Does this sound like you? Yep, me too. How can we bring in the extra income that our family needs, yet still be a full-time Mommy? There is a delicate balance that every work-at-home-parent has to find. Here are a few ideas that I have used – perhaps they will help you to find your own balance!

Invest in a timer – and use it!
I’m talking about those old-fashioned ticking kind of timers with the loud, annoying bell. This timer can be used to give your kids a set amount of time to do a task you ask them to do, and it can be used to give yourself a set time to work.

I often will tell my girls “Mommy needs 10 more minutes of work time, then we can play. I need to finish (xyz) and it will take me this much time – IF you will not interrupt.” I have found that this works amazingly well – it keeps me on track with the time I tell my kids, and they know that when that bell rings, Mommy is fair game!

In the recent months and years we have been faced with extreme issues of tragedy: the attacks of 9/11, the tsunami in Asia, and the extreme floods in New Orleans. It is hard enough for us as adults to understand these tragedies; for children they can be extremely overwhelming. But children do not just look at large disasters like these as tragedies; sometimes, simple things in their lives are tragic to them, even if we as adults don't view them that way.

A child that loses a parent is, of course, going to view it as a tragic event. But a child who finds out his parents are adopting a new brother or sister can view that as a tragedy also. As adults, we need to hone in on our children's feelings and help them work through their issues of tragedy and loss even if it is hard for us to understand their views.

Some important ways to help a child deal with their feelings of loss can include:

Talking - Let the child talk about what is bothering them. Don't just talk about the specific thing that they perceive as loss. Let the child talk about all aspects of their life right now. Ask questions and let them ask you questions.

Are you at your wits end with cycle after cycle of bad behavior with your child? Do you raise your voice more than you'd like to?

It is true that children know exactly what buttons to push when it comes to discipline. They know when and how to test your allowances. YOU...The parent, should be in full charge. Not the other way around. A colorful sticker chart proudly displayed on your refrigerator can be of some significant assistance.

A behavior modification plan (if used properly) can successfully break through the cycles of undesirable or bad behavior. This can also be an effective learning tool to assist them in progressing to a new level of social development. Children love stickers. They make them feel special.

Present this behavior modification plan to your child with enthusiasm. Talk about it in a positive way. Let them know that you want them to learn and maintain good behavior habits and this is a really fun way of doing it. Take them shopping with you to pick out the stickers. Have your spouse join in on the excitement.

As a work at home mother, I know the value of a deal. Any smart business person knows that the best way to make money is to SAVE money.

Recently my husband quit his 9 to 5 salaried career to work from home with me. In order to afford this we had to take a good long look at our typical expenses and determine what we could do to cut our costs.

We quickly realized how much money is spent to make money. A quick peruse through our refrigerator revealed a lifestyle of haste. Almost our entire diet consisted of prepared foods. We made a pact to take turns cooking meals and freezing leftovers to see how much money we could save.

What we found out is that it was actually easy to cut our grocery bill in HALF on a consistent basis, simply by preparing our meals! It may not take a rocket scientist to figure that one out, but it was shocking to us to see how much money we had been spending simply for the convenience of quick meals to support our unbalanced, quick paced lifestyle.

One of the best ways to build your online income is by writing & distributing ebooks. Ebooks can be a very effective tool for marketing your business and they can also be big money makers. Ebooks are also a useful resource for whatever information you are looking for.

There are a few things you should remember if you are going to write an ebook.

1. Just as your ezine should not be a giant ad, nor should your ebook. Be sure to fill it full of useful and valuable information.

2. Your ebook should be compiled in a simple, yet professional design. Make your ebook look good, but do not overdo. Make sure people can maneuver around the book with ease.