From my point of view working from home has been a true blessing, of course I don't always see it that way when everything is upside down but at the end is truly rewarding. When I had my first baby back in 2007 I was planning to go back to work but came to find out that my whole salary was going to be to pay for the daycare. I liked being at home with my baby but at the same time I wanted to feel productive, help with our expenses and so I knew that I had to do something from home and believe me I tried everything from filling surveys, home daycare, selling things at eBay and more, I think I even signed up in a pyramid scheme!
All that changed once I found what I really wanted since I was little and that was anything related with design, being creative and now that is what I do. I consider myself a freelance designer because I do little things here and there. I've been selling on Etsy since 2009 and little by little my business is growing and hope to be a big successful business one day. Visit my shop here ourlifeindoodles.etsy.com Our Life in Doodles a Party Boutique and Kids Decor.
While I try to work from home is not easy if you are also a mom. You might say "I want to work from home so I can be with my kids and enjoy them all the time" but you come to find out that sometimes you are not enjoying them as much as you wanted because you still have to work, clean the house, cook, fix things, run errands, etc and believe it or not take care of your yourself as well.
I'm not saying that I found a solution on how to be the perfect work at home mom but over the years there are a few things that I have come to learn.
* Make a schedule! If you have kids there is a big chance they already have one and in that schedule you have to add work time and time for yourself. Please is important to follow it if you want to be productive. Sometimes I'm guilty of this because I want to browse my phone or watch a movie but I know if I do that at the end of the day I would have lots of work!
* Cut yourself some slack. If the house is a mess, if your kids are still in PJ's, if you haven't take a shower in two days it is okay! As long as your kids are fed and safe its all that matters. Also don't go the other extreme by trying to clean the house 10 times a day because we all know is not going to last. What I do is I clean a bit the house in the morning and at nighttime. Tell your kids, your husband or whoever is visiting you :) to pick up toys, take out the trash, put dishes in the dishwasher. Any little thing helps a lot. If you don't have time to cook then frozen food or take outs are perfectly fine. Find easy and quick solutions don't try to be the perfect Pinterest mom.
* Kids also need time to themselves. I used to feel very guilty when I sat my kids close to me to let them play with their toys by themselves, I used to think that they were not learning or they would feel abandoned. They don't need you all the time, they don't need to learn all the time. Time to time they also need to explore things by themselves.
* Ask for help. Don't try to be the super mom all the time, yes we can do it all but its okay to ask for help. Maybe your parents, friends, any trusted person to watch your kids at least a couple of hours so you can do what is needed most either work, house or yourself. I know some of you are like my case that everybody I know works so this one is hard for me, but at least if my husband comes home early from work I'm going to say "You are in charge I'm going to work".
* Don't mix things, one project at a time. This goes well with the schedule, for example if its time for a family dinner don't be on your phone trying to do some work. If you are staying home to be with your kids then enjoy those little moments and choose quality over quantity.
* It gets better! My best friend told me this one and she was so right. Kids will grow and little by little they will not need your help as much and you will be gaining more time for yourself. I had a glimpse of this because my two older kids started school and I had 8-4 pm all to myself for about a year until we decided to have our new baby and I'm back to square one.
Remember you are not alone ask for help, manage your time and best of all enjoy your kids!
Hugs everybody.
XOXO
Magaly
No comments:
Post a Comment