Are you thinking of starting a blog? Are you already a blogger? Do you have kids? Are you thinking of having some? Or are you trying to put yours up for adoption?! Just kidding.

Blogging and kids are just one of those things that work together. Now, I’m not saying it is easy, but it is definitely one of those possibilities when you string the words ‘work’ and ‘stay at home mum’ together. Blogging is one way of bringing in an additional income stream to your family.

Having said that, however, starting a blog is not a guarantee that you are going to earn any sort of income.

In fact most people who start a blog don’t plan on earning an income, they just blog because they enjoy it or they want to share their thoughts with their world. Starting a blog with the intention of earning an income is not necessarily going to earn you an income either, and it’s certainly not a scheme for ‘getting rich quick’. Blogging has to be your passion first and foremost and any rewards, if you are lucky enough to get them, come later.

The topic of blogs and the hows and whys are many and varied, and many posts and books have been written on the subject. Today I am just going to focus on how you can blog often or full time, which is what you would have to do if you wanted to earn an income, around having kids. It’s not easy, but it certainly can be done. There are literally thousands of mummy bloggers out there, some earning a living, some earning some rewards and some earning nothing, but all having the time of their lives.

So if you want to start a blog but think that you don’t have time with the kids, trust me, it is possible. There are just a few things you need to remember:

Organisation

If organisation isn’t your thing then you are already behind the eight ball.

You must be organised if you want to succeed. Blogging is about consistency, planning and the ‘O’ word. Organisation. Say it over a few times if it helps.

Make lists, write every idea down, keep a diary specially for your blogging work. I do and it has helped me no end. I have all my post ideas written down on the day I am going to do it, have the days marked where I am going to do photo shoots, blogger events highlighted and any future ideas written in here too, just so everything is in the one place. It also really helps to have your own desk, or even office, but certainly a corner of a room is yours to call ‘my blogging space.’

• Working from home is about finding what works for you
• Five tips for starting a home business

Timing

I manage to work on my blog throughout the day, even when the kids are running around like rodents.

I can work with the noise, the TV, the Play Station and the screaming. No worries. Some of us, however, can’t do this. Pick your moment. If you need to wait until the kids go to bed then so be it. A lot of people find they work better at night anyway, or even early in the morning. If you have to set your alarm to go off a couple of hours earlier and get some work done first thing then this could be your golden blogging hour.

Schedules

I highly recommend keeping a schedule of everything you need to do. Then stick to it. The Internet is such a crazy place. It’s so easy to get distracted. Pinterest is a killer for this. Facebook is bad and I find Instagram addictive.

Make yourself a timetable and work to it. Give yourself half an hour in the morning to go through emails, fifteen minutes to check Facebook and maybe if you have to browse Pinterest make it something you do during your lunch break. That’s the other thing, schedule in breaks too, plus time to get up and stretch, even exercise.

Working at home can be a bit of a trap. The pantry is only a few feet away and sometimes we find ourselves working way beyond the normal 9 to 5. Get up and move about, your butt will thank you.

Kids

There is so much to do with a blog, if you let it take you that way. For me I aim to post 6 days a week, but it’s not just the written posts that take up your time. If your blog is photo heavy, like mine, then there is taking shots and editing them, especially the fashion shots I do, and there is also product photos too.

You need to market your blog, so you will need to spend time on various social media forums, as well as getting your name out there and building your following by commenting on other people’s blogs.

I also like to devote time to reading my favourite blogs, following my blogger friends and their blogs, as well as discovering new ones.

There doesn’t really seem like there is enough time in the day to keep up with it all.

Still…in amongst all of that you need to remember the kids! The reason you are doing this from home! As well as remembering to do all the important things, like feeding them and making sure they are still floating around the house somewhere, make sure that you make some time to hang out with them.

Once again, schedule the time in.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com