Becoming a Work At Home Dad

UltimateDad September 28, 2008

I did a bit of an exciting thing during the week. I quit my job.

Now, there were a few problems in the office that I wasn’t happy with. Nothing to do with the work or the people who worked there, but more issues I had with my managers that have come to a head. Although I have decided not to divulge too much, the thing is that those issues led me to decide that working for an employer is too much trouble.

For one thing, employers have a different level of buy-in to a business than regular staff do. They expect blood, sweat and tears because they give blood sweat and tears. That’s fine, but I have a young family to think of. Plus, my wife has a small business that’s becoming more and more important to us. Why should I work to midnight for no extra money while all of this is going on at home?

And so, trembling with 50% excitement and 50% terror, I pushed the send button on the email that resigned me from my job. In a month’s time, I’ll be a full-fledged self-employed man. And as the reality of working with my wife on a home-based business gets nearer, Lisa and I are buzzing with excitement and making plans.

They’re not all about business and covering the mortgage. As important as those things are, we’re also planning to improve the quality of our home life – getting fitter, relaxing more, focussing on the children and eating better. I’m aiming to get back in the cooking game. OK, so far it’s been Korma from a jar, but I hope to bring those skills up to speed and start planning regular, healthy meals cooked by my own fair hand.

This means exciting times for this blog too. We’ll be blogging about our experiences transitioning to a work at home family, and how we’re changing things at home. I hope that we’ll be able to blog candidly about what we’re doing to build up our business and family life, and I hope that you’ll all be able to join us for the ride!

Why I Love Working From Home And Being A WAHM

lisa May 14, 2006

Today I have actually managed to get quite a bit of work done, considering the kids woke up at 6.45am and the last one went to sleep at 9.30pm.

I managed to fit an hours work at lunchtime, when Rachel was at nursery and the boys were asleep. I also managed another hour and a half after putting the baby to bed at 7.30pm, while Gerard amused the other two. After bedtime was finally finished and I had told the bedtime stories I went back on the PC and now 2 hours later I have just wrapped up for the night.

I may not be making a whole lot of money, but what little I do make is a personal acheivment and a step towards bigger and better things.

Even if I never make more than mere pocket money, what other job would allow me such flexibility? Who else would allow me to put my children first at all times? I really believe I have the sweetest deal in the world.

I would recomend the life of a wahm to anyone!

A Day In The Life Of A Stay At Home Mum (SAHM), Work At Home Mum (WAHM)!

lisa April 26, 2006

The day begins at 6.30am with a cry from Jake that his shorts are wet.?I get up to discover his Huggies pull-up pants and pyjamas are wet through. He gets washed and changed and joins me on the sofa for a few quiet minutes cuddled under a blanket before the other two wake up.

The quiet moment passes quickly with the arrival of Rachel at 7am. She demands breakfast and complains because we have run out of Weetabix. A fruit salad and some toast later we have two full and happy children. The I hear Daniels tell-tale babbling in the baby monitor.

I lift him to discover that his diarrhea has not yet abated and quickly strip off his clothes, bedclothes and nappy and scrub him down.

The morning continues with all the children (and me of course) getting washed and dressed. I begin to prepare for the important meeting we have later that afternoon with a marketing consultant by printing out vital documents and emails while frantically serching for my car keys and purse.

11.30am and we are ready to leave. A friend is going to kindly drop Rachel to school so I leave her off first then?embark on?the 15 mile drive to Belfast.

After stopping for some vital?groceries I arrive at my mothers house in time to be vomited on by Daniel. Of course I haven’t brought a change of clothes, and I don’t think that smelling of stale vomit would convey a very professional image to the marketing consultant. So?I run about in my bra trying to wash out and then dry my top before the goop dries in.

2pm, both boys are washed and fed, Jake is watching Shrek, Daniel is sleeping. It is time for me to hand over to my mum and set off on my 20 mile journey to Antrim.

I arrive on time, the meeting begins and we start to talk about how we intend to launch our first ever product, a set of preschool educational flashcards. (Feel free to purchase a set, I can highly recommend them!)

We explain how Gerard?hand-illustrated?the cards?for use with Rachel when she was younger and we found them so beneficial in developing her early conversational skills and now her word recognition and reading skills, that we felt we could produce them commercially and turn them into a viable business venture.

The consultant spent almost three hours suggesting ways in which we could promote and market the product, most of which would cost way more than we can afford. It was highly informative though and definately a worthwhile experience.

We got home at 6pm, made dinner, got everyone washed and ready for bed, then collapsed in a heap in front of our PCs to try and plan the way ahead.

I wonder what tomorrow will hold?

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