Tag Archives: Real Work at Home Moms

05/9/12

WAHM Tips

A sorority sister and fellow mommy facebooked me yesterday and said: 

 

ok. I will begin working from home June 4.
I need pointers.
I have J scheduled for 2 days a week preschool, but that doesn’t start until August 16. So he’ll be home with me all summer (and I have my grandmother to come help us).
What do you do to juggle it all and make it all work?

 

It’s taken me 24 hours to think about it and actually be brave enough to sit down and respond.  For the most part, I don’t know how I make it work… I just do!  For one, because I have to.  And two, because this is how it’s been since Max was born and I just deal with it.

 

Knowing that in no way would that help or answer her question, I decided to write this blog post with my five best tips for juggling ”mommy” and “mommy at work”.  Here they are!

 

1.  Give all your attention to the task at hand:

 

With all the talk of multitasking (and I love to do it myself) I have found that this skill is more detrimental for a WAHM than it is helpful.  My rule of thumb has always been to give whatever I am doing the attention it deserves. When Max is awake and I’m not working, Max gets my full and undivided attention.  I don’t have him play with toys while I type on the computer for three hours.  We play, we talk, we interact.   Likewise, when it is work time, it is full-on, 100%, concentrated work-time.  There are a few occasions where I will need to immediately respond to a work email or make a phone call.  In these cases, I do let Max have a snack in his highchair, or watch a 15 minute show.  But for the most part,  I try to give my mind to whatever I am doing at the time.  This is good for Max for obvious reasons, but it is also good for my work.  It makes me more efficient than multitasking and less prone to an error.

 

2. Get help!

 

With family far away and a very busy husband, I have been known to teasingly refer to myself as a ”single mom.”  The reality is, I have a lot of help.  I just have to plan and utilize it as efficiently as possible.  When my husband is home, I utilize that opportunity to get work done.  For example, sometimes he takes Max with him as he runs at night.  Kid and husband out of the house means I open my laptop and get working… even if it’s 6:00 p.m.  Likewise, when my parents or in-laws are in town, I take advantage of the babysitting and get a few hours of work in while they watch Max.  Even when I don’t have “lots” to do, I try to look ahead and proactively find things I can do now while I have  the help.  We have also enrolled Max into preschool about 6-8 hours a week, which has freed up additional time.

 

3.  Prioritize:

If I wasn’t a WAHM, I would probably experiment with more interesting dinner recipes, clean my house until the bannister shined, and make bread from scratch.  Unfortunately, I don’t have time to do those things, because I’m working instead.  So we spend a little money to make a little money.  For example, we hired a cleaning lady.  It was a much more cost efficient way to get the house clean.  She cleans, and it frees up time for me to work.  Rather than cooking 7 nights a week, we usually order in or go out 1 to 2 nights for dinner.  It’s fun, and it takes some pressure off of me trying to balance “it all”.  I prioritize by putting Max’s needs first, then work, then “extra” things around the house like cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc.  Your priorities may be different, which is fine.  Just know what they are and create a plan around them.  The key is to not be too hard on yourself!! You can only do so much, and some things just have to give!

 

4.   Be efficient:

 

There are a TON of time wasters.  Say….. this blog….. for example!  Between email, shopping, facebook, blogging, etc, etc, a whole nap could disappear before I realize I haven’t even checked work email.  The only way this WAHM situation works for me is because I am extremely dedicated and always do my work first (then play!)  Being efficient has become routine for me at this point, but it was an acquired skill.  I do the tasks at work that require the most attention (calculations, analysis, writing) when I have a lot of time and am able to focus, while I leave more routine work tasks (such as deleting or responding to emails) to a time when I’m more tired or less focused.  Usually this means doing the hard and least fun stuff first.  The heavy lifting.  You have to have a lot of self control, structure, and time management.

 

5.  Secret Weapons:

 

Weekends.  Waking up early (yes, it sucks!).  Staying up late (yes, it sucks!). Babysitting co-ops.  Delegating (or outsourcing) work and home responsibilities. Saying “NO” to people when I just don’t have the time!  And most importantly—putting my family first!

 

Good luck to my friend and all WAHMs!! It’s not easy, but I truly believe it’s the best of two worlds!! 

 

10/18/11

Megan’s Story: Stay at Home Mom and Piano Teacher

Being a SAHM was something that I always wanted to be. However, when you find out you’re pregnant a few years earlier than expected, things get in the way of that. During my entire pregnancy with my son (now age three,) I was devastated at the fact that I would have to leave him everyday for work. I had everything ready to go back to work and send A to daycare, but God had a different plan for me.

 

About one week before returning to work, my son had to stay in the hospital. He had woken up the night before and was gasping for air. They kept him overnight in the hospital to do a routine apnea test and check for reflux. The next day we were told that he was a high SIDS risk and would have to wear an apnea monitor 24/7 for the next 6 months. I was devastated and terrified.

 

That night I sat down and thought everything through. There was NO WAY I was going to be able to head back to work. While visiting neighbors that weekend a friend asked me to teach her daughter how to play the piano. I have a degree in music, and why that never had crossed my mind before, I’ll never know.

 

Right then I knew how I was going to be able to stay at home with my son. I began putting my name in the paper, contacting local schools, and bothering everyone I knew to get my name out there. It wasn’t easy, and in the beginning finances were tight. But I knew that I wanted to do this, and I didn’t care how much I had to cut out every month.

 

I cut coupons, cut my cell phone plan, and started cooking every single meal at home. Now, three years later, I have a cell phone, we eat out every once in a while, and I still coupon (because who doesn’t love to save money!) And as luck would have it, my piano lessons have become so successful that I am completely full with a waiting list of over 10 people. It’s not always easy to stay at home, the pay is awful, and some days are really rough–but the benefits are priceless!

 

Share your Work At Home Story

 

10/18/11

Julie’s Story: Stay at Home Mom and Photographer

My name is Julie. I am a proud mama of a 25 month old, and am expecting my second child this month. Prior to having children, I was an elementary school teacher. The moment I held my new baby girl, I knew I would not be returning to the classroom for a few years. My husband and I looked at our finances and decided that if we committed ourselves to a strict budget I would be able to stay home with our little girl.

 

During the first year of my daughter’s life, I discovered my passion for photographing little ones. I had always considered photography a hobby of mine. I enjoyed learning about photoshop/editing tools and camera and lens options. I had attended photography workshops, as a teacher, and have always documented moments in our lives with a camera. But once we had a child, my hobby became a passion. I was obsessed with photographing her, documenting each milestone in her life. I was constantly putting a lens in front of her.

 
As my daughter was nearing her first birthday, I found myself “stretching” the budget each month. I often wished for just a little extra money. This is when I decided to share my talent and passion with others, and began working from home as a part-time photographer. My expectations for my photography business has always been to provide “grocery money” and to entertain this talent of mine.

 

Keeping my business small allows it to be manageable from home. I am able to make my own schedule. For example, I can be working when my daughter is sleeping. I often schedule shoots when my husband is home to watch our daughter. Then I edit when “mommyhood” allows. The key to being successful for me is to provide the same quality photographs for others that I want for my family, without sacrificing quality time with my loved ones. I feel truly blessed to have the oppurtunity to provide extra money for my family, while raising my children in our home.

 

You can view Julie’s work:

https://sites.google.com/site/limabeanphotography/

Or contact her:

limabeanphotography@gmail.com

 

Share your Work at Home Story