All About Me

It seems strange to write a page all about me. I've never thought of myself as very interesting, but here it goes.

My name is Cheryl. I am married with three children, two cats, one dog and living in the Poconos Mountain of Pennsylvania. I am originally from New York City, so I find it humorous that I now live in a "village". Needless to say, this is a different world.

One thing you probably want to know about me is why I made this website. What's my motive?

Well, I started this website as a way to help other homeschoolers and others that want to stay home with their children. The jobs are available. The opportunities are available. But the average person doesn't know where to look for them or how to create an income from home. I hope that my website will help others to join me on this journey to self-sufficiency.

One thing about me is that I don't like to be bored. I've found working from home and homeschooling to be an on-going and interesting journey.

I would really appreciate if you'd share any success stories, home business information that I have neglected to include or unusual professions that might help others. Although it's my site, this isn't all about me. It's about helping as many people as possible to have success in their lives.

Welcome Aboard!

In my working career I have worked in the past as a secretary, administrative assistant, transcriptionist (medical, financial and general) word processor, tutor, virtual assistant, and network marketer.

I earn money from home doing transcription work, research projects and just about anything that doesn’t involve telephone work. I used to do appointment setting, but Michael is too busy and loud for me to sound like a professional anymore. Maybe in a couple of years it’ll be safe to do phone work again.

I also am involved in the network marketing industry. I supply people with nutritional supplements, weight loss products and foods.

In a perfect world, I try to get up by 6 a.m. so that I have two hours or so to get some work done before the children get up. Mostly I end up working at night once the children (especially Michael) are asleep.

I come from a family of teachers, and teaching just seems to be genetic. I was always the resident tutor for the neighborhood kids and enjoyed the teaching/learning process. By the time I was in high school I pretty much decided that if I ever had children that I’d run away to the woods and teach them myself. Why waste all that time sitting in classes when we could be out having fun?

My children have never been to a brick and mortar school. To be honest, I started buying educational software, books and other things long before my eldest daughter was even conceived! I knew that I wanted my children to have the best education and I felt that I was the most qualified to provide this. I mean, who else knows their learning styles better than someone who is with them every day?

Speaking of my family, here we are:

I am homeschooling/cyber-schooling my two daughters, ages 9 and 6. My two year old is definitely in the mix, but I don’t consider his antics part of the homeschooling curriculum. He does his “homework” by drawing on his sister’s schoolwork and watching things like the Electric Company and the Leap Frog DVDs (The Letter Factory, The Word Factory, The Storybook Factory, etc.)

Although I’m cyber schooling right now, I hope to return to traditional homeschooling in the future. Cyber-school is allowing my daughters opportunities to participate in programs that I wouldn’t be able to afford right now (my husband’s job is precarious at best …) such as art classes, dance classes, etc. So, yeah I got suckered in by the perks. :) But I have chosen a school that I can manipulate what’s being taught without being stuck solely on their educational offerings. I teach her the information that she needs to submit to her teachers for grading and then we do things that interest us as well.

Besides working and educating our kids we’re currently trying to raise additional funds for Alex’s Lemonade Stand. I am also an ambassador for Medic Alert, so we go to doctor’s offices and drop off the brochures for their non-profit organization. This is something that my kids help me with and enjoy doing. It also gives me the opportunity to teach them how to conduct themselves in professional offices, give a brief presentation and learn the importance of clear communication.

With so much going on within these walls, sometimes it’s easy to get a bit stir crazy. So, I associate with other homeschoolers or WAHM (work-at-home-moms) to keep myself in check. I also associate with a small group of businesswomen and we mastermind together solutions for our various business questions. I really like The Homeschooling Lounge and Café Mom for Mommy to Mommy time. And of course my husband is a big factor in keeping my sanity. He’s a great listener and since he’s home during the week he gets to share the “madness” with me.

In my spare time I enjoy crocheting, needlepoint, cross-stitch, knitting and things like that. I also enjoy reading and spending time with my husband. I used to like cooking, but I live in the house of Picky People, so I don’t get much of a chance for culinary exploration anymore. Sleeping is also nice, but I’m not sure if that would count as a hobby.

As with homeschooling, to work from home you need to have confidence in yourself. People won’t understand what you do from home. Many won’t want to believe that it is possible to teach your kids, run your household and run a business.

But you can do it! And love it! And reap the benefits of all three, not just for your kids but for yourself. Because the bottom line is, nobody’s perfect so regardless of what you do there will always be something for someone to complain about.

As Napoleon Hill said, “Whatever your mind can conceive you can achieve!” so let’s get started.

More About Me and My Business