Interview with Freelance Writer, Brandi

What's your name and can ya tell me a bit about yourself? (not your job, but you)
My name is Brandi Rhoades. I have degrees in history and women's studies. I'm married with one son and one daughter. We are football fanatics and spend a lot of time doing lots of cultural activities with the kids - live music, museums, visits to nearby sites of interest.

How many kids do you have?

2 - a toddler and an infant

Tell me a bit about your business?

I'm a writer, which basically means that I'll produce copy for pay - no matter the market. (Well, okay, I have some ethical limitations.) I write for magazines, newspapers, websites, and self-publish a newsletter and booklets. It's gotten really busy lately and is very exciting.

Did you work outside the home before this?

Yes. I was a newspaper reporter before we decided to have kids. I stopped working full-time to freelance when I was 3 months pregnant.

What is the hardest thing about being a WAHP?

The scheduling is tough because I often feel I'm never giving my complete attention to my work or my kids.

Which do you prefer?

In an ideal world, I'd prefer a balance. I'd like to work 2-3 days a week outside the home and then be with my kids. I think for now, though, while they're so tiny, I love being with them but probably will be back to full-time employment when they go to school.

Are there moments where you wish you could work outside the home again?

Absolutely! I'm not known for my patience, and there are days when I dream about putting on a suit again and heading to the office.

How long have ya been a WAHP?

3 years

What made you decide to be a WAHP?

I worked 14-16 hour days routinely. "If it bleeds, it leads" is the guiding mantra of most of the world of journalism, so if it bleeds or otherwise happens at the last minute, some reporter has to go cover it. I didn't think that schedule would be fair to children, so I knew going in that if I wanted to have children, it would mean changing career plans.

How do you advertise it?

I simply put out my marketing materials as a writer. I don't typically advertise that I'm a work at home mom as it's not always viewed as a plus in my industry.

Interview with Joelle!

This week I am bringing you Joelle, who is a mother to three children and grandmother to one. You'd think her life was busy enough, except she traded in her away from home job to work at home with her teen boys. Can ya blame her? Besides the fast-paced life of being a working mom, she is now able to spend more time with her sons. Hey, I worry about when my boy enters his teen years and no longer wants to spend time with me, I think what she is doing it GREAT. Joelle opens up about motherhood and her business, Freedom at Home Team

Interview:


Tell Me a bit about yourself:
I am a married stay-at-home mom of 2 teenage boys. I love my Heavenly Father and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, reading my Bible, spending time with my family and friends. Some other things that I enjoy are camping, fishing, board and card games, and tennis (playing and watching it).

I love board games with my kids, it is so much fun. I hope that once we get moved and settled down I can finally take my kids camping and fishing. I hear where we are going has lots of areas to do that. We always went as a child and I have fond memories of doing that. I just know your children will as well.


How many kids do you have?
I have 2 teenage boys at home, 1 stepdaughter who's a little older, and she
has 1 child, my grandaughter.


Tell me a bit about your business?
I work with the nation's largest discount dental and health benefits company, having over 1.7 million members nationwide. Our Corporate office is in Dallas, Texas, with over 50,000 people nationwide who work from their homes doing what I do. We market affordable benefit plans, online and/or in our local area. We also talk with others who have an interest in working from home or starting their own business. It's a great legitimate opportunity that lets you really make a difference and help people.


Did you work outside the home before this?
Yes, I worked outside of the home before I had my children. I mainly did office work. Right after I had my 1st son, I worked for a little while at a cleaners. I found out that I was pregnant with my 2nd son while I was working at the cleaners.


What is the hardest thing about being a WAHP?
So far it just seems to be finding the right places to advertise that don't cost anything or at least, cost very little. Then, I guess, juggling finances to try to pick out inexpensive places to do advertising, printing costs for fliers, etc..

Have ya had any luck with certain ones? I hear google is a good one but still not sure, since I haven't tried it myself.


Which do you prefer?
I think I like being able to stay home and work more, just so I can be with my kids. Also, the flexibility is GREAT!!

I love the flexibility, not to mention if the kids are sick I don't have to ask for the day off to be home with them.


Are there moments where you wish you could work outside the home again?
Before I started working from home, I sometimes thought about and missed working outside the home, but I wouldn't change the decision to stay home with my kids for anything. I'm very very thankful that I have been able to do this also.

I know a lot of moms don't have the same opportunity to do that, or maybe don't think that they can. And, it's not that I was able to do it because my husband makes a lot. He doesn't. Honestly, sometimes he was even without work. Sometimes things were tough, but it drew me closer to the Lord, and He's always provided!

We are a family of 6 (four kids, and us two parents) living with a military salary, so I know what ya mean about hubby not making a lot. I've been very happy to be able to stay home, it was only recently that I started earning money which I love because not only can I help pay bills I have a little spending money for small things.


How long have ya been a WAHP?
I have been working from home for a year this month.


What made you decide to be a WAHP?
I just really wanted to stay home with my children.


How do you advertise it?
Free and some inexpensive paid advertising online. Also, I put out business cards, fliers, and brochures. I'm checking into seeing how much our local paper would charge for small ads.


Thank you so much for your time and I really hope you continue to earn money at home. It sounds like a wonderful opportunity and one way to know your teen boys. Hopefully you get to see that grandbaby of yours too.

Interview with Erin

Ever dream about working from your home and doing it all yourself? I know many of you have, or you woulnd't be reading this blog. Well that's exactly what Erin, a mother of three boys, did. She has started her own blog in order to help you become a bit more free over at Working for Financial Freedom.

What's your name and can ya tell me a bit about yourself? (not your job, but you)

My name is Erin. I'm in my late 20's and a sahm and very part-time wahm. I spent four years in the Marine Corps, and since getting out I've been working on my BS in Management. I love to read, walk and spend time with my family.

I'm the mother of four and we are actually about to get out of the Corps ourselves. (well he is)

How many kids do you have?
I have 3 boys, they are 9 and under.

Tell me a bit about your business?

I don't really have a "business" persay. I'm writing to help others learn how to save money, spend less, and get out of debt. I am a couponer and refunder and have been doing it for years and teaching my friends and family to do it. I figured what better way to help others than to start my own website?

Have you earned any money off it? I know just starting off you can make a bit with google.

Did you work outside the home before this?

Not in a long time. I got out of the Marine Corps in 2000 and haven't worked since then.

What is the hardest thing about being a WAHP?
Finding the time to work! Just finding the time to complete this interview was hard. Right now my youngest is still taking two naps a day so I try to use that time to work. And occasionally at night too, although at the end of the day I usually just crash.

Which do you prefer?

Working at home-although there are days I wish I could go into an office and work knowing that there are no distractions from home.

Are there moments where you wish you could work outside the home again?

If it's been a rough day with the kids, maybe. But I'm very glad to be at home with my kids. I love the flexibility of working at home.

Flexibility is good, but I know what you mean on the rough day. One of those where you can get anything done because someone is always fighting or one is sick. Course the sick makes you glad sometimes about being home already, now you don't have to take the time off.

How long have ya been a WAHP?

I just started doing this again 3 months ago.

What made you decide to be a WAHP?

Debt. And family.

Long story short- we had a family death and need to move back to be close to my husband's family. The cost of living in California is MUCH higher than where we are living now. We have a credit card (almost paid off! yeah!) and 2 car payments. We realized that if we are going to move back soon we need to get these paid off. We feel like we've been spinning our wheels to pay off the debt but not getting anywhere. So we changed tactics and have paid off $18,000 in debt since March 28th, 2007.

I decided to be a WAHP to help our progress in getting out of debt.

How do you advertise it?

I really don't. I like to visit other blogs I'm interested in, and put the link to my blog in my signature when posting at my favorite forums. But I don't do much. My goal really is just to provide quality material for people to read, and so far people have been coming back to read more. So it seems I'm doing something right!

Thank you for taking your time to answer these questions, sorry there was a repeat one in there. Not to worry I did delete it. But I'll ask what I meant now, "What is your favorite part of being a WAHP?

Interview with Barbara Ryan

Barbara is a wahm to two little boys and she has quite a lot of different sources of income. From her own Cherish Collages site to working as an interviewer for an online magazine for moms. Read along as she tells you all about how it began.
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What's your name and can ya tell me a bit about yourself? (not your job, but you)
My name is Barbara Ryan and I am now a work at home moms of 2 boys. I am originally from Montreal, but now live in upstate NY with my family. My family is Italian and my favorite food is of course pasta, preferably with a cream sauce! I love computers, I have great friends I’ve made online and I love working online. Basically, I love all things digital, my digital camera, digital scrapbooking, editing photos digitally, and my iPod.

I can totally relate on the love for pasta, my hubby is Italian as well.

How many kids do you have?
I have 2 boys ages 4 and almost 2.

Tell me a bit about your business? My business is called Cherish Collage and I design custom photo collages from people’s photographs. I help people get those photos out of a box and into a fabulous display piece.

I also have an online magazine and blog for moms called Mom2Mom Magazine, which is full of mom relevant articles and goodies.

Believe it or not I've never been able to get into scrapbooking. Course I think it deals with time more than anything else. I can't wait to settle down and go through all my photos.

Did you work outside the home before this?
I worked in the travel industry for over 10 years and decided to stay home after my second child was born in November of 2005. The cost of both kids in daycare was almost my whole salary so it made more sense to stay home.

I kind of fell into it as well, after the birth of my son I knew I wanted to be the only one to raise him. When our second child came we thought about it and then with the cost of day care we realized it wasn't worth it. Sounds like you had a lot of fun in travel. Did you go to many places?

What is the hardest thing about being a WAHP?
Balancing the time you want to spend on your business and building it and the time you want and need to spend with your family.

Yes, this seems to be the hardest part. Any advice on that?

How long have ya been a WAHP?
Since November 2005 so almost 2 years, but I started my business while I was still working.

What made you decide to be a WAHP?
I started designing photo collages as a personal hobby, I loved playing with the digital photographs of my first son and that’s how I got started. I built it up while still working and now it’s grown much more because I am home and have more time to devote to it. I didn’t really decide to become a work at home moms, so much as it just evolved.

Which do you prefer?
I love being a work at home mom. I love the freedom of having my own business, the creativity, and being my own boss and seeing something that I created grow. It’s like having another child really.

Are there moments where you wish you could work outside the home again?
Sure, when the kids are driving me crazy I think, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to drop them off at daycare and not have to hear the whining for 8 hours. But that is really the only time, I love being home with them.

hehe, I think the same thoughts from time to time. Especially when the kids are fighting with one another and the baby is moody. Course then I think of how much it'll cost to keep them there even for an hour and get over it.

How do you advertise it?
My biggest form of advertising comes from article marketing. It’s free and a great way to drive traffic. My articles are my biggest traffic referrals right now.

Thank you for taking your time and answering the many questions. For everyone else, there is currently a contest going on over at Mom2Mom. The winner gets their own Color
the Sky Travel Pillowcase Set or Beach Girl Pillowcase Set.

Interview with Pamela Gardapee

Pamela Gardapee, freelance writer and mother to two grown children. She's been a WAHP for a little over three years now and will brush up on those feelings most of us feel but never say. Now hang on as I go and pop open my Soda.

What's your name and can ya tell me a bit about yourself? (not your job, but you)

My name is Pamela Gardapee and I am a freelance writer. I have two grown children (ages 26, & 27)and I am going to be grandma in March. I have two dogs and three cats who are all spoiled rotten. When I am not writing, I fill in doing part-time bartending here and there just to stay fresh with my way of thinking and getting ideas for stories. I hope to someday find the time to write a book about my adventures in bartending, as I have over twenty years of stories.

Tell me a bit about your business?

I am a freelance writer with about 11 clients. I pick up other miscellaneous items in between projects as well. I also do data entry and customer service when I am asked to. I have recently started four blogs, one about dogs and one about my animals. The other two are just for something to stir things up. I hope to be able to generate revenue from the blogs to further add to my earnings. They are new sites, but my advertising is paying off as I have traffic averaging out to 300 hits per day. For only being a month old, I feel confident I can succeed.

Did you work outside the home before this?

Yes I did. I was a bartender/bookkeeper until they tore down the bar to make a vacant lot. Before that, I was a Supervisor in a Distribution/Assembly Warehouse. I was separate from the main factory by two blocks and did my own customer service, HR, shipping/receiving and controlled three shifts of assembly workers. Land O’ Lakes Cocoa was my main assembly account for floor displays.

What is the easiest thing about being a WAHP and the hardest?

The easiest thing is getting out of bed, opening my Pepsi and starting work. I do not have to get dressed or showered until I am ready. The winters are best part about not having to leave the house to work. The hardest thing about being a WAHP is steady income is hard sometimes and the hours are long.

Yep, I have to get that daily fix and I agree, finding work can be a real pain.

Which do you prefer?

Some days I wish I could just be rich so I would not have to work so hard, but I like being at home working. My dogs are always with someone and that makes me happy.

Are there moments where you wish you could work outside the home again?

Yes and usually when I get that feeling, I go to an area bar at night and my thoughts revert back thinking about why I like working at home and how nice and quiet it is and nobody acts dump except the animals.

What made you decide to be a WAHP?

Years ago when I was management downsized from my Supervisors job, I looked everywhere trying to find something to do at home. Because it was still new, I had no idea where to look. Therefore, I have wanted to do this for a long time. One day, I found a website looking for someone to write and I applied. I received the project and succeeded in being paid. I was so excited, I made it my goal to retire from bartending full time and write for a living. It has been a tough road, but I never was a quitter.

Next up Tuesday Tip Day, find out what tip she has in store for you.

Do you have any questions for her?

WAHM Needs Interviewees

I would like to start doing interviews with other WAHM and WAHD every Monday. If this sounds likes something you'd like to do please email me at homemom3@gmail.com with Interview in the subject. I already have a list of questions so all you do is answer them and send them back. Not to worry, I don't plan on calling you....it's all done by email.


What will you get out of it? Oh that's easy, exposure. I'll add a link to the site that we will be chatting about and talk all about it. Sound good?

Our first interview will be up later today, with Delphine from Barefoot books. Will you be next?