Staying Home and Making Money

Since I have been a "stay at home mom", I have still wanted to make my own money.  My husband takes very good care of us, and I know I have value, I like the cash!  So, how do I make money with no official job?  Well, it seems these days, I have 5 jobs!  But, I LOVE it!!!!!

• Most recently, I started working for a local drop-in day care.  My kids love it.  I make an hourly wage, and I get a huge discount on child care when I do drop the kids off to play.  And, they have a GREAT preschool!
• I also train from time to time for the local community college and computer learning center.  If you have a talent, contact the colleges to see if they need teachers.  This is a great way to teach in the evenings and even weekends.
• I have also been putting my IT skills to use with Elance and Guru.  These are websites for freelance professionals.  These sites are not only for IT professionals, but illustrators, voice over actors, designers, writers...you name it!
• Finally, I sell specialty clothing (unique, vintage, plus size clothes and shoes for men and women) on ebay.  So, if you have anything you would like to sell, it is a great way to earn some extra cash.

There you have it.  I feel like I have a full-time job for sure.  Those are the ways I make some cash while cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the fam!

Please share your great ideas as well....How do you make money from home?

About Religion...

I am a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Chattanooga (www.uuc.org). There...I said it for all the world to know! When I joined a year ago, I was almost ashamed to tell people around here where I went to church. I would say something about church on Sunday and let them make their assumptions. Well, in the past few months, I have started telling people where I go. This has opened my eyes to the fact that not many people know what happens in that "church you can see from the interstate".

The beauty of the UUC is that there are no judgments (well...human nature is to judge a bit)...but, for the most part, no judgments. You aren't judged by the clothes you wear, what you believe, what you have done in the past, what you will do in the future, who you live with, who you are married to...It is a wonderful place to be. Each person's religious beliefs are personal. We have Christians, Buddhists, Atheists, Pagans, Agnostics and so on. Here, we are all in it together. Folks can freely discuss religion without agendas. I know I could say this all so much more eloquently, but there is it.

We have 7 Principles:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
• Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations, and in society at large.
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

When I started telling people that I belong to the UU church, I started getting interesting opinions of what "goes on there". I have been asked, "Oh, that is like Unity Christ, right?"; "That is the place where they worship the stars?"; "We went there before and it was full of pagans!"; "It is the place where if you can't ration it out, then you don't believe it". And, I promise you, I have heard all of these things.

So, I am thinking, more folks need to know what we do, what we believe, and we just might have more folks who feel the same way join the UU church.

Have you ever used beliefnet (www.beliefnet.com)? It is the website that allows you to answer some questions and then tells you what religion would be best for you. Interesting, huh? Well, seems I rank highest as a Quaker then a Unitarian Universalist.

So, I have found my home. I am not ashamed.

Italian "Honeymoon is Over" Soup

Thanks to my hubby for this awesome recipe title!

Italian Honeymoon is Over Soup

This is a lazy version of Italian Wedding Soup. It is so easy and so yummy!

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 envelope mushroom gravy mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 package of egg noodles (2 cups)
1/2 package of frozen spinach (2 cups)
1 Tbs garlic powder or 1 clove fresh garlic
1 cup of water (more if you want it more soup-like)
Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown and drain ground beef.
Mix together cream of mushroom soup, gravy mix and water.
Combine ground beef and gravy mixture
Add cooked egg noodles, spinach, spices.
Mix well and simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese.

One thing at a time!

So, I have about 20 more minutes of silence here at the house. My mind has been racing lately with ideas. I mean all kinds of ideas...business...crafts...selling...work...home...family....

I need to focus! How do I do that?! I need to start one thing, finish it and see where it takes me. I am all over the place. Luckily, my husband just says, "that is a good idea" a lot. :) He is supportive even though I can be a NUT case!

I have an online resell boutique. I have clothes in a pile waiting to post. I sell Celadon Road products (www.myceladonroad.com/scpolen). I need to dedicate time to that. I want to get my MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer) certificate....

Our house is chaotically unorganized. It is getting better, but it is still a MESS! Time management has NEVER been one of my strong suits. Anyway, I just needed to get it out there that I'm struggling! Sitting here on the computer isn't helping! But, it feels good to purge a bit even if it is from my mind and not from my piles of stuff!

Stay tuned for the next great idea! :)

We are lucky enough to have natural grocery stores cose by making shopping easier when trying to avoid certain ingredients. But, not everyone is! Today, i purchased several items at dollar tree that meet our criteria (no artificial colors, flavors or high fructose corn syrup)...hydrogenated oils are on the list as well. Now, that is thelist...you may have other criteria...all organic, for example. We are starting with this and moving from there. So what did i buy?
h.k.anderson peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets
minute maid juice boxes
luna nutz over chocolate bars
not too shabby for $6! Bought 2 of each!

"Cleaner" Food!

For 2012, one of our "resolutions" if you want to call it that is no artificial colors, flavors and no high fructose corn syrup! WE can do this. WE have done it before. Here is the challenge. For those of you without an "Earth Fare", "Whole Foods" or "Greenlife" close to you, how do you do this? And, I keep hearing, "It is too expensive to eat like that"! It is so not!!!! So, what for the things I find on a budget that fit into our food budget for the month. You can find items anywhere! I even found snacks that meet our criteria at Dollar General!!!!!

So, stay tuned!

New Year Coming

I can't believe 2012 will be here in just 2 days! And, it seems it will be over on December 21, 2012. So, I guess I need to make the best of this coming year. :)

My mother has found out some news that will affect her health and the coming year/years. Knowing this, has made me think about my own mortality. What have I done with my life? What do I want to do with my life? I'm thinking about a bucket list....Yes....I am OLD! I guess when you hit 40 and start realizing you won't live forever, you think about these things.

This past year has been very trying...But, it has made me and my family stronger. What will I do differently in 2012? I will only control myself and support those who need my support. That is my main goal!

Anyway, look for my bucket list. It will be some silly things and some grandiose things! But, I will start working on me and what I need to do to be the best me, wife and mother I can be!