Guest Writer ~ The_Vintage_Pearl

I feel so blessed to have a job that allows me to work from home and also provides me with a much needed creative outlet. I'm a wahm of 4 little ones, ages 7, 5, 4 and 6 months, and I love being a Mom. I began selling on eBay a few years ago as a way to bring in a few extra dollars- my sister in law started making custom clothes and I, since I couldn't sew a stitch, started playing around with making jewelry to match her outfits. I really enjoyed it, which was somewhat surprising since at the time I didn't wear much jewelry besides my wedding rings and an occasional pair of earrings!

I think the hardest thing about my job is finding a "balance" between work and family. I have 4 kids, a husband, lots of laundry and a house to keep up with as well as jewelry orders and daily emails to answer. Trying to stay on top of everything can be overwhelming and I have found that most of the time I'm either caught up on jewelry orders and emails, but my house is messy and we're eating out alot, or my house is clean with hot meals on the table but the business has fallen behind.

It can become quite challenging, especially with the baby who doesn't understand "give Mommy just 3 more minutes"! I try to plan ahead and schedule out the day and I work alot in the evenings when my husband is home. I'm thankful for a supportive husband who does what he can to help, like taking the kids away from the house so I can have some uninterrupted time.

Most days I get the boys up and ready for school and Ryan drives them. I grab some coffee and sit down to answer emails until the girls are awake and ready for breakfast- some days I may have an hour, some days I may have 2 minutes! I try to get emails answered and make a list of orders and then I work off and on throughout the day. We play and/or run errands in the morning and then while they rest after lunch I check emails again and work on the orders list. I pick up the boys from school at 3 and don't even try to work again until after dinner (except for checking emails- if I don't keep checking then they can really pile up!) Evening work depends on what's going on with the family- we are a typically busy family with basketball, soccer or football practices as well as church and school functions- and I try really hard not to cut into family time.

One thing that has really helped me is several months ago I moved all of my supplies down to the kitchen cupboards and I stamp on the kitchen counter! Now I can work with the kids in eyesight anytime I need to :) The only downside is that I have to clean it all up when I'm done or else we have no kitchen counter!!!

I love being a wahm and am so thankful to all of my supportive family, friend and customers!

Erin would like to do a giveaway for the blog readers. All you have to do is leave her a comment and you will be entered to win the beautiful ring pictured below. It is a "Pearl Nest Ring", made with a large Swarovski pearl wrapped in Sterling Silver, and you can chose between a size 7 or 8.

***Check back next Thursday to see who the winner is!***