I'm a work-at-home-mama. Prior to actually BEING a mama, this seemed like the most ideal situation. What could be better than staying home with my little bubba, working when I can, and making some extra money? Well... let's just say my glorified view of being a WAHM isn't quite what I thought. It's still work... and it's hard.
I've just been struggling lately fitting work into my day. My schedule is such that I am in the office for 6-7 hours during the week and I have to log about 8-9 more at home. I've been getting all of my hours in, but at the cost of feeling overwhelmed and like my day is a haphazard mess. The hard part is, I really do love my job. The harder part is, I have a LOT more responsibilities to take care of when I am at home vs. when I am at the office. And Jude doesn't nap quite as well as he did when he was 6 weeks old. When he naps I find myself feeling like I need to be working, but also need to do the dishes, the laundry, vacuum, exercise, read my bible, etc... and those naps are getting fewer and further between. Being a MOM is a full-time job in and of itself. Anyone who things otherwise has never been a mom.
I'm not trying to complain. But I'm bound and determined to find a solution. I hate feeling like I can't be fully present at my job OR at home. One solution would be to go into the office more. But that means less money coming in, as I would need a sitter. Another option would be to just say forget doing anything during the day (except respond to emails, which is easy), and focus on writing grants in the evening after Jude goes to bed and Jordan is home. I'm leaning towards that option. I feel like I need a schedule and a set aside time where I KNOW I will have time to work - so that I can push it out of my brain for the rest of the day... but other WAHM mama's... what is your solution? How do you find balance and keep yourself from getting overwhelmed?
This is exactly my concern about trying to juggle working (partly from home, as you are doing) and being a new mom. I'm glad to hear I wasn't making this scenario in my head, but not so glad to hear that being a WAHM is as overwhelming as I imagined it would be. Let me know if you get any good advice!
ReplyDeleteI could have written this exact post. I'm looking for suggestions as well. I saw your post on BC and clicked on your blog (hoping for help!). :) I have 17 month old twin girls and work at home...full time. It is HARD. I end up working all of the time, literally. Until 1am or later and on the weekends. It is worth it to me to do it but it is exhausting.
ReplyDeletecarolyn
I work full time at home, with my now 3 year old and just turned one year old. I've tried swinging multiple different scenario's from full time in house care with me, to 100% me doing both on my own. I've found a hybrid to work best allows us to save money, but not at the expense of my sanity. If I can have someone come in to help me out for 2-3 hours a couple days a week it makes ALL the difference. It allows me to still be present, but get the critical mass at work off my plate so that I can keep up with e-mail the rest of the day... It can make it a little tough finding regular care though... college kids schedules seem to be pretty conducive.
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