I saw this quote the other day, and it really made me think:

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

I started to think about the truth behind such a statement.  While it’s probably not within the achievements of my own life to be thought of along side any of these very spectacular people, I could always be a better me.  A better Sara.

Working from home AND being a stay at home mom is not easy!  It seems obvious that like any working mother (or any mother at all for that reason) the biggest complaint is “not having enough hours in the day.”

So I started evaluating whether I use time as an excuse in my life.  Sometimes it’s a reason…. and sometimes its an excuse.

For example, when it’s 8:00 at night and I realize I have done NO laundry even though practically everything we own needs washing, I sigh, feel guilt only momentarily, then tell myself or David, “I wanted to do laundry today, I just literally had no time!”

Really?  Cause I got on Facebook. 

I checked my email.

I rearranged the candles in our bathroom.

The truth in that case is that I did have time to do the laundry.  I chose not to!  It is the least favorite of my duties, and I always put it last.  It’s fine that I didn’t get around to it that day….. what’s probably not fine is telling myself it’s because I didn’t have the time.  I did.  Time was merely my excuse.

There are other instances, when time is indeed my reason.  For example, a friend of mine is planning our 10 year high school reunion and asked for my help.  At first, I was all on board (I love planning parties!!) and volunteered to spearhead.

Then, reluctantly, I had to pass on taking such a large role in the process, because I knew the truth was that I didn’t have enough time to help.  And that is the truth.  It’s not throwing in some laundry… it’s months of planning…. calling venue sites, finding a caterer, contacting alum, etc, etc.   Understandably, I chose to put the needs of my family first, and use whatever “extra time” I have in the day toward them, and not toward planning a reunion, even though I would have enjoyed being a part of that process.

So time for me is often a valid reason, and often merely an excuse.

I can’t make more hours in a day.  There will always be 24.  What I can do however, is choose wisely how I spend those 24 hours we all are privy to.

And you don’t have to look as iconically as Mother Theresa or Michelangelo to discover people who take advantage of their equally allotted time. 

People that I respect and look up to are people like my sister, Jennifer.  A peditrician at one of the best children’s hospitals in the country, and a pretty awesome mother of two (with one on the way!)  She has 24 hours in her day. Just like you, just like me. 

Or my own mother, who worked outside of the home when I grew up.  With 4 girls, she was on the PTA, came to our classes to make gingerbread houses, lead the Booster Club, and almost always had a home made dinner on the table every night.  That’s how she used her 24 hours.

Or my amazing husband!!!  Who gets his butt kicked as a resident, then meets me and Max at the park to play, or comes home and gives his son a bath.

At the end of the day, I want to be proud of what I’ve accomplished during my 24 hours.  And 90% of the time, I am!  I’m hoping to increase that to 99%!

So, after all of this self evaluation, I decided to take some action.  I am going to try to start getting up bright and early in the morning when David gets up for work. 

I’ve done this for the past 3 days and I’ve really enjoyed it.  Not initially when the alarm goes off, but once I’ve had my coffee.  It’s time I can spend with David before he leaves, then by myself for an hour or so before Max wakes up.

This morning, we woke up at 5:00.  It is now 6:47.  So far today, I have cleaned the kitchen, checked and responded to personal email, put some laundry away, and David and I each took our physical for the life insurance we’ve applied for (yes, a lady from the lab came to our house at 5:20 a.m!)

Max will wake up any minute, and I will be ready for our day together!

As with any goal or resolution, I want to be realistic.  I know it is not in me to do this every single day habitually.  And that’s fine, because that’s not my intention.  I’m striving for 2-3 times a week of waking up early.

It really does feel good!

So here is to my new self improvement goal to increase the productive hours of my day….. and….. there’s Max waking up………

Here we go!

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With the ongoing recession, the number of stay at home moms has dropped due to a greater need for dual income families.

According to the Census Bureau, in 2010, there were 5 million Stay at Home Moms.  Looking back to 2009, there were 5.1 millions SAHMs, and 5.3 million in 2008.  In just two short years, the world of SAHMs decreased by over 300,000. 

Where did these moms go?  Back into the workforce, somehow, to help support their families financially.

I admire and respect these women who made the undoubtedly tough decision to re-enter the workforce.  For many, it may have been a welcoming change, but for others I’m sure it was a difficult and more obligatory decision. 

As a financial planner, I see all sorts of family financial issues.  Some good, some bad.  But each are their own.  Each family deserves to prioritize how they best see fit for their unique situation. 

In our family, my income could be considered “unnecessary.”  Could we survive on David’s salary?  Yes.  Could we eat and have a roof over our head?  Yes.  Could we travel, enjoy nice family dinners out, buy extra things we want, or save for our retirement? No.  We couldn’t. 

For all of that–and for the gazillion dollars we have in student loans–we chose instead to create a balance we feel comfortable with.  My income helps our family be less stressed about money, and enjoy the ride a little more.

I am lucky to have the double life I want—working, and staying at home.  I wonder how many of these 300,000 women that went back to work thought about or asked their employers to work from home?  I’m sure the allure of the job to many of them was NOT being at home… but for others, I think they would’ve appreciated the balance a WAHM has.

 It’s something I obviously feel passionate about.  And with all our technological advances, I hope our society in the future continues to embrace nontraditional working roles, to better support families that work from home!