I know there is an on-going debate about moms who work outside of the home and moms who stay home. Let me just say I think BOTH are equally as difficult, but for ME and my life right now, I currently work outside of the home and that is our current reality. So today, I am going to share how I manage being a full time working mom. Because quite honestly, I don’t even know how I do it half of the time. And maybe you are also in that boat and need some motivation to get through those really hard days. Trust me friend, I need that motivation, too! Somedays it is SO hard and it is SO draining. You are not alone. My life is nothing fancy, but we make it work. And I happy to share a few tips on how we do that!
I have always raved about my mother. Guys, she is a saint. Besides raising the hellish child that I was, she also raised 5 other kids. She worked full time outside of the home, she had homemade dinners each night on the table at 6, she got us all to sports and church events, etc….so when I started failing at this whole “having a full time job” thing, I got SUPER discouraged. My mom did this with SIX kids and I cant even do it with one! My husband would constantly remind me that I was doing the best I could and THAT WAS ENOUGH! But for some reason…it just didn’t feel like enough. I constantly felt like I was failing. I see all these Pinterest worthy lives on Instagram and well, Pinterest, and it got me so discouraged thinking I was doing things all wrong. We’ve all fallen victim to that at some point or another, right? The internet is a crazy stupid thing like that.
I feel SUPER overwhelmed 90% of the time with work and home responsibilities. And if that is you too, my heart goes out to you. It really, truly does. Not everyone WANTS to be a full time working mom, and I think that’s okay. I think working vs. not working is a very touchy subject because a lot of times, moms who are working want to stay home and moms who are staying home wish they were working. There is no right or wrong way. I truly believe what is right for YOUR family is the best option. But here are some ways I manage all of the craziness of life while working Monday-Friday, 8-5!
My number one goal was to get the idea of “pinterest perfect” out of my mind. I HAD to stop comparing myself to other women on the internet. But not just comparing myself, I had to stop comparing my home, my cleaning schedule, the things I made for dinner, what we did on the weekends, and EVERY other aspect of my life! Guys, it’s complete shit what the internet can do to you. Please don’t let it create a false reality or false expectations for your life. It is okay to have a messy house some days. It is okay to have dishes in the sink. It is okay to have cold cereal for dinner some nights. I pinky promise, your kids and husband WILL still love you! And once you start accepting that truth, things will start getting a little less hectic for you. (I HOPE!)
Now lets talk about some REAL ACTION things I do to manage being a full time working mom…
1. I hired a cleaning lady. Yup. I said it. Out loud to the internet. I HAVE A CLEANING LADY. And guess what? It was one of the best things ive done for myself. (Or one of the best things my husband has ever forced me to do.) It took a long time to swallow that pride pill. I constantly told myself “other people have time to clean their houses! So should I!” But once I hired someone to come once a week, it changed my life! It was okay to admit that I needed help and my help came in the form of someone who comes to our house once a week and cleans for us.
2. I do A LOT of simple meal dinners. I’m talking spaghetti, tostadas, and crock pot meals. Those are basically what we live off in this house and I have no shame about it. And usually once a week we will have frozen pizzas from the grocery store. We are classy like that. If meal planning works for you, awesome! My “meal plan” is usually one week at a time and that’s what works for our house! I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself to have elaborate meals, because honestly it was burning me out. I LOVE cooking and all things food, and on weekends I love having nice dinners. But sometimes during the week, that isn’t possible, and I’ve allowed myself that.
3. My daughter has chores. Not a ton of them, but she has a few things she needs to do after school so when I am home for the evening after work, I can get the last few things done that I need to. She unloads the dishwasher and puts all the dishes away, cleans off the coffee table in our living room, picks up all her stuff she might have in the living room, and she takes care of our backyard chickens. Small things, but HUGE helps at the end of the day.
4. Weekends are the time we get together have together as a family, so yes, I do spend weekends picking up the house, but again, I don’t put too much pressure on myself to have this perfect house. I’d rather spend time with my family on my days off than slaving away on my house. (Also hence the cleaning lady).
5. Wine. A really really good glass of wine.
I have a lot of people say to me “I don’t know how you do it!” and really, I don’t know either. You just DO IT. I do NOTHING fancy other than go to work and keep a semi-functioning household. It is a lot of work, but that’s okay. Are you a full-time working mom? Do you like it or wish you could stay home? What are some tips that keep you sane or help you manage working full time? I would love to hear them! Let’s chat!! You can find me over on Instagram or you can leave a comment on this post!
I agree. All these are important in order for any mother to work well.
That is amazing in my book and yes, your mom was a champ OMG six kids and a full time job is superhero level
Your mother is a hero and there’s nothing wrong to have a cleaning lady
SAHM here.. you are right.. we all feel like this. And we do need to let go of the whole pinterest perfect ideas. Love that you give your girl chores. We do too.. and catcha lot of flaq for it. But its what works for our family so I know longer care what other people think about it lol.
I’m so impressed! I am drowning at home half of the time. Working moms are amazing!!
I love this! Nothing wrong with getting help to make it all happen, whether it is the cleaning lady or your daughter taking on some of the chores.
Pasta for dinner saves my life. lol. It’s such a quick and easy (not to mention affordable) way to get everyone fed. I agree that letting go of the idea of perfection is such an important step.
Hi friend! I’m enjoying my glass of wine as we speak 🍷 cheers! Great post! That’s awesome that your daughter has chores. I’m super into the Montessori philosophy and we already have a play house cleaning set and spray bottle. Chores are in the future! When I read about the six kids and dinner on the table by 6, my eyes literally got big. I do not know how she did it either! I make super simple weeknight dinners and try to get away with ordering in and doing order in leftovers as much as possible 😉 I was a work at home mom (with a corporate, professional career) but I couldn’t do it. I was in the working but want to be stay at home camp. Currently on a leave of absence and hoping to use this time to make my dream of being a blogger come true 💖
Yes! I am a full time attorney and have a 5 month old. I feel constantly overwhelmed! It’s so nice to know I’m not alone!
I work from home and I have said the words ” I feel like a fraud” related to being a mom and my career. However, I’ll get all out of balance, get extra help, and then get slightly more in balance. Such is life . I also think that I’m perpetually going to see how much I can handle. It’s kind of my personality. Good for you for hiring a cleaning lady! I honestly would if we could afford it. Sounds like you’ve got everything under control! 🙂 Keep up the good work!
It’s hard to balance it all – way to go mama!
Go, mama! I only work part-time and I cannot imagine working full time. Definitely, have to throw the Pinterest-perfect mindstate away. It’s not worth missing the precious moments with your kiddies.
Mama, it sounds like you are ROCKIN’ the working mom thing 🙌
Hey Kaylin! This is such a helpful post. I have mama friends who are heading back to the work place and having mini panic attacks about how to juggle it all with little ones in tow. Love the tips, particularly the simple meals.
I have done both stay at home and working mom! You are right both are hard. We have to give ourselves grace!
Yes we should not stress over perfection always.
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