Home Sweet Home and Work @ Home-with a giveaway!!

***Updated info on our possible home sale: Thanks to all of you who have been praying. Long story short….the builder has had a few inquiries on the property in the past few days. However, the realtor has told them that there is an accepted offer on it. So, as long as the folks inquiring have a home to sell or other contingencies, we are fine. However, if any of them come along with no contingencies, YIKES!!! We would be left with no home to live in. This whole journey has been a trying and exhausting one, but one that has taught us many lessons (I’ll post the whole long story when we are in the new house). Could you please pray that all goes as scheduled? We are hoping to close on both properties back-to-back sometime before I leave for the She Speaks Conference on Wednesday the 18th with my daughter and sister-in-love. Our interest rate lock runs out the 20th and the rates are now half a point or more higher. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

 

**Update from last weeks posts on weight loss: I was blown away by the response from many of you who are determined that you will rid yourself of the idol of food in your life. Please keep checking back to my site. I am exploring the possibility of posting more on this on a regular basis. If you missed the series, scroll back down to get caught up and leave a comment if you too would be interested. And to those of you who have emailed me to share the pounds you have already lost, congrats and keep it up!!! Remember—move more, eat less. You can do it!!! J

Also….many of you have inquired about the status of our home sale. Well, it has been an emotional roller coaster ride over the last 22 months. We thought we had our home sold two other times, but both buyers had homes to sell and their sales fell through leaving us once again with a home sitting on the market in our slow Michigan economy.

This time we have an offer from a buyer who has no home to sell, but we have had to take a rather low offer. We asked our buyers for time to look for a deal since we had to give them a deal. Well, we found a wonderful deal and the papers should all be signed tomorrow. However, it is all contingent upon some inspections and our buyers being granted permission from the county to build a pole barn. And, if our seller (the builder of a spec home that has been sitting on the market for two years) gets another offer from a buyer with no home to sell, our offer can be bumped leaving us with a sold home and no where to live!! (and friends of ours who live across the street from the home we have an accepted bid on saw a couple yesterday looking at the house and overheard them saying they were bidding on it the next day. Now, if they have any contingencies, such as a home to sell, it won’t affect us. However, if they don’t…….oh dear, after all of this waiting, I don’t think my heart can even stand the thought!!!!) Sooooooo….any and all prayers appreciated!!! Not to mention that all of this is happening just as I am getting ready for my last speaking engagement of the year (a high school commencement address this Friday to a Homeschool Performing Arts academy) ………and two new talks to prepare for the Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference ………and getting ready to hopefully move in the next 3-4 weeks. YIKES!!! It stresses me out just thinking about it!

But enough about me…..

profile.jpg  This week I’d like to introduce you to my friend and fellow Proverbs 31 speaker Glynnis Whitwer. Glynnis is on staff with Proverbs 31 as the Senior Editor of the P31 Woman magazine.  She is the author of work@home: A Practical Guide for Women Who Want to Work from Home, and co-author of a Bible studies series entitled Kingdom Living.  Glynnis and her husband Tod run a home-based business (www.roselanecottage.com), have five children and live in Glendale, Arizona.

workhome.jpg    Today we’ll feature an interview with Glynnis and info about her book along with a chance for you to win one of two copies she will give away at the end of this week (so you have plenty of time to leave a comment on this post). Work@home” is a practical and inspirational guide offering help with all aspects of transitioning from the corporate workplace to working from home. Transitioning home requires careful thought, organization and expectations. Glynnis helps readers analyze the true cost of working outside the home, create a budget, define a timeline, find employment at home, and be successful working from home.

If you work from home or have ever toyed with the idea of doing just that, you’ll be encouraged as you enjoy this cyber visit with Glynnis. Or, if you know of someone who is desiring to work at home, send them over to my site this week. Also,be sure to check the end of the post for how to enter to win one of the two  free copies!

So Glynnis, what prompted you to write a book about working from home?

 

About 8 years ago, I was part of a small group at my church with a passion to help women who want to leave the traditional workplace, but didn’t know how to make the transition.  We started a small group, and then held some conferences.  I realized that there were many ministries helping women who were already home, but there wasn’t much for women who want to be home, but didn’t know how to get there.  So that’s when I decided to write a book that could reach a larger audience.

 

How long have you run a home based business and what got you started?

 

My husband and I started www.RoseLaneCottage.com in 2005.   We started it because my husband realized that although he was in top management, there was no security in working for someone else.  Actually, our only security is in God.  But my husband also wanted to spend more time with me and the kids.  I was already working at home for Proverbs 31, but we needed something for him. 

 

Do you have any statistics on just how many women run a business from their home?

 

The National Center for Policy Analysis claims there are 17 million home-based business being run by women.   However, if you include the number of women who tele-commute (work for a company from home), the number probably doubles.

 

What is the biggest challenge you personally face when it comes to working at home?

 

Without a doubt, the distractions are my biggest challenge.  I have five kids, and when they are home, my deep thinking stops.  So I strategize what I need to do while they are at school, and either don’t work when they are home, or only do simple tasks.

 

On the flip side, what has been the biggest blessing that has come from this choice?

 

My husband and I love the flexibility we have.  We schedule our work around our lives, instead of the other way around. 

 

What is your prayer for the readers who pick up your book? What do you hope they glean from reading it?

 

I pray that women who want to be home, will be given hope.  There are too many women who believe it isn’t possible for them to stay home with their children.  And their hearts break each morning when they drop their precious ones off into someone else’s care.  I want them to know that it is possible.

 

Any other tips or bits of advice for someone who might be contemplating whether or not this lifestyle is for them?

 

The most important thing any woman can do is make sure that she is obeying God’s will for her life at any given time.  Just because your best friend is working at home, doesn’t mean you should.  Take some time to pray about your priorities, and consider if you are giving enough time to your top priorities.  If not, then perhaps a change needs to be made.   For more information on how to make the transition from working outside the home to working inside, visit www.transitionhome.org.

 

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Glynnis!!!

 

You are more than welcome!!!!

 

Okay….now here is the way you can be entered into the drawing to win one of 2 copies of Work @ Home that Glynnis will be giving away: Simply leave a comment any day this week and share a tip about how you have successfully balanced your work at home and the other demands on your time such as family time and responsibilities. Or…leave a comment telling why you would like to learn more about making the transition to working at home. Make sure to leave your email address as well. Glynnis will pick the winners and we’ll announce them next Monday.

Happy Home-Working,

Karen

 

 

36 Comments

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  4. I would really be interested in the weight loss encouragement. I have gained 50+ pounds over the last 10 years. I have determined that 2014 is the year to rid myself of the food idol and the laziness of not exercising. 2013 brought a load of stress in almost every area of our life….lost our home to foreclosure, best friend is battling lymphoma, other close friend moved 8 hours away, …and I could go on. Dealing with all the stress I didn’t abandon Bible study however, I didn’t realize how often I turned to food for comfort. Must make life changes.

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  7. Don’t quit your day job at this time. As this kind of income probably won’t let you really terminate your job. You may make enough extra money to pay down your debt, pay some bills, or just a little extra spending cash to go to the movies or pay for gas in the car. You will be wondering exactly why it is you get paid for surveys. It is a good question. The thing is that most companies or businesses need customer feedback. They need to know what people think so they can increase their product to have more appeal and help to make more product sales.

  8. I transitioned home through a series of naturally occurring events that were beyond my control…and were a real blessing.

    I was pregnant with our first child working as a receptionist when the owner of the salon closed and filed for bankruptcy. I was about 6 months pregnant at the time and so we tightened our belt and I came home instead of looking for a temporary job. It was a HUGE challenge making ends meet on one income so abruptly, but the Lord helped us through it. My husband worked a second job at night (closing at a local Burger King) for quite a while, but the Lord took care of us.

    I am so thankful that He has provided for us to be a one-income family and I would like to work from home, but we also homeschool and so I would love to find out more about how women who homeschool also work from home.

    Thanks and many Blessings!
    Marcia

  9. I have been home with my kids since they were babies and feel very blessed to have been able to share that season with them at home. They are now in grade school and I have been working outside the home part time. I would love to work from home so I could have more flexibility with our family schedule and my work schedule. I would like to build a business from home and make it successful.

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