I honestly never once considered doing it any other way. It means that much to me to be with my children. No matter what it takes. And also I realize, we are lucky in that we didn't have an enormous mortgage (just a small one) or other huge expenses to have to contend with that might make it impossible for me to not work outside the home. I am not trying to say that every mom can do what I do. Every person and situation is different and you have to decide what works best for your family. I'm just telling you my personal story. Take anything from it that might help you and leave the rest.

Why I Became a SAHM (Stay-At-Home-Mom)
I didn't want someone else raising my child. I've worked daycare. I've also been a preschool teacher and a nanny. I've cared for other people's kids, A LOT. I know how work can keep parents away for very long days...and I've seen how it affects the children. One time I was talking to a former co-worker (and still dear friend) of mine about the kids in the school we taught at together (this was a very high quality preschool that mostly served middle to high income families due to the cost)...we both came to the same conclusion: the kids that we had the biggest discipline problems with were almost always the kids who spent the most amount of hours in our care, not their parents'. Many of these children were with us 9 and 10 hour days on a regular basis. I had conversations with their parents every day about how their day went...shared concerns and joys and tried to keep their parents feeling like they were a part of it somehow. But they weren't.

Now, as a parent myself...looking back on all this...I cannot even imagine what it is to be a parent working outside the home. Leaving my child in someone else's care for most of the day, most of the week, most of their childhood...For me personally, I could never do it. I know many people have to, (and many people choose to), but I always knew this would not be me.

But then there's the money problems...
My husband does not make much money. We qualify for some state-funded programs for middle to low income families actually, though we have not applied for them. (We both feel we are not that bad off, that there are people out there that need it more than us and so we would rather leave the money for them to use.) We struggle every month, and we have had to make sacrifices...because I knew after having my daughter that there was no way I was going to ever leave her and return to work fulltime. Especially since what I usually do for a living involves caring for or teaching other peoples' kids. But as time went on, it became very clear that me being a SAHM was not enough. We had to go down to one car, and make some other changes and yet we still were juggling bills and getting those phone calls monthly asking where our payments were. Our family needed more income. So, of course, the next course of action was to look into how I could help make money and still have my daughter with me.

The Search for the Perfect Home Biz
I tried a few different things before actually starting my own business. I did some teaching where I was able to bring my daughter with me...but wasn't able to make enough money that way. I also tried my hand at doing direct sales for an established company. Direct sales was NOT for me! I just am not a salesperson. I hated it. I need to do something I love. I love kids. And, I needed to do something I knew how to do and was good at. I have lots and lots of experience with kids. And I'm good at working with kids. The one thing in my life I feel really confident tooting my horn about! :) So I came up with an idea for a home business that worked out very well for me to bring in a little extra money that has helped our family immensely... I ran a local "mommy & me" program in my home for a couple years. (Its not longer in operation). Long story as to how this came to be, but I definitely found my niche. I loved what I was doing, my daughter loved it and was a part of every bit of it, and we were getting a social life out of it as well! Families came to our house once a week for 2 hours a week and I had a program of enriching play, developmentally appropriate art activities, music and movement, and more, that kept us all busy and having fun! And I made money doing it! Right in my own home with my toddler by my side! How great is that?

I have since closed my doors to my mommy and me program, opened 2 other websites, started homeschooling my daughter, and had 2 more children (one of whom, sadly, died at birth). I am webmama now to not only this site (Fresno Family), but also Mommy Chats and Tina's Magic Cottage (now on hold). All of which take a tremendous amount of time and energy and bring in little bits of money here and there. And all of which I LOVE doing!

Moral of the story?
Do what you love, where you are needed. AND...you too can work at home!! There's so many opportunities out there nowadays to work at home. The possibilities truly are endless. I will include information on these pages about what I've learned and resources I've gathered through my endless hours of online research about working at home and home business opportunities...and I would bet that you can find something that would work for you and your family, if that's something you truly want and you put the work in. Because working at home and having a home business is not easy.

The Reality of Being a WAHM
Just because I love it so much does not make it easy by any means! In fact, I really think working at home can oftentimes be harder than working outside the home. There are endless distractions, you don't get time to yourself, there's more than just business work to do (don't forget about housework and the kids!) and very often you don't get the respect that people working outside the home get. So just because you love what you do does not make it any less "work." The difference is that you actually enjoy getting the work done! The days of me dreading getting up in the morning are over, baby!!

Thinking This All Sounds Good?
Browse through my WAHM pages and check out the info and opportunities available and if you have any questions, feel free to email me! And if you do decide to become a Fresno (or surrounding area) WAHM like me, or you are already...please let me know! You can add yourself to our Fresno Family Online Mall for free!! And if you are not in our area...you still will find the info in these pages valuable!

Enjoy!!

Now go check out how to get started!