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Balancing work and family is not an easy task. Most women give up their careers so they can focus on being full-time mothers. However, the issue of finances cannot be taken for granted. With just one person earning for the family, the family budget can get quite tight, unless your husband rakes in money like Bill Gates or any hotshot CEO, problem with finances will always come up.

So what do you do? Wallow in self-pity and hope for the best? Or start a business where you can at least earn something extra not just for the kids, but also for an occasional spa treat for yourself.

Here are success stories of work-at-home moms that I read in CNN, that hopefully inspires you to follow their lead, and start something that might somehow get big or at least contribute something to the family's income.

Jenni Hunt from Portland, Oregon, got hooked on eBay when she bought a stroller for $15 and re-sold it for $100, now offers advise to other eBay sellers specializing in children's goods through her site www.huntedtreasure.com. With her subscription letters, down-loadable eBooks, auction templates and online mentoring, allows her to spend quality time with her children and contribute to the family's income.

Alice Seba, a mother of 2 and runs the website www.internetbasedmoms.com, believes that the Internet not only allows the mother a chance to earn additional income, but the Internet "makes it easier to connect with other moms when the kids are asleep, or when mom gets a free moment".

Carrie Stevens, who is now supervising the volunteer-run support of www.livejournal.com, provides technical help and advice to LiveJournal users but also takes care of her daughter Amie full-time.

These are but a few of the new-generation of stay-at-home moms who took advantage of being a stay-at-home mom and the benefits of the Internet.