Chronicles:Are Work From Home Jobs American Outsourcing?

Okay, I give in. I'm a Christian woman who believes wholeheartedly in the biblical structure of the family. But...the western structure is a bit precarious in this country right now. Let's face it, two incomes are necessary to make it in this economy. Western society dictates June and Ward, but the Bible is full of love stories with women who work. Albeit there are some strange familial connections that would be straight out of a scene in deliverance in today's society. Rachel was Jacob's first love and first cousin. Ruth had been married to Boaz's distant cousin. Rebekkah was related to Isaac. David married his mistress after killing her husband in battle. Each of these men also had other wives. It's a love story, yes, but it's full of more scandal than any primetime TV show. This is often glossed over in church circles, but modern Christians also overlook that these women worked. They had jobs: Rachel was a shephardess, Ruth gleaned the harvest, Rebekkah was volunteering when she met Isaac's servant, Deborah was a judge. While the Bible doesn't specifically mention other matriarch's jobs, it does vilify Rahab, who was a prostitute, and Jezebel, who was doing her husband's job without any regard for his people's beliefs and customs, which was a problem since he was the king. Perhaps that's where the idea of having women stay home and out of the workplace gets its teeth. But, the Bible is not shy in relaying the notion that women don't have to do this.

It becomes crystal clear in Proverbs 31. I read it without any preconceived ideas or other's perceptions of it and realized she's a boss. This woman is the ultimate in feminism. She's got all kinds of businesses she's running and she holds it down at home with her husband and her children. I don't think she sleeps because she literally can't and the scripture actually says..."She rises while it is still night..." She is phenomenal in making it happen. Geesh, I kind of envy her. If I could pull that off...wow!

So, in attempting to help out with finances and still fulfill my role as mom and wife in a more practical way I've been filling out work from home applications. Yes, there are legitimate work from home jobs all over the place. You have to be savvy and know not to give anyone your own money to do work for them. But, real opportunities are out there. The problem is some of them actually pay pennies to do the work. Some jobs are actually paying folks $.01 to complete a task. The internet means you can hire people from all over the globe to do anything anywhere. And, current tax law says that if you hire them as "independent contractors" you don't have to worry about payroll taxes. So, work from home companies do it. I think this is American outsourcing. Some of these companies are paying much less than minimum wage, not paying payroll taxes, and not having to pay any overhead for facility maintenance, as they require the worker to have the equipment in their own home before they're even hired. It's a corporation's dream come true. And, I think it works well for some. My own experience was to over-think the tasks. I tried several of these jobs and ended up making like $6 after two hours of work. Maybe I'm not in touch with the pulse of America, or maybe I'm too work conscious. At any rate, I think teaching my daughter to take her first steps or say her first words, or listening to my sons read a chapter of the book they checked out at the library is worth that six dollars. I do that instead.

This doesn't mean I've stopped my diligent search for an online opportunity that will work for us. My husband's work schedule is flexible and I am good at a lot of things. Still, I've submitted about 15 applications and none of them have been accepted for actual guaranteed income, a traditional 20 - 40 hour / week job with benefits. I hold an advanced degree and have 14 years of work experience under my belt, but I get no takers. It's fascinating really. Meanwhile, we pinch pennies. That's no problem. My husband and I are both discount scavengers, always looking for a frugal way to enjoy life. But, it sure would be nice to at least get a call saying, "We're interested in hiring you." If not for the sake of actual monetary gain, then for the benefit of my self-esteem.

Chronicles: Stay Home, Homeschool...is the RV next?

Full Time RV Living...To Be Or Not To Be

Last week our family took a trip to the Rio Vista park for some sun and fun, but along the way we stopped at Camping World to check out the RV's they had for sale. Why you ask? We have discussed RVing since, like, forever. One of the most precious times we share as a couple are on the road, as strange as it may sound. In fact, we usually make up from awful fights on the road. To tell the truth, we've dreamed about
exploring America since we tied the knot. It was our wanderlust that brought us together in the first place. We once traveled from Arizona to Indiana with our kids for two days, only stopping for gas and a sleep break and loved every minute of it. So, when we saw the RV lot on the way to the park we said, "Why not:?".

The RV Lure
Now, I had done a little research so I knew that there are different types and sizes and purposes for RV's. I knew there were Class A's, Class B's and Class C's to choose from. I didn't even bother looking at the trailers or fifth wheels because I just knew we wanted an RV, flat out. To someone who actually knows about RV living that statement would probably be funny. We got out and were greeted by a salesperson, but with so little to go on and just dreaming, we let him know we were only looking and would ask for his help if we needed it. It made me wonder just how many sales RV dealers make and how many young families come to buy an RV. It seems like such an untouchable

dream at this point in our lives.

Climb Aboard an RV!
At any rate we got an education.We climbed aboard large monstrosities that we couldn't imagine putting on anyone's road anywhere. We explored smaller beauties that didn't seem fascinating enough to spend months in them cooking, riding, sleeping...living. We ignored the fifth wheels until my boys, as curious as ever,
couldn't help themselves. This was at the end of our journey so I was sad at the outcome. I loved it! This particular fifth wheel had what I have come to know now is a bunkhouse and a bedroom. There was a super fancy kitchen, inside and out. And, the sitting area was beautiful. I thought, whoa, wait a minute, a fifth wheel just might be the ticket. I wished we had spent some time exploring these for the duration of our visit. We stayed for a short while and then continued on to the park, but an RV living seed was planted, for sure.

RV Web Research
Well, since that day I've been researching and learning more and more about RV's. What I've found is that there's a whole community of people out there who live in their RV's, not for months at a time, but indefinitely! They've sold all their possessions and traded in the fast-paced life for life in 400 square feet on the road. Some have parked in one spot permanently while others keep moving all over. There are conventions and resources and job boards specifically for travelers. These kind-hearted people publish their budgets and lifestyle blogs to inform people like me who have no clue. It's amazing that there are so many who have chosen to live this way out of pure sense of adventure. And what's more intriguing is that there is a great deal of lifestyle diversity. For some they dropped out of the hustle and bustle for financial purposes. For others it was all about simplifying life.  Perhaps I saw no evidence of ethnic / racial diversity, but definitely full time RV'ers come from many different walks of life.

RV Roadschooling
Then, looking into it further, there are even roadschooler blogs! Families who live on the road obviously have to homeschool their children. They have provided all sorts of awesome tips and ideas for each other to support this life. That's fascinating. It makes sense because homeschooling families definitely have to find ways to pinch pennies most of the time. Living on the road offers a flexibility in budgeting that no other lifestyle I've come across offers. Food and fuel can be huge expenses, but even that can be modified to fit the lifestyle. And, what a terrific education. Talk about hands-on experiences and ample teaching moments!

Of course, it's a fascinating concept that I have no experience with and in fact, never even considered until I read some of those blog posts. Full time RVers seem so happy with their decisions. Yet, there are some stories of families packing it in and trying something different due to disillusionment. I suppose this would only be a welcome adventure if you're completely for it and have no reservations at all. If you feel forced into it by way of interference from an outside source it would not be a happy time. I suppose it's different strokes, but if our family had a chance to just try it out for a while I'd probably jump at the opportunity. When thinking about selling everything and going for it...well, I'm bold and courageous, but I don't know if that's what I really want, or what's best for our family at this point in our lives. We will keep praying and thinking...

Chronicles: Girl Scout Cookies - To Buy or Not To Buy

Oh, how I love a box of Thin Mints.No, seriously. Over the course of a month or so, I can eat an entire box of them. I hide them so no one else beats me to it because they are just that delectable. So, with all the controversy it was tough to decide whether or not to buy any this year.

What controversy? There's this hubbub, and this too, also here. There was even a rumor a few years back that all the proceeds went to the CEO and made her a kajillionaire. This, of course is not true. If you navigate to their website you will see that most if not all of the proceeds from sales go to local Girl Scout troops to go towards projects and activities. Still, with so many up in arms about the Girl Scouts I must admit that when I see them selling outside my local grocery store I am wary of buying simply because I don't want to fund anything negative that may directly effect the character development of a young girl.

But then I recall my own Girl Scout days. "Make new friends, keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold!" What a time I had. I developed good friendships and had quite an experience selling cookies myself. My mom was even a troop leader one year. How fun to have all the girls from my troop come to our house all the time to meet and plan and discuss. Being a Girl Scout was a really good experience that I probably wouldn't have received anywhere else in any other capacity at that time in my life. I won a cookie selling competition that year. I don't really recall what the prize was, but I do remember selling (or my mom selling) like a bajillion boxes of cookies and loving the excitement around that. We also planned and executed a slumber party, the first one of many I would have. All this means that Girl Scouts is a beneficial entity for so many reasons.

I know that it's strange for the adults who are running the corporate headquarters of the organization to make some decisions that could adversely interfere with what the local girls are doing, but by and large, it's nonsense to boycott cookies that young girls are selling to learn priceless lessons about business, skill development, and character development. Some troops are in the most precarious places where the young ladies will need all the support they can get to be empowered to lead positive lives. No, we should not boycott Girl Scout cookies anymore than we would boycott Oreos or Chips Ahoy. No, because in the end what is gained is priceless.

Chronicles: Animals and Folktales

My son, who would be in 3rd grade were he in public school, recently rose to the occasion of writing a folktale in an African style by trying to explain how an animal got a special feature that it has. It's funny that both of my boys asked: "Can I make it about humans?" They obviously recognize that human beings have many features that make them seem different, like hair, skin, and eye colors. Also, sizes of various body parts. I replied, well, since all humans basically have the same attributes, just different colors and sizes, let's focus on the larger variety of animals. They are really diverse. They agreed with me and chose two very different animals to write about.

Zeph - 8 years old

How Birds God Their Beaks

Once upon a time in the African rainforest there were millions of birds that had bald faces. Once bird bragged about his beautiful ears. Then one bird screamed, "Alligator!". All the birds ran for their lives. The bird that was bragging had an idea, but he needed an acorn. He chased after the one he wanted because he thought it looked the best for him. When he saw the acorn for real it was ugly. Then he bumped into a tree. His hands flew off and the ugly acorn sunk into its face. And when all the birds saw his new beak they laughed. That's how the bird got its beak.

Now, with a little time and a little more thought, he could deepen this story by adding details and continuing the story line about the alligator, but I think he rushed it a little so he could finish the rest of his work. That's one caveat to home school, there's always something else to do. Oftentimes, it seems like it would be so much more fun.

Zol - 6 years old (uses dialogue, but is not aware of how to use quotation marks yet)

How Lions Got Their Tail

Once a lion stood on its porch. I want a tail he said and pulled himself off his porch. He went to get one. He took his jam and put it on his back. He climbed up a palm tree. Then he took leaves from the palm tree and stuck it to the back. It was so hot the leaves were changing yellow. Hooray. 

He went the easy route, rather than have the lion have to tussle with any other animal. He also got the seasons confused. One thing about living in Phoenix is that there is no distinction in seasons. It's Sweltering, Hot, and Warm. That's about it. But, overall, I am glad they took on the challenge. As their teacher I clearly see the areas where they need improvement and instruction, but as a mom I'm amused at their imagination and sense of adventure.