6 Common Challenges you Encounter as a Work-from-home Military Wife

I’ve been a work-from-home military spouse for 13 years now. From working for a small publishing company to leading a pitch-and-query life of a freelance journalist and content writer, to starting an on-phone health coaching practice, I’ve done an assortment of work. Like many military wives, I’ve worked from bases in the boondocks most of the time, with erratic internet, too many social commitments and odd comments about this strange work-from-home life that I lead.

Create a work-from-home career on the move!

Here’s a bucket list of everything that you stumble across as a military wife, who works-from-home:

1.     Spotty or non-existent internet: While fast internet connectivity is taken for granted in “big cities”, when you’re in the boondocks, this is a rare commodity. I’ve spent countless hours tearing my hair out when I’ve missed my deadline just because the internet refused to boot up. I’ve also had to take sabbaticals because either it took too long to get an internet connection at a new base or because the internet cables got cut & it took ages (read: 6 months) to mend them.

2.    Power cuts: Almost every small town base you’re based in has a regular schedule for long periods of power cuts. “Load Shedding” as it’s called, can play havoc into your work, especially if you don’t yet have an inverter or, even when you have one, the battery’s given up because the power cut has spilled into the next day.

‘The Work-At-Home Military Wife’: Why is it a necessary read for military spouses with ambitions and professional dreams of their own?

Hello friends! I have some happy news to share. I’ve just released my first #Kindlebook about creating a work-from-home lifestyle on the move (The Work-At-Home Military Wife – A quickstart guide to creating a pack-and-carry career and work-from-home lifestyle on the move) + a Free ebook with 25 legit work-from-home careers.

(on Amazon)

While there are lots of books on work-at-home jobs, there weren’t any for the always-on-the-move military wife. But why is a book like this even necessary, you may ask?

Here’s why:

We’re always on the move. And when you’re on the move, you’re moving on to a new base, a new part of the country (or world), new friends and new horizons. It’s difficult to hold down a permanent job, unless you’re in the military yourself. This often leaves us wondering about what we can do at this new place and how we can use our education and talents to get a job.

We’re often in the boondocks. Several military bases are in farflung areas of the country, with zero job opportunities. In such situations, the choice is often between not working and well, not working.

How to begin homeschooling in India – 6 Questions to ask yourself

About 10 months ago, we took the decision to homeschool our son. With a cutback on the school transport, excessive and sudden travel plans at our front and eventually, a posting to a small town with meager schooling options, homeschooling was a decision we entered into with trepidation.  But over the months, I’m getting used to being my son’s teacher and we’re finding our own groove to this homeschooling life.

Homeschooling in India - A beginner's guide

While I’m no expert in being a homeschooling parent, I can offer you tried and tested tips to help you make the transition to a homeschooling life, if that’s something you’re thinking about.

Here’s what you should think through, plan for and embrace as you start homeschooling:

Why are you homeschooling or thinking of doing so? 

For me the number one reason was my son, who wanted to be taught at home and secondly, the lack of logistical support in sending him to a school he enjoyed going to. And, now that we’re in a place that doesn’t have schools that teach in a hands-on way, the only option is to homeschool. Your reasons can be similar to or different than mine. But whatever are your reasons, be very clear on these because there will be times along this journey, when you will need your reasons to motivate you to go on.

Are you ready to dedicate a solid chunk of your time to homeschooling? 

In a homeschooling family, at least one parent needs to spend time teaching and doing activities with the child. Leaving the child home with a maid or delegating all the classes to a tutor, won’t really help in creating a nurturing homeschooling environment. It also defeats the purpose of taking the child out of the school system to homeschool.

My Big Rocks for 2019 - Filling up the jar with what matters

The New Year’s rolled in, and it’s the possibilities that a new beginning is filled with that’s got me scrabbling to chalk out what I’d like to fill my jar with. 

Goals and plans for 2019

What will be my Big Rocks, Medium Rocks, and Sand this year? I know that if I don’t jot this down, I’ll fill my jar with far too many things and get overwhelmed in the process.

So, here’s my Big Rocks for 2019. Big Rocks are all the things that are on top priority for me, and I will want to carve out a chunk of time for these:

1.      Homeschooling my son. About 10 months ago, we plunged into a homeschool life. What started with the hunt for a detailed curriculum has now eased into a with-the-flow education. We spend our mornings in our makeshift school on the porch overlooking our garden. And this is an essential part of our week.

2.    Writing more. As a health coach and writer, I spend my days doing both – upgrading my wellness know-how, creating workshops, writing and teaching creative writing. But this year, I want to dedicate a chunk of time daily to writing books, blogs, and stories.

3.    Family time. We are like the 3 Bears and enjoy huddling in at home, pottering around in the kitchen garden, baking something and enjoying a good Netflix movie on television. This is the sugar and spice to our daily life, and just as essential or more to our days.

4.    Learning new skills. As a #militaryspouse entrepreneur, I have to constantly evolve and add to my knowledge pool, to do work that I love from the back-of-beyond places that we are posted in. I’m learning about being a self-published author, which involves everything from how to write more books to designing and editing to marketing them using social media platforms.

5.     Exercise. With the hours that I put in the chair, stretching and walking are imperative to factor in. Spending an hour every day exercising also keeps me happy and energetic.

6.    Meditation and Reiki. For a while last year, I was consistent with my meditation and Reiki practice, and the way it helped ground, center and calm me, is wondrous. So, this year, I want to schedule it in and be more consistent about getting to my mat.