home via Webster’s Dictionary noun \ˈhōm\ : the place (such as a house or apartment) where a person lives : a family living together in one building, house, etc. : a place where something normally or …
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How To Make Friends In A New Place – Real Tips From Readers
So you may have read that we moved. We moved from an area that we had been in for over 30 years to a brand new area where we do not know a soul. Back …
The Judgement of a Work at Home Mom
I shared how I am working to find balance in being a work at home mom. When I was coming up with my list to help balance work and life I started thinking about another word: judgement.
When you work from home you have certain people who so not “get it”.
We really work! We work hard!
When I started working full time on my site and was making a monthly income I started sending my youngest to preschool. I really contemplated over this! To my surprise it was great for us both! For a few hours a day I could focus on my work and he could play and learn! Then i could spend the rest of the day making it all about him. People would say things to me and i knew they were judging me. It seemed like they thought I was sitting at home playing all day and made someone else watch my child.
Oh the guilt! Why are we so hard on each other? A mom working outside the home would not be made to feel this way! People would know she was doing what she had to. Of corse she could not have her child at work with her.
I work hard to make time for my friends but I can not get out as much as other stay at home moms. I have work hours–I have blocked in work hours. I have meetings, deadlines and daily tasks that must be attended too. Some people will never understand how we do what we do or why we do what we do.
But as a work at home mom we must remember that we are amazing! We have found a way to pursue our passions and career while also have flexible and quality time with our kids. That may mean that friends come further down on the list. Or maybe you need new friends who respect what you do.
As I said in the article about finding balance, we have to make priorities. Is what others think about you important? Are your friends important? Do you need to make time each week that is just for nourishing those relationships? If so then do that! Start it now! If those people are bringing you down and will never understand… Then let it go!
Be ok with what you are doing. Be PROUD of what you are doing! Don’t let the harsh words of others make you feel like less of a mom because you are doing it all!
Judge less! Love more! Keep up the awesome work of being a mom who does it all!
Finding Balance As A Work At Home Mom
I sat here tonight planning out my week and felt totally overwhelmed! Then a word came to mind: balance.
“Balance is a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc. or the mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgment, etc.” Dictonary.com
I have been a full time “work outside the home mom” and I have been a full time “stay at home mom” but now I am a full time “work at home mom“. I have to say having been in all 3 positions this one is the toughest!
As a mom who worked outside the home I thought it was challenging. I didn’t have enough time with my kids. But the plus was that the kids were having a blast while I was at work. I was able to pay for good child care where they developed friendships and had constant attention. On the weekend we could just play. There was always the battle of housework. But since both mom and dad worked it was a known fact we all had to pitch in.
As a stay at home mom I felt like my life revolved around diapers, tantrums and singing silly songs. The intellectual stimulation was non existent but things round the house ran smoothly. Dinner was ready when my husband got home, the kids had all my attention, I had time for friends and church. The things that really mattered to me. But I missed working and the creative and mental challenges that came with it.
Then I started pursuing my work at home job of blogging and social media. I prayerfully worked on it and watched it bloom into a paying job. Last year my dream job appeared and now I work 40 hours a week for an amazing company and have my blog and freelance for examiner.com. It is awesome! The kids are home with me and I am doing what I love!
Here comes the hard part that makes me lose sleep. Balance! There is no balance! Some days I feel like I am failing at everything! Trying to balance being a good mom, wife, friend, coworker, employee, business owner, writer, and everything else on my plate is hard!
I want to do it all and do it all GREAT! Sometimes I think…Do I pick what I am going to do awesome and do the rest with what is left?
No that is not me! I have to give 100% to everything I do. That means I have to make time for it all. And even eliminate the things that don’t matter as much.
As I sat here tonight I made a list. (I love lists!) I wrote down the top 4 things in my life right now. 4 is an easier number than all 25 or so things I was worrying about. Now those 4 things I can work on balancing.
As moms and women in general we were made to multitask. We can do many things and do them all well. So I encourage all the other work at home moms to do the same.
- Pick your top 4.
- Make a calendar. I use google calendar because it is in my phone and computer. It can also be shared!
- Mark time for each of your priorities.
- If you work 40 hours a week or make up your own hours put them on there. Block them as office hours. (Don’t feel bad about hiring a sitter or sending your child somewhere for those hours. )
- Then block times for the other important things in your life. Make time for your kids without work. Make time for friends. Make time for your husband. Block those things in your calendar. Share it with coworkers if need be.
- Make sure everything in your top four has a time and a place in your week.
- Stick to your calendar!