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From: Life OUTSIDE The Box

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Working at Home.. What About the Baby?? 

So.. I fibbed.

I promised on blog before last I would tell how I manage to work full time at home with an 8month-old baby. I got distracted by football and then nostalgic for GLV.......

..Anyway. So Sorry.

About that full time working thing, and The Baby.

Like all of my kids he is/was breastfed (expand on this later). When I first went back to work this was problematic because I had to pump for him. And I had no pump. It wasn't planned that way, the time just got away from me.

Anyway, I got a sling and kept him with me as long as I could, but it came to a point where he got too wriggly and I had to pass him off.

Understand I went back to work when RahRah was only 4 weeks old, so both of us were forcing the matter, I guess.

Anyway, my elder kids and my mom came to my rescue. Right now, I have a live-in on-call sitter who works for room and board. 

And the occasional handful of Hershey's Kisses.

Thank you Alex. I love you bunches.

Sweet if you can get it.

So for those that can't get it... What to do?

While I was slingin' it with RahRah I did look into other options. Care.com is the site where sooo many people sent me. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take advantage of it because I couldn't guarantee myself I would have the spare funds to pay the lady.

But for those that CAN, it's very easy and free to register. The site is extremely intuitive. Just click the link you need to get what you want.

Be specific about exactly what you need, meaning:

Seeking childcare (age(s), gender, special needs)

Where? Your home or theirs? Prefer a center?

Will you drop off?

Do they pick up? (driving record? insurance? car seat?)

Be specific about the person you're looking for:

Smoker/NS

OK around animals?

CPR Certified?

Nutritionally proficient?

Allergic to cats/dogs/birds/fish spit?

Include anything as a mother (or father) you want them to do extra if needed:

Light housework

Minimal cooking

Walk the dog

I believe they have a form that walks you through most if not all of this, so it should be no problem to narrow your ad down to exactly what you need. And now...

Disclaimer:

I have not been compensated or solicited by Care.com or any of their affiliates, associates, employees or agents. The above information is from my own experience only and should not be factored in when deciding whether or not to utilize this service. I have not been nor am I now affiliated with Care.com other than registering as a prospective customer

I never posted a job on Care.com  for the above-mentioned reason. Instead, I went to what it seems I always do: Facebook. I know, I know. It should get old but hey, Zuckerberg's Beast has merit...

Anyway, I posted this ad in a local group called Fort Worth Buy Sell & Trade:

RahRah @ 2mths

ISO sitter for 2 mth old 5d a week. 
Mon/Tues 1030a-915p
Wed-Fri 1130a-915p.
In my home. Must be comfortable with large dog. Child is breastfed and I will take him on my breaks/lunch. 
Reply with your desired rate.

I got several excellent replies from ladies I'm sure would've been wonderful with my RahRah. Again, I couldn't find the room in my budget to properly compensate anyone who needed to make a living at this.

Other options depend on your budget, from Human Services sponsored daycare to the neighborhood sitter lady (historically closely associated with the neighborhood candy lady :D) to traditional daycare centers. In our area, we dial 211 for Department of Human Services (DHHS)  but in Louisiana and in Florida it was different.

Look into it, research and don't be afraid to interview and decline. If you like her/him but the rate is just a bit out of range, negotiate. People that watch kids for a living usually do it because (shockingly) they truly love being around children. Other people's children, even. All day. Really.

This is your kid, bottom line, and you cannot be too careful ever EVER with who is watching your baby. You cannot focus on work if you are stressed over what's happening with your tiny one. So handle this like you handle pretty much anything else you do as a Mom/Dad trying to work at home and make it work.

Now then.. we got some football to watch :D

Next, go round we will look at how to tailor a resume to nab that At-Home job.

If I forget somebody please remind me...I got Football Brain yanno...

PS...If you're like me and not interested in ever needing a resume again, check out The Stuff I Like.

Over there >>>>>

Take  talk soon 

From: Life OUTSide The Box

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Writers Work At Home, Right?

I don't know if any of you are aware of this but I Freaking L O V E football.

I love it.

I am so so SO happy that football is back.

I don't care if its a repeat of a game or a game I already watched. If it's on I'm watching it.

I've been watching football all day.

Once upon a time, I had a dream job. I am and always have been a writer. So I submitted an article on hope and they hired me.

They didn't just hire me, they loved me. The owner/editor installed me as a sports writer when he realized how obsessed with football and MMA and the Olympics I am.

That's about it when it comes to my sports knowledge and enthusiasm, by the way, Pretty much anything else except tennis is ho-hum for me.

The Guardian Liberty Voice is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Founder & Editor-in-Chief, DiMarkco Chandler was the best boss ever. His care and interest in his writers and editors as people is unmatched and so genuine there was pretty much nothing he couldn't ask of me. When I worked there, I had no job. It didn't work. It was bliss.

The only reason I am not there now is that we had bills. And being a writer s not a job you do for the pay, really. It's akin to teaching in that way. It is a noble calling and a skill that is refined over time. Some are gifted with the ability and can influence everyone they come in contact with. 

DiMarkco is such a person. He is the one boss I could argue with and cry with. I could tell him to go to hell and we would be laughing the next minute. He is real and he is human and he recognizes this in the people around him. In doing so, he embraces and uplifts those people, and has created something very unique and special at GLV.

When I worked there, a lot of the positions were offered through CraigsList. It's been a year and more so I'm not sure how they are recruiting these days but I am delighted to see they are still in operation.

Unlike most other “writing jobs”, GLV doesn't take your sample and say “here write something else and hope you get some clicks we can pay you for”.

GLV holds intensive training sessions called Boot Camp (at least they did) designed to ensure their writers adhere to set Style & Submission Guidelines. Being there and going through Boot Camp made me a better writer, no doubt about it, and gifted me with the joy of doing what I loved for a living, if only for a short time.

Writers are placed on teams and each article is edited and proofread by hand before publishing. If you are an aspiring writer and you want to follow that passion to its ultimate, GLV is the place to go.

Tell 'em Brandi sentcha.

Disclaimer::: The pay structure at GLV is very lucrative and fair for ALL the writers and editors. My situation was not the norm as I saw it. As long as writers met their obligations they got paid. I got paid for what I wrote and then some. No one at GLV was responsible for me leaving.  

From: Life OUTSide The Box

Friday, August 14, 2015

You Work At Home... Really???

Since I came back to Texas I've been working from home. Not a bad gig if you can get it. Call centers outsource and third-party vendor companies mostly.

I have worked for 3 different corps and the last one I was with* is by far the best so far. Excellent benefits, good hours, diversity, and availability. Hands down it outstrips any other call center environment I've ever been in.

Understand, I have been call centering since I was 18-19 years old. Inbound and outbound, warm and cold calling, sales, surveys, customer service, and tech support.

I have done, seen and heard it all. By phone, of course.

So how, you ask, does one find get and keep a good at-home job?

Well, first you have to find the companies that are hiring home-based or remote workers. “Telecommute” is a somewhat outdated term. I've noticed most companies are referring to their home-based agents as remote workers/hires, etc.

So the one place I found a wealth of good information that's kept up to date is on Facebook.

Don't roll your eyes. It's for more than twerking videos.

Swear.

There is a closed group that one can join by invitation only called Legitimate Work at Home Sources and Links. It has well over 3000 members as of this writing and the group has done nothing but grow and improve since I joined years ago.

The group moderators are very diligent in keeping their data up to date and keeping the group clear of any MLM, pyramid, sales, etc. There is NO prospecting allowed here. Believe me, I have chafed at it, since I enjoy a good affiliate proggie or some, but nope, Not here.

I have found 2 of my last 3 remote jobs through his site. We're talking hourly jobs with paid training, supervisors and the whole works.

I would happily send out the email invite for any who wish. Just leave me your address in comments.

I'm working on a* group called MWHAH: Moms Work Hardest at Home (Dad's Too!) inspired by the W@H group. The difference will be that I will allow legit WAH jobs and biz ops,* as long as they are not over-hyped. I don't want my group to be nothing but marketers marketing to each other. If you want to build a list, go prospect elsewhere. I got links too.

I want my group to be a home for people who want to work from home but diversify their income so one missed check doesn't mean crises and distress. So anyone looking to help me with that is more than welcome.

Next blog up I will be going into how I'm getting this @Home work thing done with a baby in the house. 

That's a fun time. Promise. 

Talk soon!

*Updated to reflect current status

A few years ago, I started writing about working from home, what I did and how I got the job. I folded that into a blog I already had and I have now decided to move those posts to their own slice of internet property.

I only wrote a few posts on this before I got distracted by #MomLife, but I will be continuing along this vein more consistently. I still work from home, and I have had people ask me over and over,
"How do you find a job like that?"
So, this is how.

The next four posts will be transfers from the old blog. After that, it will be all original content, just for you.

Stick around. It's going to be a blast.