Back to School is here.
I’m not thrilled with this time because it means my gig as a stay at home Mommy is ending. I’m about to start my 15th year teaching. Yes, I’m a working Mom. Hardest Job Ever. I have to agree that a Stay at Home Mom is a VERY hard job as well. For multiple reasons I wish I could stay at home with my littles but at this stage in our lives, I cannot. We are a 2 person income family and have been since day 1. I can’t deny that I am jealous of friends who don’t have to work outside the home. There have been times I’ve cried myself to sleep or cried the entire drive to work. Many, many times. I can’t deny that. It’s very hard to work when you have young children that need you. Right now for us it’s the way it is and I have to accept it.
I am thankful for what I have and that I am able to help provide for my children. One advantage of working is that my daughter (going into 1st) has always been so happy to go off to school. In her defense she’s never had a choice but she’s LOVES school and is always so happy to go. I know also that I’m setting a good example to her about how Mommies can work and help with their families. She’s constantly talking about what she wants to be when she grows up (NOT A TEACHER!) and I’ll be there supporting her every step of the way!
My advice to newly Working Mommies is to be organized. Yes, it’s fun to just be all over and not know what’s going to happen but when you’re trying to keep up with kids and activities you HAVE to be organized!! I keep calendars on the fridge (monthly ones) and we all write in things we have going on so we can see what we have to tackle for the week. This is not my calendar, Mine is not this color coded!! Just an example!
Part of being organized is meal planning. I don’t stay on top of this all the time but when I do, I feel so much better. There’s no last minute trips to the grocery store. If I spend the time to plan and out prep then night time/evenings go so much smoother! I’ve written a post about Meal Planning and I will try to add more in to show you how its going.
Spend time on the Weekends: No, this isn’t just so much fun but I do spend time on my weekend to prepare for the upcoming week. I do must of the laundry on Saturdays to make sure by Sunday things are put away so we aren’t running around trying to find that special shirt. (Don’t worry, I will still be running around like a crazy person on school mornings!!) but at least it won’t be as bad.
Get your kids to help. This is something I just started last year and it does help. My daughter does have daily chores. She has to make her bed. At the beginning of the summer she was very good about this but slowly we’ve been lazy and she hasn’t been doing it as much. When school starts we are getting back on track! She also has to help clean up her room. I also have a chore for dusting or helping me some other way.
Hugs from one Working Mom to another. Like I said earlier, Hardest Job Ever :)And a special good luck to all you Teacher Mommies! Here’s to a great year!
Julie says
I’m a working mom too, and totally relate to your advice. Meal planning and staying organized in general has helped me keep my sanity! I also think that having trust in your childcare provider is so important – whether it’s a nanny, daycare or family member. The first week heading back to work after being on maternity leave was so hard, but I’d tell all those mommas out there it gets easier, and there are so many ways to be a great mom!
Shannon says
You’re right! The first few weeks are the hardest. It does get easier. I live for the weekends now 🙂