I have to admit that finding a balance as a working mom is definitely a challenge. As many of you know, I am a teacher by day and blogger by night. I am also completing my graduate studies in Education while trying to take care of a little minion at home. People often ask me, “How do you get it all done?” I heard once that if you want something done, ask a busy person. This pretty much sums up my life. If I’m not busy I’m bored to tears. I don’t purposely try to pack my schedule but I have specific goals I want to accomplish and take the necessary steps to reach them. But hey – it’s a work in progress. Every day is a give and take. I take it one day at a time and literally schedule everything from work deadlines to grocery trips.
8 Working Moms Share their Advice:
Heaven knows that I am not the expert though, so I have turned to those much wiser than me. Below are the stories of several working moms and how they make it work.
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Meet Amanda from The Mommy Mix
Who is she?
Amanda Komoski is from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is a wife, mother, photographer and blogger. She works out of the home for 30+ hours a week in a studio helping families create memories and then works in the home 30+ hours a week on The Mommy Mix.
Amanda’s thoughts on finding a balance…
Although, she continues to seek to find a true work/life balance, she has found a way to make it work for her family. She says that support plays a big role.
One piece of advice for finding balance as a working mom:
“My one piece of advice is to not be afraid to lean on those you love. Although, my husband does help I usually choose to do things on my own; homework, bath time, cooking the meals…it’s kind of like my way to get in some extra family time after a long day of work, but I’d much rather spend my time eating a meal with my family instead of being in the kitchen or snuggling on the couch with my boys and some Netflix. The days that I know I’m going to be at the studio late, my husband will take over the ‘dailies’ so I can relax and enjoy my time with them when I get home. Your other-half WANTS to help so let them! EVERYONE will be happier because of it!”
Find her at: themommymix.net
Facebook – http://facebook.com/
Meet Amberly from A Prioritized Marriage
Who is she?
Amberly is a full-time working student, wife, and mom. She currently works 32 hours outside the home in addition to being enrolled in 13 credits worth of classes on campus. Since her son was born almost a year ago, her work and school responsibilities have been difficult to keep up with at times, especially knowing that she is spending precious time away from him to get things done. She feels blessed to live near family, so no matter what her schedule looks like each day, it’s comforting to know that he is being cared for and loved by his dad, one of his grandmas or another family member. It wouldn’t be possible without them!
The reason why she keeps up the hustle…
“Completing my education while remaining debt free and helping to support my family is important to me and I know that these sacrifices will be well worth it in the end. My hope is that I can be an example to my son and our future children of what hard work and dedication look like.”
One piece of advice for finding balance as a working mom:
“My biggest piece of advice for other working moms is to give your full attention to whatever you are doing at the moment. If you are at work, give that your full attention. If you are home, give your family your full attention. Don’t let work mesh into family time and vice versa. You may not have as much time to spend with your kids and your husband as SAHM’s do, but the important thing is to be intentional with the time that you do have. Eat dinner together with the TV off and phones put away. Spend an hour or two each night playing games, going to the park or doing something else as a family. Your kids won’t feel less loved by you because you are at work during the day or because you work from home a set number of hours each day if you make the time that you have to spend with them count.”
Find her at: http://aprioritizedmarriage.
Instagram: http://instagram.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/
Meet Nancy from The Pie Hole
Who is she?
Nancy is a woman of many talents. She is the creative director and owner of Montana Creative which began in Toronto and now continues its legacy in Calgary! She has recently put that creative side to good use by also opening The Pie Hole last fall! She is a mom of four children with two Juno awards under her belt for her work on behalf of the Canadian music industry. Nancy is a force to be reckoned with.
Everything she touches turns to pure gold.
Something you may not know about Nancy…
Nancy opened shop in Calgary after her mom passed away. One of Nancy’s daughters asked her, “Now who will make pies?” And thus, the Pie Hole was born! Two of Nancy’s children have special needs, and she wanted a place that they can truly call home; a place where they can grow up a part of and a special place in the world made just for them.
One piece of advice for finding balance as a working mom:
“Know when to wave the white flag!”
Find her at: http://www.thepiehole.ca
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thepieholeyyc
Twitter and Instagram: @pieholeyyc
Meet Bev from Linkouture
Who is she?
Bev Feldman is a jewelry designer, blogger, freelance writer, and now book author! Basically, she is the creative entrepreneur version of a Jane of all trades. She is also a stay-at-home-mom to a beautiful, sweet, and energetic two-year-old, which means she has to carve out sometimes large chunks of time in her day to get her work done.
Bev on working from home…
“I’m a morning person so I get up early to do my work from 5-7 in the morning, during my daughter’s naptime, and two mornings a week when she is at a co-op. I’m very fortunate that my mother-in-law lives nearby and watches my daughter for a full day during the week so I can really crank out the work. I also typically work for at least a few hours on the weekend, and almost entire days during the busy holiday season when I’m at shows selling my jewelry. I’ve come to realize that you don’t need a typical 9-5 schedule to be productive and work. Most weeks I end up working about 20-30 hours!”
One piece of advice for finding balance as a working mom:
“Since I’m a work-at-home-mom, I’m going to gear my advice for moms considering working at home. You can be amazingly productive even when you aren’t working for a solid eight-hour day. In fact, I have discovered I work better in shorter chunks than one solid period of times. Break your work down into small, manageable chunks based on how much time you have, and plug it into the time you have. Do your work at a time that works for you. If you are a morning person like me, consider waking up early to work. If you are a night owl, buckle down in the evenings after your kids have gone to bed. Learn to work with your time, and not against it!”
Find her at: www.linkouture.com
Pinterest: pinterest.com/homemadeexper
Meet Jennifer from One Heart One Family
Jennifer is from 1Heart1Family. By day she is a rural mail carrier, by afternoon a Mom, and by Night a blogger. She works 8 hours a day out of the home, and approximately 4 hours a day in home. She makes it work through a combination of a fear of missing out and a little OCD. She has always wanted to be a mom and as much as she would love to stay at home and be with her kids all the time, finances and circumstances don’t make it possible.
How does she make it all work?
“I think a combination of organization, helping hands from family, a devoted husband and amazing kids, makes being a working mom possible. It is stressful at times. I have cried myself to sleep a number of nights wondering if I have given my all to everything I do! Do my kids know I love them? Did I spend enough quality time with them? Did I give it my all? I have learned that you need to prioritize things (vacuuming can wait!) and if everyone works together it is possible.
One piece of advice for finding balance as a working mom:
“My advice for working moms is know you are DOING GREAT! Just because you can’t attend every bake sale and PTA meeting, doesn’t make you a bad mom. Yes, you will miss field trips and award ceremonies, but its how you show your kids how much you love and support them that really matters. You are not a bad mom because you are a working mom. You are fabulous multi-tasker and should be proud!”
Find her at: http://oneheartonefamily.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Mommy_
Facebook: http://facebook.com/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/
Meet Michelle from Camellias and Copper
Who is she?
Michelle is a full-time working mom of two littles (both are under 3). Her 8-5 job is managing a section of operations at a local insurance brokerage firm. Basically she manages people and processes all day long. A typical day involves dropping her kids off at daycare at 7:30am and picking them up no later than 5:30pm. Her goal every day is to be home by 6pm….because that starts the mad dash of dinner, baths and bedtime – all before 8pm.
Michelle’s thought on getting it all done…
One piece of advice for finding balance as a working mom:
“Rise early! Honestly, figure out what works for you. If you’re a night person, do stuff at night. If you’re a morning person, get up early. Plan everything, but leave room for spontaniety. I plan out my day, what errands I’m going to run and in what order over lunch hours…and I usually have a running list of things that need to be done at home and tackle those as I’m able. Also, let your spouse/significant other help. You can’t do it all and you’ll drive yourself crazy trying.”
Find her at: http://camelliasandcopper.com
Instagram is MichelleLucas1120
Twitter: @CamelliasCopper
Meet Kristi from And Babies Don’t Keep
Thank you to all of the lovely ladies to contributed to this story! You all amaze me and I’ve learned something from each of you! If you liked this post please share it on your Facebook feed to share the love!
The Good Enuf Mommy
It's really great to hear about other working moms and how they manage their work and households. In my circles of friends – both lifelong and more recent, most of us are working moms. I agree that the busier that I am, the more productive I am. I definitely need some down time or "me" time once in a while though too. I'm of the mantra that "I can do it all, just not all at the same time".
What a great group of inspiring women! It is wonderful to see how they approach life in their own ways.
OMG! I LOVE this post! What a great idea to get different perspectives from various moms. Love it! I also learned a bit too.
Really loved reading this! Being a mom to 2, I have definitely had to remind myself to lean on others for help, give myself some grace, and be present when I'm spending time with my babies. It's been an adjustment for my older daughter and she's been the sweetest but I make sure to be 100% invested in OUR time together so she knows she's still so important to me 🙂
-Linh
Loved this post – all of you women are amazing. I am also a teacher/mommy/blogger/freelance writer, so often people ask how I do it all, and honestly, sometimes I don't even know! ha. It's great to see how others do it and hear their stories.
So inspirational! I'm not a mom and I am tired after doing what I do all day. I give working mom's so much credit!
This post is amazing! I love how you heard from all of these different and wonderful ladies:)
It was so interesting to see how everyone's schedules varied so much and how we all make it work. Such fantastic advice! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this 🙂
Wow! These are some really inspiring, busy, and hard working women. I'm so impressed by all the things they get done. I love all the tips too. The one about breaking work days into chunks instead of a full 8 hours is great. Also, not getting upset when you don't get everyone done. Great post!
These are great tips. It was fun to read tips from so many amazing women. I rise early daily so I can get things done before our kids wake up.
So many incredible, inspirational moms!
Great tips! I work from home and the best tips are to prioritize and to do list!
I applaud all of these moms. They are all so inspiring and it was so nice to read about all of them and see the links to their amazing blogs!
Wow I love this post and all of the advice! Especially "Wave the white flag!" I need to connect with Kellie, I am also trying to fight an auto immune issue with the paleo diet!
what an amazing group of women! They definitely have a lot of great advise!
Thanks for compiling all these women's story.
Wow! These are some amazing women! Thank you for sharing their stories and advice. It's nice to get a window into someone's life and glean from them.
This is an AMAZING post! Such great advice from all the moms! I definitely have to go visit their blogs, too!
I love this! So many great mamas with excellent advice on balancing it all. I think at the end of the day all we can do is just try our best and focus on quality over quantity. Sometimes that 5 minutes of uninterrupted fun dedicated to the kids is better than an entire day full of interruptions and distractions. Great post!