Mission Possible: Homeschool + Work at Home

Stay at home mom’s have a reputation for being thrifty and resourceful.   As more and more families join the ranks of homeschoolers, these moms see their time out of the traditional workforce being extended, and many of them (us!), are reimagining what it means to earn income while raising our kids.  In this post, I want to share a few ideas of things you can do from home, while homeschooling!

Traditional methods still abound that moms have taken advantage of for years, like offering in home daycare.  Recently, I’ve been seeing more and more demand for families that can homeschool other people’s children.  This is especially desirable for families where both parents work, but they want a homeschool atmosphere for their kids.

In the Internet age, there are more possibilities available to us than ever before.   I have had a variety of jobs through the years, all of which have supplemented (and now completely replaced) our traditional income stream.   My first online job involved simple web design for a consulting company.  I had taught myself HTML in college, and found that was quite a marketable skill!

Later, I upgraded my skills by learning WordPress, and worked as a virtual assistant for a blogger.  As blogs grow, the owners often look for help with creating content, social media, and other admin needs.   I really loved the flexibility of that job – I could still work even from out of the country!!

I also started a blog called Renaissance Mama and earn supplemental income through advertising and affiliate links.   Many of my blogging friends have built their sites into full time enterprises!

Network marketing can get a bad rap, but should definitely not be overlooked.  We fell into it rather accidentally – we LOVED the product and had no intention of building a business.   One thing led to another, and now that business is THRIVING!   This one took a little more time balance – my husband would stay with the kids so I could teach classes in the evenings and on weekends.   Network marketing takes consistent time and effort, and the rewards can be amazing.  My husband is now ‘retired’, at the young age of 39!, and we are free to live life together, on our own schedule.

In all of these jobs, I could work around my baby’s (and then babies’!) schedule, on my own time.  Because they were Internet based, I could also work from anywhere.   We have a lot of flexibility in where we live, because so much of my work life is online.

For our general schedule, I work with the kids on their schoolwork in the morning.  In the afternoon, my two oldest have reading & quiet time while my toddler takes a nap.  That’s my opportunity to get work done!   I also take advantage of a local Mom’s Morning Out program (where the kids are right now!) to have a few hours of quiet.   I don’t always get it all done, but who does?   I try to have realistic expectations of what I can do in this season and tailor my work hours around that.

Do you already work from home?   What is your field?

If you’d like more details about any of the ways I have earned income, I’m happy to share!  Just leave a comment or shoot me an email!

Sarah Falk graduated from Baylor with a major in bioinformatics and is currently pursuing her Naturopathic Doctor’s degree from the Trinity School of Natural Medicine. She is a homeschooling mom to 3 and blogs at Renaissance Mama. She loves to escape to the barn for a few hours to recharge, or to sit near the lake with a chai tea latte and a good book.

It’s time for the annual The Old Schoolhouse® Excellence Awards, and we need your input! Please take a few minutes to vote in such categories as your favorite homeschool literature book, preferred online learning tool and best app. The Old Schoolhouse® will send you a FREE WannaBe series as a thank you just for taking the time to vote: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1le293Knqh6NPKgiDHf5LohyGAdaH9bgfty5dtnoWiUw/edit?usp=sharing_eid&ts=571aaae3

Be sure to vote by July 1, 2016.