Work-at-Home Challenges: Travel, Caregiving and Making Time for Personal Projects

This past year has given me a renewed appreciation for being able to earn a living from my home-based business. Not only am I the mother of 4 children under the age of 10 (one with a chronic health condition), my 74 year old father was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. My mother is also suffering from a variety of health related issues. He and my mother live in another state which has of course requires travel on my end to be there for both parents as my father fights this devastating disease. My husband and I hope to relocate to my hometown as quickly as possible, but it won’t be soon enough since we have so many things to get in order first, insha’Allah.

Of course our situation is hardly unique. More and more families face the challenge of balancing a need to earn a livable income that covers basic living expenses with caring for children and/or aging parents. For me working from home makes dealing with the unexpected so much easier.  I’ve carted along my trusty laptop and relied on the sometimes unreliable hospital WiFi to check email and correspond with clients. Alhamdulillah for laptops, free WiFi and cell phones…

A few months ago I mentioned that I was working on a work-at-home guide. My responsibilities to my parents initially put that project on hold, but I hope to have it completed and available by January 2011. If you have questions or ideas of specific topics you’d like to see covered, feel free to contact me on Twitter (@WorkingMuslimah) or email me: contact@muslimahsworkingathome.com. Insha’Allah I’ll provide a truly useful guide that can help someone ready to take steps toward financial independence.

photo credit: PlayfulLibrarian