I love being a working Mom. My days are planned out (at least until about 6pm), and so are my weeks – mostly. My husband also works. And my kids are “older” now and better able to understand what needs to be done, and how quickly. None of this, though, helps lessen my desire to be at home more often.
Here are the things I could not do without as a working mom:
- My family support network. This includes everyone who helps me (us) raise my (our) kids. The first person I have to mention is my daycare provider who we have been with since Emma was about 10 months – she’ll be 8 this September. Tina runs an in-home daycare and is a huge piece of our family right now. Sadly we’re losing our spots when the school year rolls around again, but I really hope we can keep her as a close family friend. The kids love her, and I love her too. The rest of my family also supports us like crazy. They watch the kids, make and share meals, and are available if and when we need them (most of the time.)
- My blog. I love the escapism of just sitting and writing whatever I feel like – and the good excuse it provides for social media time wasting. I like the idea of sharing my life stories and hoping I can connect with my readers on some level. If I can help someone feel less alone in their parenting journey I think I’ve done my job as a blogger – and it’s a way to explore what’s meaningful to me, and my family.
- Me time. This is along the same lines as writing in my blog. Me time helps me reconnect with myself, rediscover what I love (past and present), and get away from the house and the thoughts of never-ending laundry. Right now I’m taking a ballet class and I’m hoping to keep my dance nights free even when classes are done for the summer. Enter my dissatisfaction with the number of “real friends” I have. I hope to remedy this as well, since sometimes “me time” is fun when spent with someone else!
- None of my family life would be possible without my husband. He is a great partner in this parenting journey. Because of him I can take my “me time” and have my evenings out without worrying about what is happening at home. The only gripe I can share about Patrick is that he is very apathetic about the laundry. So that’s mainly my job. But he is happy to make dinners, do the dishes, and share in many of the other never-ending household tasks.
- Blogging. Being able to take some time and share my words with others often helps me focus on what I have (and how great it usually is) rather than feeling overwhelmed or like I’m not spending enough time with my kids. You can read up on why I started blogging here. It’s not a really great story, but my blog has already veered away from it’s intended purpose. I like where it’s headed now better anyway!
- Wine (and coffee.) My favourite way to unwind after a long day of working and parenting is to have a drink after dinner. Sometimes 2 or 3. And those drinks are better if I have some company to share the bottle with me! Patrick would rather have a cup of tea so I do a bit of drinking “alone” while he and/or the kids are home. And coffee is needed every morning because I need something to look forward to to get me out of bed!
To be clear, I work 4 days a week (Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri) and I have Wednesdays and weekends off. It took me 10+ years of working at my job before I was able to get every weekend off. I fill my Wednesdays with house (and garden) work, as well as blogging. Some weeks are more productive than others, but I also use the at-home day for haircuts or other appointments I need to fit in. It’s still unbelievably busy working 4 days a week and being a mom.
Have a helpful tip for a working mom (or dad?) – share with me in the comments. Raising kids is hard enough, I really like the “it takes a village” mindset because kids can learn so much from a collection of friends and family members – more than just with their parents alone!
~Jess
PS: If you liked this post, be sure to read my post Blogging and Working Mom – Can I Do Both? You can find it here. And join me on my journey – sign up to get my weekly emails with real life wisdom and other fun tidbits I’ve learned along the way!
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