5 Tips From A Working Mom

Something I LOVE about having this blog is getting to know each of you! I love that we each can be so different, yet have at least ONE thing in common and that is FAMILY. I love celebrating marriage and being a mom with each of you! As many of you know I am a stay-at-home mom and absolutely love it! But many of you cute moms, are hard working mothers who help provide for your families financially by working outside of the home. Whether you love it and enjoy going to work everyday or you hate it and can’t wait to one day not have to do it anymore – it is always nice to hear another mom’s perspective on things.

It is my honor to introduce you to a friend of mine, Rachel! Rachel has her own blog, Baby Blythe Blog that I LOVE – full of yummy recipes, cloth diaper tricks and fun tips about being a mom. Today Rachel is talking to us about 5 TIPS FROM A WORKING MOM’s prospective. I LOVE IT and I think we each can use these tips – whether you are a stay-at-home or go to work! Take it away, Rachel…

Hi, there! I’m Rachel from Baby Blythe Blog. Thanks to Danielle for allowing me to guest post today!

Being a mom is a tough job. It doesn’t matter if you’re a first time mom, an experienced mom, a stay at home mom, a single mom, or a working mom. It might get easier with time, but in my opinion, it never gets easy.As a working mom, there have been plenty of times when I felt in over my head–plenty of times when I thought I was going to completely lose it at any moment.

As a teacher, after returning to work after my maternity leave, I only had 11 weeks until summer break. Honestly, those 11 weeks weren’t that bad. I got into a rhythm and being a working mom didn’t seem so bad; however, after I spent all summer at home with my son, when I returned to school in the fall, it was a whole new ball game.  I was completely and utterly overwhelmed and there were multiple days that I questioned my sanity and whether or not I should attempt to continue working. Not to mention the guilt I felt about working instead of being at home with my child…

I spent the entire school year trying to figure out how to balance being a mom, a wife, a teacher, a friend, etc. Although I wouldn’t say I have it all figured out, I definitely learned a few tips and tricks along the way.  Honestly, these tips could apply to all moms, not just the working moms, but I found these things particularly helped me while working.

Be a Planner: Okay, this may seem obvious, and I am a natural planner, so this seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes as a mom, your brain seems to go missing.  My advice: Plan AS MUCH as you can in advance.  The most important, in my opinion, is to plan meals ahead. I’m not much of a cook, but I can follow a recipe.

However, I am a terrible “impromptu” cook. If I come home from work and don’t already have a plan for dinner, we are screwed and most of time end up having breakfast for dinner. During the school year, I try to plan meals for the entire week on Saturday or Sunday, and my crackpot becomes my best friend. Pinterest is a lifesaver when I’m feeling in a slump or getting bored of my tried and true recipes.

Use a Calendar: I’m still not the best at this, but we have a giant chalkboard right outside our kitchen that my husband built. I like to use it to keep track of meals for the week. I also put important dates on it, like doctor’s appointments or meetings. We also use a more “traditional” calendar that lives inside a picture frame.

My son does not get watched by the same person every day. Sometimes my mother in law will watch him, and on other days, he goes to the sitter. I use a dry erase marker and write down which days he’s going where. This is mainly for my husband because he’s the one who drops my son off in the morning, but it’s a good reminder for me, too.

Start your Day on the Right Foot: For me, if something goes wrong or stresses me out in the morning, my entire day is likely be be thrown off, and  it usually doesn’t end up being a very good day.  I like to make sure my day “starts on the right foot” by doing some things the night before.

I always pick out my clothing the night before (and steam/iron if necessary.) I also pack my son’s diaper bag (or ask my husband to do so). I make my lunch, and I even try to set up the coffee maker the night before. In addition, for me, there are some things that just make me feel crazy, so if they get taken care of the night before, the next day starts off better. For instance, I hate dishes in the sink or on the counter (whether clean or dirty.) I like to have an empty dish strainer and have all dishes in the dishwasher.

I also hate mail all over the counter (and we’re still trying to find our “perfect” system for this) but I always feel much better when our counters are clear. I also like to make sure the bed is made before I walk out the door, though honestly, this doesn’t always happen.  When I walk in the door after a long day, it helps to have these things done. Otherwise, they stare me in the face and demand to be dealt with and I feel like I have a million and one things to do.

Delegate (and Learn to Accept Help): Too often, moms try to do everything themselves. I’ve learned to delegate as much as I can. If there’s something that needs to be done that my husband can manage, I don’t feel badly about asking him to do it. My husband helps me much more if I tell him exactly what to do.

Instead of “pick up the living room,” I may ask him to run the vacuum, take out the trash, and put the laundry away. Along the same lines, I think it’s important to accept help when it’s offered. I used to think that accepting help made me weak or incapable, but when people offer, take advantage of it. If a family member calls and offers to bring dinner over, say yes! If someone offers to watch your child for an hour so you can go grocery shopping without the risk of your child having a meltdown, take her up on the offer.

Schedule Time for Yourself: As a mom, so much of your time is devoted to your child(ren) and your family, but I find it extremely important to schedule in some time for myself. Thankfully my husband encourages this and is really understanding when I just need to go do something by myself.

It’s amazing what a few hours away from the chaos can do to make you feel re-energized. I used to feel guilty if I made dinner plans with my girlfriends, but I’ve come to realize that in order for me to be the best mom that I can be, I need to keep myself sane, and sometimes I just need a cocktail and a good dose of gossip to make me feel more like “Rachel” and less like “Mom.”

Being a mom will always be a part of the way I define myself now, but I spent a lot of years without “mom” on my resume, and I can’t forget that. I need to be a little bit of who I was before I became a mother.

I’m no expert, and I don’t have it all figured out, but I hope you find at least a few of these tips helpful. Thanks again to Danielle for giving me this guest posting opportunity!

Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s blog, Baby Blythe Blog for more great tips and tricks on motherhood!

Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day!

July 17, 2014 by Danielle Davis | 6 Comments