Have you ever asked her for an increase in cpl A lot

Have you ever asked her for an increase in cpl? A lot [2008-01-24]
of companies pay more than that for an IC. I work as an IC for my second job and make 10 cpl. However, should I ever go FT with them, my rate would decrease because of benefits.

Since you asked... [2008-01-20]
... I like the name Mya, but why would you hang any of those other names on an innocent child? I completely understand wanting to be different. I really do, but when I read your post, I just shook my head. Reminds me of a birth announcement I saw online...someone named their beautiful baby girl Jersey.Life is tough enough....why add to it with a name that canor that makes a teacher look a her class list and ask, Is that a boy or a girl?

Hey, you asked. More important things to think [2008-01-19]
x

Chalkboard / Black paint [2008-11-19]
About 2 months ago I let my 13 yo DD paint her room black, after much procrastinating and internet research. I hired a local painter, 1 coat of primer, 1 coat of paint. He said that painting it black is no harder to cover than if it were burgundy, navy or hunter green, so when she outgrows it will call him to paint over it. The down side is, any little nick or rub and the paint chips plus... YOU CAN SEE EVERY SPOT ON THE WALLS THAT WAS EVER PATCHED OR SANDED OR ANYTHING, IT IS JUST THE NATURE OF BLACK PAINT. The ceiling is white swirl, the carpet is light, the trim is white, the closet doors are white, and there are 2 large widows in the room. My problem, when she asked, was thinking, ok i hate the world and want to live in a cave? Oh we are so not going there! But then I thought about and found an antique dresser with mirror/bench, a lingerie chest, had those painted black too, found a gorgeous bedset on ebay, some sheer curtains white mini-blinds, plus a few other very inexpensive coordinating items at TJ Maxx, everything black and white, and her room is absolutely gorgeous, looks very chic and feminine, and un-cave-like and I am glad that I decided to give it a try and she loves it and all her friends think it is way cool!

I've dealt with 3, but the best/worst of them... [2008-11-16]
...was my neighbor just about 2 years ago. She must have thought I enjoyed having that just rolled outta bed look every morning running my kids off to school and rushing back home for work, the lack of sleep from working 2 jobs and barely leaving the house; ya know, all the PERKS of working at home. Such a glamorous life of leisure I lead making 100K+ a year transcribing inside my mansion with maids and servants cooking and cleaning for me during the day, taking moonlit cruises on my 100 foot yacht every night. Oh yes, look out for me being featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Better Homes & Gardens as I'm just rolling in dough here and have got it made with this life of leisure. NOT. After explaining what an MT is/does, she gave the standard OHHHH! response. She must have absorbed very little from our chat: Typing, paycheck, work at home. She was convinced this was an easy way to make money from home and if I could do it, then she certainly could excel at it. So, disregarding my advice, she took a $700 terminology course at the community college. She bought a Vera Pyle book, foot pedal and headset and was ready to work from home. She even had a job waiting for her after completing the terminology course. The job was being handed to her at 7.5 cpl from her friendthe largest MT company. It was also this same woman advising her she ONLY needed a terminology course. Shame on her! I tried to warn my neighbor, guide her, offer my help to get her started properly, help her through a file if needed, but she never took me up on any of it. My neighbor it really wasn't even a day, I would say it was more like 30 minutes. She heard 1 actual dictation and ran away from the computer. When I asked her how it was going with MT, she told me what happened and gave several excuses: She decided she couldn't sit here all day just typing. She couldn't understand anything the doctor was saying. She didn't have time for it any longer. Her excuses just went on and on. I really felt badly for her seeing as she chose to believe the wrong person's information regarding this field and also the fact that she gave up so easily after spending all that money. For weeks afterwards I would ask her if she was going to try it again or further her MT education to at least have a better chance of succeeding. She now had a better understanding that MT is an actual job and it involves a lot more than just owning a computer and simply typing. Her answer to this day remains no way. When I that too gets the OHHHH! response, but it also sends them a message my job is not easy without having to explain more.

how do you describe MT work... [2008-11-12]
I donbecause it sounds like fun or those who don I can How can I explain this job to them? Most people do not realize that I had to actually complete MT school, which takes 18 months to 2 years+, and that even though I had a doctorate, it did not matter in this field, I still had to do the MT school because I did not have MT experience?? I have one friend in particular, who is a medical assistant and thinks she can just jump right into being an MT and will be great at it because she has experience. However, I had experience as a PA and have a doctorate and STILL learned quite a bit...seriously it just drives me crazy lately when someone says oh, you work from home...can you get my sister a job? She wants to work from home too... or something along those lines. Sorry if I Thanks in advance!

update [2008-03-31]
thank you all for your encouragement and advice. we haven't been going to church regularly lately and i've realized maybe we need it, so i packed the kids up and we went to church (he came too, usually i get up and get the kids ready and tell him an hour before i leave that if he's not ready by then i'm leaving without him -- he sleeps in on weekends, as i said before). so we go to church and guess what the sermon is about... marital disharmony. our pastor listed some things that cause disharmony and one of them was unrealistic expectations. i listed mine as expecting him to be home more often to spend more time with us. he asked if i wanted us to spend more time together, and i said yes. so he convinced his mom to take the girls and then took me out to dinner, and told me he would try to do something with me once a week. another thing the pastor said was not to criticize differences, to embrace them and celebrate them. he didn't make any comments about it but i'm hoping if he paid attention to the expectations part that maybe he paid attention to this too. i've told him before that i can't take constant criticism, it breaks me down and makes me feel worthless. i do realize keeping my mouth shut for the sake of peace and quiet isn't going to get us anywhere. one day it's all going to add up and i'm not going to know what i'm doing here anymore. if he can keep making little steps like he did yesterday, then i can keep setting an example and look forward to his slow maturity. i do have some childhood banks my mom gave me recently, filled with coins -- i'm going to take them in to be counted asap.

looking for insight [2008-01-24]
Hello All, This is my first post here. I have some questions about my current employment situation and was hoping for some insight from others who may have been in my shoes before. Basically, I have been working for a small transcription service for the last 2 years.I came into the field as a way to have a flexible, at-homeschedule for my school aged children and just to earn a little extra cash per month. I donformal MT training or education but because of the bachelorreally love the work, but after 2 years I am only making 7.75 cents per line. Each time I get comfortable with a certain discipline and begin to increase my line count, the employer switches the account I'm on and I'm back to square 1. Also due to the limited availability of the work she has right now, I'm only getting 5-10 hours a week, if that. Sorry to be so long-winded, I suppose I'm just wondering if 7.75 is a fair rate for 2 years experience and if I'm getting the shaft by being switched from 1 discipline to another every few months so that I am never able to increase my production/pay. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions. Thank you.

looking for insight [2008-01-24]
About a year ago, I received a whopping quarter of a cent increase and was basically told not to ask for another rate increase for at least a year unless my production increased to well above the 800 lines per day that my contract states that I'll do. That's been impossible to do because of the lack of work on their system for the last 3-4 months. I guess I struggle with the fact that I really have no MT credentials, just on the job training, but I'm told I do great work. I'm also hampered by the fact that the owner of the company is somewhat of a personal friend. I want to look into other options, but because I'm still relatively new to the field, I don't even know where to begin. Thanks for your response!

I can relate sm [2007-12-21]
There are no easy answers. Toilet training takes a great deal of patience and for some kids, a very great deal of time too. There isnfully trained at 18 months. For one thing, children are not physically capable of holding urine until they are AT LEAST 28 months old. If you don't believe me, see the paragraph above. I have heard that they are not ready to train until they can ride a tricycle, going forward, on their own with some speed. I found this to be true of only one of my now grown kids. Take her out and get her some pretty big girl panties and let HER pick them out. DOn't get the sponge center training pants because they feel like a diaper. You want thin, regular panties because when they wet and the cold air hits their fanny it will shock them. Know that they will get stained and horrid, but it is in the name of progress. Don't make night time dryness an immediate goal. Strive for daytime potty training first and exclusively, diaper at night. Don't make a big deal of this. The child will tell you when they are ready to let that diaper go. Mine did and none of my 3 wore a night diaper much past age 3-1/2. Don't get into a power struggle. Stickers may not be enough. I had a pediatrician tell me to use M&Ms, 2 for a pee, 5 for a poo when my daughter was being stubborn. The advice is NO OTHER TREATS and make her work for the M&Ms or whatever very small sweet treat you use. I thought this was dead wrong, I didn't agree, but I was desperate because she was going to be 3 in less than a month with no progress. I needed M&Ms for only a couple of weeks because she got used to using the potty and got tired of the M&Ms. If you use a little potty seat, a good idea, take the little guard thingy off of it so it looks like a regular tiny toilet. Those guards are treacherous. And um, toss the seatbelt out too, they are just cruel. As for not minding a loaded diaper, some girls are like that. I finally gave up on my girl and let her sit in it until she asked to be changed. During the first week of this nastiness, her godmother came to visit. She walked in the door and had a fit over the smell, traced it to the kid and told her she smelled horrible, disgusting, awful and asked her how she could stand to be that way and furthermore, little girls who pooed their pants didn't go in HER car for Happy Meals. She never would sit in it again and shortly afterwards decided the best way to handle poos is on the potty seat. I am reminded of what I have heard several times. Your child WILL learn, she WILL get out of diapers because no kid wears diapers to school. This is not true, but once they get there someone will laugh and that is the end of the diaper.

There is NOTHING wrong with sm [2007-12-21]
Having daily quiet time in the crib with some toys, whether a child sleeps or not. There is nothing wrong with setting a daily bedtime that is written in stone no matter whether or what time naps took place. It is setting limits, something you are going to be doing until your children are raised. Limits are seldom popular with kids, but they still need them. Whether you are working at home or not, you, as their mom, are entitled to a quiet time of your own each and every day. If you doncharge may come with listening to an adult tell you about what strangers are complaining about today, but it is still a break from your kids and something that feeds you as a person. I can only tell you that mine are grown now. I had rules like 8:30 bedtime until they were 12, and they got to 10:30 by the time they were in high school. It was 10:30 LIGHTS OUT and quiet. They could read or have headphones and music, that was fine, but it was about being quiet so I could sleep as I worked the end of the third shift. After a lifetime of firm rules (although very few rules) and consistent reinforcement of said rules, I got what I asked by the time they were 12 or 13 with little or no grief ever. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. My daughter is studying premed on a 3/4 scholarship, my younger son is in college for a degree in software engineering and my oldest is married. They all excel with keeping a job and are popular with their supervisors because they have a work ethic and oh my, they follow the rules and don't push the limits! Okay, so I am a proud mom.

Thank you so much for the advice... [2007-12-21]
Thanks a lot for all of the useful information. I had asked my pediatrician when I will know she She said I will know when she wakes up dry. I was thinking, well, she Didn Anyway, thanks for your reply.

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.

feeling guilty [2007-10-17]
Dear Feeling Guilty, Stop feeling guilty - you sound like a great mom. I don't have an answer for you, just have some experience. I have a 2-1/2-year-old great niece and 14-month-old great nephew that I watch once or twice a week. They, too, hate it when Mimi works. I think once they get to 2-1/2, they are pretty much set in their wake/sleep patterns. I don't have any advice on the nap thing, but if your daughter is content in her crib for a while in the evening it certainly won't hurt her, as long as she gets enough attention during the day. Have you asked your doctor for any tips? If you are working and taking care of two babies, my hat is off to you - what a heavy load to carry. Stop feeling guilty and give yourself a pat on the back.

I have to tell you both that I've been there. What we did sm [2007-05-27]
was cut my hours to about 15 hours per week so I could dedicate my time between the kids, home, work, and my free time. Is there any way possible you could work a whole lot less so you are not as stressed out? It would do a world of wonders for you, your kids, your mind, etc. You said you don't have time to read - well, as an avid reader and writer, I put my kids in bed no later than 9 and then I clean the kitchen, take a bath or shower and am in bed by 11 - I work from 7-10 so I have to type in between these things. I make sure I read every single night and it does a world of good for both me and my family. But, I couldn't do these things working all day which is why I asked if you could cut down your hours? Is your paycheck vital? A friend of mine sold her huge house for a little one, went down part-time. She has 3 kids and they are thriving now. Good luck to you. email me if you need any help

We buried ours in the backyard, then [2007-05-10]
everytime she asked, we said, remember we buried it or it went bye-bye! After a few days, there was not much more said!

Having a senior moment, please help! [2007-05-07]
Do you call into a docs number via your C-phone and transcribe? or Does doc call into your C-phone and dictate, which would mean I am missing equipment? I have been in transcription for six years now but never had to worry about these things so never asked. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

first year salaries ... [2007-02-13]
Are more in the range of $20k to $25k the first year. There is a good bit of a learning curve to increase your production/pay. HTH!

Actually, I will never allow work to come before my children. [2007-02-01]
I am a mother first and foremost and an employee after the fact. I will not sacrifice my child's well being because an employer refuses to work with me...I will just look elsewhere. No pity party involved. I only asked about what works for others in the same situation.

UPDATE on this...... [2006-10-24]
I am FURIOUS! My mom just called and said I ordered his cake. I asked when was it going to be ready and she said tomorrow - his actual birthday - which I had told her we were planning on something over the weekend. We were not having his birthday party on my son's actual birthday because my husband has to go for outpatient surgery tomorrow for a lymph node biopsy and removal- it is feared that he has lymphoma. So now she is just planning a get together with my son, her and my dad...she is making it all out to be something HUGE in front of my son about HER having this party for him....how wrong is that?!?!?! I am so upset and mad!

I was very pleased (sm) [2006-10-05]
I used CS back in 1999. I still get asked how to get into transcription, and I still refer people to CS. They are very supportive and helpful. I would definitely go with CS based on their reputation for job placement success. Because I believe in their approach, style, course, etc., I even became an affiliate some six years later. I do hope this helps.

And the answers are..... [2006-09-25]
Painted your toenails? Hmm... a long time ago Ate a salad? A couple of weeks ago Went dancing? Hmmm....sad to say about 6 years ago. Boy I miss it!!!! Went to a concert? Saw Rascal Flatts last year. An awesome concert!!! Cried during a movie? The last LMN movie I watched. Shaved you legs? Saturday Sat with a girlfriend and just chatted? Saturday on a band trip with my daughter. Said something you wish you hadn't?? Saturday when I asked someone out and he said no. (Man, I so need a life!!!) Looked through an old family photo album and thought where has the time gone? A couple of months ago with my mom.

I did the same thing! sm [2006-07-28]
My now-19-year-old son could not live without his pacifier. Back in the 1980s, he had a perfectly clear one - handle, nipple, everything was clear. And clear certainly blends in well with the carpet. One night, we could not find that darn bink anywhere, so he had to go to bed without it. He put upa little bit of a fuss, but slept fine. I found it later that night on the floor and just put it in a drawer. When he asked for it the next day, I told him I hadn't been able to find it. End of the binkie! And it was time - he was almost 3!!

My son was fascinated with garbage trucks. Every time the garbage truck *sm* [2006-07-21]
came by our house he would run into the kitchen, push the chair up to the window and stand and watch the garbage truck. Everytime we went to the mall if he was allowed to get a toy, he always wanted a Matchbox garbage truck. He was about two years old whenI told him thatwhen the garbage truck comes we are going to throw that out. The next time the garbage truck came we were waiting outside for it. I asked the guys if we could throw something away and they said sure. So he threw his pacifier in the back of the gargabe truck, watched the scoop come down, make all of its usual noise and I said, all gone. That day for his nap he made a few whiny sounds and I said, it is all gone the garbage truck took it away. He never asked for it since. He is now 23 and working on his Ph. D in psychology. I would like to take credit for his analytical mind because he sure is an analyzer in that somehowhis throwing away the pacifier into the garbage truck had something to do with it. Okay, so now I am remembering when he was 2 and it makes me sad that he is so grown up and I am so old!!

Only my oldest really took to a pacifier....sm [2006-07-18]
my other two took a certain shapeand then not for very long at all. Anyway, my DD loved hers, but would often lose them. At about the age of 2 y/o she had several (as we would often find the lost one after getting new one). Her understanding was pretty good soat this point when I thoughtit needed to gowhen she lost one I just did not replace it until she lost the last one and I just told her I did not know where it was...that it was lost. She asked a couple of times for it and again I would tell her it was lost and I had not found it yet, but that I would keep lookingand that was the end of that. Soon after she didnt ask anymore. She never cried or threw a fit or anything...just kind of gave up on finding it. HTH

So happy for you! Do you have any grandparents nearby? sm [2006-07-16]
I am the grandmother of identical twin girls. Although it was my daughter's first pregnancy, she was terrified. MOM, what are we going to do!!!!? Two of this, two of that. How are we going to afford this? and on, and on and on. I have 4 kids of my own, the youngest just graduating from elementary school. The oldest is the mother of the twins who are now 2-1/2. When those girls were born, everyone's life changed in a heart beat. Everyone got together and got stuff and decided to help out. The acquaintance network turned into the twins network. They have 3 grammies, maternal (me), paternal and step-paternal. We do the grammie shuffle and take turns babysitting. We are all only mid-forties and that helps. :) We all get along and will call and say Grammie one to grammie two, are you ready for home invasion? :) We had friends from all over donating clothes, etc., and still do. We're not too proud for yard sales eitheras they don't always have to match each other. There is no way they need to because they are so totally different and yet so exactly the same. It is the strangest most wonderful experience that we have all ever had in our lives. I still cannot get over it to this day. Sometimes I just sit and watch them for a while and I can't even put it into words. My son and his wife just had a baby boy and it's just too easy with just one, but my daughter (twin's mom) was holding him the other day and asked, What do you think mom, should I do one more? I said, What if you have twins again? and she said, oh well, I've done it before, I can do it again. The good thing is, the twins have kept each other occupied since day one. As long as they are together, they don't need too much. I used to type for hours with the 2 sitting in the playpen passing toys back and forth. Consider yourself doubly blessed and good luck to you. I'd be happy to give you more input if you feel like sharing your email address.

My daughter is 5 and getting ready to start Kindergarten this fall. So there is a light at the [2006-07-15]
end of the tunnel! I anticipate that come September my line count will increase substantially. I know how expensive day care can be even part time, but I did put my daughter in part time day care from about age 3 to 4 and a half. My daughter is very VERY social and it was great to be able to take her to play with other kids three days a week, but it was still $75 per week. When she turned five I took her out of day care because I started fixating on the fact that my time with her was limited because she was going to be starting school soon. She's my last baby! So to keep her busy home with me I have a lot of art supplies and I have set her up with her own desk in my office. There is also the family PC in the office that is loaded with educational games (and a couple of barbie games). So if she gets board with coloring or painting, she can turn on the PC and play some games. I know there are super mom's out there that will chastise me for saying this, but I also have a large movie collection just for my daughter. I know, I know, I shouldn't let the TV babysit my kid, but those movies come in handy for that hour or two after lunch when she's getting a little sleepy, but thinks she's too big for a nap and many a time my little one has fallen asleep watching her favorite show giving mommy a couple of very wonderful, quiet, and productive hours. And finally, I have shown my daughter my line counts to help her learn her numbers and I have told her that if she helps mommy get her line count above say 1-2-0-0, then she gets a special treat that day. It really works too. She likes me to check my line count periodically throughout the day and if I'm not at my desk or talking on my phone she says get back to work mommy! That's just some of the things I do.