How to Juggle Freelance Work at Home and Being a Mom

Many stay-at-home moms turn to freelance work to make an income. This is a great idea because not only does it allow the mom to contribute to the household bills, but it also allows her to stay at home with her children. Staying at home with your kids and trying to make an income at the same time can be harder than you think. Most people think they can simply quit their day jobs and begin to make enormous amounts of money without any distractions. This might be true for the person with no children, but work-at-home moms know different. Let's explore some ways how a mother can effectively stay at home with her children and do freelance work at the same time.

One of the most effective ways for you to be at home with your children and make an income is by simply being realistic about it. Do not expect to be able to sit down at your computer for eight hours a day and work consistently. It's not going to happen when you have young children around. Besides that, you want to give your children what they need and usually that is not only food but some of your attention as well. A schedule can help with this. Sit down at night when it is quiet and figure out what times of the day your children need you the most. This can be morning, noon or night. Once you figure this out, schedule your work time around your children. A good schedule might be to work during naps and at night when they are in bed.

Young children need to be entertained all the time. This could be from you or a project or activity that you get them involved in. When it comes time to get your freelance work at home done, give your child something entertaining to keep him or her busy. Some ideas would be crafts, coloring, building blocks or you can have them watch a children's program such as Noggin, Sesame Street or an educational dvd. When they are concentrating on this, you can utilize this time to get your work done.

Get the brainstorming part of your freelance work done at night when you are undisturbed. This could be your research, topics you want to write about, editing and proofreading, etc. When you get these small tasks done, it is much easier to just get to work the next day.

If you have the money, you might want to consider hiring a babysitter or nanny to come into your house and watch your children while you do your freelance work. This way you can work without distractions and still take breaks to be with your children.

No matter what you decide to do to get your freelance work at home done, make sure that you always schedule time to be with your kids. That is why you want to be home right? Kids need their mom's attention and love. Be creative when trying to entertain your kids and when it seems that your children will not allow you to work, then schedule your work around their naps and when they are in bed for the night. It takes small sacrifices like these to be a work at home mom.