Guess what?! Grandma’s got a blog!
(And she knows how to use it!)
When I realized my homeschooling days would soon be coming to an end, my thought was:
The idea of getting a job crossed my mind. Since my husband has a chronic illness, we have medical bills every year.
A little extra income would be nice to pay whatever insurance doesn’t cover.
And, I want to be able to travel to see my children who are spread out across the USA.
So, yeah … the extra income would be nice.
But, the very thing that was nudging me to get a job was also preventing me from getting a job: my husband’s chronic illness.
While there is no cure for CIDP, there are treatments that keep him functioning.
During “Treatment Week” (as I refer to it) my husband needs to work through lunch so he can get off early to have his treatments. (They are four days a week, for about four hours each day.)
Thankfully, he works from home so I can take his lunch to him in his office.
Treatments happen about once a month. What employer is going to hire me, knowing I must have off one week every month?!
I knew, somehow, I’d have to work from home.
So I thought:
I Already Have a Blog
My first idea was to write more, grow my blog, and make a million dollars with affiliate links and advertising.
Doesn’t that sound great?!
Yeah, I thought so, too!
So, I hired a designer and started a new blog to encourage homeschooling moms.
But, my thoughts were all over the place. I wanted to encourage homeschool moms through my blog, but what I really needed to do was earn an income right away.
Once again, thoughts of my situation crossed my mind:
That’s When I Discovered How to Be a Virtual Assistant
I started to learn all I could about being a VA. And while I was learning, I was putting myself out there looking for jobs.
I picked up a few editing jobs.
I picked up a couple of steady clients who needed a VA.
I even picked up a writing job!
I started earning — not a lot, but enough to reach my monthly income goal. (Then I set new goals, and I’m still working to reach them.)
And the best part is that I can do all of my work from anywhere as long as I have an Internet connection. Which is a good thing, because:
I May Have to Spend Some Time Away From Home
There was one year when my husband was hospitalized twice in as many months, and I spent most of my time with him. It was a crazy, hectic time since one child was graduating and family was coming in from out of town. I thank God every day for family and friends who helped us with rides and food during that time. And I thank God for bringing my husband through his ordeals.
But, that’s not the only reason I plan to be away from home.
I’m a Grandma!
I’ve always said, “When I grow up, I want to be a grandma.”
My wish has come true! I now have four grandchildren: one son has two daughters, and another son has a son and daughter.
But, both of these families live in different states, which requires me to travel to see them.
And there are other family members to see, in other states, too.
My husband and I have always loved to travel and we’re trying very hard to not let this chronic illness stop us. We’ve had to alter our drive time, but we still enjoy the trip.
Launching Grandma’s Got a Blog
Being a grandma doesn’t happen just because you want it to happen.
Life doesn’t work that way!
It takes time to learn, to grow, to get to the place in life when you ARE a grandma.
Websites are like that, too!
It takes time to learn how to set them up, to grow your following, and to get to the place where you can be comfortable with the site.
It’s a work in progress, really. I hope you’ll join me as I travel this road–this time of life after homeschooling, after raising my own children.
It’s going to be a fun adventure!