Freelance Writing Update and a Few Other Notes...

As you may have already read, I have started a freelance writing business. As of today, I have been doing this for a little over a month now and am happy to report that I have earned right around $150! This may not sound like much to you, but for a stay-at-home-mommy who is doing this VERY part-time, it is quite an accomplishment!

I have decided to create my own website, which I will be working on this week, to get my name out there and promote my services. The money is a nice bonus, but the truth is, I absolutely LOVE my new "job!" I am able to do it when my son naps and after he goes to bed. It provides me with something constructive to do and gives me a feeling of satisfaction after I meet my deadlines.

One of the cool aspects of it, is that I am constantly learning about a variety new things! Over the past month, I have learned about the differences between fiberglass and acrylic bathtubs, the benefits of organic shampoo, how mind-mapping software can be beneficial and so much more! I love getting up every day not knowing what I will learn next, it takes away the monotony of doing laundry, dishes and cleaning.

If you love to write and don't mind doing a little research, I highly recommend tapping into the freelance writing market. It's great for SAHM's like me, college students who want to earn a little extra money, or even women who want to make the transition to working from home and still make a decent income. If you have the time available, motivation, determination, and the necessary writing skills, you can easily make a full-time income by being a freelance writer!

Oh, for the Love of Soccer!

This past weekend we celebrated my son's 2nd birthday. What a celebration it was with the entire family joining in on the fun. He had aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-aunts and uncles, and cousins there - so there were a lot of gifts for him to open.

When it came to opening gifts last year at this time, he wasn't sure what to think. My how things change in a year. The presents were definately the hit of the show for him this year! It is amazing to me how much stuff they make for little ones now. Honestly, I do not remember having anything like the cool electronic toys they have now when I was little. Maybe, all parents are supposed to say that though. Our little man received a string-less/wireless guitar that works by laser light, lincoln logs, legos, building blocks, Mr. Potato Head, lots of tool related toys and many other wonderful, exciting, and noisy gifts!

He was pretty excited about all the above gifts, but the last gift he opened was what excited him the most....it was a $6 soccer ball his father and I picked out for him. We knew our little guy loves to play with any kind of sports ball or bouncy ball - in fact, our house is overrun with them...however, he did not have a soccer ball. So, we decided to go ahead and get him one. We knew he'd like it, that's why we saved if for last, but we had no idea it would be a show-stopper for him! He spent the rest of the night attached to the soccer ball, and if I would have let him, he would have slept with it too!

Isn't it incredible that in this technological world full of iPods, video games, and noisy toys, some of the most enjoyable gifts are still the simple ones...like a soccer ball?

From SAHM to Part-Time WAHM

As you know, I am a stay-at-home-mommy who has a toddler running circles around her. I have been fortunate enough to have been able to stay at home with my son for two years now. I can't believe how fast time has flown by! I have loved every minute of it and every day when I'm able to make lunch for my son and lay him down for his nap afterwards, I am reminded of how truly blessed I am to be able to do this.

Well, over the past month I have not-so-gradually worked my way from the stay-at-home-mommy status to the work-at-home-mommy status. Since I have started this blog, I have re-discovered my passion for the written word and through that I have discovered how much fun it is to actually write! So, after reading through a few forums I discovered the world of freelance writing.

Now, I had never written anything major before, but a lot of people have complimented my writing so I decided to take a leap and answer an ad on a forum from a lady looking for content writers for her website. She started out giving me a weekly assignment of writing one 300 word article per week over one of the following subjects: parenting, environmental issues, or saving money. After the first couple of weeks, she informed me that she was impressed with my writing and then sent me 6 articles she needed completed in a week. After that she requested 2 travel articles from me and 3 rewrites. Keep in mind, this is in addition to the weekly website article I was continuing to write for her.

Over the course of two weeks I had gained a second client and had written a total of 13 articles - earning myself roughly $65! Therefore, I averaged $5 per article - while it may not sound like much, considering the very short length of the articles, it is a nice part-time income. I have to say that this has been the easiest $65 I have made from home. I learned to research during my son's nap times and write at night when he was in bed. So, it doesn't interfere with the time I spend with him during the day.

So, now you know how I have rather quickly transitioned from a stay-at-home-mommy to a work-at-home-mommy. I am no different then a lot of other women out there who have tried several work at home business such as selling Mary Kay, Usborne Books and several other products. While I loved each and every product I sold, I just didn't enjoy selling the products as much as I did using them. I have had a completely different experience with this. I don't mind doing the research and I love writing the articles and seeing the finished product. And the extra cash I'm earning while doing it is wonderful! Who knew working from home could be so much fun?