Balancing motherhood and work is hard! You’re trying to raise good kiddos, keep food on the table, AND fulfill yourself in a career. It can be challenging, no doubt. BUT if you can incorporate a few tricks into your daily routine, you’ll be finding more “zen” time than you thought was possible!
Prioritize Your “Me-time”
What makes you excited and feel like yourself? Besides your significant other and kids, of course. Do you have a hobby like gardening or scrapbooking that you find joy in? Or is it working out or just going for a walk to get some fresh air?
It‘s essential for your mental wellbeing and the health of your relationships, that you are the best and happiest mommy you can be.
Motherhood is exhausting and difficult when you are juggling a toddler and/or newborn. Then add on top of that you are trying to be supermama and juggling a career.
Trust me… I am in your shoes right now. It can be hard trying to find a spare minute for yourself but also your career.
I know for myself, after having our first and then our second kid, prioritizing time is hard, but so necessary, because everyone would rather have a happy mommy than an angry one.
I love watching sports. But when the weather is nice, being in my garden is my happy place! Spending time with my oldest daughter in the garden is also a bonus. Because I can teach her how food grows and responsibility.
But when I want to be alone, I sneak to my sanctuary of a garden, put in my headphones and play some music or listen to the most recent podcast and lose myself in weeding or tilling my garden.
If you had 1 hour to have “you” time, what would you spend your time doing? Figuring this out is key to balancing motherhood and work.
Routines are Key!
Routines are so helpful when it comes to juggling all the hats we as mommas’ have. Morning routines, bedtime routines, daytime routines, you name it. Everyone is happier in the family when the routine is followed.
My oldest (also known as my threenager!) needs ALL the sleep we can give her. And since she rises with the sun, EVERY MORNING, her bedtime is before our newborn.
On the other hand she will not take a nap anymore, so I have decided on “quiet time”, which is a whole other blog post topic! Because when toddlers are quiet you know something is not right. Eek.
Routines add structure to the day and can help the kids predict how their day will go. Unless something unforeseen happens, like the dog ate a sock the night before and now needs to be rushed to the vet for an emergency surgery, which blows the planned playdate your toddler was so looking forward to and wouldn’t stop talking about.
BUT REMEMBER… routines need to be flexible in cases like the dog needing to be rushed to the vet. Being able to call the friend’s mom and ask if you can drop your kid off at their house instead of staying for a mom playdate, but at 9 o’clock instead of 12. Because their house is on the way to the vet.
You Might Need To Think About A Career Change
This suggestion can be a tough pill to swallow, because you might have the career that you have always dreamed of since you were a little girl.
But in the back of your mind, everyday when you leave your little ones at daycare or with a babysitter, tears start to pour down your face on your way to work. I know that feeling so well.
When I first left my oldest daughter to head back to school, I was a wreck. Even though I left my daughter with my mom and I trusted her to watch her. I still had the mom guilt of “I should be the one to stay home and watch her?” But at the moment, I was thinking going back to school was going to better mine and my family’s future…but that didn’t happen. And yet again a completely different blog topic.
Changing my career and being able to work from home and not have to put my two little ones in daycare has lifted my spirits.
I’m now a copywriter, thanks to The Copywriter’s Academy, and now I’m able to work from home and enjoy my little ones! This is truly helped me in my journey of balancing motherhood and work!
Don’t get me wrong, I still have my moments when I struggle to keep my cool with them and wished I could go back to the corporate world, but then I think to myself “I am going to miss all of the “first” milestones and have a family member raise my girls instead of me…” That was the deciding factor for myself and my husband.
Be Patience with Yourself
Your mindset can either help you or hinder the way you look at your environment and opportunities. Having a positive mindset in the morning can help determine how the rest of your day will turn out.
But also being able to forgive yourself when you fall short with your colleagues and your family. No one is perfect, so everyone will fall or forget about dinner once in a while… that is why take-out was created!
Did you know that the 40-hour work week was created for the man of the household, back in the day. The wife’s job was taking care of the kids and the household. The 40-hour work week was not intended for the mothers to work outside of the house while managing the household as well. Yeah, like I said. We are supermamas.
Use Your Mom Tribe
Personally, this suggestion is hard to take and also give. I have always been about doing everything myself, so I know it gets done correctly.
But now with 2 little ones under four, learning to not care if the oldest is not wearing the exact outfit that was laid out for her to wear…even if we get out of our PJ’s. Some days, just trying to keep the kids alive until reinforcements come home from work, is the best you can do.
If you are at that point ,accept the help when they ask. And then go for that jog/walk or whatever kind of “me time” you need to fill your cup back up, to be the happy mommy again.
Balancing motherhood and work is key to being a happy momma. This is especially important when you return from your maternity leave. Navigating the demands of pumping at work while maintaining the same work quality and productivity, while acclimating to the “new normal” of working motherhood is doable with the right plan and support system.
You can do it momma! I believe in you!
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