Mommy Brain Reports

Mommy Blog

Laurel

At Home Job Ideas For Moms

Stay-at-home mothers perform dozens of jobs at the same time: they are teachers, nurses, chefs, professional cleaners, therapists, gardeners, drivers and so on. Even so, these jobs don’t come with a paycheck, so a real job might be necessary. Here are some ideas of at-home-jobs that will allow you to work and take care of your family at the same time.

Freelancing

Many mothers choose to work as Freelancers, because it allows them to choose when, how and how much they work. There are many skills on demand from design to writing, translations or data entry. As long as you have basic computer skills, you have a great chance to get your first freelancing project without too much effort. Who knows, maybe it will turn into a long-time career!

Hand-made creations

You feel like you are talented and you could actually make money off what you make, no matter if we talk about raisin earrings or braided bracelets? Then it’s worth giving it a try! E-commerce is now more popular than ever, and you can easily find a platform where you can sell what you make. Besides, you can choose how much time you want to dedicate to your gig and you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home.

Online promotions

Many brands offer per sale commissions. This means that you promote their products, you send them customers through affiliated links and you get a small part of every sale. The more time you dedicate to this, the more money you can make. This type of job is a match for you if you have many online friends that you can advertise the products too, or if you have many friends or family members who are willing to try your recommendations.

Virtual assistant

Virtual assistants are more and more popular in the last few years. Many business people need someone who can tackle their to-do list. Most of these things only require a computer and/or a mobile phone, and you can easily squeeze them into your schedule in the evenings, or when your children are in daycare.

Make sure you are very clear with your client from the beginning. They need to know how many hours per day you can dedicate to this project and that sometimes, emergencies may occur and you may need to handle them. Most of the time they just want the job done and they give you complete freedom regarding your working hours.

How To Get Your Finances In Order

Personal Finances are a challenge for many people. We are educated to believe that we need to make as much money as possible and that we need to buy things to keep ourselves happy. However, we have very little information on how to budget our money, how to save them and how to turn them into a safety net. This is what you have to do to get your finances in order!

Know your debt

In a world where credit cards are widely available and common, the majority of the people have some kind of debt. Student loans, credit cards, mortgage, car payments, all these can add up to incredible amounts. When you don’t know exactly how much you owe, it is easy to neglect paying them back.

The first thing you need to do is to write down all your debt and understand how much interest you pay for every single loan. Once you have this figured out, you can move on to the next step.

Make payment plans

Even if the interest seems small, it adds up, especially on big amounts and over the years. Even if you can’t afford to pay all your loans in a few years, make sure you have a stable (and realistic) payment plan. When possible, pay more than the due monthly amount.

A simple trick that you can apply is to save your loose change for the entire month then deposit it towards your loans at the end of the month. It may not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference in the end.

Have a budget for everything

And by this, I mean every single thing. When you get your paycheck, sit down with a calculator and plan your budget. Put money aside for groceries, for gas, for clothing, for fun times, home improvement and whatever else is needed.

When you spend money from a smaller budget, you tend to be more careful towards your spending. Plus, you will know exactly how much money you can spare.

Helpful tip: save first. Put the designated amount in your savings account at the beginning of the month, not at the end, so you don’t get tempted to spend them.

Apply a “stand-by” rule for big expenses

It is much easier if you implement this rule for all members of your household. Whenever you want to buy something that is more expensive (you can set the amount depending on your income), you have to keep it in “stand-by” for 10 days. If you still feel the need to buy it after 10 days, go ahead.

Fun Home DIY Projects

For a parent, it is very important to know how to stimulate the imagination of your children. The more you teach them how to create things by themselves and how to come up with solutions for small problems, the more confident they will become. If you have to spend some time indoors but you still want to have fun, here are some DIY projects that you can do together!

DIY Kinetic Sand

You definitely saw many fun videos of Kinetic Sand, but it is not widely available or maybe it is not the best time to visit the store. Well, you only need regular sand, corn starch, dish soap and food coloring (optional) to create your own. For every cup of regular sand, add ½ cups of cornstarch, a tablespoon of soap, a few tablespoons of water and food coloring. Mix them all together and enjoy!

Pasta crafts

We all have some old pasta left in the back of the cupboard that we will probably end up throwing. The good news is that you can use it to entertain your child instead! You can color it with pencils, you can apply liquid paint, you can use it to make necklaces (you should boil it for 3 minutes for this) or you can glue some of them together and make colorful flowers. The possibilities are endless, and it costs virtually nothing!

3 Ingredients Playdough

Playdough is a great way to keep your child entertained for hours. Instead of buying the store version (which can be toxic, especially for small children who taste on everything and anything) you can make your own. Bonus: it is much easier to clean the DIY version from the carpets.

You need ½ cup of cornstarch, 1 cup of baking soda, ¾ cups of water and food coloring or essential oils (optional). Mix them all in a saucepan and place it on low fire, while mixing continuously. After a few minutes, it will start to thicken. When it reaches the desired consistency, place it on a cool surface and allow it to cool down. That is all! You can make as much as you want in any color you want!

Sensory boards

This is a great activity for younger children. On a thick cardboard, apply various items that seem usually interesting for your child. Zippers, faucets, handles and hinges, door locks, chains, LED lights, lids, create small doors that open and close, pieces of materials that feel different (fur, artificial grass, wool) and allow them to explore and learn new skills. You will be surprised how interested they are in ordinary things!

How To Increase The Value Of Your Home?

The Real Estate industry is moving very quickly, and it can be a challenge to maintain high the value of your Home. While there are many things that you can’t control and that are taken into consideration, such as your neighbors or the schools in the neighborhood, there are other things that will definitely help you. These are the main things to consider:

Keep your front lawn as beautiful as possible

Sure, this may require a few weekly hours of work from your family and a small investment in lawn, but it is what any visitor sees first. Luckily, there are many plants and arrangements that are made to last with little to no care, so the only thing left to do is to water and clean them.

If you don’t have the time to do this on your own or you don’t feel you are particularly good at it, for sure you can find someone in the neighborhood willing to make a few extra bucks.

Don’t postpone repairs

When there’s something that needs to be done, do it with the first chance you get. The more you postpone fixing things around the house, the more damage is done. Water infiltration, cracked walls or stained paint will go worse and worse as the time goes by, and it can create serious issues if you ignore them for long.

Yes, you may have to make an effort to fix all problems immediately, but you will be thankful you did so on the long term.

Invest in high-quality materials and furniture

Your home is not the place where you should save money if it affects quality. Sure, there are times for crafts, but only if it does not potentially damage the value and safety of your home.

Spend some extra bucks and buy strong, sturdy and long-lasting furniture instead of the cheap and light one. Hire professionals to work on your electric grid instead of asking your friend to make it for you.

Don’t invest in superficial things

Sure, it is very nice to come home to a bedroom that has all the right candles, blankets and pillows, but is it the best business move? In reality, when you sell your home, they won’t be interested in buying these things. Don’t spend too much on decorations, especially in those that need to be changed in the next season. A fur blanket is nice, but it will not be as comfortable in the summer.

How To Be An Entrepreneur And A Mom

Motherhood can turn your life upside down, but it will also be a fascinating and exciting adventure. Becoming an Entrepreneur too will take even more of your time, but it will also fulfill your ambitions and goals and it will teach your children that with hard work and desire, you can achieve anything. Are there are tips and tricks to combine them both successfully and still have time for yourself?

Improve your time-management skills

This is probably one of the most important things when you decide that you want to be an Entrepreneur, especially if you are already a Mom. You have to learn how to divide your time fairly between your family and your business, and how to tackle your to-do lists every single day.

If you find yourself being busy without being productive, it is time to create a schedule for yourself. While emergencies will still appear, you will know when you should focus on your children, when you should manage your business and when you have an hour to relax.

Delegate

Mothers have the tendency to take everything upon themselves, from small tasks to important ones. In order to have enough time and energy to invest in your business, you need to know when and what to delegate. Your friends and family will be happy to help you with simple tasks like bringing your groceries or running an errand. You don’t have to do everything; focus on important things!

Set realistic deadlines and goals

You have your own rhythm and priorities, and you should not compete with anyone. It does not matter how fast you should do something, according to other people. If you need two months instead of one to launch a new product, then this is how it will be. If you don’t have time to cook every single meal from scratch and your family gets takeout once per week, that’s great! As long as all of you are healthy, happy and on a path to success, details don’t really matter.

Be creative

Sometimes, you will have to pack your orders while reading a story to your baby. You can answer e-mails when you wait to pick them up from the kindergarten or you can check bills while they are playing in the sand. You have to be creative to adjust your lifestyle and to find new ways to combine the best of both worlds.