If you're a stay-at-home mom, you're already juggling the responsibilities of one of the toughest jobs around. You make lunches, drive to piano recitals, attend PTA meetings, get dinner on the table and referee squabbles like a superhero-all in a day's work.

As expert task jugglers, it's not surprising that many stay-at-home moms run their own businesses. Starting a business as a busy stay-at-home mom is no simple task, but with the right tools and a little tenacity, you can do it.

Here are nine tools that are essential for a first-time "momtrepreneur:"

1. Namecheckr

One of the first things you need for your business is a name. Your brand name is one of the most important contributors to your future success. It needs to be memorable, pronounceable, snappy-and available. Using Namecheckr, you can check to see if a brand name and its corresponding domain names and account handles are available, all from a single platform.

2. Internet speed tool

As a business owner, you'll likely need more internet speed so you can share large files, host videoconferences and stream videos without any hiccups. You'll also need to take into consideration other family members who may use the internet at the same time. Rather than guess if you have enough, use this Internet speed tool to determine how much speed you'll need to keep your business running smoothly.

3. GoDaddy

Before you launch your website, claim your domain, or create a work server, you need a hosting platform. GoDaddy is one of the most popular options for a reason: you don't need to be an IT guru to set up, connect and run your website and work server. The company also offers 24/7, award-winning customer support in case you need help troubleshooting.

4. Wix

Businesses need an online presence so customers and clients can find them easily. This starts with a website. While there are hundreds of website platforms out there, Wix is inexpensive and quick to use. Within a matter of minutes, you can add content, images and-if you sell products-a shopping cart complete with payment processors.

5. Harvest

When you face dozens of tasks with competing priorities, you need a project management system to help you decide what to do first. Harvest is a tool that helps small businesses and startups keep their projects on schedule and on budget. Over time, you can estimate the costs and time of future projects more accurately to improve the profitability of your business.

6. Upwork

Running a business requires you to wear many hats, but sometimes you need a hat you just don't have. The freelancing platform Upwork helps you find freelancers and per-project contractors, ranging from app developers to copywriters, for any job you need to get done. You can search for candidates, conduct virtual interviews, assign projects, track project progress, and send payments all through Upwork's dashboard.

7. Freshbooks

Whether you sell products or services, a business can't run without a disciplined financial framework. Freshbooks is a web app that provides Cloud accounting, making it easy to automate invoices, integrate payment systems, collaborate with contractors, manage financial reports and more. By coordinating all of these financial tasks in one convenient spot, you can get paid faster while keeping clean records of invoices and receipts.

8. Google Voice

It's easy to create multiple email addresses, but what about a business phone number? Instead of using the same number as your personal phone, use Google Voice to get a free US phone number for your business. You can request one based on your cellphone's area code and have that number route to your cell phone or any other phone you'd like.

9. Shake

Regardless of what kind of business you start, you'll likely have to provide and manage a variety of legal documents, from confidentiality agreements to payment terms. So rather than spend a fortune on lawyer fees, use Shake to find free legal agreements. After answering a few questions, you can specify the terms, request signatures in-person or virtually, and voila! You'll have a binding agreement that you can store digitally or in print.

Running a business is an exciting and significant undertaking, and stay-at-home moms are already equipped with many of the traits that make great entrepreneurs. Combine your mom skills with these nine tools and start reaching for your business dreams today.

The post 9 tools every stay-at-home mom needs to start a business appeared first on FamilyToday.

Moving can be a hard experience for kids, and moving in the middle of the school year is especially difficult. A new school, new friends, and a new home are all major changes for a child. Whether due to a new job, relationship, or other unforeseeable circumstance, moving may be a necessary change for your family. In fact, nearly 36 million people move every year in the U.S., and the average American will move more than 11 times in their life.

This situation is so common that Disney Pixar made the Academy Award-winning movie "Inside Out," which tells the story of a young girl's feelings after moving from Minnesota to San Francisco. You can't always choose when to relocate, and your children may have to transfer schools and make new friends, but usually not without a fight. However, you can do your best to create a smooth transition.

Here are 10 tips to make moving with kids as painless as possible:

1. Contact the new school ASAP

Call your child's new teacher before the first day your child will attend school. Military moms - experts at moving in the middle of the school year - say this is the first thing you should do to acclimate your kids to a new school environment. It will help your child "feel much more welcome if there is a desk, cubby, coat hook, and school supply box" ready for them when they arrive. Plan an early visit to the new school and classroom to ease your child's anxiety.

2. Keep a routine

Kids thrive on schedules, and they need consistency with so much change surrounding a move. While living among boxes during the moving process, do your best to keep up traditions like movie nights and family dinners. Maintain the same bedtime ritual, and serve meals and snacks at the same time as usual. In the chaos of packing, keep a favorite story, toy, or comfort item nearby.

3. Arrange a send-off

You want your child to get comfortable in their new home, but remember to celebrate the home you are leaving. It will hold a lot of memories for your child, and might be the only home they've ever known. Organize a party or get-together with your child's old friends so they can say goodbye. Exchange email addresses, mailing addresses, and phone numbers and take lots of pictures. Encourage your child to stay in contact with their old friends, and help them make a scrapbook to remember everyone.

4. Remember that one size doesn't fit all

A psychology professor at the University of Virginia found that introverts were adversely affected by a move, while extroverts "remained blissfully unmoved." Middle school students struggle more with moving because they are also going through puberty. If your family is moving due to a divorce, foreclosure, or job loss this may also negatively impact your child. Remember that moving will affect your children in complicated ways, and try to treat them accordingly.

5. Involve your child in house hunting

Include your child in the search for a new home. Invite them to tour new homes with you, if possible, or send them photos of the homes you're considering. Genuinely ask for their feedback and consider their opinions. Once you've picked the house, let your child make plans for their room. Let them choose paint swatches, and give them a small budget to decorate their space.

6. Maintain a good attitude

Your attitude can make a huge difference in a tough situation, so it's important you remain positive. When parents are upset and stressed over a move, children pick up on this and their attitude can rub off on them. Instead, focus on the excitement of a new adventure. There will be a new home, city, friends, and school. Encourage and focus on the new beginning.

7. Consider leaving your teen until summer

Moving mid-year can be social suicide for a teenager, and one psychologist suggests that parents should consider letting their older teenagers stay with a family member or trusted friend until the end of the school year. This may be a good option if your child is socially successful in their current school or near the end of their senior year, or if the new school demands drastically different graduation curriculum. This may not be right for your family, but it is worth considering.

8. Immerse yourself in the new school

One of the best ways to immerse your child in a new school environment is to involve yourself. Find a school calendar and attend events, volunteer in your child's classroom, and join the PTA. Try to arrive early at drop-off and pick-up every day so you have time to walk up to the school and spend a few minutes chatting with other parents. Getting to know and building trust with other parents is important, especially if your kids are in elementary school and you plan play dates.

9. Sign your kid up for local activities

Kids moving to a new school often struggle with their social lives more than academics. One of the fastest ways for a child to make friends is to encourage them to sign up for community activities with other kids their age. A club, sports team, after-school program or a church group are all great options. It will give your child something to focus on besides school and common ground to build friendships.

10. Play tourist in your new town

Learn to love where you live. Show your kids how cool your new hometown is by exploring it together and planning fun adventures. Consider visiting a museum, touring a farm, browsing a local store, or enjoying a park. Get ideas of local favorites through Yelp, guidebooks, and community event calendars. Familiarize yourself with local resources, like the public library and post office.

Though uprooting can be difficult, remember that kids are resilient beings who often adapt to change better than adults. Accept that there will be an adjustment period as you guide your child through one of the biggest changes they have faced.

The post 10 survival tips for moving mid-school year appeared first on FamilyToday.

When my son Josh was born a few years ago, I had no idea how ill prepared I was for motherhood. Sure, I'd read the books and listened to my friends with kids, but much like the first year of Josh's life, I was in a mental daze throughout my pregnancy - operating at half capacity. The main things that occupied my mind were keeping food down and my feet up, rubbing my ever-growing belly and stroking my newly luscious hair.

I'd smile blankly as my friends warned me about the endless diaper changes, laundry and holding I'd be doing. I realize now that for all their good intentions, their attempts to educate me were futile. It's only when I experienced a few 24/7 cycles of sleep deprivation, 3 a.m. feedings, 4 a.m. diaper changes, and 5 a.m. sheet changes that their words started resonating.

And then there are the things they didn't tell me. It's all part of the strategy to get more women to jump on the motherhood train. There's strength in numbers and the feeling must be that if more women join, it will lessen the burden.

Here are 4 things you don't find out about motherhood until you become a mom:

The fine art of breastfeeding may take some time

Hah! No amount of information, advice or instructions beforehand can remotely begin to convey how difficult breastfeeding was for me. I recall the first week when Josh and I embarked on our battle of the breast. I can still see us in bed (where we spent about 20 hours each day), lying in small puddles of breast milk, urine and sweat. Let's just say one breast continually leaked, Josh would spit up the dribbles of milk he got from the other one, his diapers fit like they were designed for a rapper, it was summer, the air conditioner was broken, my hormones were in overdrive, and I was a little anxious. Not exactly a winning combination. Just put a white nightgown and a long wig on me and start shooting the cameras for Hollywood's next horror movie.

Go with the flow!

If this doesn't become your motto for living, you're in for a rude awakening. I used to make plans. I still do, but I've just built in a three-hour window on either side. I still try to squeeze in some mommy time between the diaper changes, the feeding, the singing and the playing. I'm still optimistic but I know that after a few trips to the mall or out for lunch with girlfriends, if Josh would rather have a temper tantrum in the parking lot, we have to work with that too. Lesson learned - abort the mission and attempt another day.

Being drawn to the same people I once avoided

I recall a conversation with a girlfriend a couple years ago just after she had her baby. She would go on and on about his daily routine - when he slept, what he ate, the sounds he made, the clothes he wore! I would try to feign excitement. "Fascinating! He slept three hours in a row you say! Unbelievable! And you were actually able to have a shower? That's great! Wow, don't stop there. I want to hear how the rest of your day went! Oh me, not much, just flew to New York for a meeting, had lunch at the Ritz, drinks at Sardi's, saw a show, you know the usual!

How things change! Now, not only do this girlfriend and I spend hours talking about our sons' nap schedules, but I'll happily talk about my neighbor's son's nap schedule, the baby down the street, the baby at the drop-in center, the baby in line with her mother at the grocery store, etc.

The euphoria of new motherhood will pass

They don't tell you that the day will come when buying those adorable little designer baby clothes with the cashmere cuffs and the 25 buttons just doesn't seem practical. You'll no longer be excited that he's jumped a diaper size as you realize it just means you get fewer diapers for more money. The way he reaches up to you to be held isn't as cute now that he weighs close to 30 pounds. They don't tell you that eventually the euphoria of becoming a mother will wear off and the routine of it will start to sink in.

I'm trying to teach myself to slow down, live in the moment and savor each experience. And for the most part I do. And if I meet another woman who is thinking of having a baby and asks me what it's like, I'll tell her to go ahead, it's a wonderful experience. And I'll smile to myself - another one about to join the ranks! I better call the national membership committee to tell them we have a live one!

The post What they don’t tell you about new motherhood appeared first on FamilyToday.

Working from home has become increasingly popular over the last few years. One in five Americans work from home, and the number is expected to increase another 63 percent in the next five years. Online business can be a lucrative and rewarding venture for anyone, from stay-at-home moms to college students with extra time between classes.

There are plenty of perks that come with working from home. You don't have a long commute, you can set your own hours, and you don't have to change out of your pajama pants if you don't want to. If you're willing to put the time in, you can even earn more than you would at a standard day job. Making money from home is easy and convenient, and it just takes a little effort to get yourself set up.

These are 10 of the most popular sites that help you make money from home.

1. eBay

eBay is an auction site designed for buying and selling basically anything. While it used to be known for celebrity auctions and novelty purchases, the site has since become a shopper's-and seller's-mecca. If it exists, you can probably find it or sell it on eBay.

Getting started as a seller on eBay is easy. Open up a free account and try selling a few personal items you don't want anymore. You'll need to list the items, provide photos of your products, write descriptions, handle buyer disputes and ship packages. Once you get the hang of selling, do some research on different products you'd like to focus on as a vendor and build your way up from there.

2. Amazon

Amazon is one of the largest online retailers in the world. The website started as a bookstore but soon expanded to include movies, music, electronics and more. In the United States, Amazon offers almost anything you could need as well as a robust set of online services including video streaming and cloud storage.

Selling on Amazon is incredibly easy. Aside from starting a professional seller's account, you can also opt for their Fulfilled by Amazon service, which takes care of all shipping and handling, postage and customer service on your behalf for $1 per piece of inventory sold. Just send them a box of your inventory, and they'll handle the rest.

To begin, sign in to your regular Amazon account (or open one if you don't have one already), and sign up for an Amazon Seller Account. Follow the prompts and you should be ready to sell in a matter of minutes.

3. Etsy

If you're creative and crafty, Etsy could be the best option for you. This online marketplace specializes in vintage finds, artisan products and custom-made pieces. And it has a dedicated buyer community.

If you love finding Christian Dior sweaters in thrift stores or enjoy putting together different crafty decor pieces, Etsy is a great place to start making some extra money from home. It's simple to open an Etsy shop, and it's cheaper to list items on the site than on many other online marketplaces.

4. YouTube

Believe it or not, there is an enormous amount of money to be made on YouTube. About 300 hours of video are uploaded to this Web service every minute, from instructions on how to rebuild a car engine to in-depth analyses of why the "Star Wars" prequels sucked.

You can earn money on YouTube through the website's built-in advertising. They tend to pay around $1 per 1,000 views with the top video producers making several million dollars per year. It isn't hard to get started, and if you have something to say about a topic with a large following, you can easily find viewers and start earning ad revenue.

5. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Social media channels can be effective sources of income. If you can amass a large enough group of followers, you can make money from affiliate marketing by posting sponsored content alongside your regular posts. Sites like SponsoredTweets will pay prominent accounts per tweet, and other Web services will even purchase accounts with large followings. If you're a model, Instagram is a hotbed for advertising through popular accounts with some models making up to one thousand dollars per photo post. These social media channels are also a great way to build an online presence for your business.

6. Niche Sites

Building a website is a surprisingly simple process with plenty of tutorials and community hubs focusing on the subject. Niche websites focus on a specific subject like HDR photography or security guard job applications. They can be about essentially anything that someone would want an informed opinion on.

A well-written and thoroughly planned niche website can earn several thousand dollars per month in ad revenue. It can be tricky finding the right area to focus on, but with consistent effort and some trial and error, you could easily build a great source of passive income.

7. Blogging

Maintaining a blog can be a full-time job. Most successful blogs follow a specific subject and offer opinions and information on that topic. As with most online content, businesses are eager to purchase advertising space and find new viewers through blogs dedicated to a related product.

Blogger and WordPress are two popular blogging sites, and both allow ads. Blogger uses the built-in Google AdSense platform, and WordPress offers plenty of plugins for advertisement opportunities.

8. Craigslist

If you have a knack for haggling or searching for deals, Craigslist can be extremely lucrative. Craigslist "flippers" make their money by searching out cheap items and selling them for a profit in other markets.

Flipping can replace your day job. Some professional hagglers make thousands of dollars each month by trading cars, boats and electronics.

9. Click working

A relatively new field, click working often involves doing simple tasks like searching the Web, viewing videos, commenting on blogs or transcribing scanned documents. Each task pays only a few cents, but each takes very little time to complete. While it's not as lucrative as other methods, it's easy and can be a great supplementary income when you have free time.

Sites like Amazon Mechanical Turk and Clickworker regularly take applicants, and promotional websites like Swagbucks offer things like Amazon gift cards for simple tasks.

10. Crowdsourcing designs

If you have design experience, websites like 99designs and Crowdspring offer logo design contests that pay out a few hundred dollars per design. You'll usually be competing with other designers, so only the winner will earn the commission price. Building a design business on your own can be significantly more lucrative, but crowd-sourced design websites are a great starting point.

The biggest step toward starting a profitable online venture is deciding to do it in the first place. If you're committed and willing to do the legwork, you can easily begin building a strong alternative income from the comfort of your own home.

The post 10 sites that help you make money from home appeared first on FamilyToday.

Thanksgiving is a long honored tradition that is special and unique for each American family. Whatever the reason may be the smell of the turkey wafting up the stairs in the morning, or the sound of an aunt or uncle you haven't heard from in months, it is undeniable that it is one of the country's favorite holidays.

As someone who is originally from the United Kingdom, Thanksgiving is a new holiday for me but one that I have wholeheartedly embraced. I look forward to the spirit of giving that Thanksgiving has fostered and of course, all of the amazing food!

For many families, Thanksgiving invokes the need to go to a specific family member's house, to have the same foods year after year, and for some, shopping at Target! While there is absolutely nothing wrong with being able to look forward to something so comforting and familiar, it can be good to shake up the usual holiday traditions a little.

Here are 4 reasons to spend Thanksgiving with your family somewhere new (and have an amazing time):

1. Change is good!

As much as we all love going to our grandma's house and eating her famous homemade pumpkin pie, change can be good, and sometimes necessary. Sometimes taking a break can make you anticipate and appreciate something all the more.

Spending Thanksgiving somewhere new this year can give you a renewed enthusiasm for holiday traditions and enable you to look forward to next year's family gathering.

2. To experience a different season!

If you are a Florida native, perhaps you are longing to spend Thanksgiving in a place with snow. If you are a Utah native, perhaps you want to go somewhere warm to temporarily escape the snow. Most likely, your family will understand your desire and perhaps you can make a new tradition!

3. You want a stress-free Thanksgiving

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to think about all of the preparation that goes into a successful Thanksgiving, and it can cause unreasonable amounts of stress. The dishes to clean, the turkey to make and the kids to keep entertained ... it can get a little overwhelming.

It's understandable to want to travel and stay somewhere where someone else is planning and making everything. Taking a break once in a while is good for body, mind, and soul.

4. As the saying goes, travel broadens the mind and widens your horizons

I am so thankful for the holidays spent abroad with my parents, as it helped me discover new places and learn about the people and their culture. And of course, it was always a pleasure to try out new foods!

Travel is especially beneficial for children as it teaches them the value of learning how to get along with diverse types of people and opens their minds to new ways of thinking. Furthermore, nothing can be more exciting than sharing a new experience with the ones you love.

Now that I've gotten you convinced that you need to visit somewhere new for Thanksgiving this year, I bet you are wondering where you should go. Have a chat with the rest of your family, get their suggestions and consult with friends. If you're all truly at a loss, take this quiz and let the internet do the thinking for you.

Happy holidays!

The post 4 reasons to spend Thanksgiving with your family somewhere new appeared first on FamilyToday.