Work at home job listings for 2/8/2010

There have been days when I’ve almost run out and rented an office.

I know, I know. How on earth could I ever consider giving up working at home?

Well, I did say, “almost”. But there are days when an office looks pretty darn good.

Because I work from my home, there are distractions and demands placed on me that just didn’t exist when I worked outside of the home.

There’s one day in particular that comes to mind. I was trying to work on a programming project that required my concentration. Of course, the kids were home from school and it seemed like every 5 minutes one of them needed me for one reason or another.

““Can I have another snack?”
“Watch me, Mommy!”
“But I’m DYING of thirst!”

You know what I mean.

I began to wonder how it would be for my husband to have to deal with these types of demands while trying to do his job.

So, I started fantasizing about his workday:

Not only is this not my husband or children, it’s a power company truck. But, you get the idea. The guy was probably fired right after this picture was taken.

He works for the local phone company and drives one of those big trucks with the bucket that lifts him up to the tops of the telephone poles. I envisioned him up there in his bucket, needing to concentrate on which wire goes where while not cutting the wrong one- with the kids up in there with him.

“What’s that, Daddy?”
“Can I have a snack?”
“I have to go to the bathroom.”

So then, I thought about when I used to work in an office. I imagined being at my desk, interviewing someone, when in walks my daughter, “Mommy, will you play a game with me?”

A stage whisper conversation ensues:

“Honey, I can’t play right now. I’m in the middle of an interview.”
“But you said you’d play a game with me, and that was like 50 HOURS AGO”
“I’ll play a game with you, but you need to wait patiently until I finish.”
“You NEVER want to play a game with me!”

At this point, I’m smiling at my interviewee through gritted teeth while I give my daughter THE LOOK.

What if I was a doctor? A surgeon?

“DON’T TOUCH THAT!”
“Mommy, would something bad happen if I accidentally dropped my gum in there?”

Suddenly, my reverie was broken my 5-year-old loudly complaining, “Mommy, Lauren burped and she won’t say ‘excuse me’!”

Ah well, I’ll just have to do that programming project some other time.

I guess the things that are most rewarding about working at home can at times be the most annoying.

Tags: Family, personal, work at home challenges