How bad would things have to get for you work?

Grace - posted on 11/12/2010

Christi, you're not understanding A N's context. She said her child is 17 months old and she is still nursing. I nursed the first and now the second. You can't just stop nursing at will. Also, once the child is bigger, he could attend daycare, then it's a completely different ball game. I don't think one can compare their own difficulties. Just because you have a difficulty with an autistic child doesn't make A N's difficulty any lesser. Sounds like her husband and her are in agreement. That sounds like a working marriage. She is putting her child's interests ahead of the family. Honestly, money can be earned, now or later. But the early years of a child will go away in a second. And this is what is precious to her and her husband. I am of the same opinion. I could always work (I hold a graduate degree with working experience in journalism) but I choose to care for my two small kids. So I don't buy new clothes or shop much and don't have a car or have luxuries. So what. In time when the baby is older, I can have all that back by going to the workforce. Empowering mothers is all about choices - and sacrifice. Isn't it?

A - posted on 11/12/2010

@ Christi-

I think it really depends on the couple and their expectations. Like Laura said, my husband feels that my job, as a wife and mother, is to care for our home and child(ren) first. His responsibility is financial support. That doesn't mean I'm not doing my 50% just because I'm not bringing in money. My husband said he would work 3 jobs and we would have to be 6 months past due on our bills before we even considered me working. If my husband wanted me to work and help, I would definitely open that door. But to me, my son comes before money, I guess.

I'm terribly sorry your son has special needs with his Autism. But don't you think all of our children deserve the best from us, regardless of their health? I would like to think if your child didn't have Autism that you would still have the same desire to care for your child on your own before having someone else do it. I know I would! Different things work for different families, and it sounds like you and your husband have come to a mutual decision that you would work if needed, and that's great. Marriage is 50/50, but isn't motherhood about giving your 100%? No one can care for a child like their own mother- even dad. So for us it would be an absolute last resort.

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/12/2010

Some husbands would prefer to have their children cared for by mom rather then have another income. My husband sees erics care as priority and in his best interest is for me to be with him. So, it's not like these men are begging us to have a job, they have their priorities and the kids care comes first. My husband would "rather work 12 hours a day 7 days a week before i would put Eric in daycare." so it's not like they are getting screwed over, it's a mutual choice and we each have our roles to follow.

Christi - posted on 11/11/2010

Wow, I am amazed at how many people would rather burden a family member by taking them in then go back to work. Relationships are a 50 50 thing are they not? Yes, we bust our butts at home, but if hubby is working two jobs and not able to cover the bills, if I could I would do anything to help him out. I can't believe people would seriously just cop out of their responsiblities to stay home. Yes, it is a wonderful thing to be able to, but if things are really that bad you need to pitch in a lil. I would be working if I could. My husband works two jobs and busts his ass and we still come up very short. The only reason I have not gone back to work is because my son is Autistic and requires daily therapy and help. I am going to try to work nights just to bring home some extra money. I am not going to let my husband carry the full burden, this is my child and my family too, so I have to help pull my own weight.

Paige - posted on 11/11/2010

I ended up going back to work but i alwas made sure my kids are with me or their dad. He did not want me to go to work because he says it makes him feel useless. My response was to let me help. To take pressure off. I work 3 nights a week waitressing, i have all day with my kids and i have 4 nights with my man and i have relieved some stress financially. Unfortnately in this society parents generally both have to work

Quinci - posted on 11/06/2010

When my son was first born I was making good money so my husband got to stay home for the first 14 months and now he is working for the oil clean-up so I get to stay home... I love the time I get to spend with my son but some times I with I had a part time job just to have adult conversations. But in the end I would have to go back to work if I absolutly had to and had no other choice and someone I trusted to keep my son. I don't want just anyone watching our son.

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/06/2010

I am working as a babysitter so I have my son with me full time, I go to my friends house 2-6weekdays and watch her son. So for me it would be a HUGE fight before I left my son in daycare, honestly I'd open my own daycare before I put him in one. I'm planning on homeschooling so there's no time that I'd be okay with working away from my kids. Sooooo in essence, I'm just like you, and so is my husband. We are doing ok right now but he is in school full time and has a job as well and with my job we are ok. We also get food share money and wic checks and state insurance.. To me, putting Eric in daycare is not an option, not at all I guess. So I know how you feel, maybe you could get a babysitting job to take your son with you or have the child dropped at your house. It's a pain cuz I don't really like other peoples parenting styles so the kid isn't raised the way I would so it's frustrating but being with Eric and making good money is worth anything!

Alana - posted on 11/06/2010

well i dont want to work. my son is 5 years old, so he in full time school 9 am untill 3 pm. during this time while he is at school i do ALL the housework everyday from top to bottom, take the dogs on an hour n half walk, and do a little part time job distributing leaflets a home order catalogue. i would not like to go back to working full time as every minute i can spend with my son while he is still young i will, so any job i had would have to only be 4 hours a day anyway in scholl hours which are hard to find.
i think i will probably say SAHM until he is in high school at about 13 years old so i know he can come home and be ok on his own as i cant afford after school childcare.

Also, things did get to the point when he was 2 that i went to work for 6 months because of money situations and i had to leave because i just missed him too much and was missing out on his developement. id much rather stay at home, struggle a bit but send time with my son, than work, be well off and have missed out on all his mile stones. x

Sandy - posted on 11/05/2010

Don't give up being a SAHM! The sacrafice will be worth it in the end. That is SO cool that your husband wants you home too.
My husband lost his second job. I now have my own 'Mommy Business'! It is putting food on our table. It's FUN and gets me out of the house. I make my own schedule. I work when my hubby can stay with our kids.
I would love to share it with you. my email is vdub_03@msn.com or http://www.myinitials-inc.com/SAL

Grace - posted on 11/05/2010

Wow tell your husband I have utmost respect for him as a MAN. My husband who earns a decent wage, in his bad mood, will insult me for staying at home with the kids and that we should swap roles and he can stay at home while I work. I say, great! But I can't work because I'm not in my home country and don't have the visa to work because we are in a foreign country because of his job. I would love to earn money to keep my pride. The way I see it now, I am sacrificing my pride and career for my two young kids, because I know I will regret it if I went to work just so I have more $$ and pride, when what he earns is enough for the family. So everyday I swallow my pride, take his $$, cook and clean for the family, buy the groceries, play and love my kids, and hear their laughter (and crying) every minute of every day. I wouldn't trade it. Yes, I do call it sacrifice, as you would call it too. Because it is too easy to go out and find work, get someone else to care for your kids, in order to do the girl power thing. I also breastfed the first and am breastfeeding my second (now 5 months old), and I know these are the most important days of their lives. Kids grow so fast, and all you have left years down the road, are photos and videos, and the memory of them cackling with laughter over the silliest things, roaring with glee as you tickle their funny soft spots.

Trenna - posted on 11/05/2010

I will not go back to the corporate world. That's what I told my hubby. he supports anything I do, which is a blessing (usually). After leaving work, staying with 6 kids and then buying a house he got laid off. 2 years later we are in extreme debt even though he did find other jobs and worked more than 1 at a time it didn't match the government job he had previously. I joined PartyLite which I love their wax by the way but after awhile I realized it wasn't the right business for me. I have now started with another direct sales company (Signature HomeStyles) that is more suited to me and the way my marketing mind works. I truly enjoy sales and mailing out cards to my customers on a regular basis. I recommend direct sales because it is more flexible than any other job out there. You need to find time to work it even if it's only 10-15 minutes in a day you will find an income after awhile. I started with no family or friends in the same city. I had to go door to door (like the old fashioned Avon lady) and I find it enjoyable. Exercise in walking. Booking parties and getting together with other adult women to chat with and still spending my days, weekends and most evenings with my kids. Even making $125 a week (1 show) can go a long way when paying bills. HOWEVER, find the one that best suits you and your own interests.

My hubby by the way also started his own business and is making more money now than with the government. Still paying off debt but there is a light at the end of the tunnel for us now.

I also discovered the life of clipping coupons and monitoring sales at different stores and watching out for the cost of things. Wal-Mart is not always the cheapest place to shop.

Good Luck and Take Care,

Trenna

Sally - posted on 11/05/2010

I work part time from home. Insert shameless plug to go visit the lameness that is my Etsy store. It's currently empty because I'm working on winter wear for the kids and Christmas presents, but I hope to get more listed after New Year's.
It was very important to us that a parent be home with our kids so we do what we have to to make that work. When our oldest was a baby we were tag-teaming part time jobs. Then my husband lost his job and I had to be the bread winner. I got so depressed I was almost suicidal, so we'd have to be in danger of starving before my hubby let that happen again. Right now he is working and going to school and he's as tired as I am.:)

Susan - posted on 11/05/2010

Recently I've started to work and I'm leaving my son in a day care center, he is 2 years old and I only leave him for 4 hours 3 days a week, At first I didn't feel good about it, in fact I felt alot guilty, but know when I tell him that he has nursery he jumps up and down and helps me to prepare his lunch. He enjoys so much to play with children of his age and the day care I take him, every day they do some activity which children really enjoy.
I will not consider leaving my son every day for eight or more hours but I am happy that while I go to work he is enjoying himself at the nursery.

If you consider going back to work the most important thing to decide is where you will leave your kid, so don't just leave him the first nursery you see but go around and try to find the one that play with them and do alot of activities so they will not get bored and miss their mummy.

Hope this help and good luck

Liz - posted on 11/04/2010

With day care being so expensive me going to work just isn't an option. We'd loose more money than anything else. We have a set of two year old b/g twins and an almost four month old son. If things changed and forced me to work I would, if we could find someone to watch the kids that we both trusted.

Demi - posted on 11/04/2010

yea honestly i would rather cut right back and live as simply as possible if need be than go back to work, i just dont see the point in having a child if your going to work and have someone else be with them all day. i have nothing against mothers that work, its just not for me.

Megan - posted on 11/04/2010

I too did the party thing for a while. I did party-lite and it was great till I ran out of friends of friends of friends who wanted to host parties. It worked really well for about 6 months and I made decent money. I just wasn't aggressive enough to keep going at finding new people, I am too introverted. It can work really well though.

Suzanne - posted on 11/04/2010

You are a very lucky woman to have a man so supportive of you staying at home :D Have you thought of a party plan line of work??? I recently started up with Lorraine Lea Linen so that i could work around my daughter and husband. It may be a little harder at the start with your hubby working 2 jobs but in the long run it might turn out better for you guys. That way you dont have to sacrifce spending time with your son and with parties only lasting maybe 5 hours it would be easier to accomodate the breast feeding. The thing is you have to find something that you like, but also (this helped me get started) one that helps you pay for your kit/items. I was able to host a party and then with the % i got from my guest buying what they liked i was able to put that towards my kit. So i didn't have to pay anything out of my own pocket. Just be prepared to work for a few parties for nothing while the rest is getting paid off, But after that you can earn some good money if you choose. Sorry to go on about it :) I'm not in the making good money part of it yet as i keep adding to my kit, but i am having a great time doing it and it gets me out of the house for a little adult time aswel. Party plans are not for everyone but i thought i would share my experience :) I hope your answers come to you soon :)

Chrystal - posted on 11/04/2010

First off I'm sorry to hear your situation. But I think it's amazing that your husband is willing to work an extra job just so you can stay at home w/ the kids. He sounds like my husband:) But I think if I were in your shoes, and things were getting to the point of where it was tough to even feed your kids, that's when I would consider getting a job. Hope this helps. And definitely pray about it:) Good luck:)

Jessica - posted on 11/04/2010

I would get a night job and have my husband home with the baby at night. I don't think I could be so selfish to mke my husband work 2-3 jobs when I could very well get a job during the times he is home.

Michelle - posted on 11/04/2010

I would do a pro/con list, if you have to put him in daycare you'll be adding cost on to your alredy tight bugdet, if you have family that would take him for the hours it would be diffrent. I think it depends on your situation. You have to think "will it cost more for me to go to work or stay home." I'm still a stay at home mom even though my little girl goes to headstart. I'm prego now and plan to stay home as long as I can. It's super important to be there for them. I like the mommy care better than the daycare. If I had to I would work, but luckly llike you my Hubby is willing to kill himself working so I can stay home.

Corinne - posted on 11/04/2010

I'm with you on this. I'd rather move in with my M.I.L than go back to work (she'd never go for it as she believes in the whole 'working mum' thing). I gave up my career as a dancer and choreographer to be at home for my babies, as I believe a child should raised by it's parents. We've already talked about the stuff we'd sell to survive before me going out to work. :)

Samantha - posted on 11/04/2010

I stay at home. And we were facing the same problems. So that I could work and be home with my daughter still I took up babysitting. I wath two other babies her age a few times a week at our home and it's perfect! The kids love the company of each other and the money is great!!

Glenda - posted on 11/04/2010

Hello!

I too was struggling with finding the right balance between being a mom and contributing to my family financially. I found the perfect middle ground- Arbonne International (glendad.myarbonne.com). I only work around my family's schedule and my son in my number one priority, but am still able to help out financially. I'm always available to chat if you want more detail.

Hope everything works out!

Glenda

Tracy - posted on 11/04/2010

I was faced with your situation when my son was around 5 months old. I decided to go back to work until I was able to stay home again. By that time I had extinguished all of our savings and was having to skip bills on a monthly basis. Fortunately, my husband was offered another job that covered my meager wage only 2 months after I started and I was able to quit and stay home again. As much as it pained me to go back to work, it was what was best for my family. We were able to work it our so that our son was only in daycare for 4-5 hours a day. My husband's hours were flexible so he was able to go in super early and my hours were late, so I didn't have to drop him off until late morning. It was really hard on me not seeing him all day and I felt horrible, but he survived and seemed to be happy there. I think it was harder on my husband and I leaving him with strangers to raise him.
If selling your house is an option for you, go for it. My MIL lives in a small trailer and that is my sons favorite place to visit. At his age, your son won't care about what kind of house he lives in.
On another subject, keep your son around other children as much as you can and he will grow out of the "clingy" stage eventually. My son is now 27 months and is finally able to leave my side at playdates. I am due in just 2 weeks with our 2nd and have had to leave him with sitters a couple of times. He always stays with ladies in my moms group so that he is familiar with them and their houses. Just last week, I had to drop him off, he ran right into their play room. It made me sad that he didn't care if I was there or not, but it also made me happy that he was finally getting comfortable being away from me.
I know what a hard decision you have in front of you and wish you all the best. I'm not an extremely religious person, but do believe you are only given as much as you can handle. So, for now, do what you need to do for your family and pray for help. Good luck to you and you will be in my prayers.

Christi - posted on 11/04/2010

To me, I don't have a choice. We are facing losing our home and cars and such, but I have no other choice than to stay at home with my son. My son is Autistic (he is 2) and has ABA therapy daily for two hours and ECI four times a week for an hour. There is no job I can work that will let me off at the times I need to be available for my son, and frankly there is no way in hell I would put him into a daycare with his condition. If my son was not Autistic and I could find a job to help support my family, you bet your ass I would be working. Yeah, I think it is great for you to be at home with you child, but if you have the choice and you are either too lazy or unwilling to return to work and you are facing a horrible financial situation, then you better be getting back to work. There is such a thing as pumping. Not trying to be a bitch, but I see how much my husband struggles working three jobs to come up short each month and if I could I would work my ass off to provide for my family. There is nothing wrong with putting your child in a wonderful daycare so your family doesn't have to suffer. You say he is clingly and such, whelp that to me would make me want to socialize him with other children even more. And maybe it's time for you to stop breastfeeding. I have always thought past a year in uneeded and past two is innapropriate.

Nikkole - posted on 11/03/2010

me snd my husband live with my mom as of right now while he goes back to school and we have two kids my husband works 40plus hrs a week and we hardly make enough! but i feel its extremely important to stay home with your kids especially at young ages

Erin - posted on 11/03/2010

Even though I'm part of this group I actually do work part time. a couple evenings, Sat and 4 hrs Sun. I had to go back My husband is in Nursing school And it is quite challenging so we both work part time. My son isn't in Daycare we have our schedules arranged so we don't need it. I'd have to say I get to have 3 full days a week with him and the other days I am still with him until late afternoon then my husband takes over. The only day I don't get to see of much of him as I like is Sat but I still get to see him off to bed every night. It's wasn't an easy decision but my husband going to school is going to improve our financial situation unbelievably. Maybe you could work part time. Just remember if your going to need daycare you working maybe counter productive.

Rachael - posted on 11/03/2010

I started as a Stylist with Stella & Dot, and I make $2000-$5000/month, and get to work from home, with my own schedule. Msg me if you want to know more, it REALLY has been a life saver for me. Good luck, I know how hard it was not having very much money, and how stressful it was. :(

Carisa - posted on 11/03/2010

I consider myself very lucky that my husband earns enough that I am able to stay at home. For me, the cost of daycare, clothes for work, and cost for commuting would leave us with very little extra money, therefore I don't think it is worth the cost. However, if we were in a situation where we were looking at losing our house, I would need to sit down with my husband and weight out what would be best for our children (and moving into a trailer may be best for your child) I do think that no one can take care of your child as well as you can. Even the best daycare provider will not be as invested in your child as you are. I would give up a lot to stay home with my girls while they are young. Plus, he will only be little once. You probably will never regret not working, but you may regret not staying at home. It is a very difficult choice and I hope your situation improves.

Christie - posted on 11/03/2010

If you really needed to work, you could pump and shift work with your husband so one of you is always home - that is what some of my friends do...it is tough, but they do it short term (a few months to a year) to get them through the toughest times :-)

Stifler's - posted on 11/02/2010

I'd just go to work.

Jo-Ellen - posted on 11/02/2010

Be sure to count your blessings because of the great man you have. We have talked about trying to upsize because our family is quite large but it doesn't fit the budget and my DH said that if I have to work then it isn't worth it. I agree with everyone who has suggested dropping extras that seem essential but really aren't. As for watching other kids, start out small. Agree to watch one kid and see how that goes. Evaluate before taking on too much. Good luck with everything.

Yard - posted on 11/02/2010

You're blessed with a loving husband. I was told that kids below 7 yrs old should be taken care by their moms because that the age where they absorb a lot and moms know best for their kids. I had to say no to a lot of big opportunities for me to be full time mom starting when our 2nd child was only three months old. I now have a 3rd child and being an at home mom is the best decision i made.

My husband never ever wants to experience the time when we had to leave our first born with his sister who was living far away from us for nearly two months because we were both working then and there were no good babysitters around our place...when we went to fetch our 1st born, he called his dad- unlce!

Keep up the good work at being an at home, continue nursing your son and dont worry, God always makes a way! God Bless you.

Kayla - posted on 11/02/2010

We were in the same boat. So I checked out dayhomes and daycare so I could work full time to help us out financially. Well I discovered that the dayhomes here are around $700. So i would be bringing home around $400 a month after paying for that, and I wouldn't be able to be home with my baby. So there was no way I was going to do that! So I just got a part time job, and my husband has a full time one. Things are still tight, but at least I get to spend the day with her, and he gets to spend 2 nights a week with her, just her and him, which is so nice. So whenever I think about what I can't buy for myself, I switch my thoughts to all that quality time we all have together.

Erin - posted on 11/02/2010

You don't have to not work at all in order to be a sahm. I stay at home with the kids, babysit about 4 days out of the week (part time kids) and I also work a couple nights a week at a pub. It's what I need to do to keep my children out of daycare. This way we still get to see eachother. If I had all those together on one day it would look something like this:
7:30 kids arrive, my kids wake up, hubbys off to work
8:30 Son catches bus to school
3:30 Son comes home from school
5:00 Hubby comes home, children start getting picked up by parents
6:00 Whole family sits down for supper together (always)
7:30pm leave for pub
2:30-3 get home from pub.
This never happens every day. My son only goes to school on tuesdays and thursdays (we're rural) and like I said, I have children max 4 days a week. Like this week, I'll only have my two boys coming 1 day this week and that's it. I have the rest of the week to spend with my children. I work the pub tonight and sat. It's not that bad. And I still nurse! You can do it. It even may help you wean too. even though that hasn't happened yet for me. Be flexible, there's only so much you can sacrifice before you are litterally living in poverty. Good luck

Megan - posted on 11/02/2010

When we last talked about it and looked around it was over $1000 a month for my son (special needs) to go into daycare. After looking around at the jobs avaliable in our little town, we realized that wasn't reasonable for me to make. I look a few times a month for a job, and if anything promising coems up I apply, but so far no luck. My husband works an early scedual 6-3, so I can get something in the afternoon if I look long enough. I also am going back to school online and do my homework while my son is in school or while he is napping.

Vicky - posted on 11/02/2010

I am getting to that point myself, I get upset alot cause I've worked about 12 yrs in same profession and stopped when I got pregnant with my twins, i started looking for something part time and later in day so either my oldest daughter can watch girls after school or my husband but havent found I get offers for jobs GOOD ones too but I just cant get myself to do them , I dont want someone else raising my girls..but I am feeling it and it tears at me alot.. we have 5 children 15,11,9,and two 1 yr olds..??I think I am getting very close to that line??as well..

Debra - posted on 11/01/2010

This is to all the Moms that want to stay at home with their children. I couldn't agree with you more. If at all possible that is the best thing you can ever do for your child, I have four and stayed at home with all. At the time that I was staying home with my children I did not know until seven years ago that there is a Wellness Company that specializes in helping moms stay home and secure their financial future. There is only a $29 start up fee. Can you believe that you can start a legit Home Based Business for $29. I'm talking about a business that has been growing for 25 years. You are already doing what it takes to do this business, but you are not getting paid. If you are open for a change for the better and interested send me a message with email /phone# so you can watch some short videos about the company helping Moms Stay Home..

Clara - posted on 11/01/2010

It is very important to stay at home with your children,Then your assured that they grow up with your believes and your family values,I fear ever putting my children in daycare.cut as many corners as possible,just stay home with your children.

Sara - posted on 11/01/2010

I personally think that being home with my kids are the best thing in the world,but if times are above and beyond managable then I would deff put my feelings and emotions aside and do the right thing and just go to work.I would get a part time thing to where I can still spend time with the kids but if I felt that the only way to make neds meat was to get a job I would have to do it.I use to work and everyday that I had to leave my kids I hated it but it was something that needed done for the better of my family.Good luck and all you do and god bless everything will work out for you in the long run.

Heather - posted on 10/31/2010

I know exactly how you feel. We are having it hard finacially right now. My daughter is 2 months old and I still feel so guilty bout not working, but my husband insists he will work as many jobs as possible for us so I can stay home with her. Its just so hard sometimes.

Debra - posted on 10/29/2010

Hello AN,
I sent you a message to see if I can HELP!!!

Good Day! - posted on 10/29/2010

If you can pay for your house, bills, food and diapers without going into debt, then you're okay. I agree, I'd rather downsize my home than go to work to pay an expensive house note.

As a thought, could you keep one or two extra children in your home during the work day? It will keep you at home with your child and give you a few extra bucks each week to help make ends meet.

Crystal - posted on 10/29/2010

I'm in the same boat. I've been a SAHM for 5 years now, and my hubby has been laid off, again. Its defintely hard and I've been looking for work, but with the economy, its been tough. I've told my hubby I don't want to go back to work yet because I feel like I"d be cheating my daughter from her "alone" time with me. My son just started Kindergarten, so mornings it's mommy/daughter time. I know that it would help us out financially, but I'd rather sacrifice cable or other unimportant luxuries for that time with my daughter. I think you know as a mom what your family needs and just have to figure out what's best for your family. And you're right, you're very lucky! lol I think my hubby would rather stay home and I return to work! ;)

Amanda - posted on 10/29/2010

my daughter is in school, so i would gladly go to work during school hours. i was actually thinking about it...i mean, i have the time, why not make a little extra money?

Candice - posted on 10/29/2010

Lately I've told my husband I need to work, but the thing is I couldn't work 5 days a week and have him in care, maybe 3 max. By the time I earn a wage and pay childcare the money we need to pay off things wouldn't be much at the end of the day so I have to stay home..and trying to think of ways I can earn money from home. I kinda resented hubby a bit for telling me "i don't need to work' but it was more i wanted to do something for myself. I mean its nice being able not to work, but i want to do it so we can get ahead a little. Goodluck with your decisions.

Debra - posted on 10/28/2010

I understand where you are coming from because I have been there and done that.I am a mom of four children. I worked before I had my first child and after I had my first child my husband and I decided that we didn't want anyone else taking care of our child and it wouldn't be worth it with the cost of day care. So I stayed home and had 3 more children. I nursed all four of my children, one until he was about 18 months old, until he started biting me to much. That's no fun. I was Blessed to be able to stay with my children but it was hard on my husband he had several things going on at one time to supply our needs. We made a lot of sacrifices..I was always looking for something that I could do from home to help out.Everything that I checked out always had a large start up fee, and the ones that I tried was a rip off. At the time I was raising my children I did not know that there is a legit Wellness Company that specialize in helping Moms Stay Home and earn an income. They pay you for shopping with them for the thing that you are already using every day. things like cleaning products, laundry care products, shampoos, vitamins, tooth polish,etc. Things that you are already buying but are safer for you and your family. They are nontoxic chemical free natural products that are made with kids in mind. I needed these products when I had my second son because he had asthma but I did not know about them until about seven years ago.and I have been using them every since.This company has a great compensation plan. We are helping families secure their financial future, and get out of debt. There is no large start up fee, If you would like to know more about this company send me a message with email or phone # I will be glad to Help. Enjoy staying home with your child, I Did!!!

Nicole - posted on 10/28/2010

I think it's good that you know your limits. I have heard that many parents who start watching other children tend to take on too much, then burnout and have to break a lot of the commitments they made.

I heard something about passive income, like writing a book or a song. I heard that it is good to set up something that you do the work for, that then brings money into your home without you having to keep working at it. Its something to look into, especially since it sounds like you are very busy.

Rebekah - posted on 10/28/2010

Honestly, I would LOVE to be able to work (at least part-time), but in my area, childcare is too expensive ($250-$300 a week per child and I have two kids). If I were to go back to work, I'd only add a few dollars a week to our income and that's just not worth it. I think I figured up that I'd make $65 a week after childcare expenses. So, make sure you consider the amount you'd be able to make AFTER childcare.

Anyway, we eliminated cable, internet, long distance phone service, text messaging, and a data plan on our phone and we make it work... it's tough, but I love raising my children and knowing that I am the most influential person in their life.

A - posted on 10/28/2010

Thanks for the suggestions... I have thought about watching another child for some extra cash. The hard part is since we own our own business I have to do our business work from home already. That on top of trying to keep it clean and watch my son is a challenge. Adding more children on top of it...I'm not sure how it would work out. It could be to my advantage, though. My son my like the extra children to play with and therefore leave me more open to get things done. But I would hate to agree to watch someones kids and then it not work out and they are stuck with no one to watch their children. But its definitely something to consider. I'm also selling some stuff on ebay we don't need anymore. This economy sucks... :(