Lori
09-17-2004, 07:48 AM
ATLANTA - Jennifer Elin Cole begins her mornings like many moms - with a group cuddle followed by breakfast with her family.
But while Mollie, 5, and twins Sophie and Alan, 3, eat, Cole checks her e-mail, glances at incoming faxes and pulls up the FedEx Web site. She prints shipping labels and applies them to two packages of books prepared the night before.
After helping the kids dress, Cole loads the dishwasher, piles everyone into the car and drives her children to preschool, making calls on her cellphone. She takes her packages to a drop-off point and then drives to work.
In her case, that means heading back to her home in Lawrenceville, Ga.
Like countless mothers around the country, Cole juggles the responsibilities of full-time homemaker and mother with work.
But in her case, her job is based in her home - a job she says she couldn't do without the Internet. A new generation of moms who want to work but want more flexibility are using technology to set up home-based businesses.
"I don't have to choose between being home with my kids and what energizes me professionally," says Cole, a self-published author. "I can work on the time frame of parenting - in between pouring cereal, playing Barbies, learning to read - and the interruptions never disrupt the final project. Thanks to the Internet, my office is open all day and I'm present, even when I'm with my kids."
The number of women like Cole appears to be on the rise.
Read More (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0917workathome0917.html)
But while Mollie, 5, and twins Sophie and Alan, 3, eat, Cole checks her e-mail, glances at incoming faxes and pulls up the FedEx Web site. She prints shipping labels and applies them to two packages of books prepared the night before.
After helping the kids dress, Cole loads the dishwasher, piles everyone into the car and drives her children to preschool, making calls on her cellphone. She takes her packages to a drop-off point and then drives to work.
In her case, that means heading back to her home in Lawrenceville, Ga.
Like countless mothers around the country, Cole juggles the responsibilities of full-time homemaker and mother with work.
But in her case, her job is based in her home - a job she says she couldn't do without the Internet. A new generation of moms who want to work but want more flexibility are using technology to set up home-based businesses.
"I don't have to choose between being home with my kids and what energizes me professionally," says Cole, a self-published author. "I can work on the time frame of parenting - in between pouring cereal, playing Barbies, learning to read - and the interruptions never disrupt the final project. Thanks to the Internet, my office is open all day and I'm present, even when I'm with my kids."
The number of women like Cole appears to be on the rise.
Read More (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0917workathome0917.html)