Keeping Sane as a Working Mother

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With the buzzing of the alarm clock, another stressful day begins. The girls must be fed, dressed and ready for grandma's, and I need to look presentable before walking out the door, too. Heaven forbid anything needs ironing and sack lunches might have been prepared the day before.

Many times, I am worn out from activity before I even make it to the office. I don't even really get a cup of much needed coffee before requests begin flooding my inbox and I am off again. By the time I come up for air, it’s time to face traffic jams on the way to pick up the girls, and then it’s on to the house where the mess from the morning waits.

Getting dinner on the stove, the family fed, the dishes cleared and everyone bathed takes the rest of the evening, and by the time the girls are in bed, the day is gone and preparations for the next day must still be made. As stressful as it may seem, this is simply a routine day. It's exhausting.

Here's some ideas on how to keep sane.

Assess the Situation
Some women are equipped to handle more stress than others. They may have a terrific support system or have older children that require less “hands on” care in the mornings and evenings. Other working moms are on the verge of cracking every second it seems and can’t seem to find a moment to sit still and relax. The first step in knowing what to do next is knowing what that particular mother needs.

Take a Break
If a mother just needs a short break every day to make sure she manages her stress levels and clears her head, moving things around can help. Instead of rushing through lunch at her desk, perhaps this mother can head to the gym during lunch or take a power walk with her iPod. If she’s already working through lunch, she can simply eat it earlier or later and leave her desk for an hour to get some exercise or run errands without the toddler set tagging along. She may find she is even more productive after taking a short break.

Take a Vacation
If a mother needs more time to decompress or is really at the breaking point, a full vacation may be in order. Sometimes traveling can be more stressful than it’s worth, especially with young children. But simply scheduling a vacation from work and staying at home with family can soothe a working mom’s system and help bring a family closer together.

If a working mother needs a break from everything for her own sanity, as many do, she should find an opportunity to leave her family in good hands (such as Dad’s or Grandma’s) and take a long weekend away. Children alone are stressful, and parenting combined with a career is practically overwhelming. Working mothers should do what they need to do to stay in top shape. After all, they are usually the main support in the family household.

Working Mom of the Week - Felicia

This week's working mom of the week is Felicia. Felicia @ Go Graham Go is a part-time counselor who brings moms real reviews on products that work! She tries to find the best deals and great prices.

Tales of a Job Sharing Momma

I am a planner. So, when I found out I was pregnant (planned) I knew that I would be going back to work full-time after the summer. I work as a school counselor and my son was born in April. I was going to take the entire time and go back full speed ahead!

I guess I was about 6 months pregnant when I started to have doubts about my glorious plan! I kept thinking about what it was going to be like to leave this tiny human in the hands of strangers that were caring for tons of other tiny humans! Then I saw the Oprah show that gripped my heart. It was about a mother, much like me, who had obtained her Masters degree, loved her job, and had every intention of heading back to work full time. It was when she visited the daycare center the day before her baby would be dropped off when she changed her mind. The daycare worker said to her as she was walking out the door, "Oh, and don't forget to pack a disposable camera. There will be some moments you will be missing and we like to capture those." Dagger to my heart!

Fortunate for me, another counselor who is also a dear friend of mine was working in the same school with me. Our due dates happened to only be about 6 weeks apart. I'll never forget the day when I had been thinking "job share" and she said it! (She had seen the Oprah show as well!). We carefully started planning out how it would work before we approached the principal. We wanted to make sure our plan was just right before we presented it! The county we work in had already turned down several other counselors who wanted to job share.

I'll never forget the day we decided it was time to approach the principal. We walked in and she looked at both of us and said, "I'm pretty sure I know why you two are here and I think it is a wonderful idea". She already sensed it and Oked it...just like that! God truly is amazing! Our principal took our plan to the powers that be and fought for us! We were able to have our full time positions held for us for an entire year as well (of course, we gave them up and stayed with part-time).

This truly has been the best of both worlds! I feel like I am able to use my talents and skills as a counselor as well as still have mommy time! This post is dear to my heart because I want readers who are questioning what to do to think outside the box and go over every possibility even if it seems impossible! If there is something you want don't be afraid to go for it! Afterall, two heads are better than one!

Thanks to Felicia for being my Working Mom of the Week. If you would like to share your life as a working mom, please contact me.