Finding a Balance as a Working Mom

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. 

Instagram: @weareblog 


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

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.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/aprioritizedmarriage
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/aprioritizedwe
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aprioritizedmarriage


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

Who is she?

Pinterest: pinterest.com/homemadeexper

Meet Jennifer from One Heart One Family

Who is she?

 

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_Jennof3
Facebook: http://facebook.com/1heart1family
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/1heart1family

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…

“I honestly don’t know how it all gets done!  I rise early (4:33am) in order to get in a devotional and short walk in on the treadmill and I like to be ready before everyone else gets up and in my way. 🙂  By the time our kids are up in the morning, I’ve got most of breakfast done and ready, milk bottles are ready and lunches are mostly prepared for the day.”

 

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

Who is she?

Kristi James is a pastor’s wife, writer, and mom to three pretty spectacular little girls. She lives in beautiful Western North Carolina and doesn’t take it for granted! She works as a blogger, copywriter and occasional editor.

Kristi’s thoughts on getting it all done…

While she’s got one daughter in full-day kindergarten, the other two daughters are in preschool just a few days a week. One of those days is set apart as a date day with her husband, leaving one 3.5 hour chunk for accomplishing everything else. This isn’t enough! Over the years she’s learned to take that day seriously and work hard rather than using that time for other errands or meetings I can do with a few kids. She has also learned that shoving her work into the nooks and crannies of life so that it doesn’t impact the family leaves her feeling tired and used. “When I treat work like work, I adjust my schedule and my expectations, and I’m more free to love my family (and my work!).”

One piece of advice for finding balance as a working mom:

“Don’t sell yourself short! I hear a lot of women talk about how they don’t have any skills or experience to offer when they’re ready to look at working again. They look at others and say, “Well she’s a REAL photographer or a REAL writer, and all I have an 8 year gap in my resume.” Every REAL photographer and writer started in exactly the same spot. You have to take your talents and be brave with them. Ask someone to give you a chance. Don’t apologize for a resume gap, explain that it was a choice you were able to make and you don’t take it for granted. Explain that you learned a lot about yourself that will help you be a better employee than you were in your 20s. Explain that you’ve had time to reflect on what you love about work, what you’re good at, and that you’re not applying for this job or that because you have to, but because you know you want to. Don’t devalue the good work that you’ve done as a stay-at-home mom, or the things you’ve learned during those years. They have shaped you as a woman and prepared you to be a powerhouse partner in new ventures.”

Website:

www.andbabiesdontkeep.com

instagram: www.instagram.com/kristenannjames

facebok: www.facebook.com/andbabiesdontkeep

 

twitter: www.twitter.com/kristenannjames

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

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