Ask many working moms or stay at home moms what the idyllic job situation would be and most will say, "If I could only work at home, make some extra money and still spend time with my family."

With all the scams in the home based business industry, many stay-at-home moms have a very difficult time finding legitimate and well paying home employment. It can be a costly experience, when you think you have found a great job opportunity only to find that you have been scammed by an unscrupulous individual you can’t contact. Hundreds of these so-called work-at-home schemes exist, and it can be very frustrating trying to weed thru them and find legitimate opportunities.

Many legitimate companies do hire stay-at-home moms. However, these jobs do tend to be scarce and many of them require that you have a great deal of experience or education to perform them. No one will "get rich quick" working at home. It will not happen. And those ads that guarantee that you will are false. Remember the old saying "If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is"? Well it does hold true! So be careful when considering one of these opportunities.

So how is a mother supposed to do what she feels is the best for her family and still contribute financially?

Many of us stay at home moms, climb aboard the guilt train when we even consider doing something for ourselves; taking a little down time, finding a hobby or anything that we feel takes away time and energy from our homes, children, & husbands. We tend to forget that we too are human beings and day in day out “same ole same ole” can get very old, very fast.

There is an alternative to working at home, that takes up a very small portion of your time, can make you a little extra income and can get you out of the house for a few hours. A part time job may just be the answer you are looking for. Most part-time jobs require less than 32 hours per week and some require less than that. Now if you need to actually earn a living, then part time work would probably not be a wise choice for you. Part time jobs may have other drawbacks that make them bad choices as well.

A few things to consider: Part-time jobs rarely pay more than $6-$8 per hour depending on skills required, and the type of job you will be doing. Some jobs pay as much as $11-$12 per hour, but they are rare. Be prepared to earn just a little above minimum wage for most part time jobs.

Most part time jobs do not offer benefits. There are those that do, however. If you have the time to do your homework, you may just be able to find one that does. You will be better off, and more apt to find a good part time job, if you do not make this a top priority.

Many part time jobs are evenings and weekends. Many companies need people that are willing to work evenings throughout the week, weekend days and evenings, and even holidays.

Cost of childcare. This can be the biggest obstacle for those seeking part time work. Many centers or individuals that provide childcare either do not care for children on a part-time basis, or they charge full-time fees for part-time care.

Okay, so you have weighed all the options, and you are ready to go to work. Where do you begin?

Here are a few ideas and places to find part time work, along with benefits that some will provide for their part time employees:

Day Care Centers, Church Daycares, & Church Nurseries: Many will let you bring your own children free of charge!

Home Day Care: Even with one child (depending on where you live) you could earn $80, $90 up to $125 in many areas for caring for one infant in your home. That translates to utility bills, car payments, groceries, and many other monthly bills.

Mall Stores Are the Ticket! Visit your local shopping mall, primarily clothing stores, craft stores, and other “women related” stores. These places hire of lot of part time help, especially during the holidays

Discount Stores: Many discount stores such as Wal-Mart or K-mart hire TONS of part time workers in MANY areas; in their stores, offices, warehouses and more.

Home Reps for Avon, Home Interiors, Tupperware, etc.: Try your local yellow pages or a web search to find info about these business opportunities.

Put Your Creative Abilities to Work for You! Flower arranging, crafting, tole painting, quilting, and more! Sell your handicrafts or teach others! Many craft stores offer areas or rooms in their stores for this type of thing.

How Talented Are You? If you play an instrument, sing or are a whiz at geometry, start your own small business, by giving piano lessons, voice lessons, or tutoring.

House/Office Cleaning Advertise in your local paper for house or office cleaning, running errands or yard work. Small office cleaning is a great way to earn extra money for just a few hours per evening.

NOTE: For any type of job listed above(where you are not receiving a paycheck from an employer) make sure that you research the laws and regulations in your city and state in regards to zoning, sales taxes, insurance etc. before you start.

Search your local newspaper classifieds. Many companies now advertise for employees on the internet and you can search thru hundreds of job listing databases, most of them free of charge.

Working part-time might not be the ideal option that many moms dream about, but it can be a practical and rewarding alternative for many of us. Keep your options open, stay flexible. Happy job hunting!