There are so many working or work-at-home moms that are active in this forum, I thought it might be fun to share some tips on how to be a working mom or WAHM and still maintain sanity, get all the work done, be a great mom, find time to shower, etc.
I'll get it started but I hope others jump in and share... I could certainly use a few tips!
I spread my work over 7 days each week. Monday through Friday I make and return phone calls and do stuff that is time-sensitive like working with our web designer, collaborating with our illustrator, responding to questions we get through the website, etc. Then, Saturday and Sunday I do things that are less time-sensitive like write my own articles for the website, proofread articles, layout worksheet pages, etc. By spreading the work over all 7 days, I only have to work about 3 hours a day (instead of 4-4.5 hours a day) and I still manage to work 20-25 hours each week.
Leftovers are my best friend! Once or twice a week, I pull out my slow cooker and make a huge stew or a pot of chili. Or I roast a large chicken or turkey. Then I put in the fridge enough for 2 meals and put the rest in the freezer in individually portioned storage containers. That way I always have homemade, healthy and yummy food in the freezer for days when things get busy and I just don't have time to cook. It saves us from having to stop for fast food or order in pizza on those rushed nights. (In case you're interested in slow cooking, this book is awesome: Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking.)
I “silence” my work phone when I'm not working. At first I let my work phone ring all the time. And even though the phone is in my home office, I could still hear it ringing when I was wasn't technically working and was in the living room playing with my kids or something like that. Hearing it ring was a huge stress for me and sometimes I'd even jump up, run to my office and pick up the call! What was I thinking??? My nanny only works until noon every day so most of the time when this happened I was home alone with the kids and it's nearly impossible to have a meaningful work conversation with two kids in the house. By silencing my phone and then being sure to check voicemail after the kids go to sleep, I totally eliminated the stress of hearing the phone ring and having to decide whether to answer or not.
Last tip... I do laundry every Sunday and lay out everyone's clothes for the entire week! (Yes, I lay out my husband's clothes too!) That way I know each person has clean underwear, clean pants, clean socks, and a clean shirt for each day and I never find myself rushing to find something clean to my kids (or husband!) to wear. Before I did this, at least once a week my husband or older son would come to me in the morning saying he didn't have clean socks/underwear/etc. and I'd have to rush like a crazy person to find it.
So what do you do to make things at home run more smoothly for you? Please share your wisdom!!!
Edited by MomtoDandJ - 4/7/11 at 9:29am
I'll get it started but I hope others jump in and share... I could certainly use a few tips!
I spread my work over 7 days each week. Monday through Friday I make and return phone calls and do stuff that is time-sensitive like working with our web designer, collaborating with our illustrator, responding to questions we get through the website, etc. Then, Saturday and Sunday I do things that are less time-sensitive like write my own articles for the website, proofread articles, layout worksheet pages, etc. By spreading the work over all 7 days, I only have to work about 3 hours a day (instead of 4-4.5 hours a day) and I still manage to work 20-25 hours each week.
Leftovers are my best friend! Once or twice a week, I pull out my slow cooker and make a huge stew or a pot of chili. Or I roast a large chicken or turkey. Then I put in the fridge enough for 2 meals and put the rest in the freezer in individually portioned storage containers. That way I always have homemade, healthy and yummy food in the freezer for days when things get busy and I just don't have time to cook. It saves us from having to stop for fast food or order in pizza on those rushed nights. (In case you're interested in slow cooking, this book is awesome: Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking.)
I “silence” my work phone when I'm not working. At first I let my work phone ring all the time. And even though the phone is in my home office, I could still hear it ringing when I was wasn't technically working and was in the living room playing with my kids or something like that. Hearing it ring was a huge stress for me and sometimes I'd even jump up, run to my office and pick up the call! What was I thinking??? My nanny only works until noon every day so most of the time when this happened I was home alone with the kids and it's nearly impossible to have a meaningful work conversation with two kids in the house. By silencing my phone and then being sure to check voicemail after the kids go to sleep, I totally eliminated the stress of hearing the phone ring and having to decide whether to answer or not.
Last tip... I do laundry every Sunday and lay out everyone's clothes for the entire week! (Yes, I lay out my husband's clothes too!) That way I know each person has clean underwear, clean pants, clean socks, and a clean shirt for each day and I never find myself rushing to find something clean to my kids (or husband!) to wear. Before I did this, at least once a week my husband or older son would come to me in the morning saying he didn't have clean socks/underwear/etc. and I'd have to rush like a crazy person to find it.
So what do you do to make things at home run more smoothly for you? Please share your wisdom!!!
Edited by MomtoDandJ - 4/7/11 at 9:29am
