Managing Life as a Work-at-Home Mom
This post is part of a 3-part series. Read Part 2 and Part 3 here.
As someone who has a firm conviction that being home with my children and keeping my home is the best thing that I could possibly do in this season of life, I never really considered any sort of career or business work once that first sweet baby arrived.
Becoming a work-at-home mom was not part of my original plan. I love the idea of focusing only on my home, my children and my husband and not balancing hours of other work on top of it all. That’s what I always thought that I would do.
When blogging and writing turned from hobby to a small income-earning opportunity to a full-fledged business and career pursuit, it surprised me, at times overwhelmed me, but ultimately thrilled me and became something wonderful that I didn’t know I wanted (but am so glad that I have).
In the midst of talking about frugality and money-management this month, it seemed only right to also share about generating an income from home, since I know that this is a desire for so many other moms and homemakers.
Is It Worth It?
Personally, I am so grateful that God had bigger ideas than I did when this little blog began so many years ago. He knew the challenges our family would face and the risks we would decide to take as we pursued our dreams. He gave me an opportunity to challenge myself and serve our family in a way I never anticipated. To be able to do something I love from home, while staying focused on caring for and homeschooling my children and keeping my home, is an amazing thing.
I can choose my own hours, take time off when needed, and have complete creative freedom and control as an entrepreneur. I adore what I do and it would be hard to give it up.
There have been hard times as well. For all those business-owners out there reading this, you know well how easy it can be to push yourself too hard, to let the lines between personal and work time blur too much, to allow priorities to become out of order, and for relationships and health to suffer. I’ve been there. It was a dark time in my life.
I don’t regret the work that I’ve done or that my children know that their mama runs a business as well as a home, but I have at times regretted how I have done things and I have had to make a lot of changes over the past year to work less and work smarter.
Image by Marina Pics
How Do I “Do It All”?
The short answer is, I don’t.
What many people don’t realize is that those of us who have chosen to work from home (while being committed to caring for our home and children full-time) is that there are many sacrifices along the way.
Things that I have sacrificed to do what I do:
- “Free” time (Hobbies? What are those?)
- Having an especially clean or well-decorated home
- A lot of social outings and opportunities (nights spent home in front of the computer, missed playdates or times with friends, etc.)
- Making as many things as I want to from scratch. I buy most (though not all) of my natural skincare products, non-toxic cleaners, Christmas gifts, and some foods, like lacto-fermented sauerkraut, yogurt or sprouted grain breads. I love making what I can, but there’s only so much time in the day.
- Internet browsing or social media (I don’t do Facebook or Twitter other than minimally for business purposes and I hardly ever have the time for pleasure reading blogs or articles these days)
Things I have sacrificed at times, but have learned the hard way that I shouldn’t:
- Quiet times with the Lord. When we think we don’t have enough time, that’s when we need to make time.
- Exercise. I can’t tell you how much better and more energetic this makes me feel.
- Sleep.
- Time with my kids. I’ll talk more in the next post about how I have moved towards hardly ever being on my computer when I’m around my kids.
- Time with my husband (another one that is never worth it)
Image by vxla
Time Management Tips for Balancing Home, Family and Business
After doing this for over four years, one of the best pieces of advice that I can give is to keep things separate. By working hard to keep my computer time contained within certain hours and days, and keeping the laptop shut the rest of the time, I have so much more peace and productivity than I did when I was less strict about when I tackled work tasks.
Here’s what my work week looks like:
Tuesday 12:30-3:30pm (at coffee shop, while our regular mother’s helper comes over to be with the children)
Thursday 7:30-10:00pm (work in my living room, after putting children to bed, while my husband works late)
Friday 9:00am-5:00pm (at coffee shop, while my husband is with the children and does homeschooling– however, this is just a temporary thing while I finish up a few projects and soon I will only be working 3-4 hours on Fridays)
*I know that many couples aren’t able to work out an arrangement like we have for Fridays. This is a new thing for us only in the past 6 weeks or so, as my husband’s work schedule was previously much too busy. In the past, I would work one or two extra evenings instead, or try to squeeze some extra work time out of a nap/quiet time. I also chose not to take on any large projects for the past year, because I knew I simply couldn’t do them and still keep up with everything else.
Aside from those specific work times, I also:
- Open my laptop once, very briefly, in the mornings to check in with my HelloMornings Facebook group and to put up the newest post on the Keeper of the Home Facebook page. Then I close it as quickly as I can, before I get myself into trouble. 🙂
- Occasionally go on for 30-60 minutes in the afternoon while kids are occupied/having quiet times or maybe for an hour in the evenings, but only if I really need to.
I try not to touch my computer on the weekends to the best of my ability. I break this rule sometimes if there is a time-sensitive project I have going on (like a book launch, or a website re-design or technical problem), or if I’ve gotten behind due to unexpected circumstances like illness.
I know this may not be the right strategy for everyone. I have a blogging friend that likes being able to attend to things like her emails, while sitting at the table beside her daughter and being available to stop and offer homeschool help and guidance as needed. It really works for her and that’s awesome.
Personally, I get distracted and find that I am not able to be effective in either homeschooling or work tasks when I try to do the same. Knowing yourself and being honest about what is and isn’t working is crucial.
Making Work at Home Work for You
I’m pretty sure there is no magical way to make this juggling act easy, but there are definitely ways to make it easier .
In my next post, I’ll discuss things like getting the help that you need, making your work time more productive, creative scheduling, keeping your family a priority, and letting go of things that just aren’t necessary (any guesses as to what I think those are?). Sound like fun? Make sure to check in for Part 2 next week!
How about us working mothers and working mom’s with a sick child! Seems like it would be a lot easier to get things done at home if you are at home but what about the mothers of the world who can’t afford to stay home and have to work?
Well, I don’t have much experience with that, so I’m not sure how to answer! My experience has only been in staying at home and managing my work from home, so I’m probably not the person to ask for tips on this subject. 🙂
I really enjoyed reading this post. I don’t have kids yet (our first due in May) and I also don’t work from home BUT I think this information is valuable since I have considered finding a part time social work job after the baby is born).
Very good ideas! I definitely learned a lot reading your thoughts. 🙂 I’ve had a hard time balancing working at home sewing and tending home and family, and the biz usually takes backburner to everything else.
Will be back!!
GREAT post! Yes… I can relate on SO many levels!
Work from home (and outside the home), home school, (try to) keep a nice home, prepare healthy foods, nurture my own health & spirit, be a NICE mommy and wife… ack!! It cracks me up, too, when people ask, “How do you do it ALL?” My answer is the same as yours… and it comes off my lips with lightening speed… and a chuckle… “I DON’T!!!”
I found out the hard way, too, that my computer time doesn’t mix well with my mommy time. My work-from-home time takes place in the early mornings and late nights… but I think, after reading this post, that my hubby needs to get together with YOUR hubby and chat about taking over the schooling for a day so that mommy can get more done! (lol!)
Nah… actually, I’m happy with the balance I’ve worked hard to create in recent years. It’s never perfect… but it always works out.
Thanks for sharing a sneak peek into your work-from-home world – even after all these years, I find it very, very helpful! : )
Great post. I work from home also and I find myself getting sidetracked often – I really need to implement specific times to work and specific tasks to accomplish during those times – that might help me not waste my computer time!
You are not alone Pam! 🙂 This is my MAIN GOAL this year . . . to find a consistent schedule (and stick with it!!) that works for me. I’ve been wasting so much time lately – and then it makes me feel unmotivated – as I beat myself up for wasting all that time! My kids are in school full-time . . . and you’d think I would get a lot done. I have found that I don’t know what to do with myself when no one is needing me or telling me what to do! I realized that for my whole life my schedule was dictated for me basically – by being a student, then having kids. Now – with 6 hours to myself every day . . . I can get stuck because I have so many ideas of what I want to do, should do, need to do, etc!
So . . . I’m going to get off now . . .get a shower – and then sit down and write out a schedule!! (and then enlist my hubby to keep me accountable!) 🙂
I second everything you’ve just said! I am so thankful everyday that God has allowed me the opportunity to live out the passion He has given me. What a blessing it is to be able to be at home with the children, teaching them, and loving them. And what a blessing it is to be able to minister to people through blogging. However, I am just beginning this journey as a work at home mom and your post has just pierced my heart. I want to learn boundaries now…from the get go! Thank you for your honesty and wisdom Stephaine. I am looking forward to reading the advice you offer in part 2:)
I only work a few hours from home for pay. But I have a few volunteer projects that I oversee that still take a certain amount of computer time each week. Plus just the bills payments and household management takes time as well, plus my blog and my novel. I have trouble justifying the time I spend working instead of with my daughter because I know that I’m not actually getting paid for most of it. I feel guilty when she begs me to play with her but I delay because I have emails to send that I’m afraid I’ll forget. Yet I’m happy to see that she is learning to play on her own. With another baby coming in just two months I wonder how I’ll get anything done again. People are always telling me that my “child is the most important thing and that in twenty years nobody will care if the laundry and dishes got done.” But the truth is, they need to get done. We live in the tiny little house and clutter can accumulate fast and make the house almost impossible to navigate. How do you balance guilt and efficiency?
I wish I had a simple answer for the guilt. Some things do need to get done, and we can’t always play or sit with our children, much as we wish we could. It’s important for them to also learn to play independently, in my opinion. And yet, we still need to make purposeful times to be with them and be able to stop and actively listen/look when they want our attention. That has been the biggest thing for me- not that I stop being busy or having things that need to get done, because it seems that my responsibilities only grow as the years go by. I think it’s more that we need to not learn to tune them out, to actually listen when they speak (not just say “mmm-hmmm”), to look at things when they ask us to, etc. Just to be mentally present with them, even if we’re doing things. I think that it will also get easier for you once you have two kids that are a bit older. Now that my children can play together it helps a lot, because they occupy each other and they don’t need me to play with them as much (although I do plenty of breaking up fights, discipling and training them to be kind to one another :).
Great post. I just wanted to point out a possible typo, and you can delete this comment afterward- where you wrote “Time with my husband (another one that is never worth it)” – did you mean to say “never worth it”? (maybe you did and I’m just misunderstanding?)
Since it was under the section on things she has sacrificed, I understood it as it is never worth sacrificing time with your husband in order to work from home.
Exactly… it’s “never worth it” to sacrifice that time. That’s what I was trying to say. 🙂
oooohhhh duh!!! —headslap— My reading comprehension was off that moment I guess…My apologies!!
What an encouraging post! I’ve been working at home for about 2 1/2 years now, but I’m *still* fleshing out what exactly that looks like. When I just had one child and she took 2 naps a day, it was relatively easy to work everything in! When baby girl #2 came 14 months ago, I really started to struggle.
Since I started working from home, I’ve tutored, taught homeschoolers Spanish, wrote for several local newspapers, edited, worked in marketing for a natural parenting company, worked as a VA for a bigger blogger and officially launched my blog 6-7 months ago. No, I haven’t done all those at once–and as my girls have gotten older, I’ve had to transition from one job to another. Tutoring and teaching homeschool Spanish are out for now because it requires me hiring a baby-sitter. I’ve gone from writing 3-4 stories per week for the papers to just writing a motherhood column every other week since it doesn’t require me to conduct phone interviews. I have all but stopped the work for the natural parenting company because it also required a lot of on-the-phone time.
I’ve learned that I simply cannot be on the phone during the day. It was during those times that my 3-year-old decided to decorate her doll house with a book of postage stamps, and my 1-year-old decided to eat…well…poop. 🙂
I’ve cut out the other things to focus on blogging, the VA work and editing for now. None of those require me to be on the phone, but I regret that I still (ah hem, like now) am on the computer some when the girls are awake. It’s something I really, really need to work on.
I respect your social media outlook. I try to post on my FB page several times/day, but I try to hop on and off. I barely ever use Twitter. I just can’t get into it. I know my blog would probably grow a lot faster if I used it, but it just seems like one.more.thing.to.add.to.my.schedule. I’ve also really, really cut back on my personal FB activity. There just isn’t time for it!
And hobbies? I am like you. I just don’t have any! I am a bookworm, but I laugh and say I’ve become a blog-worm because it seems like they are the only things I read right now! I do want to better manage my time, so I have the chance to read some meaty books before bed!
Exercise….oh how i need to get back in that habit!
This post comes at a great time. I turned in a similar post to my editor at Homemakers Challenge a few weeks ago (part 1 of 2!), and I am going to see if I can add in a link to this post!
Sorry for writing a book! Haha! Thanks again for a great post!!
Do hear me that I’m not saying that social media is bad for everyone, or even that it’s bad at all. It just is, for ME. And I think that we bloggers can tend to place more emphasis on using social media than is really necessary. Even being the social media slouch that I am, my blog continues to grow well because I focus primarily on content.
And I understand about it becoming more difficult as you add children. I started with a toddler and a baby, which wasn’t too hard. With 3 and then homeschooling, that’s when I started to go under a bit. Anticipating a 4th and then having two homeschooling this coming fall, I know that I need to continue to be even more intentional and smart about how I work.
Thanks for this post! My work-at-home life has exploded since about Thanksgiving and i’m trying to balance working as a VA, working on my own blog, volunteer work, and everything else! I’m super thankful for the opportunities, but I need to sit down and work out a schedule for my life, based on my “new” reality. It will especially get interesting next year when we officially start homeschooling. I do find that I waste a lot of time – I think mainly because I’m tired! More sleep will equal more productivity, I believe! Thanks for getting me thinking strategically about this, and I look forward to your next post!
Blessings!
Sarah
Thank you for this timely post! Just last night I was thinking about overwhelmed I was becoming with my “blog business”.
When I started out, I definitely didn’t think it would ever be anything more than a small journal where I posted family news from time to time. As it morphs into an actual business before my eyes, for the first time I’m considering calling myself a “work-at-home” mom instead of a “stay-at-home” mom.
I greatly appreciate the tips you shared, as well as the peek into your schedule. I am inspired to be more intentional with my computer time, and quit opening my laptop continually all day long, which always ends up being a time-suck…
Thank you!
I get the time suck effect of the computer being open… I’ve definitely done that in certain seasons, especially towards the beginning when I was new to blogging, and then again when I first began to turn it into a business and found all the work I had to do so overwhelming. It was this amazing revelation for me that I didn’t need to attend to my blog all day and that the internet continued on quite nicely without me. Phew. 🙂
Thanks for this post. I am always eager to glean everything I can from people who are strongly committed to family while running a business.
I think I am very much like you and need to keep things separate. I don’t seem to do well mixing everything together and end up cranky 😉 Not a nice way to be.
I get cranky when I try to mix them, too. My kids thank me for keeping my laptop closed most of the time when they’re around!
I was thinking about what you might say in your next post about letting go of unnecessary things . . . I don’t know what they will be, but one of them is probably leaving pajamas unfolded! (For some reason I remember this from something you wrote before. Or maybe it was your family closet video).
Avoiding things like this help us save a little time here and there 🙂
Mmm hmmm, it was me who said that. Pajamas, cloth diapers, kids pant’s drawers… I’m the queen of not folding. 🙂
Well,….I shall begin with THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! :o)
As a newbie to the blogging world and the mother of 8 children, I am so appreciative of this post!!!
You actually brought clarity, perspective, and some accountability (as I type, I have one little kiddo waiting patiently for momma….) to my day. Did I say THANK YOU yet??? ;o)
You are a blessing!
You are so very welcome, Elena! 🙂
Thank you so much for your post. I have worked from home as an accountant since before my three kids were born. I too admit this was not in the “plan” but as with you, God knew of the trials and heartaches we would go through and blessed us immensely with the option to stay home with my children and yet bring in an income. Thank you for addressing the things we do give up – working from home is a sacrifice and my home often looks a mess and the playdates sometimes get rescheduled due to work issues.
I do appreciate that my children get to learn some independence along the way. There are time I feel terrible that I have to work while they are awake, yet God revealed to me yesterday how close my kids are and how well they play together. We have an hour in the afternoon where I work and the kids play in their room with little conflict. They are also best friends and I love that!
I certainly struggle with time management on the computer, until baby#3 came along I could work evenings and early mornings. Now I’m just so tired. I work evenings the first week of the month (when we’re busy closing the month) and don’t allow myself to commit to anything outside work, homeschooling and taking care of the home. We have a sitter who comes on Monday’s who homeschools and takes the kids out to museums and parks. This is such a blessing from the Lord! The kids have an hour in the afternoon where they play and I work, other than that I’m on my own in the evenings.
I love being home and though there are drawbacks from needing to work, I believe the good outweighs the bad. I struggled with guilt for a long time, but over the last few years God has shown me that it is His plan for our family and He will bring blessing through our obedience.
Stephanie, Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post. These were just the things I have been pondering for the new year and so appreciate your advice in these areas!
Kandace
Great post. I definitely need to get better about getting off the computer and facebook. I find it helps if I keep the computer in the office instead out in the kitchen/main floor(where it is at this very moment).
Thank you for sharing this! I know a blogging schedule looks different for everyone, and it’s always nice to get a peek into someone else’s schedule.
I’ve been struggling a bit with blogging and having a little one home full time. Since we simply can’t afford preschool tuition for him on top of Catholic school tuition for 3 next year, it looks like he’ll be home again next year. I keep debating about finding a sitter, and I’ve asked around with no success. For now, I just do my best.
This is interesting to see how you actually do this, although I don’t do this type of thing myself nor desire to at all. It sounds like you’re beginning to know yourself better to know how you can handle things, and that is great! For me knowing myself better means that I know I cannot have another focus other than what I already have (home, children, husband, church….)
Thank you for sharing though since its interesting to see how you do it.
And I don’t think it’s for everyone. I have lots of friends who have no desire whatsoever to work from home and I totally respect that. Personally, I do love doing it, so long as I am able to find a balance, which has definitely been a journey for me. I think it’s helpful for moms to talk about this more openly, because it helps us all to learn to find that balance faster and by making less mistakes along the way!
This is the kind of post that meets my husband and I just where we are at. We both work from home with our vision clinic in our backyard. We are trying to balance the work at home life and I feel like we keep reinventing our strategies. It is a whole different enchilada than when we were working outside the home or when I was a stay at home mom. We really appreciate your insights and would love more, lots more.
Helpful post. I homeschool two, have a third in highschool, volunteer and am going to be studying part time again. I would also like to start a blog – not to put pressure on myself but to learn the ropes with the hopes of growing it in the future. All of this will require great discipline and wisdom. I would eagerly read more of what you to share on the topic.
Hi Stephanie,
I really enjoy your blog, thank you for taking the time to keep it going! Personally, I would love to know how one makes money by doing a blog. I could definitely use some extra income and would love to be able to do that from home! Any pointers on how to make money or how to have a successful blog would be much appreciated!
Thank you and blessings to you and your family,
Lisa
I probably won’t write extensively about how to manage a blog or earn money blogging, but in my next post I will include some links and resources that are helpful for learning more about this topic!
Thank you, any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Thanks for sharing that you don’t do it all. Even if we support making everything from scratch, life just gets in the way sometimes. I find the biggest challenge to staying in the present is the Iphone. It’s fast, yet is just as distracting as sitting at the computer. I’m still trying to find the right schedule for blogging and my volunteer work (that involves managing social media sites!) and I’m looking forward to post #2.
I appreciate this post as i am actually in school right now and always have work to do. I recently deleted my fb account because i couldn’t be disciplined enough with it. Its such a challenge caring for children, a home and work. I was curious though, do you really think its healthy to not have any hobbies and eliminate most fun from our lives? I have always felt like it is important to do at least something that has nopurpose other than fun. I think God created us to have fun and that we should do fun things on a regular basis. I just wonder if it really is a healthy balance to hVe no hobbies and miss out of most social activites? Thanks for your blog!
I didn’t say I don’t ever have fun. 🙂 By hobbies, I just mean that I don’t have particular things that I spend any significant amounts of time doing just because I like them, such as scrapbooking, sports, sewing, etc. I do enjoy photography and play around with my camera when I’m able, I try to fit in time to read good books, I have recently grown to love exercising in the mornings, I garden every spring and summer (this would be the closest I have to a true hobby- it’s practical and frugal, but it’s also just fun for me), so it’s not that I never do things I like, it’s just that I don’t make them a priority or put much time into them. I definitely still make plenty of time for fun with my children and husband (because that is VERY important), and whenever possible, we hang out with other families to share a meal, go on an outing, etc. We make time for special family days, date nights, and recently did a double date with some friends, which was a blast. Plus, I maintain a few good friendships and participate in regular church activities. By no means is my life all work and no play! I agree that it wouldn’t be healthy to live that way. 🙂
Nicely done. May God continue to bless you and your family. Also, I would add…your pictures do reveal a bit more order and design than you admit to. 🙂
When I first saw your post title I was very eager to read what you had to say . . . then the eagerness faded to really, how does she do all that . . . to this is not going to relate to me, she seems to have it all together, much more than me. As I read though, I found your article to be honest and insightful. I especially appreciated your list of the things you have sacrificed and those you have at some point but should not have.
I have been a work at home mother since my daughter was born over seven years ago. I am fortunate to work for and with a Christian employer who values the fact my husband and I have from the very first chosen to have me be a stay at home mom. He also, values the work that I do for him and have been able to continue doing through the years as the first little one has been joined by others. One of the greatest habits that has kept me from being unbalanced or at least helps to show me when I am is a serious reevaluation of my time and energies. I try to do it every several months, give or take a few if things seem to be getting out of control.
Has it been worthwhile . . . definitely! I love being at home with my kids, taking care of things at home for my husband so he can focus on his work and ministry, and being able to earn some extra income and use a different part of my brain with my paying job. One question I regularly struggle with is how to balance taking care of my family, doing my “work” for home and my employer, and taking care of myself so that I am better able to care for those around me. I know that God gives us strength and grace for all that is given to us to accomplish, yet, I am always looking for ways to better do what I do.
Thanks so much for this post Stephanie! I started working from home about 3 and a half years ago, and my baby daughter is now 11 months – I specifically wanted to work from home to be with her. The point about sacrifices is so true – that is probably the most difficult for me – the resentment from friends and family for not spending more time with them, because I am “at home all day”. But a wonderful husband, the Lord’s grace and daily baby steps makes it possible. I also have some resolutions for 2012, like keeping up exercise, no matter how tight a deadline is 🙂 I am truly blessed by your blog!
It is hard when others don’t understand the sacrifices that we are making in order to make things work and be home with our children full time. I have had that same struggle many times, when someone was hurt or resentful or simply didn’t understand why I didn’t have more time to spend with them or why I am so busy. It’s so important that you and your husband are on the same page, and that you continue to seek the Lord’s wisdom and grace as you walk this out. When you know that you are doing what the Lord has for you, and that your husband is in full support of you, it becomes a little bit easier to be affected less by the negative opinions of others. And I have found over time that although many people don’t understand, I also establish unexpected connections with other women who absolutely do understand and then those relationships become a real source of refreshment and encouragement. 🙂
I’m a part time worship leader at my church. I don’t have an office there, and do a good bit of things from home. But Wednesdays are my main “work day” as my MIL has the kids, I can go to planning meetings, get a lot of correspondence done, and have rehearsal. Although I have other things that need attended to on other days, I find I do much better if I can take off the mommy/homeschooler hat for a few concentrated hours and give all my attention to my work.
Hi Stephanie,
I think we share same “work at home mom” story as I can relate myself to you in many aspects. I started working at home last year and I have managed to settle few things so far. I have also said “no” to many things that I like but today I don’t have any regrets for that. I hated some of the tasks initially but gradually I started liking them. Its really very tough to work at home along with taking care of home and kids.
Thank you for this post! I am not yet a mom, but my dream is to one day be a stay at home mom running a blog business for a little extra income. It is good to get the inside scoop to see how blogging WAHMs do it efficiently!
Timely topic for me — I aim to be starting to do some work at home in the next two weeks. These are things that I have had going through my mind and I wonder how well I will manage adding work back into my life. Thanks for the input – I will weigh it all.
interesting timing of your post. I just became a mother and began working at home this past August. I’m definitely learning things along the way. The outline of your weekly work schedule is interesting, as we just decided to establish a more regular working-from-home schedule this week (after an emotional evening :). I am finding it does not work to just try to “fit things in” during baby girl’s nap times or after bedtime, for many of the reasons you list above. With that mentality I end up being ineffective at both jobs!
I have found the decorating/hobby time/ social life sacrifices to be the hardest. There just isn’t enough time! However, we are so thankful for the blessing of a job I love as God’s provision during this stage of our lives.
My husband and I were just talking about this last night. I just started blogging {kind of a hobby, not really a job} and it can become a problem if I am ‘consumed’ with my ‘work’ at the wrong times! It is super helpful to hear how you make time to write. Looking farward to Part 2!
Great post! One of m goals this year is to start implementing “Office Hours” for my blog design business and to work on blog work. I’m still working on getting into a good sleep groove with my newborn, but once we do, with the Lord’s help, I’m going to start implementing Office Hours and spend less time on the computer while my kids are awake.
Stephanie –
Thanks for this great post! So honest and encouraging!
This past year I started working on moving my 2 blogs (mothering-matters.com and drinkfromthedeep.org) from blogger to wordpress – as I really did want to turn them from hobbies to possible income-producing blogs (or at least one of them. My DFTD blog is more ministry related).
As I read many mom-bloggers posts about how they go about writing, planning their schedules, etc . . . I notice a theme . . . . coffee shops! 🙂 I’m starting to think I need to change venues . . . and maybe it will inspire me more (and keep me from getting sucked into time-wasters . . . like email and FB!). I’ve been blogging in a chair at home . . . but do find I can get “too comfortable”! 🙂 I tried the library once (thinking I needed the quiet – and afraid I’d get too distracted at a coffee shop) . . . but it was a bit too quiet – and reminded me of being in school! Bleh! 🙂
Anyways . . . blessings on all you do. You sound like a GREAT mom – and your kids are blessed to have you!
Abundant blessings this year!
Lori 🙂
Coffee shops are great… that’s where I am right now. For me, it’s perfect because I get out of the house (where I, too, can get too comfortable and distracted), but it has just enough background, ambient noise to feel comfortable and not sterile, like a library (which I don’t think would work for me, either). I do much better work when I change venues. I also like to change coffee shops once in a while, just for that added change of scenery. Today I found another one that I really like, and they say a change is as good as a vacation, right? 🙂
Thanks for this article! This is definitely a struggle for me but I am also lucky that both of my boys are young enough that they still take daily naps. I have found that by sticking to my schedule, it helps a lot with keeping things under control. I get to work for about 15 min every morning before my husband leaves for work, then I work during naps, and after the kids go to bed at night. My husband also does some work at home but we try to have 1-2 nights a week when we shut the computers off at night.
I can very much relate to your well written article! I have been a work at home Mom for 13 years now and I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, but ultimately, I wouldn’t be happy going back to work outside the home.
I am thankful I found your blog and as a home-maker at heart I will follow your juorney!
Hi Stephanie,
I’m so grateful for bloggers and moms like yourself who share there stories with the rest of us. There’s something about hearing how others manage or attempt to manage things . Until, the last few months I worked full-time , as a teacher . Although, I had a 6 month materninty leave, the experience of staying home while starting a business , and caring for a toddler has brought a whole new set of challenges. My biggest challenge has been how to effectively manage my time, now that my routine is drastically different than before. . I want to give my daughter, my business , and my house appropriate amounts of attention but, have yet to find an equation that works . The good thing is that she’s in daycare for 6 hours ,2 days per week. So, that gives me some quiet work time and I try to make the most of those days.
I, too, work from home. I stayed home with my kids for many years when they were little. While I thought I’d be able to get an office job once they were in school, I soon realized that I needed even more flexibility. I wanted to be home during their breaks, after school, etc. I love working from home, but it can be lonely. I’m trying to find more networking groups for home-based businesses.
I can relate to you. It’s nice to connect with moms doing similar things to me and having similar things happen in our lives. Thank you for sharing 🙂 God Bless!
I’m so thrilled to have found such an info packed article Stephanie. You are doing such great work. I am working from home blogging and making music as well as raising my sixteen month old daughter. I am just at the beginning but connecting with people like you who make it all seem possible gives me such a boost. Thank you for providing such a wonderful resource and inspiration!
This is such an encouraging article. I always wanted to find a way to be at home with my kids and still help pay for all the loans I racked up going to college! This blog is an inspiration and I love the tips you have provided. Thank you!
Love this post! I think your arrangement sounds pretty doable and I can definitely relate to the struggle of how to balance work and home life. I am glad to have found your blog and look forward to reading more!