are to maximize savings and keep the pantry stocked.
Travelocity Good Buy Hotels - Low Rates GUARANTEED
Just yesterday I did my big monthly shopping run, stocking up on staples like meat, canned goods, frozen etc. With my store loyalty card savings, buy-one get-one free offers and coupons I saved $117.00. So I took that amount and transfered it into savings. It will be exciting to see how much that account grows by the end of the year. It motivates me to keep organized with coupons and knowing what the sales are to maximize savings and keep the pantry stocked.
Travelocity Good Buy Hotels - Low Rates GUARANTEED
...when it comes to making money online. Whether you're looking for full-time work, just pocket cash or anywhere in between, it helps to have a goal or several goals in mind. Right now, I'm just spending some of my spare time doing surveys and focus groups to make some pocket cash and earn some prizes. I remember how quickly I managed to save up enough in Amazon.com gift certificates to get a nice digital camera!
Did a Lightspeed survey, not enough to cash out yet.
Logged into Greenfield Get Paid Cash or Sweepstake Opportunities for each survey you complete about movies, sports and products!. Didn't qualify for any paid surveys today.
Ordered a free sample from Dove.
Logged into Survey Savvy. This is a great one that you earn cash off surveys and referrals.
Have a couple bucks in there. I don't request a check until it's over $10. No surveys today.
That's all I have time for today. More updates soon!
Did a Lightspeed survey, not enough to cash out yet.
Logged into Greenfield Get Paid Cash or Sweepstake Opportunities for each survey you complete about movies, sports and products!. Didn't qualify for any paid surveys today.
Ordered a free sample from Dove.
Logged into Survey Savvy. This is a great one that you earn cash off surveys and referrals.
Have a couple bucks in there. I don't request a check until it's over $10. No surveys today.
That's all I have time for today. More updates soon!
So one way I've found to make some extra cash is research companies. There are several in my local area - marketing research. They actually pay you for your opinions on products, services, advertising - all kinds of things.Last week, I did a study group that took an hour and they paid me $75 cash. This coming week, I have one that will pay $120 cash and I'm waiting to hear if I qualify for a $125 one. So no joke, if you get a call from a company wanting you to go a focus group - go for it. It's a fun, easy way to make some extra cash. Check out this list by state ...you may find companies in your area. Just give them a call and ask to be added to their database. When they call, spend a few minutes answering questions to see if you qualify and you'll start earning. Easy as that!
Just a quick update:
Got a Testspin payout today - $10 more in my Amazon.com account.
200 Zoompoints for 4 surveys
25 more MyPoints
And an invitation for a $100 online focus group that I'll complete tomorrow night!!
Happiness!!
Got a Testspin payout today - $10 more in my Amazon.com account.
200 Zoompoints for 4 surveys
25 more MyPoints
And an invitation for a $100 online focus group that I'll complete tomorrow night!!
Happiness!!
...well, perhaps a few days late but close enough!
Currently working full time outside the home in a job I enjoy with a non-profit that's near and dear to my heart. I'd like to get back home full time eventually, but for now I'm all about earning extra cash to put in savings and getting FREE stuff!
I've resolved to keep track of my work-from-home adventures here and see where we end up at the end of the year!
Today, I joined a new (to me) "pay to read emails" program called Inbox Dollars. You get paid to read emails. Pretty simple. Or so it would seem. We shall see.
My favorite "paid to read" site is MyPoints. I've gotten SO many gift certificates from them over the past couple years. Email me if you would like a referral to MyPoints. It's totally free and they ROCK! When you sign up and refer people, you get 100 points for each referral!
My latest project is getting ready to re-launch my website - EclecticWAHM.com. The old site is still up, flaws and all. I should be able to put up the new site shortly.
So, starting off the year, here's a brief accounting of where The Eclectic WAHM stands:
Currently working full time outside the home in a job I enjoy with a non-profit that's near and dear to my heart. I'd like to get back home full time eventually, but for now I'm all about earning extra cash to put in savings and getting FREE stuff!
I've resolved to keep track of my work-from-home adventures here and see where we end up at the end of the year!
Today, I joined a new (to me) "pay to read emails" program called Inbox Dollars. You get paid to read emails. Pretty simple. Or so it would seem. We shall see.
My favorite "paid to read" site is MyPoints. I've gotten SO many gift certificates from them over the past couple years. Email me if you would like a referral to MyPoints. It's totally free and they ROCK! When you sign up and refer people, you get 100 points for each referral!
My latest project is getting ready to re-launch my website - EclecticWAHM.com. The old site is still up, flaws and all. I should be able to put up the new site shortly.
So, starting off the year, here's a brief accounting of where The Eclectic WAHM stands:
- Requested a check from Survey Savvy for $8 yesterday and already have another $2 in there today. In the past several weeks, I suddenly have 30 referrals on there too - when they start taking surveys I'll be very happy!
- Just requested a $10 check from Opinion Outpost. That was EASY. Couple surveys and badabing...cash. Happiness!
- Cashed out yesterday for a $5 Amazon.com gift certificate from Lightspeed Panel. Take online surveys and earn cash and prizes. Sign up today and be entered into a $5,000 Sweepstakes. I still have 330 points, so 200 more to go for my next $5. It's easy with them for it to add up.
- Currently have 1,470 points at MyPoints. I'm saving up for something cool. Don't know what yet.
- Currently have $6 at Testspin and waiting to be credited for around $8 more. You can cash out there at $10 for Amazon.com gift certificates. Testspin is one of my favorites. They don't have a referral program, sadly...but still - the $$ adds up quickly and I got hundreds of dollars from them last year.
So there you have it. I'm sure I've forotten something...but it's bedtime.
Can't wait to check my email in the morning for more cool surveys!!
The Eclectic WAHM
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