Welcome to my new series: Working Moms. (I’m happy to include working Dads as well, I just don’t see as many of them visiting my blog.)
I thought I’d be the first to give my questions a go. This series is a way to hear from other working parents about their struggles and accomplishments as working parents. I’d love to feature you (whether you’re a blogger or not!) so please contact me if you’d like to be included in my series.
Without further ado – onto my questions!
Today’s post is from Jessica at A Modern Mom’s Life (www.jessicafoley.ca)
Describe your home life – how old are your kids? Does your spouse work as well? Or are you a single parent?
My girls are 7 and 10 – Rose will be 8 in May. My husband and I both work outside the home. He works full time plus has a side business (Fusix is a webhosting and network cabling company, among other IT things) which keeps him very busy!
What do you do? Describe your working life.
I’m a pharmacy assistant. That means I work behind the counter in a pharmacy. I get your medications ready and then the pharmacist checks my work. I also spend half my week at work packing compliance packs. Those are the blister packages that have pills inside the bubbles. Sometimes that’s tedious work!
I’m also a virtual assistant and blogger. I’ve been blogging for almost 5 years, but I’m only approaching year three with A Modern Mom’s Life on WordPress. I love writing, but sometimes I feel like blogging and all the social sharing takes over my life a bit.
As a virtual assistant I help other businesses with their behind-the-scenes tasks. From email list creation to social media sharing – if it happens online, I can help you out with it!
Join my email list to learn more about how I can help you as a virtual assistant.
And how many hours do you work in a week?
At the pharmacy I work 32 hours per week – 4 full days. I take every Wednesday off. With blogging I work all the time. I devote a few hours to blogging on a Wednesday, and I spend time in the evenings on social media and doing promotion. This is also when I complete my VA tasks.
How soon did you return to work after having a child? And is your work life the same now (same job, or role at that job?)
In Canada we get one year income “replacement” for maternity and parental leave. I took all of it and my husband only took a week off right when the kids were born. When I returned to work, Emma was almost one (she’s my oldest.) I moved from being a cashier at the pharmacy to working behind the counter with the pharmacists. I’ve been a pharmacy assistant for 10 years now, and I’ve been at the pharmacy for 18. (Am I really that old??)
What do you do to treat yourself? Do you have something in your routine that you do just for you?
I have Wednesdays to myself. That is huge for me. I do housework and I try to fit in a walk or jog. I spend time blogging, which I feel is time for me. But the big thing I do “just for me” is my dance classes. Every Tuesday night I take a dance class with other adult ladies (and a few men) and I love it!
Touch on your most and least favourite things about being a working parent.
I enjoy being at the pharmacy – the folks there are like a second family to me. It’s so great to be out of the house, and using my brain for something important. I think I’d be lost without the adult interaction that going to work provides.
My least favourite thing is just the lack of time. There’s rarely enough time to make a “real” dinner, and 4 nights a week someone is at dance class. We get lots of time together on the weekends, but rushed weekdays suck!
What are your goals going forward?
Ideally I would love to cut back my outside-the-home working hours, but I can’t realistically do that without supplementing my income. This blogging stuff is rumoured to be somewhat lucrative but I haven’t been too successful in monetizing my blog. I don’t want to quit working though – maybe just do a little less and be home a little more. If I could be available to the girls after school that would be perfect!
Any tips to share for balance in your life?
It’s okay to let some stuff slide. The laundry won’t always be caught up, and sometimes eating heat-and-eat dinners is just fine. Be present for your kids but don’t worry that you aren’t always available to them. Your life is what you make it, and what you need it to be. Your kids will remember the fun stuff you do together, they won’t care that you didn’t cook a 4 course meal every night!
You can visit me on all the social media platforms – the icons at the top of my blog will take you there. If you like this idea and want to stay on top of my Working Mom series be sure to subscribe to my blog!
If you’d like to be featured, email me at modernmom@jessicafoley.ca or visit my contact page for other ways to get in touch.
Stay tuned for my next Working Mom guest – Sarah from Digital Motherhood!
To read all the posts in this series click here for the complete list.
~Jess
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