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Wouldn't it be great to start the workday off by getting up early to grab a cup of coffee before the kids are up and grab an hour's worth of work-even if it is only checking email. The next hour will be spent making sure the middle schooler is off to school and the youngest, first grader, will be leaving for the bus thirty minutes later. Once they are all gone for the day, start a load of laundry and back to "work."

Sounds great, doesn't it? It is, this is my daily routine, as I work from home. When I first started working from home, friends and family would joke that I would sit and watch television all day. While I did know the lure of taking a day to just "relax", I found that my days working at home were too busy to live the life that many people imagine.

The true realities of working from home are not punching a clock at 9am and end the day promptly at 5pm with two guaranteed breaks and a lunch in between! Oh no, not at home, my breaks consisted of throwing in a load of laundry or loading the dishwasher. My lunch breaks were just enough time for me to heat up leftovers from the night before or make a sandwich and get right back to work.

By the way, did I forget to mention that I love it and would not return to the corporate world for anything? Yes, it's true! Every choice we make has its pros and cons that are important to evaluate before you make your final decision. Not that the cons should change your mind, but at least you will proceed with caution.

I have been given the priceless gift of the ability to be able to have a career that I love and be there with my children. When they are sick, it is not an inconvenience, neither are days off from school. I have never missed a basketball or football or soccer game! I would not give those opportunities up for anything. I may have to alter my work schedule, but that is another great reality with working from home, my work can be scheduled around my family's needs and activities and not the other way around. I talk to many other moms that would love the opportunity to be able to be readily available every time the school calls that their children are sick instead of having to send a sitter. I am very fortunate.

Anyone can make it work; it takes hard work and persistence to become successful. While your days will be full trying to meet deadlines, you do have the peace of mind knowing that you can schedule work around your family's lives rather than your lives around your work! It is all work it in the end!

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Moll.
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