Being able to work at home is a wonderful way to earn a living. It has been said that only people with real drive and initiative should attempt it. I believe that to be true. Don’t kid yourself, it is hard work. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are either feeding you a line of BS, or have already put in the time in the beginning to enable them to take like easy a little later on in their at home careers.
I’m not even sure that it matters what kind of business you start when you decide to work at home. Whether you decide to go online, and create blogs, do affiliate marketing, sell something of your own talents, or working offline with things like party/mlm companies such as Tupperware, Avon, or Watkins…. the list is a long one. Even doing child care in your home often results in hours that are longer than the average working day.
Many of us mothers choose the at home lifestyle because we find it to be an effective way to earn money at home (full or part time income) while not having to send our young children to be cared for in a daycare setting. These days it seems we even need to be available after they start school, and have all of the sick days, holidays, and teacher learning days that occur so frequently throughout the school year, in fact my son is home as I write this article. (Dad’s too, don’t mean to exclude you here. 
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The thing that is important to remember in this equation, and is in fact most often forgotten is YOU!!!
You are so busy juggling all of these things – wearing different hats a different point through out the day, that often times you are the one that gets left. Up before the crack of dawn, running all day, eating on the fly, and then falling into bed so you can crash and get up in just a few hours to do it all again!
Not having any time to relax wind down, and just take care of yourself. I know this because it happened to me just recently over the summer. Even though I was not online, my offline responsibilities had continued, and in fact grew more intense. Over the years (and it happened little by little so that I didn’t even notice) I ran myself ragged. I found myself sick most of this past summer, and in the hospital twice. Even when my friends and family would be telling me things like you have to slow down, you have to much stress, how long do you think you can keep this up? I didn’t listen… I didn’t want to hear it. All of these things needed to get done, didn’t they? If not me, then who?
So now, what I am looking at is finding a way to get back to doing the things I love, but always and everyday, putting me first. How can I serve others, and help them (which is my passion), if I am so run down, that I make myself sick. And I DON’T think (or aleast most days, I’m still working on it) that making it about me is being selfish, I think it is necessary.
Okay, I’ll get off my little rant, but I wonder how many other moms out there have had similar experiences. What did you do, when you couldn’t do anything else?
