job-seeking mommy

Hi everyone,
When I had my son(11 months ago) my husband and I knew there would be alot of financial sacrifices we would have to make in order for me to stay at home with baby. I knew the time would eventually come that I would have to go back to work. That time has come sooner than expected. Higher prices here and there , from food to gas, has hit our budget really hard. Where we were doing just"ok" before, now we are barely scraping by. Even our rent has gone up!
Now I'm in the position to look for a job. Sounds pretty simple, but I'm finding it to be a much harder task than it used to be. My husband works some pretty odd hours. He has a set schedule but he works from morning till night some days and then nights one day, days the next.We tend to pass like ships in the night, we never see each other. I'm finding it difficult to find a job that will be flexible with my hours of availability. Is it just me or has anyone else had this problem? Basically I can only work two days a week/weekend with the posibility of working some nights during the week. The other hard part is actually being able to go get this said job. I've tried to explain to my husband that there is only so much time during the day I can look for a job. My son takes a 1hr nap twice a day and that is when I can get online to check things out. Our computer is in the basement and my son is terrified of the basement, so I have to look while he's asleep. Other than that, what can I do? Go fill out an app. with child on hip? Yeah, that would really impress and employer :) !
I was just hoping there might be some good work-from-home ideas out there.( No selling of products that I have to front money for) Or maybe someone has any other helpful info on finding a flexible job. I'm pretty much open to anything. I have a ton of retail/retail management experience. I'm not expecting some high paying job right off the bat, just something to help us buy groceries!
Please tell me I'm not the only one out there with this problem! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Ashley,
I feel your financal pain, I really think everyone is being hit hard with the raising cost of living. I am a mother of 2 little girls recently seperated so I do know what it is like to struggle. I have a few ideas for you that may help. First off who will be watching your son? That costs money as well if you dont have a friend or family member to help out. Also I dont know your back round much but have you ever thought of doing childcare from your home? I did it for 5 years and made a really good income ( makes me wonder why I ever stopped I make less now) But all that depends on you and wether or not you can cope with caring for children that are not yours for extended periods of time.
What I am personally doing now is agency work, I am a CNA ( it only takes 4-6 weeks of classes) I pick my days, how many hours I want to work ( or need to) I make a decent wage.
I wish you the best of luck in whatever you may find, Oh and please dont fall for that stay at home work you hear about, I looked into many many many of them and they are all a load of horse dung.

Ashley,

Opening a daycare is a great option, if you have the space in your home, don't need company health benefits, and you have the personality that can handle full days of taking care of many little ones (and their parents!!). I'd do it in a heartbeat if my family didn't need the company health benefits I bring in.

As for finding time, I would recommend you google "job search agencies portland, or" and then email your resume with a cover letter to each of them. Ideally, you'd call them as well to set up an interview. The interviews can take time, but the good news is that you'll have people doing the job searching for you.

Agencies can also give you free advice on resume writing and job interviewing tips.

Oh, one more piece of advice: don't shy away from a temporary job offer. It will bring in some money, give you current experience, and it may turn into a fulltime job. Years ago, I got one of my fulltime jobs by accepting a temporary assignment.

By the way, I used to write resumes for people...if you wanted me to look over your resume, I'd be happy to do so! No charge, of course. Just one mom helping another. I had to go back to work fulltime when my DD was 2 years old and I know what it's like.

Hi Ashley!

I am a stay at home mom of two boys 8 and 2 yrs. I also have always been fortunate enough to work from home. Only because I refused to leave my baby!! Persisitence has paid off for me, and others that I have encouraged to do it! For me I have at times paid all of our household bills through one avenue or another and am proud to say never had to work away from home after the birth of the boys. We have always needed the money from my income as well. I laugh many a time because of the same things you mentioned, when do I apply for a job, or go to a job when I have to fit it in and around everything else, not to mention when school starts and you want to be able to attend everything. My husband also works long hours and I always have a baby on my hip! You will find that many people in the workplace very much admire and respect a woman who has her child or children by her side! You can always pick something that has to do with kids! I just want to encourage you to put your energy into your own homebased business that you can flex and wain to your and your families needs and time schedules. There are many things out there now with the internet, sales or no sales. Sales are some of the most lucrative though. I have found that I make far better money from home, have far better hours, and have never had to ask a boss for the permission to be with my boys, take vacation have a sick day etc.. I have sold Mary Kay cosmetics, (I never wanted to sell either, but turned out to be tons of fun, and a great money maker so don't turn away sales too quickly, it can be worth it when you look at the alternatives of a low paying job, that takes up all your time with your 11mo old!) I have sold arts and crafts, handmade jewelry, currently am a loan officer and have been for nearly 7 yrs, and also I have a web site that sells candles, that is a new thing for me! contact me if you want that info, no face to face selling, although people will hunt you down for these parrafin free earth and kid friendly candles. Let me know if you want info on that. There are tons of options! Secretary type stuff for small companies, that just need a few hours here and there, you can contract out to several, use your imagination!
I just want to encourage you that you can be very sucessful working from home a few hours a week, flexing to your family needs and when it comes time for baby two you will have the time and money as a work at home momma! Good Luck!!! email me at [email protected] if you want

Hi Ashley

I'm a mother of 3 ages 6-12 and live in Damascus. I want to share with you about a home based business that I have been involved in for 12 yrs. I am going full time this fall since all 3 kids will be in school but have been doing it part time.
It is easy and a great way to suppliment your income.

To see if this is something for you go to www.FFFintro.com to go thru a 10 min. explaination and let me know if you are interested.

Wendi Ellis