Every young mom has to do some serious juggling to make her crazy life balanced ......what is balance again ??? it is really different for every woman, and every woman has their own advice on what works for them. I guess what's important in the end, is that you are happy with your life,with your priorities and your family. If you are like me, you really want to be involved - in your children's life -you will be a lot happier, you will get the satisfaction you are seeking. It's about making time for things that are important to you. It applies to all women, whether you are working moms or not, you are juggling equally ! All moms have a plan - that's just the way it works. That plan includes running a household that will keep everyone on their toes, energized and performing at their best. Yes, you will come across many challenges, but my best years were having a successful career and raising my family. You can really make that happen and it is all possible. Remember your outlook will make all the difference. You can complain or take pleasure in the ordinary little things like car ride talks, road trip family fun, soccer nights with parents drinking coffee and watching our kids play, hockey nights in cold arenas, chit chat while getting dinner ready, A+ marks or not, these are some of the things that come to mind. I chose to enjoy the ordinary things moms do - I will always treasure.
So as a working mom all my life - i have never known any other way - so when asked the question - can you be a good mom and have a work-life type of balance you enjoy ? I don't have to think hard about that one. Yes, you can - absolutely - remember it is the choices we make and work with. Everything we do is important in trying to create that work-life balance. I was extremely fortunate that the company I chose to grow up with had the same values and beliefs that were important to me, was right for me and my family - it was a good fit.
I won't lie, coordinating schedules so we can fit in everything we need to juggle can be overwhelming like karate, soccer practises, hockey practises, games, kumon, handball, scouts, homework, parent teacher interviews, and carpools. Not including family celebrations birthdays, holidays and the list can go on and on. So much to plan and probably have not included everything on this list - but gives us all a good idea that a moms life is somewhat busy and this does not include any down time or walking the dogs....yes, it can get insane, but I love it and would not change a thing. Except maybe take a holiday monthly !!!!
So why do moms do all that they do and more ?? they do what they do because they adore their kids - they find that balance to make it all happen and make them happy - yes.....the wonder women of the world are very powerful, smart, thoughtful, passionate, compassionate, eager and simply incredible ordinary women that can be great moms, have great jobs and enjoy the best of both worlds. You can have a work-life balance ! I am no expert on the topic of work - life balance, but one thing that I always strive is to be the best mom I can be. I will try things that work and things that don't. It is up to me to make the changes necessary that I can be happy with. Like many moms out there, and you will agree - we want only the very best for our family life. I am sure many of you ladies out there can relate, so here are some of the things I did as a working mom that you might find helpful and most probably are already doing :
- Home cooked meals - a must and tried out different recipes - i took a few hours a month to plan for meals monday to thursday, menu of the day was posted in our kitchen calendar, knowing what to shop and cook for the week made it so much easier for groceries and planned home cooked meals. When you don't know what to cook, it can make it complicated and will just encourage you to just order in or pick up something ready on the way home - and if that is okay with you, then that is totally fine as well !
- If you are working, have a good plan in place to pick up kids at daycare, school & after school programs, homework time, dinner and take them to their games and practises. Even though I was working, and my time was limited - I always made it a point to be a part of their activities and always had dinner together - we just worked around our schedules and made it work. You find the way. You will be amazed what you can accomplish when you make it a priority ....and some planning. No regrets.
- Be available to help your kids with spelling tests, projects and down time to cuddle ! Every night, i would read a book to them - that was so precious and realized that spending time together like that was invaluable - priceless. So make this time a priority. Don't ever be too tired to read a book together !
- Maternity leaves in the 80's was 4 months ? can you imagine ??? Spending those 4 months as a new mom and getting settled was new for me and my husband. We had to think about a good family routine when I was back at work. Again, having a good plan will really determine your long term success - my routine included feeding times, bedtime routines, introducing & preparing different baby foods, appointments, and all the hoopla that comes with a new baby. Let's not forget to coordinate play dates. A very important factor in all of this was staying positive and being happy. That can make all of the difference.
- Make some time and do things you enjoy doing ! I always made community involvement a big part of who I am. I enjoyed learning new things and adding value to someone's board or team. I remember when I first joined the Board of Directors for Coaches of Canada - I learned so much about a variety of sports and coaching community. I was part of a team that it's main objective was to promote the professions of coaching and the value of a coach. It was no surprise the valuable role coaches play and their involvement with athletes dedicated to advance their sport performance in the olympics. You need to come out of your comfort zone and get involved in areas that will teach you new things and expose you to new possibilities. It is also important to truly do things that will make you happy - whatever that is.
- Invite your children's friends over, be the hangout place, it's okay to pick up after everyone, feed them and play with them - given them chores that come with all this fun - these are the best times.....when they are all grown up, you will not only have fond memories, but you will be admiring them. Get to know your son's or daughter's little friends. Moms always like to know everyone and everything about them !
What do you do to achieve work-life balance ??? pls share, we can all learn from each other. I would love for you to share your experiences , tips or advice !!!
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