Tips and Tricks from a Work at Home Mom (WAHM)

 

I recently read a blog post by a work-at-home-mom who listed off everything she did throughout the day and the time it took for each task. I found myself laughing with relief as I read her post, discovering that I'm not the only person who has to utilize even the quickest moment of opportunity throughout her day-to-day, just to get a little bit of work done—Two minutes towards an email, 30 seconds of brainstorming, ten minutes to put the final touches on an article the morning of its deadline. Although it can sometimes be a dizzying balance act, there are definitely ways to make the work-at-home-mom gig a little bit more fluid. My tips are listed below (and they may be useful for all moms looking to accomplish as much as possible in a busy day).

Coordinating Naptime. There have been a couple times when Charlotte falls asleep for a nap literally one to three minutes before I have a business phone call scheduled. A large majority of the times that I have a phone meeting or interview, I am able to secure a babysitter in advance. However, there have been a couple occasions that have forced me to get creative. One way I've made this work is by scheduling my call close to her sleepy time. I then give myself at least 20 minutes before the call to breastfeed Charlotte to sleep. Each time I've quietly crept out of the room, leaving my baby to get her needed rest, I've felt like I totally accomplished super mom status.

Be Present. I chose to be a work-at-home-mom while my baby is young, so I can give her all the attention and love I know she needs throughout the day. I don't work at home so she can feel neglected and ignored while I hide behind my computer. Therefore, I try to decipher the different times between Charlotte time and work time, that way she is getting 100 percent of my attention, and she is not having to compete with my iPhone. 

Claim Your Space. It's true what people say about children taking over houses. Don't let this happen to you. We all need a little space to do our best thinking and work. So, claim a space in your house that is dedicated to your work and any other passions you have. If you have a spare room or corner in your bedroom, set it up as a home office or studio, and make it a place of your very own.

Schedule It. If your job doesn't require it already, set office hours for yourself. These are the times when you go to your space and get work done uninterrupted. Okay, so maybe I really need to take my advice on this one, because it is so valuable, and it is much easier said than done. 

Click HERE to read about adjusting to at-home life

Dress the Part. One piece of advice that I received that really sticks out to me was a tip on how to avoid post partum depression. Every day I make a point to get up, shower and get ready for the day. Not only does it make me feel better, it also really motivates me to get various tasks handled. Because I am able to work from home, I typically don't dress anything beyond casual, unless I have a business meeting. However, doing my makeup, brushing my teeth and throwing on a clean tank top can really do a lot for a girl's confidence, and I recommend it!

Recruit Help. You can't do it alone! And even if you can, you really shouldn't have to. Reach out to family, friends or trusted individuals within the community. Children are full time jobs and then some! Working on top of this can run you ragged really quick if you don't have moments of relief. 

Give Yourself a Night Off of Work. There never seems to be enough hours in a day, but it's best to accept it, and move on. The best way you can do this, and avoid the possibility of getting burnt out from doing too much, is by allowing yourself time off at least once a week. It's of course easier said than done, but for someone who works constantly throughout the day and night, a couple hours of turning off the email, cuddling up and enjoying Netflix is about all you need to rejuvenate yourself for the next week.

These are my personal tips and tricks for a work-at-home mom. Are there any other moms out there that can attest to some mom-life-balancing strategies? If so, please share them below!

Modern Mamas — Our First Outing

Charlotte Enjoyed the Swings at the Park for the First Time Today

Today marked the first official meeting for the mom social club I have created. After posting the event in our group, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a large majority of the group members were planning to attend the first mom outing. So, I had to get prepared by buying some chips and salsa, as well as getting together some simple, hands-free ice-breaker games for the moms to get to know one another.

The group today ended up being about half the size I had initially anticipated, so ice breaker games weren't necessary. With only four moms and their littles, the small intimate group made it easy for us girls (and our little ones) to get to know each other. I still have the ice breaker games ready for the next meeting when a larger group can attend.

New Best Friends Today at Our First Outing - Photo Courtesy of Karen Fiel

The ice breaker games I decided on were simple activities the moms could do to get to know one another. When choosing games and activities for a moms group, if the kids are not involved, it's best to keep it hands-free. It is also valuable to keep an activity that allows moms the option of opting in and out of, as their responsibilities can change momentously (diaper changes, feedings, owies, tantrums . . . the possibilities are endless). Here are a few of the games that I think we will get to enjoy at the next meeting, although they may be a little cheesy at first.


Yarn Game. Take a large spool of yarn, and cut it into various lengths. Each person selects a piece of yarn. They are instructed to introduce their self to the group for as long as it takes to wrap the yarn around their finger. Make sure a few of the strings are extra long, so you really get to know about your new friends.

Two Truths & One Lie. As straight-forward as it sounds, this is another get-to-know you type activity. Each person in the group takes a turn sharing two truths and one lie about their self. Then the other participants try to determine which fact was untrue.

Story Telling Activity. This game requires a little preparation, but you are then able to gear it towards moms specifically. On either notecards or post it notes, write out various sentence starters to pass out to each mom. Some of the story starting sentences I used were:

"The time my baby was the messiest was when . . . "
"The best part of my day is . . . "
"The best advice I have received so far has been . . ."
"If I had three wishes for my family, they would be . . ."
"The part about being a mom that surprised me the most was . . . "
"My funniest mom moment has had to be . . . "
"My ideal family vacation would be . . . "


We had a great time getting to know each other at our first outing, even though we didn't get a chance to do these activities. If you're trying to start a mom group, be sure to get feedback from the other moms on what they would like out of the group. Find out what accommodates their schedules best, what types of activities they would like to do, places they'd like to meet, as well as anything else that will help you make the group better for everyone involved. I also encouraged group members to create their own events when they see an activity they'd like to do or a class they might want to attend.

Feel free to share any other tips for starting a mom's group below!

Our Favorite Things — Inexpensive Books

There are few material things of Charlotte's that hold a significant importance to me, however Charlotte's book collection is definitely one of them. Of course she was gifted some of my favorite books in her library. The first is a personalized book that spells out her entire name, gifted by the family of her dad's best friend. The second is a copy of Charlotte's Web, which was inscribed with a sweet note from her Nana Sharon.

I've gotten her some of my favorites like Love You Forever, The Foot Boot, Just Me and My Mom and so many more. I was building up quite the collection, but it was getting quite expensive. I found myself constantly on Amazon trying to find a new book, and we would always stop by Barnes & Noble to easily pay $10 for a book or two. 

We quickly ran into a problem that happens when you're reading multiple books a day—reading the same book time after time can get boring. That's where some of Our Favorite Things came into play, which are books from the thrift store! The number one quality I look for in a book from the thrift store is cleanliness. If it's clean and not creepy, then I grab it. The photo above shows seven books I snagged for under four dollars! You can't beat that. Plus, I remember a few of the books from when I was little, so that's definitely a plus.