2 and 4, and it hasn't gotten any easier

2 and 4, and it hasn't gotten any easier [2008-01-28]
And I hear you about that sleeping in part. The youngest one has to wake up between 6:15-6:30 NO MATTER WHAT! Yeah, he'll be cranky and crying, but there's no getting him back to sleep before his 10:30 naptime. And the 4-year-old won't take any naps and won't go to sleep at night for anything. In fact, I'm not really sure when I AM getting my work done. Maybe it was that laptop I had set up in the bathroom right next to the toilet...

Often the 2nd, 3rd kids train earlier, easier than the 1st.sm [2008-01-06]
They see the other older kid(s) using the bathroom and they want to be like the big kids, so they take to training earlier and easier. My bro's kids, the first one was 2-1/2, the second one barely 2, and the third was only 1-1/2 and practically trained herself. There is hope!

My son, now 16 but hasn't slowed him down sm [2007-06-05]
in the pranks department, loves to put a rubber band around the nozzel on the spray hose at the kitchen sink. Turn on the water and get your belly soaked.

Easier said than done my dear..... [2007-01-30]
...do you have little ones at home.

During the summer I work early a.m. for the majority of my lines usually 4-9 a.m. [2008-04-02]
If I have not hit my line count, I typically pick up the rest at night after the kids are in bed. We do the day camp, summer activities and classes, swim lessons, etc., but I could never get into a good rhythm in the short periods between getting everyone ready to go and playing chauffeur all day long. It really is easier for me to split my shift and work when there are not other things going on.

Did not work for my 2-year-old... [2008-01-31]
He just gets himself all worked up and throws up all night long if we are not careful. We have gone through a few nights with no blankets as they were either being washed or waiting to be washed. our 1-year-old hasn't done this yet, but he doesn't have the tummy issues the older one has.

Some ideas [2008-01-23]
These might work for you. I went to college and had three children and a full-time job (transcription). My employer let me work at home too and on a flex schedule, just had to get the work done and I aimed for weekends, but you may want to work pm - that works too. I had to be at the hospital at set times too, 6:00 - 3:30 three days a week for clinical and then two days a week at school all day long from 7:00 to about 4:00. I had my mom (thank God for moms) pick up my kids from school (they were a little older than yours). I picked them up from her house after I got out of school, about 4:30. I went home and then fed everyone, then baths were early and some homework and everyone had to go to bed early. Like at 7:00. They could leave the lights on and play with a toy or talk for a half-hour and then they had a half-hour of reading time - quietly after that and they mostly always fell asleep that way. I then had a few hours to do my homework (nursing school has lots of it) and clean up the kitchen, maybe type for an hour or two. I went to bed early as possible and listened to recorded lectures until I fell asleep. I got up every morning at 4:00 a.m. for four years. Even on the weekends. I listened to recorded lectures at those times and cleaned the house, made lunches, and did the laundry. It is peaceful at 4:00 a.m. and things you study are best remembered if you study for some reason. On weekends, I made up enough dinners for the rest of the week and froze them, typed reports for work (cramming 40 hours worth in is not easy. I did it with a little bit done during the week on lighter days, but for three hours without fail on Saturdays I went to the library to work on school stuff alone - my mom again! It helps to listen to lectures (recorded) while you drive and while you get ready in the mornings. I had a study group too (three of us) and that helped a lot. We divided up all the material we had learned before exam days and exchanged our notes and study materials in that way. I was married, but my husband was gone on business five days a week, so he was no help. Just get a pattern going and stick with it no matter what (except illness). It is easier to clean in the morning when kids are asleep. Get rid of all the extra toys and knick-knacks - you won't have to dust them or put them away if they aren't there. Make sure you have a freezer and a dishwasher because they are your best friends. If you can't fix dinner, eat out or get takeout, but be sure it does not become your only source of food. Plan ahead and you won't have to do that often. Sometimes I cheated and took all the clothes to the laundromat because you can do it all at once (like in two hours) in case that has fallen behind. Sometimes I thought I would lose it, but I didn't. I survived and graduated, did not get fired from my job and my kids are all okay. Take vitamins. Learn to like coffee! I never drank it until then. Good luck. You can do it!

That's my suggestion as well [2008-01-09]
Perhaps starting part time at a doctor's office or small clinic, as they are easier/quicker to learn and build speed. That'll build up your confidence as well. Don't give up! You can do it! Decades ago I learned on the job in the office with lots of help, and it was a solid year of full time work before I felt like I was contributing something to the department. I'm glad you got your old job back to get you through the rough patch. I also hope you keep your dream alive.

Often the 2nd, 3rd kids train earlier, easier than the 1st.sm [2008-01-06]
They see the other older kid(s) using the bathroom and they want to be like the big kids, so they take to training earlier and easier. My bro's kids, the first one was 2-1/2, the second one barely 2, and the third was only 1-1/2 and practically trained herself. There is hope!

Don't hold your breath... [2007-12-31]
Transcription companies and hospitals are increasing production rates and/or decreasing CPL, which means you have to work even longer hours to earn the same pay as before. The work itself does get easier after a few years, but it never gets to where you are not having to stop frequently to look up a new drug or rewind the dictation over and over to determine what some ESL doctor or a sloppy native speaker is saying. What we need is a Norma Jean of medical transcription or some federal labor laws regarding home employment. At first they were happy to save money by having us work at home. Now they are taking advantage of the fact that so many people want to work at home and the trend is towards paying us the equivalent of minimum wage. Some of you may be willing to do it, but I'm not.

Good luck training the 10-month old when [2007-12-24]
that time comes. My kids are 14 months apart and I just potty trained the first one when the second one started walking. The older one decided since the younger was walking and still in diapers, she could go back to diapers too. So I ended up potty training the first one all over again at the same time I was potty training the younger. Because the older reverted back to refusing to use the potty chair, I started potty training the younger one at a year old. Took about 1 month. Thank goodness too! The younger one was so much easier since she had already seen big sis using the potty chair and kinda knew what it was about.

making money with kids home [2007-11-21]
I guess I was lucky. I was the head transcriptions/supervisor at a imaging/hospital, after having two back to back prgancnies (two months after giving birth) high risk and on disability, I lost my position. I was asked to work from home. My boys are very good and well behaved. They just grew up knowing that when I was at the computer, I was working and they were to be quiet and only interrupt me when necessary. I would put them next to me on the floor in my room and they would play. The key is to work shifts two hours at a time, throughout the day, so they got used to it. I would work in the morning, stop to get them set up with breakfast (about 1/2 hour), then work til lunch, and so on and so on. I was lucky my hospital allowed me to do so. I made anywhere between 200/300 hundrend a week. It is possible, you just need to train you children to respect your work. My 5 year old started school and my 4 year old is home with me now. It gets easier. I do find it difficult to do evenings though, the boys except more from me between 4 and bedtime. You should try working the times that you know you kids need you the least, or while they are in school. Good luck.

Thanks for the suggestion! [2007-11-16]
I will definitely try out the free trial. I use macros in Word quite a bit, so I wasn I have thought about asking for Instant Text as a Christmas present, but that just doesn't seem like much fun (and also would be an expensive gift), but it might be worth it if it makes my life a lot easier! Thanks again for the suggestion. I'm going to check out the website right now!

I'm 40 and exhausted (sm) [2007-10-24]
I have 9-1/2 year old identical twin boys. I guess where I am in my life (finally can say Ahh, its easier). My own experience of babies was stress, stress, and more stress, oh, and fatigue! Thanks for responding. I'm hoping she didnt take offense.

I Don't Blame You [2007-10-24]
I'd be exhausted to with twins, although now I suspect it's a lot easier since they aren't babies. I also have a 13 year old who is so helpful, she's like my built-in babysitter. My 4 year old keeps my husband and I young. My husand joked when he found out I was pregnant that he wouldn't be able to play with the baby when he/she got older because he'd be in a wheelchair. LOL.

Working at home with kids [2007-10-12]
I have been an MT for about 20 years. I started when my youngest was about a year old. My husband used to work evenings, and basically was not much help because he worked a lot of OT. When I look back, I don nothing is perfect, but this has been very good to me. Hang in there, it will get better!

I've been trying to figure that out too... [2007-10-11]
I guess this is a kind of an old post, but hopefully you I work as an IC for a smallMTSO making 8 cents per 65-character line, and I really like the company, but I really need to make more money. I am doing some work for a local counselor and am charging her 10 cents per 65-character line. I would really like to make 12 cents per line as well, but 10 cents for psych reports is actually paying pretty well. I got a call from a local nurse practitioner Her office manager said she paid the last lady 8 cents per line, but I From my own rough estimate, 8 cents per gross line is equal to about 12 to 13 cents per 65-character line for the clinic reports that I I think they are calling me next week, so I will let you know what happens. I guess they are very unhappy with their current Transcriptionist - she is backed up to June, and she has a 7-day turnaround time that she can I could definitely make their lives waaaay easier if they are willing to pay me a fair amount. Iknow I'm worth it! Anyway, I think you need to take a lot of things into account, i.e., do you have to use your own paper and ink, do you have to drive far to pick up tapes every day or every other day, what kind of turnaround time do they want? I would be willing to charge a little less if I didn I would say just make sure you have a great resume that emphasizes professionalism and skill, and prove to them you are definitelyworth a decent wage! The docs also need to realize thatif you are an IC they do not have to pay taxes on you, so that also saves them money. Imake sure to give them a copy of my IndependentContractorI am legal.I hope some other people reply because I would really like to see what people with a lot of experience have to say about this. Sorry for the extremely long reply btw!

No you are not alone... - [2007-09-14]
I have a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old at home. The 5-year-old just started kindergarten, but before this year, they were home with me when I was working. I too had a hard time getting in my lines.. The job I was working at wanted me to guaranty 4000 lines a week, what a joke. I could barely do 3000. Some tips I learned from this board are to make sure you are using an Expander and using it to its full ability. Even if it seems silly to save a couple of letters in a word, this adds up and you can be a ton more productive during the time that you are able to type. Also let go of the guilt. The kids will remember the times you did spend with them, not the times you did not. They will remember that Mom worked at home so she could be with us... Something that also helped me is to make a schedule - actually write it down. I know it is kinda hard with the little one, but at least you can use it as a guide. Let the kids know a little while before you have to start working that Mamma is going to have to go to work in 15 minutes for a while. Try only working an hour at at time and put a timer on so that the little ones know when the timer goes off it is time to have mommy time.. Know too that this too shall pass... The older they get the easier it will be. As the younger one gets older, she will play more with the older one and that will help you to have a little longer work times on your schedule. Do make sure to take a break for just you once in a while (even if it is to just take a shower) because you do not want to burn out either.. In the meantime, prayers are there for you if you want them. Hugs sue-ellen

It can be done [2007-09-01]
I have a four year old at home who'll be going to preschool every morning starting Wednesday, so it'll be a little easier for me. Last year she went two full days so that was even better. What I did and still do is I work in the morning then I take a break for about 2 hours then work a little bit in the afternoon and then I work late at night and into the early morning hours (From about 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., I also have another part-time job). I've been doing it for so long it's second nature. Also, I should say that I have a 13 year old at home who's very helpful in watching her sister while I work.

Not long enough sm [2007-08-24]
With my first son, I worked in-house and got a standard 6 weeks with pay. It was awful going back and I couldn't pump well, so going back also sabotaged breastfeeding for me. With #2, I was a Medquist statutory worker. They would have let me take off up to 3 months, but we needed the money and I went back to work after 1 week. My son was high-needs and it was really hard, but I did it. With #3, I again was working at home. Since she was born at home, I took off only the day of her birth and then did a little transcription the very next day. She was an easier baby so this was possible.

Wow! [2007-08-24]
Wow !!! Awesome! I think I'd get bored too just sitting around with the baby sleeping...the only problem is pain....but hey! When ya work from home it really is easier to slip back into working when you can! I think it's different for each person! Good job! Jan

A 5-YO is a piece of cake to homeschool. I have homeschooled for [2007-08-08]
going on 9 years and I have worked full-time+. It takes some planning. I get up early, I stay up late, I work some weekends occasionally. Some days it doesn I know lots of people who work FT, some outside the home, and also homeschool. It is just a trial and error thing, working it all out, but the younger they are the easier it is. The housing market is bust right now. DH either needs to get a part-time job or he needs to help with the schooling so you can work and still have time to spend with your family.

Thank you.... [2007-05-27]
I may look into that book, the only problem is I doncouple time between his schedule and the kids and their activities...soccer, T-ball, horse riding lessons, etc. When it is just us, we are just so relaxed from not dealing with kids that all we want to do is just sit at home...crazy, huh? Thanks for just lending an ear if nothing else. I don't get out a lot to have really close friends so I don't have anyone to talk to who really understands what it's like to work at home with kids. Hubby's parents live about three hours away and mine live about 30 minutes away. His mom and dad will come get the kids from time-to-time for a few days, but it's few and far between. My mom and dad don't have a lot to do with my kids as mom says they get on her nerves....could this be inherited???? Anyway, thanks for the suggestions.

Does your new baby use a pacifier too? [2007-05-15]
If so, then it would be easy to say to give it to the little babies because she could physically see that her sibling has a pacifier and make it easier to understand...

Career Step from what I hear is another great online school as well... [2007-05-07]
I also agree with the other poster about babies sleeping so much the first few months that you could definitely get some studying done then, too, but remember to take care of yourself as well and try to fit in some rest. As you know, having a baby can really take a toll on the ole' body! I also found working around a baby's schedule was much easier than working around a preschooler which I am currently doing at the moment, thank God for preschool and naps! LOL! On another note, I went to a community college to become medical Transcriptionist (have been doing this for about 15 years now), this was before they had such great online schools, but I have heard Career Step is right up there with the others you mentioned. Just research to find a good fit. Good luck!

=) [2007-04-09]
Why hello =) I love being a mom, greatest thing in the world. And being a mother to an autistic child...even better ; ) NOW, don't get me wrong there are the struggles and all that good stuff. But he has taught me patience like nobodys business lol. He has taught me a lot actually. He hasn't talked up until now, he's starting to use his words and it's been soo exciting. He goes to school but his class gets done at 2 and he rides his little bus home. As soon as i could i enrolled him in ECSE and he went to school there, also summer school. I've taken him to every doctor i could as well. It's nice to have a break now that he's in school (i've left him twice for 24 hours in 2 years!!) haha i have a hard time trusting others with him. Well, i'm so glad to have met you now and i will definetly keep your e-mail addy. It's nice to have someone to talk to once in awhile about things.

Working with 2.... [2007-01-29]
Hi, It is a little tricky with two. When my second one, who is a year now, was born, it was easy the first 3 months. He slept most of the day. As soon as he started becoming more active it was definitely harder. I would put him in the packnplay or I would work when he took his nap. Although my first is almost 4 he can entertain himself, but your situation is a little different. I thinking having a 16-17 month old and a newborn will be a little harder. They may sleep at the same time so you could always work then. I just try to work when my husband gets home until like 11 or midnight. I have heard that it is easier to have two children closer together in age. Some parents will wait and space their children out in age, but I have heard it is harder. Before you know it, they will both be in school! I cannot believe my first is already almost 4!

Thanks...sm [2007-01-29]
Well I am lucky in that the 1 year old does entertain herself most of the time. She is really good about playing within view of me and being happy... I know that a lot of little ones won As long as I stop every once in a while and chat with her she is happy. Also I will always stop if she insists she needs me. I Two in diapers doesn DD will be 19 months when the new one arrives, so I've decided to wait for potty training until after the new one is here a month or two so she doesn't have to deal with so much change at once.

Gone Nuts [2006-12-14]
Anyone else start going crazy from staying in the house so much? I do! With kids, it makes it even more difficult to find time away. We are on a tight budget, pay check to pay check, which makes it difficult to go out and spend 40 bucks on dinner....Summertime is much easier - any ideas for these deary, boring, winter months before I lose my mind!