At-home Parents of Ab
ut.com
Not surprisingly, many of the Guides here at About.com are stay-at-home/work-at-home parents. Meet five of our fellow at-home parents, and please stop-by and visit their sites.
Shelly R. Plumb, About.Com Guide to Financial Aid/Scholarships -
Hi! I'm Shelly Plumb and the mom of an active 2 year old little boy and the
About.com Guide to Financial Aid/Scholarships. Before I became pregnant I
knew that I would like to have a job with a flexible work schedule. I
wanted to continue working after I was a mom, but I wanted to continue to
work on my terms. I slowly began investigating what it would take to open
my own business.
When my son was 4 months old, I had gone back to my old job part-time. I hated the commute, seeing my son get sick in daycare and the stress that came with working 30 hours a week and trying to be with my family. This is when I began my own business, A+ College Financial Planning, as an educational consultant, specializing in college admission, financial aid and scholarships.
Along the long road to get my business running, I became the Guide to Financial Aid/Scholarships for About.com. I am now able to be home with my son full-time, and enjoying him as he grows each day. While my nights and naptimes are usually filled with trying to find time to work, I enjoy every minute of my busy life! Being home with my son has allowed me to plan activities with him that I would not have otherwise been able to share. I'm happy to take advantage of every minute that he needs me (while he still needs me!).
Remembering who I was before I was a mom is important to me, but being a mom is my first priority now. Creating a workable situation has made me a better and happier mom for my family and for me.
Janet Crosby Tobiassen, About.com Guide to Veterinary Medicine
- Hi, I'm Janet Crosby Tobiassen, and I am the guide for the veterinary medicine site. I am the happy Mom to son Ethan (12/97), and daughter Myra (8/99). I am also "Mom" to 2 dogs, 4 cats, 3 chickens, and 4 geese.
My husband is an electrical engineer and telecommutes for his company, so we are both stay-at-home parents, which is very nice!
In addition to About.com, I have a web design business, Paragraphics, and work on The Mommy Mall.
Anne Cerva, About.com Guide to French Cuisine
- I've worked a few jobs that took me out of the home in the past, but my
heart wasn't in it so I decided to learn ways to save money and just buckled
down and quit my job at the airlines to stay at home and I love the choice I
made. Since getting our computer I've made it my goal to find ways to work
from my living room to bring in extra money and About.com was just the start
I needed.
I've used the skills I've learned here to get a newspaper column assignment,
a web design business and even assignments interviewing chefs in our local
area. That's something that goes over well on my French food site too so I'm
utilizing what I do for About.com with my other jobs too!
I'm able to try my hand at homeschooling like I always wanted to and it's my
greatest pleasure to see that I can be there for my kids, to watch them grow
into confident people with dreams of their own. It's also helped me be more
creative by staying home. I think if I were working I'd feel trapped and
disappointed so everyday I count my blessings to be right were I am.
Ellen Scott, About.com Guide to Ecotourism
- I'm Ellen Scott, About.com Guide to Ecotourism. I am the mother to two
girls, 15 and 11. My older daughter went to day care but when I was pregnant
with my second daughter, I vowed to stay at home with them. I missed so much
of my older daughter's growing up from baby, through toddler and delightful
four year old.
When my younger daughter was 6 months old, I went into business. My partner and I opened a specialty bird watching store, opening our doors almost a year later. It was a juggling act managing my time with my business and my small children but I regularly put in a 100 week by doing paper work at nap time, bed time and other alone time - although I drew the line at bubble bath time. I put in shifts at the store but only when my husband was home with the children. This wasn't an easy time but I have never regretted having made these decisions.
In 1996, I sold my portion of the store to concentrate on my beginning writing career. Since May of 1998 I have been the ecotourism guide, here at About.com and now that my kids are older, I find that they need their mother more now, than ever. I work from my home office and my children always know where to find me when they come bounding home to share their day.
Bob and Sheri Stritof, About.com Guides to Marriage.
-
Hi, we're Bob and Sheri Stritof, the About.com Guides to Marriage. We've been stay-at-home
parents since 1993, when we purchased our business, Roy's Phones. Our store sits next to
our home.
Two of our sons were grown and on their own when we made this decision. Our other children two were 11 and 13. Prior to that, Bob was a stay-at-home parent to our son and daughter since they were 8 and 10.
The advantages have included the fact that we didn't have latch key kids as they were approaching their teen years. We were available to get them to school activities and drama rehearsals, etc. We knew when their friends dropped by after school, and we knew which friends. Now that they are older (17 & 19), we've been able to offer them part time jobs in our store. They help us with computer work, shipping out orders, and assisting customers. They can set their own hours so that their school work doesn't suffer, and we have employees that we know we can trust.
It's been a great experience.
Meet more About.com At-Home Guides:
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