kids Archives - Musings Of A Multi-Tasking Mom

Virtual Chat Jobs

August 30, 2015 | 4 Comments

Let me be honest. Working from home is hard!! For many people, it takes awhile to build a steady income which can be tough when you need money right away! The logical choice is a customer service job as they pay a set income for set hours, but if you are a busy Mom like me, set hours with kids at home does NOT mix!! So what do you do??? Well we all know I’m a big fan of direct sales, but that does take time. Another option while you build your business, chat based customer service jobs!

These sound like the perfect job for us busy Mom as you chat with the customers while not having to worry about your kids being loud in the background! Some do require set hours, but not all. Here is a list of a few to check out and apply to!! Happy chatting 😉

Arise

http://www.arise.com/

Hires work at home chat agents with flexible scheduling and earnings at $9-$19 per hour

Needle

https://register.needle.com/

Hire online chat agents to help customers with online shopping

Talk 2 Rep

http://talk2rep.com/

Handel consultant sales and recommending product features to customers all via chat

24-7 InTouch

https://247intouch.catsone.com/careers/

All different job options including chat based and email based customer support.

Capital Typing

http://www.capitaltyping.com/live-chat-support

Answer questions for customers through a virtual chat room

PostLoop

http://www.postloop.com/

This is not a chat based job, but rather a company that pays you to comment on different online forums. You can get paid via Paypal each day.

Presto Experts

http://www.prestoexperts.com/lp/Experts-jobs-online

This site allows you to sign up listing your qualifications, education, specialties and type of clients you can help. You can charge per minute to answer questions and help people with their goals.

My Live Pro

http://mylivepro.com/jobs-mylivepro

Hire for online chat based support agents

Venture Loop

http://www.ventureloop.com

Bringing you jobs at venture and seed capital backed companies. Search thousands of jobs at thousands of great startups

Weebly

http://careers.weebly.com/

Offer customer service chat based jobs when they have openings

Site Staff

http://www.sitestaff.com/

Virtual chat based jobs, must have good typing skills, reliable computer and good internet access

Televated

http://www.televated.com/

Work as an online chat representative

Uber

https://www.uber.com/jobs

Work as an email or online chat support agent

Managing Your Time When Working From Home

July 19, 2015 | Leave a Comment

I always get asked how I manage to work from home with 3 kids with me all day. The truth is, it takes a lot of flexibility and to do lists!!! I get up before the kids, am up after them, plus answer emails/do work during their nap/quiet times. One way Im able to do this is my having a few different to-do lists. I know that sounds crazy, but its true haha.
I have one list for tasks I need to do each day, one for the monthly goals, and one for random things I wish to accomplish when I have time. For my daily list of things that HAVE to get done that day in related to work, I prioritize them in this order:
1) Close Friends
2) Paying Clients
3) Potential Clients
4) Business Building
5) Everything else
I break it up this way because the time I spend away from my kids is for the sole purpose of working and helping with their college funds and being debt free. So I always try and do the money making tasks first, and then everything else comes last and sometimes those other items don’t get accomplished that day, but its ok!

I usually have about 3 hours (if Im lucky) broken up throughout the day to do work, so I make sure to always get to my clients first as they pay for me to help them. I do put my close friends first as those relationships are very important to me!!! I don’t open browsers with facebook, pinterest, etc as those are just distractions. I make my list each morning of things that HAVE to be taken care of that day. The list is important as it helps me stay on track and keeps me from forgetting important things. Plus I prioritize it with numbers as what needs to be done first, second, third, etc.

Another thing that helps me is I have certain days each week I work on the same tasks. For example, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are the days I post blogs. The 5th and 20th of the months are the days I send out newsletters for my clients and page followers. Doing the same tasks each week/month helps me not to forget them. Plus when I plan my week out, I know those are going to be my busy days.

Different things work for each person, but for me, staying organized and having lots of lists is what helps me the most! Its taken time to find a system, and some days I get behind and other days I have evenings to just read and relax! Part of being a work from home mom is learning to go with the flow, just do your best, and remember your goals! For me, my kids come first, and work comes second.

A Day In The Life Of A Work From Home Mom

May 16, 2015 | Leave a Comment

One of the most common things I hear from people is asking how I balance everything. The truth is, some days I do a horrible job at it!!! But on those days, I look at what I can do better and consider it a learning experience. Part of parenting is just going with the flow so sometimes I get a lot accomplished…others days NOTHING! But I’ve learned balanced, and to work smarter, not harder. Here is a normal day for me!

5am- Wakeup and workout time. Im a much better mom and person when I get my daily sweat on. Not to mention I feel so much more productive!

6am- QUICK shower as my oldest 2 wake up not long after 6.

7am- Breakfast and coffee and the baby wakes up.

8am- Park time and walk. We have 4 parks withing 15 minutes and all have awesome trails so we go every morning. I get a walk in first and then we play!

10am- Baby takes a nap and this is my work time. My oldest 2 play games, draw,do puzzles and work on colors and letters during this time too.

12pm- Lunch time!

1-3pm- Play time which usually consists of pool, back yard, or bike riding

3pm- Nap time for baby Liam! Will plays his tablet on the couch with me while I get some work done and Adalyn “watches” a movie. AKA she falls asleep.

5:30pm- Dinner time

6:00pm- Playing outside or going for an evening walk as a family.

7pm- Baby Liam gets sung to and tucked in by the whole family

8pm- Will and Adalyn go to bed (hopefully)

8pm- Tv Time with my hubby

9pm- work for a few minutes and then BED!

It’s a busy life, I stick to my schedule as best as I can, and I remember to enjoy every moment of it as whats most important is having time with my family!!!

Finding Balance

April 25, 2015 | 1 Comment

When people see that I work from home, they often think I have it all together and am “Supermom”. Well, sorry to burst some bubbles, but that is totally false!!! I’m like every single person out there, struggling to accomplish it all and some days forgetting to brush my teeth!! Most days I don’t wear an ounce of makeup (except mascara!!), am in gym clothes, and run around all day long. I have days where I feel super overwhelmed and think I have way too much on my plate. And its moments like that I have to take a step back and remember what is most important.

I have three healthy, beautiful, smart children!!! I get to spend all day, every day, with them!!! Working from home has helped my family tremendously, I’ve paid off my school loans and my SUV (HUGE happy dance from that this week)! I have so much to be thankful for!!! So the laundry might only get done once a week, the grass needed to be cut two weeks ago, and my wardrobe only includes gym clothes. But who cares!!! I’m always been very OCD, but slowly and surely, I’m learning to go with the flow a bit more.

Balance is still something I struggle with. My husband works a weird shift so really only has one full day off right now. The funny thing is, that doesn’t bother me. The kids and I are always on the go as we FINALLY live in an area where we have stuff to do! I can run errands, take them to the park, go for hikes with my aunt, we have fun stuff to do everyday!!! I don’t think we have been bored once since we moved to GA. It’s a freeing feeling to have options and not be stuck in the house all day!!

The only negative has been my work. I’ve been so busy with the kids, and my husband’s schedule is different, the time to “work” I had each day has changed. At first I got stressed. I have worked hard to build my business and to make an income from home. But then I remembered why I was working, to help my family!!! We have paid off so much debt, and now my income goes directly towards my kids college funds!!!! That’s an amazing feeling in itself to accomplish that while being home with my kids each day. For many people, my family included, money can be stressful and to remove that issue has been a huge weight off my husband and I’s shoulders.

I’m sticking more to a schedule to help with the work time I have. I get up early and that’s my exercise time. I also use that time to make my “to-do” list for the day. On that list I make sure to include the most important items, and the ones that can be done that day, or another day. That’s a huge help with keeping me on track and making sure I accomplish what HAS to be done each day.

The truth is, most people do NOT have it all figured out. We all struggle with getting things done and prioritizing. For me, the number one priority is my kids. I want them to be able to do after school activities, take fun family vacations, and go to college. So on the days I feel stressed, I remember my goals are for them and that reminds me to take a step back, figure out a new way to achieve balance, and when all else fails, go swing at the park. Because sunshine and the laugher of my kids reminds me of the important things in life!!

The Drive

March 31, 2015 | 1 Comment

My biggest fear with our move from Virginia to Georgia was the drive. My oldest son gets car sick, and my youngest hates the car. Luckily my daughter enjoys car rides so at least I had one I didn’t have to worry about. The scary part for me was the fact I was driving by myself with all three of them!

Our goal was to leave around 5am so they would sleep a few hours in the car….ya, that didn’t happen! About 30 minutes into the drive Will started getting sick and asking me to stop. Then after we stopped, Adalyn, who never gets sick, started getting sick!! And of course this made the baby wake up so it was a car full of nerves! To add to that, I’m not a big night driver and the highway we were on was all semis. I don’t know if its just me, but they have some crazy lights on those trucks and I swear I felt like I could hardly see the road.

It took us about 2hrs to go 60 miles. I’m not sure who was crying more at the start of the trip, me or the kids haha. I had a nice long chat with God though and one of my best friends said the words I needed to hear, “You can do this!” For me, nothing is worse than when my kids are miserable and it breaks my heart to hear them upset or in pain. It was the longest drive of my life, but we all made it and decided no more long car rides for the next 10 years haha!!!

I did learn some interesting things after spending 13hrs in a car…..

Nacho Doritos are great for kids with an upset stomach! That was the only thing Will would eat and he kept it down!!! Who would have thought?!?!
Rest stops have great outdoor areas for kids to run around!!! And for Mom’s to do some walking lunges and wake up a bit haha
DVD’s players in cars REALLY need a remote control!!! It is super hard to try and push those buttons while on a highway!!!
If your child gets car sick, you can NEVER have too many trash bags in your car. And even if your child doesn’t get sick, have them anyway and space them out around the car!!! Trust me, this is VERY important!!
Kelly Clarksons Heart Beat Song is GREAT to dance to in the car to wake yourself up!!! And it apparently provides amusement for other drivers too!
The first hour and the last hours are the longest parts of a car ride! You need a recording of yourself saying “No, we aren’t there yet!” so you don’t go hoarse.
If your child is watching a new movie, don’t interrupt to ask them if they need to go to the bathroom. They would rather hold it than have to pause their movie.
Cars with third rows should come with a “stretch arm” so you can hand things back to the child riding in that row. Especially when everyone in the second row is sound asleep.
It never fails, the moment all 3 kids fall asleep, you are going to run out of gas!!!!
Coffee is great to keep you alert….but it does cause more bathroom breaks!
Nothing feels as good as when your feet touch the ground!!!!

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