Can we talk about being a working mom for a minute? Like, really talk about it. You guys it is HARD. Some days when I am in the thick of of it all, trying to balance work and life - I ask myself "is working seriously worth it?" But for me, IT IS. I have always been career driven. I thrive on the daily grind - the routine of it all and the sense of accomplishment I get from each day. For those eight hours I am ME. Not that I am not proud of being a mom and a wife, they are two of my greatest joys and accomplishments, but working gives me something of my own. I crave the hustle. Maybe you are working for the same reasons, or maybe it's for financial purposes, or maybe it's something else. Regardless of why, the real question is "how do we make it work?"
How do you cram in a never-ending laundry list of to-do's into 24 hours? Something has to give, right? And usually that something is our sleep, or our temper, or the mound of laundry piling up, or the kitchen that is an absolute disaster, or the 10 lbs that just manifested itself on our body and refuses to leave (thanks metabolism) and in the end our sanity. I do not have an answer - I wish I did. I fail EVERY. DAY. but you know what? I am tired of apologizing for it. I'm tired of apologizing when someone stops by and the house is wreck, or when I'm late to a meeting because my child had an absolute meltdown over putting on shoes for school, or feeling guilty when I serve up chicken nuggets for the third day in a row. This is real life.
So what do you do? How do you maximize your time in a 24 hour period. Here are few things that I try and do to make my life easier and ease my stress level:
1. GET UP EARLY - This is easier said than done unless you tend to be a morning person already like me, but I have to have this in my life or I am #hotmessexpress. I set my alarm for 5:45 every morning. This allows me time to get ready, eat breakfast, check my work emails, and drink a cup of coffee. Which leads me to number two.
2. PRESET THE COFFEE - You guys, it's the little things ok. You have no idea the joy it brings me to come down every morning to a freshly brewed pot of coffee. I preset this nightly before I go to bed.
3. START ONE LOAD OF LAUNDRY - Ok, truth. I don't do this EVERY morning, but on the days/weeks that I do, I am amazed at what it does for my laundry situation. When you get home swap that load to the dryer and BOOM one load down!
4. UNLOAD AND LOAD THE DISHWASHER - I run the dishwasher overnight. Empty the clean dishes in the morning, rinse and repeat.
5. ONLINE GROCERIES - My best friend introduced me to this and this is definitely one for the WIN. I don't use this all the time, but for those weeks where there isn't enough time you can bet your pretty lil' face I'm online making my grocery list and picking it up when it's convenient. Can we say simplified holiday grocery shopping??? #momforthewin
6. SET REAL EXPECTATIONS - I vacuum the entire house once a week. The main floor, maybe twice if I'm lucky. Why? Because this is what works for ME.
So what works for you? Comment below by logging into facebook or other accounts to share your tips - and let's start being unapologetic!
