Breakfast is generally fun at Jimmy's house. Except for this morning when Jimmy dropped his toast on the floor. Of course the jelly side flipped over so the sweet grape flavor has every opportunity to stain the carpet. A mouth encircled in purple looks at the floor from his highchair vantage point and says, ?Uh oh?. Then came the awarding winning grin and tilted head that melts a mother's heart.



Scruffy, the family Schnauzer ambles into the kitchen and works to remove the evidence before he is shooed out the back door. Jenny is grabbing her backpack and Stacy is looking for her earrings ? the ones she just had to get at the mall this past weekend. Like usual most of the breakfast items are ignored as everyone scrambles for the door heading to school.

And just like that little Jimmy is left alone with mommy in the midst of morning dishes, a pile of laundry, a diaper change and a ten o'clock hair appointment ? Jimmy's first.

Believe it or not, this is just the way mommy likes it.

Before Jimmy came along his mom would make a mad dash to school to get her oldest two girls to school on time. Then she was off to work where she would always apologize for being late and then scramble to leave early to pick up the kids. Dinner was always rushed and the housework never seemed to end. She often felt like she had two full-time jobs and had trouble finding time for sleep.

Now? Well, Mommy is the owner of a home-based business. She can check online periodically to fulfill any orders that come in, but she can also play with Jimmy, clean a purple carpet, fold the laundry and get the dishes taken care of ? and take Jimmy to get his first haircut.

Maybe she doesn't realize it, but Mommy has joined the ranks of many home-based business owners who are discovering that while they may not be able to have it all, they can often have more by being willing to tackle a home-based business that allows them to be mom, chauffer, dishwasher and lunch maker.

While many jobs remain inflexible in the hours their employees work, Mommy can work after the kids go to bed, during Jimmy's naptime or in those few minutes while the macaroni is boiling.

Mommy likes working in sweats and a ponytail. She likes being able to go to the store when she needs to without having to strategize how to fit that in over the lunch hour. The truth is Jimmy likes it too, but then again he's never known anything different. When Mommy considers the option of returning to the workforce she knows she's in the right place at the right time ? home.

Stories like this are typical as second wage earners (and sometimes primary wage earners) look for ways to contribute to the families financial needs while finding some greater measure of freedom in living a life that can focus more clearly on their own family and less on a corporate ladder.