Dealing With Vague Complaints

When you're self employed, there will come a time where you deal with vague complaints. Now, sometimes these complaints are legitimate and the client simply doesn't understand how to fully express what they don't like about a project. Sometimes the complaints are not legitimate. It can be an excuse to get out of paying what is partially owed or the entire bill.

Quality Is Defined By Your Client

When you're in business for yourself, you have to understand one basic concept: your client defines quality. You may believe that you provide quality services, but what you think of as quality and what your client thinks of as quality are two different concepts. So, before you determine whether a vague complaint is legitimate, you must first understand your client's concept of quality. This includes understanding the purpose of the project, its scope, and how your client wants to be treated (among other factors).  This is something you should understand from the very first stage of communication. This involves you (as a service provider and human) really listening to your client and their needs. 

Is the Vague Complaint Legitimate?

It can be frustrating to get a vague complaint. It basically amounts to buying dinner and just saying, "I don't like it." Yet, you didn't really say what it is on the plate that you don't like. Is it one particular food? Is it the way something was prepared? Was it the way the meal was presented? Was it the service? (oooooohhhhh) So, you have the task of determining what it is that your client didn't like about what you provided. Now, sometimes they will give you little clues. So, you have to make sure that you pay attention to the initial contact to express their discontent. 

Then, it is on you as a professional to ask follow-up questions. Your questions will vary depending upon how much information you received. In extremely vague complaints, my return question is, "Can you tell me something specific in the project that makes you unhappy? I'd be glad to work with you and fix it."

Your idea of a legitimate complaint is often different from that of a client. Something may simply be a stylistic difference. Your job is to resolve it. You may be the professional, but your job is to make the client happy. This isn't necessarily about you being the most creative writer / artist / graphic designer. It's about a happy client who tells their friends about you. It's about you going that extra mile (without complaining about it). Now, with that said, if it turns out that the client doesn't like the sum total end result, you need to evaluate all of your written correspondence. Please, for the love of cheese, even if you have multiple phone conversations, always follow up with an email summary. This documents that you're on the same page. Read over your documentation of the process to determine if you've misunderstood something (because had you documented it in writing, you could have minimized the risk of misunderstanding). If you followed their directions to a T and it simply turned out differently than they anticipated, you have some decision making to do. There's really no right or wrong answer as to whether you should re-do the entire thing without charge or explain that you followed their requests and that if they are unhappy and have a different idea, you'll work with them on a new project amount. 

TL; DR

First, go back and read it. It's probably the best 5 minutes you'll invest in your business this week. 

If you get a vague complaint, follow up with respectful questions to determine the validity of the complaint. Some clients simply aren't good at expressing what they don't like and that makes them vague. 

WAHM Lesson #986 Dealing With Difficult Clients

This disclaimer will be part of every WAHM Lesson. While these are true things that I've experienced as a work at home mom, many are written to make you laugh. They may or may not have happened in the order that they are listed. So, why is there a disclaimer? Because I know certain people that read this blog simply looking for dirt. Good luck with that. You won't find any. Go away and worry about your own life. For everyone that's here to read, learn, and laugh...welcome. Feel free to comment.

I've been really, really lucky during the last couple of years that I've worked as a freelance writer and editor that I've not had a ton of difficult clients. Clients with different opinions? Yes. Clients with different communication styles? Yes. Truly difficult? I've been really lucky not to deal too much with that. At least until recently. 

The red flags were there from the first phone call. Client was scheduled to call at a certain hour my time and did not. I went on with my day. My phone rang two hours later and I was busy baking cinnamon rolls. They sent a message essentially stating that I had missed their designated call. I responded with the truth: I hadn't missed the call. They called two hours past the time they said they would. Then, an excuse was provided: power outage. They didn't realize the time. So, I told them to call me later in the evening. I took time away from my evening plans with my friends and family to talk to this person about their project. Their reason for missing the call changed: they had simply lost track of time. Alright, fine. 

We settled on my usual rate and I was asked to provide a paid sample. I used their presentation (provided by them) and their blog (provided by them). I sent it over and a day or so later received a response that they had to "edit" my work more than they've ever had to edit anything. I found that odd. They asked for another sample. I asked that they return my work with Track Changes so that I could correct any issues needed. I've worked with several companies in this fashion and never have I had an issue. 

I looked at it earlier today when I had time. It wasn't a problem with the writing. It was stylistic changes. There was one misspelled word. There was also one sentence the person didn't like and stated they couldn't find it on Google. I can't speak for Google...especially since I'm not in the business of plagiarism. The information came straight from their presentation. Past that? It was minor stylistic changes. 

It dawned on me at that very moment that I am not the writer they need. I prefer honesty. Stylistic changes do not constitute editing. Changing excuses about missing a phone call just isn't honesty. Instead of putting my business or their time in jeopardy, I chose to end the contract. I included a note that stated we had different communication styles and I did not feel that I was the writer they needed. I gave them positive feedback. Why? Because sometimes it really just is the fact that you have conflicting work styles and personalities. It's not a huge problem. They left a little better than average feedback and included a note that "apparently" did not take criticism well and had ended the contract "abruptly."

Am I worried about how it well affect my ability to get more work? No. Here's why: I did and said the right thing. I knew that we would not work well together. Instead of making them or myself miserable, I chose to move on. I wished them well. I had nothing negative to say (although I probably could have). Also, the majority of my clients (including ghostwriting clients) are long term. I don't end contracts abruptly unless there is a reason for it. Anyone can see when they look at the feedback I provided (and the clear reason) and their response (which is essentially a decent rating and a complaint) that I wasn't the issue. 

So, how do you deal with a difficult client? Well, it depends on the difficulty. I've had difficult clients in the past. Generally, I finish the job and just don't work with them again. That's essentially what I did here. Then, it's just a bless and release. To deal with a difficult client, you find a nice way to just break it off. Even when it's not your fault as a freelancer it is generally easiest to give them the "It's not you, it's me" virtual speech. Other options, that you should only use if they are true, include offers for full time contract work and no longer freelancing. 

You can avoid this altogether by watching for the same red flags that I ignored. It's true that in the beginning that you sometimes just have to take what you can get. Most potential clients really don't act like this. Understand the difference between demanding excellence and nitpicking. I'm sought after for a reason, and the opinion of a nitpicking client really won't make or break my day or my business. 

Seriously, though, watch for those red flags. Also, trust your gut. I knew I should have said no and I didn't...partially because (as Bull says) I try to see the good in everyone. 

WAHM Lesson #67 - Sometimes Your Schedule Doesn't Mean Shit

This disclaimer will be part of every WAHM Lesson. While these are true things that I've experienced as a work at home mom, many are written to make you laugh. They may or may not have happened in the order that they are listed. So, why is there a disclaimer? Because I know certain people that read this blog simply looking for dirt. Good luck with that. You won't find any. Go away and worry about your own life. For everyone that's here to read, learn, and laugh...welcome. Feel free to comment.

I am a big, big advocate of keeping some sort of schedule when you work from home. Believe me, it's just better...because otherwise your entire day has gotten away from you. Before you know it, it's bedtime for everyone. You're exhausted and you damn sure do not feel like working. So, your schedule is your friend.

I don't time stuff down to the minute. That, for me, is a bit over the top. I get up between 6 am and 8 am unless I was already up all night. It's breakfast and family time until school time on kid week. Then, after school drop off I come home and do a couple of chores or a workout....then, I get to work. I work until it's time to get the little one from school. If I didn't work out in the morning, I go around 1 or 2 pm to the gym to get it in.

When we get home, it's snack time and then dinner time is soon upon us. Then, I try to get a little more work in either on client projects or projects of my own. That's usually coupled with hanging out with the family. And, you know, the winding down routine of the evening. Sometimes after he's in bed, I have to work some more.

Yet...sometimes....your schedule doesn't mean shit (and that's not even because of the kids). It could be family emergencies. It could be (true story) texting a client back to set up a call later in the day and their response is, "I'm free now," while you stare longingly at your shower. It could be a last minute change. If you typically go to the grocery store the evening that you are often paid, that will obviously change if your client was busy and didn't send the payment.

So, it's important that you have some sort of backup plan. Make sure that you know what you can work on in times where you're sitting at the ER (unless it's your own kid - then you might want to leave the work at home). Make sure that you know the consequences of texting your clients before you've officially started your day. Make sure that you have a backup plan for when your clients fall behind even momentarily. If you don't, you'll find that losing control of your schedule will drive you crazy. If you're new, you might not give working from home a fair shake because you failed to plan ahead for these instances.

The Ultimate Secret of Success

So, why am I telling you about the ultimate secret of success? I could lie to you and say that it's because I'm just a really nice person. It wouldn't be a total lie. I do what I can for people. I could give you a partial truth and say it's because I want people to be as successful as possible. Well, actually that would be entirely true and not just partially true. I said partially for this post because that's not why I'm doing it... So, then why am I posting the ultimate secret of success? Well, it's because I'm tired of whiners and people being victims of life. 

Here is the ultimate secret of success:

If you don't like how your life is going right now...if all you can do is complain about how your life isn't fair or how bad things always happen to you...then get off your ass and change the way you think, the things that you do, and the people you run around with. Yes, it really is that simple and that difficult. 

Don't like that you can't buy the things that you need and want? Get off your ass and change something. Work toward obtaining the knowledge you need to have the career that you want. Hustle and build your business. Never say die. Never quit. It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again. You're doing it to yourself. Do something to change your situation. Someone else's success isn't a detriment to you. It should be a case study. Overnight success doesn't happen...someone may seem to appear famous overnight, but there was a lot about that person and their struggle that no one saw. 

Don't like your life? Change the way that you think. Suffering is a part of life. That's a Buddhist philosophy. More than that, it's the truth. We all have struggles. We all will face sickness and death. That's just the way the world works. So, if you feel like life is beating up on you, then you need to change the way that you think. You must come to terms that life is hard for everyone. The only person that can save you is you. The presence of a problem is also the indication that there is a solution. There is a solution for every problem...it's just that most people don't like the fact that the solution is usually them doing something different. The saying is that if you focus on your blessings or your problems that you will find an abundance. So, if you want to find an abundance of happiness, begin to focus on the good things in your life. Oh, and stop focusing and thinking about yourself so much. Go out and make a difference in the lives of others. 

Don't like being unsuccessful? Look at the people you're friends with. You should make it a habit to meet new people, meet people in the industry that you want to be in, meet other successful people, and not just talking to the people that have been trying to live like their life is a party for the last 20 years. If you're the smartest person in the room, then you need to find a different room.

So, yes. That's the secret to success. If you don't like depending on others, change something. Even if it is hard to do, change something. I didn't want to live in the ghetto as an adult. I decided that as a child when I had no choice other than to live there. So, I did the hard stuff...I studied. I didn't go out and party a lot. I didn't get to where I am by hanging around people with no vision, no goals, and no dreams. I got to where I am because I did what I needed to do...because I wanted a better life. 

If you want to be successful, that's what you have to do. You have to be willing to actually do something with your life. You have to be willing to not be like everyone else complaining about life isn't fair. You have to work for it. No excuses. None. Zero. Zip. 

How to Pick Blog Topics

Even as a professional writer, it can be hard to determine what I want to write about here. Part of that is because I spend a lot of time editing online content, writing blog posts for others, and ghostwriting ebooks. So, sometimes I just don't have the time to mess with my own blog. One thing I am asked on a fairly frequent basis via Facebook is how to pick blog topics. So, I thought that I would walk you through my personal process for my own blog. I'll also be writing a business take on this (although many of the tips here will work for a business). Yes, there will eventually be a video and podcast discussing the topics. Since I've only had two hours of sleep, I figured blogging is the best place to start...because it's a hell of a lot easier to edit than a video or podcast. Let's get started.

For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to presume that you've already chosen your blogging platform, and that you have it set up. Oh, and one more thing...this isn't about how to get visitors to your blog. This is literally what it says - how to pick blog topics for your blog.

Take Time to Think About What You Want to Blog About

Taking the time to think about what you want to blog about is probably the best thing you can do to develop blog topics. One thing I will tell you about this is that you will come up with great ideas and some not so great ideas. Don't discard ideas because you think they've been done over and over again. If I took that approach, there are some topics (such as this one) that I would never discuss despite the fact that people still want to read about it. So, think about those ideas as more along the lines of you taking the time to explain to someone your process or your experience with something. Think about it in the terms of a hard school subject. Let's take math, for instance. It took a lot for me to understand math. In high school, I had some good teachers and some not so good teachers. By not so good, that doesn't mean that they were just bad teachers. It's more that the way they taught the concepts didn't quite make sense for me. My Uncle Gary...he was a tough man. Yet, he could teach me hard math concepts that I couldn't understand at school. It's not because he had a sparkling personality (although he was a brilliant business man). He just knew how to take concepts and relate them to the individual who needed that information. So, when (not if) you think that a blog topic has been done too often by others, do it anyway. You may say it in a way that helps someone understand an idea that they couldn't previously grasp.

As I stated in the last overly long paragraph (sorry - two hours sleep)...when you're brainstorming, you will also have some ideas that are less than stellar. You have a couple of options with these blog topics. First, you could just decide not to tackle that topic. I mean, sure this is my personal blog and maybe sometimes I talk about personal things, but I don't know crap about engineering...so why would I blog about engineering? That would be a bad topic for me...right?

Well, maybe not. Before you totally trash a topic I want you to do one thing...figure out how that subject ties in with the main theme of your blog. What is it about that topic that makes you want to write about it? How do those things relate to your overall theme? So, if we look back at engineering...and if you've ever read this blog before...it may seem like a mismatch. I have a Bachelor's in Paralegal Studies. My Master's is in Forensic Psychology. Clearly, I don't know squat about engineering. However, what I could write about is how someone who is an engineer or an engineering student can benefit from learning how to write in a clear way.

Use OneNote, Evernote, a Word document, or even just an old fashioned notebook to write down every single idea...ideas...not blog titles. We will talk about how to write a blog title in a few minutes. Let's move on and choose the best keywords.

Choosing the Right Keywords for Your Blog

You may or may not know what SEO is...and that's okay. I'll talk about the ins and outs on another day. What you need to know is that SEO stands for search engine optimization. If some jackass ever offers to submit your blog to all the search engines for a $50 or more fee, tell them to kick rocks. You can do that yourself and you can do it for free. I understand paying someone to do it for you out of the convenience category, but don't get screwed. SEO changes a lot. The two things you should know (for now): quality content will always be Internet royalty and keywords are your friends unless you abuse them. The most common abuse is keyword stuffing. Don't do that. It will get you penalized by the search engines. Anyway...moving on...

There are two types of keywords. There are your regular keywords and long tail keyword. A long tail keyword is more like a series of keywords. For instance, I could write a series on "becoming a freelance writer." That would be a long tail keyword; "freelance writer" would be a regular keyword. See the difference?

So, the real question is how do you choose the right keywords for your topic? Well, there are a few ways. Actually, there are a lot of ways. What you see here will be my favorite ways.

Use Your Search Engine. It is your friend! Take your topic and open your favorite browser. Now, go to your favorite search engine. I use Google. Type your topic into the search bar. Don't hit enter. Just watch what pops up next to it (Google loves to finish my sentences) and under it. There. Now you have at least a few more refined ideas for your topic. When I do the videos for YouTube, I'll show you exactly how to do it via screenshare.

Use AdWords Keyword Generator. Make sure that you sign up for an AdWords account even if you never plan to use it. You'll have to still set up a mock campaign. I listed $1 as my daily budget. It doesn't ask for any payment info. Scroll down to where you can type in keywords. Put in your first idea. The number that pops up next to it when you hit enter is how many searches the topic receives (I think in a day, but I might be wrong). The higher the number, the more competition there is for that phrase...meaning it could be a little more difficult for you to rank organically in the first few pages (but that's okay - you can still do it). Now, when you place your mouse near the number, you'll see a little button that says "More like this." So, click that. You'll get some other related topics. Many of those topics will not have the same amount of competition. :) I'll show you how to do this when I record the YouTube video. This post is getting so long that it might end up being a series of videos!

Use Other Keyword Tools. There are other great (free!) keyword tools that you can use online. This is one of my favorites. The one by Wordstream isn't bad, either! I'll tell you this much...I love keyword research. Yes, I know I'm a freak...and I can lose a lot of time in the research process. So, if you love research, be careful.

Google Alerts! For certain clients, I use Google Alerts to determine what topics I should use in a blog. You don't have to save the alerts. You can just go to the Google Alerts page and then just type in the subject. You'll get an idea of other content that's out there. That can help you figure out what to write about.

When you write, you need to do it in such a way that you're not forcing the keywords to fit. I chose a couple of keywords for this piece, but frankly...content quality is more important. Quality content gets attention. It's more than keywords that raise your ranking in the search engines (organically).

How to Word Your Blog Title

Okay, so with any luck you know by now exactly what you want to blog about and the keywords you plan to use. So, now you have to develop a title. You, again, have three options. Your first option is to write your draft first and then settle on a title. I do this sometimes. I might have two good title ideas, but not know which one to use. Writing the piece usually solidifies which headline is more fitting.

Your next option is to look at the current trends in titles. "How to..." and "______ Hacks" are easy ways to get readers right now. Oh, and remember the listicles of 2014? And who could forget the "infograph" trend? That was one trend I was glad to see die out. So, think about the types of things that your target audience would want to read. Why do you think I chose "How to" for this blog title? I could have just called it "Choosing Blog Topics." I used "How to" because that's what people use in the search engine and that's what people want to click on through social media. So, I give you guys what you want.

The third (and yet a really good) way to word your blog title is to use a blog title generator. There are several out there that are very good. I'll show you some of my favorites when I do the video(s) for YouTube. Just search "blog topic generator" in your favorite search engine. Specifically, there's an article that comes up by Wordstream that is excellent and lists eight really good content title generators.

Ta-da. There you go. That's how you can pick blog topics, refine your keywords, and word your title. Please do me a favor and leave me a comment below if you have questions or if you found this helpful. Also, please share through social media!

WAHM Lesson # 56

This disclaimer will be part of every WAHM Lesson. While these are true things that I've experienced as a work at home mom, many are written to make you laugh. They may or may not have happened in the order that they are listed. So, why is there a disclaimer? Because I know certain people that read this blog simply looking for dirt. Good luck with that. You won't find any. Go away and worry about your own life. For everyone that's here to read, learn, and laugh...welcome. Feel free to comment.

WAHM Lesson #56 - It's easy to lose and regain perspective.

I've worked in several professional capacities during my adult life. Even when I worked in entry level administrative assistant positions, I rather enjoyed dressing up for work (even if it wasn't a necessity). When I taught, it was a necessity for me to wear business professional clothing. Now that I work from home, my standard attire is essentially jeans and a t-shirt. Awesome, right? Well, it does make laundry easier.

Anyway, there are some days that I'm lucky to get a shower. Days like today, I'll be lucky to get much of anything done that people dream about when they think about working from home. There will be no naps. There are hardly ever any naps. There will be no downtime (unless you count me adding this post). Even my time on Facebook will be business related. I mean...you know, it is what it is. I'm really glad that I work from home because like I've stated I don't know how many times before...it's a very flexible lifestyle.

Yet...last night I was on my very large, covered front porch working. The weather was great. I had on mismatched socks, capri pants, and a black t-shirt. Sure, my hair was brushed...but I hadn't done anything with it. I wasn't working make up. I'm fairly sure that few of my past coworkers would have recognized me. I felt really, really frumpy. Then...one of my neighbors arrived home. He got out of his car dressed quite well...and I felt even worse about my appearance. It's not that I had or even have any desire to please some dude who lives next door. First, I'm very happily married to the world's most awesome dude. Second, my neighbor is not straight. Third, I've never really cared much about trying to make other people happy with my appearance. I've always dressed for me.

Then, I looked down at my laptop screen and realized that it was almost 8 pm. My home smelled like a delicious dinner. My youngest son was laughing and playing in the house. I could hear him through the open window. My husband was laughing at something on TV. And I felt better. That particular neighbor is usually gone for 12+ hours per day...and if he loves what he does, then I'm happy for him. He clearly has to get up earlier than necessary to bother getting dressed. He clearly has clothing that he must have professionally cleaned. If he's okay with doing all that, then that's great for him.

Me? I can save my valuable energy (and when you're a heart patient, all of your energy is valuable) for the things that matter. I don't have to impress anyone with what I wear. My job or my livelihood isn't dependent upon what someone thinks of my external appearance. I don't have to be up at a ridiculous hour (except apparently today) to work. I can work when I want to work. I have the choice of either dressing in my paralegal clothes or I can just wear this and go out with my youngest son and get dirty. I don't have to ask someone to take time off to do something for any of my children. I don't have to ask someone if I can come in late because of an appointment.

So, yeah...last night I lost my perspective for about 10 seconds...but not now.

Oh, and Tumblr....I set up a Tumblr that lists various writing opportunities. I'll still be curating and posting writing gigs here when I have time. Tumblr basically lists stuff that I've found through social media. It's easier to send that to my phone.

WAHM Lesson #3 - Always have a business card on hand.

This disclaimer will be part of every WAHM Lesson. While these are true things that I've experienced as a work at home mom, many are written to make you laugh. They may or may not have happened in the order that they are listed. So, why is there a disclaimer? Because I know certain people that read this blog simply looking for dirt. Good luck with that. You won't find any. Go away and worry about your own life. For everyone that's here to read, learn, and laugh...welcome. Feel free to comment.

WAHM Lesson #3 - Always have a business card on hand.

In my business card case, I usually carry four or five. Today, during the snowpocalypse I decided to stop by Taco Bell near my house. I went through the drive thru and the exchange went something like this:

TB - Hi, how are you today?

Me - I'm fine, thank you. How are you?

TB - There's no place I'd rather be.

Me - You're a fucking liar.

TB - You're right. My window has the north facing wind and snow blowing in when I open it. May I take your order?

Me - I would like two Crunch Wrap Supremes and a medium Mountain Dew.

TB - Okay. That's two Crunch Crap Supremes and a medium Mountain Doodle. (total) You'll pay at the second window.

---at the second window---

TB - I don't say this often, but I love you. I hate most everyone.

Me - That's nice. It's also the natural course of business. There are times when I hate everyone and I'm self employed...well, except I really like the guy that paid me almost $200 to write his paper on fracking.

TB - You write papers?

Me - Yes. I write more than that, but that was a nice, cushy gig.

TB - Are you serious? My wife is finishing her dissertation and it's driving her crazy. Are you able to write and edit highly educated and technical work?

Me - Well, I'd hope so or my last client is really fucked. The paper was for a master's level course. I assure you I'm competent. I have a degree and I am a former college professor.

TB - Holy shit! I think it's my lucky day!

I gave him my last two business cards. He thanked me profusely because apparently his wife is losing her mind over the dissertation.

Moral: always engage with people who engage with you...and always have a business card with you!

WAHM Lesson #2 - Interruptus Maximus

This disclaimer will be part of every WAHM Lesson. While these are true things that I've experienced as a work at home mom, many are written to make you laugh. They may or may not have happened in the order that they are listed. So, why is there a disclaimer? Because I know certain people that read this blog simply looking for dirt. Good luck with that. You won't find any. Go away and worry about your own life. For everyone that's here to read, learn, and laugh...welcome. Feel free to comment.

So, during this last week I was reminded again that working from home isn't about the ability to work without interruptions. It ends up being an attempt to work around interruptions. Usually, we have a pretty good flow on the weeks that the tiny one is home with us. However, this week was totally unusual. We had more than our general share of things that happen when you work from home with children. It's been a week of anytime work has been commenced (or was perceived as being commenced), that shenanigans occurred.

Parents, it's a good thing to pay attention to your children. However, it is not a good thing that you make them the total center of attention 24/7. Otherwise, you will raise a high maintenance person who won't be able to function in society because they will learn life isn't all about them. Well, I really didn't mean for this to turn into a parenting lesson...but that's what it is. Yes, they really are only little once. However, they learn a lot of things when they are little (including manipulation). So, if you want your children to grow up to be more well adjusted then you must teach them self reliance and not try to keep them as a baby forever. That is for any child regardless of their developmental progress. You should encourage your children to the best they can in their abilities and always push for them to learn a little bit more (not in a mean way). Don't limit your children...or they will then start to limit themselves. You become their learning limitation...that voice in their head that tells them they aren't capable.

Anyway, so - the interruptus maximus spirit has invaded House of Punk this week. During the first part of the week it wasn't that big of a deal because it usually straightens itself out as the tiny one realizes he doesn't have to act out to get attention. In fact, he has his on toy laptop to work with me. I call him my personal assistant o'fun. On Wednesday, I learned that it is entirely possible for me to write more than 2k words in an hour. My previous record was around 1800 words. That night I wrote around 2600 words in an hour. I'm really thankful for clients who provide good research.

So, make sure you have a plan...realize that if you work from home and interruptus maximum moves in with you or visits on a weekly basis that you must have a plan to deal with it. This may include, but is not limited to, working when the kids are asleep. Yeah, I said it. You'll actually have to be sleep deprived if you aren't sleep deprived already. The thing to remember is how much you want or need to be able to make an income from home...and that it's more than work - this is a lifestyle.

WAHM Lesson #1 - Never Go Pee Alone

This disclaimer will be part of every WAHM Lesson. While these are true things that I've experienced as a work at home mom, many are written to make you laugh. They may or may not have happened in the order that they are listed. So, why is there a disclaimer? Because I know certain people that read this blog simply looking for dirt. Good luck with that. You won't find any. Go away and worry about your own life. For everyone that's here to read, learn, and laugh...welcome. Feel free to comment.

WAHM Lesson #1 - Never Go Pee Alone

I've been potty trained for 31 years. I've been wiping my own ass since I was six years old...so, 30 years. However, if you have a young child or a precocious child and you're a WAHM...you cannot go pee alone. Now, that doesn't mean your kid has to come in and supervise your tinkle time. It does, however, mean that you need to save your work and possibly make sure that your child is near or otherwise occupied. I mean...unless you like totally reformatting your work because your little helper decided that you work needed some artistic embellishment.

Yep, that's right. The entire ebook that I'm writing for a client was turned to the "Title" style in MS-Word. It's an easy fix...and yes...I laughed (and then told him to go play on the piano).