Are you a parent with little ones, just trying to make ends meet by doing a little selling on eBay? As a stay at home/homeschooling mom to five children, I am asked over and over how I can be a wife and mother, homeschool, and run a small business, or better yet - “How do you do it all?”

I have to take a step back and smile and tell them that I don’t do it all - I can’t, however, by cutting back on some of the extra’s, including my family, and having a routine, I am able to accomplish what needs to be done most days. Here are some tips that we have used.

1. Set up a daily routine and stick to it the best you can. This may not be the same every day, but have something down on paper as to what your day will look like. I don’t always “follow the clock” so that such and such a time we’re doing a certain thing - instead I use blocks of time broken down into one or two hour increments. We have several blocks during the day, a school time, chore time, reading time, work time, fun time, etc.

2. Find activities you can do as a family instead of each child being involved in something different. Once a week our family goes to swimming lessons. Everyone is in the pool together so I don’t have to make 5 different trips to five different places. Maybe rotate your activities so everyone has a chance to do something they enjoy.

3. Enlist the help of your children for household tasks. I think today, many parents tend to “coddle” their children way too much, and we’re producing adults who don’t know how to do much of anything (sad to say). As a parent it is your responsibility to train your children so someday run a household, and if they aren’t learning day to day tasks, it’s not going to happen at the age of 20 overnight. So start young - give your children chores to do. Yes, you may have to help them, and it may take longer then if you were to do it yourself, but someday your help won’t be needed. If everyone were to contribute just a little time everyday to a couple chores, you will be surprised how much more time you have to put for your business or other tasks.

4. Teach your children your business. This is more for older children, however even younger children can help you in simple tasks (adding packing peanuts to a box for example). I have taught my older children how to take pictures and scan in items for me, and I pay them for each picture. It took a few times for them to get it right, but now I can give them a stack of stuff, and all I need to do is go in a edit the pictures - big time saver! We are also working on teaching them researching and listing skills and eventually hope they will be able to assist in that area as well. A child can also be responsible for the shipping. If you take the time to work along side them to start, you can have confidence they will do a good job for you.

5. KISS - the old statement “Keep It Simple Stupid” should be on every desk. Sometimes we can make mountains out of molehills. Don’t over schedule - you will only get frustrated and worn out. Fewer activities well done and enjoyed by all is better then lots of half hearted ones. Keep fewer items around your home that need to be maintained or cleaned. Even with your eBay business - do what is required to make the sales, have excellent customer relations, but don’t run yourself ragged. Always look for ways you can streamline your process.

I could go on and on, but I must get to doing some listings - LOL! I hope this little article has encouraged you today just a little, that you can be a spouse, a parent, and run a successful home business! Have a wonderful day!

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