Just this week, I had a chance to better get to know a couple of other moms who blog AND work full-time jobs. And it was very, very nice.
Sometimes being a Catholic working mother seems like I'm stuck between two worlds. Like if I was truly a Catholic mother, I would be at home, cooking, cleaning, and of course home-schooling my children. And then if I was truly a working mother, I'm supposed to be focused on my career and wearing pants suits and having a house-cleaner Oh boy, do I wish I had a house-cleaner!
So...what to do if your heart is pulled towards being a stay-at-home wife and mother, but your head knows you must be a working wife and mother if you want your kids to you know, eat and stuff? I'll tell you what to do, you find inspiration and support from others in your same situation!
Link-up Alert!! I need inspiration from you! Are you a working mom? It doesn't matter if you're full-time, part-time, only-when-baby-sleeps-time, working from home or outside the home. I want to hear from you if you're a physician, speaker, accountant, Etsy shop owner, writer, teacher, product reviewer, CCD instructor, or anything in between!
I would love to read more about what you do, how you balance life, and any tips and tricks you might have for helping others.
Here are some questions you could answer as part of your post (not mandatory):
1) What do you do for work and why do you work?
2) Did your mother work?
3) Describe a typical work day.
4) What's the best part about having a job?
5) What's your least favorite part?
6) What would make your life easier?
7) How do your children handle their mom's career?
8) Do you feel supported in what you do?
9) What are your future goals when it comes to work/motherhood?
10) What are some tips that help you balance it all?
I can't wait to read your posts, no matter when you get around to writing it! I will create a page so you can easily find this link-up later. And if you don't have a blog but would like to participate, just leave me a long-winded comment!!
(Disclaimer: All moms are working moms. If you are a stay-at-home mother, then I know you have the hardest job of all! This link-up is purely meant to encourage those of us that are trying to find balance and harmony as a working woman and mother. Peace!)
This is awesome! I shall do it in the next couple o' days. I can't wait to read the other links. I have struggled tremendously (as I have blogged about) working (30 hours a week now) and being a mom to littles. YAY
ReplyDeleteOh, Colleen! I hop you get lots and lots of link-ups! I know longer work outside of the home, but I did for 4 years. I quit when my oldest were 4 and 2. I am HORRIBLE at the work/motherhood balance. I don't know if it was my career choice or my personality! As a classroom teacher to 3rd graders, I just could not quit at the end of the day. There was always one more thing that I needed to get done. I feel like I can share with you that there are days where I MISS my teaching career. I don't miss balancing work with sick toddlers...but I miss stimulating my mind with educational issues! I also feel like an inadequate "Catholic stay at home mom" b/c the ones I know that do stay at home, homeschool. I feel like they're looking at me thinking, "lady, you should be homeschooling". I had one girlfriend tell me that she worried about my children's souls b/c I was educating them in Catholic school. She's since apologized and told me that "we all find our paths to heaven". In a way, I still feel like it was a backhanded compliment, but it could also be my own insecurities getting in the way of forgiveness. I was very hurt at the time. Sorry to be so long and rambling!!! Obviously, this subject is very near and dear to my heart.
ReplyDeleteI also hope you get a lot of links. BECAUSE..you working mamas are amazing.
ReplyDeleteI feel like a super smuck for not working, (family members cofirmed that)..having so many kiddos, for sending them to public school...gasp..and having a babe at 41.
anyone out there relate to me????
I think there millions of moms who do exactly that - stay home and send their kids to school - because that is their calling. I am envious :)
DeleteI disagree with the notion that stay-at-home moms have the hardest job. Working moms jobs are just as hard if not harder! I'm sure when you get to work you don't turn off your mom brain and you have to divide your focus between getting your job done and thinking about life at home. Being a mom, period, is hard. I'm a stay-at-home mom, some days I love it, some days I don't...but I won't ever homeschool, despite being a good Catholic mom, because it's nots whats best for my kids or our family life.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I know the balancing act isn't easy!
If I haven't said how much I appreciate you before, I will say it again! Thanks for your community building. Link up to come.
ReplyDeleteJules, I can't get to your blog, can you invite me, please?
DeleteThanks for hosting this! I feel the same way about being caught in the middle and that is one of the reasons I have enjoyed your blog so much. Working on a post right now :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic idea! I can't wait to read the posts!
ReplyDeletewhat a great idea! i don't work but i'm looking forward to reading what you and other working moms have to say!
ReplyDeleteI agree about the majority of Catholic Mom blogs being homeschooling blogs. I admire them. I would like to homeschool but right now--I don't so I feel in mom limbo. But, I have no idea how you manage work and multiple kids Colleen! I almost feel like I have no idea how to even begin to work with so many kids. There is so much to be done everyday and put in work on top of that.I want to work but I just don't know where to even start to make that happen.
ReplyDeleteIt's a day by day change. Like I didn't go from being at home with one baby to the next day being at work full-time with 5! We slowly adjusted our lives as we had each baby, got new jobs, etc. We finally feel that we have a well greased wheel :) If you want to work, you have to think where would each child go during your work hours? How would they get dropped off and picked up? How much money would it cost you in childcare/tuitions to be able to work? Is it worth it? Figure out what might work for your family, then start job searching. Good luck!
DeleteBoy isn't that a real topic. I may not work outside the home, but I have a blogging business.. product reviews & sponsorships, etc. It's a lot of work & really hard to balance it all. I always have the guilt of.. I'm not doing enough with the kids, but this is lacking.. oh my gosh my house is ruined. You get my drift. As for the Catholic Mom Blogs and being home schooled. Well.. to be honest it kept me away from tmany blogs for a long time. I always kind of get that feeling like the new kid and I'm a bit on the outside. Never knowing really where I fit in, when it comes to the blogging communities. I do not home school, my kids go to Catholic school & it works great for us as of right now. But when it comes to blogging, I don't really fit in b/c my blog isn't like the other Catholic Moms. Anyway.. another entire subject.
ReplyDeleteMy mom only worked for the first three children. (I'm the oldest of now 12). I'm still trying to figure out how to balance it.. it's a constant balancing act. Life would be easier if the baby took a nap other than in my arms. Ha! I feel supported for the most part. My daughter just told me this morning "how about you play instead of do computer things".. so it depends on the day how they handle it. I'm getting long winded. Great linky idea. :) Many hugs.
You know I have to comment, because I almost always do. I really like how you wrote what you wrote. You were not criticizing or negative at all. I think a lot of women compare each other so much, it's really sad. A lot of women, like in Valerie's case put each other down for whatever choices we make--good choices, choices we obviously feel are best for our families. These choices could be breastfeeding or not (or pumping:) or cloth diapering or not, working outside the home or not. It's so stupid...we need to build each other up, not tear each other down.
ReplyDeleteI think there are good sides and bad sides to each choice. I think there is a lot of support for stay at home mamas that do not work outside the home, so I am really glad you are posting this and I hope you get a lot of linky's for the mamas trying to balance it all at home and at work.
Great job Colleen.
This is such a great idea! I am really looking forward to reading these since I'll most likely be a working mom for many years. Hope you have a great week Colleen! :)
ReplyDeleteIm a stay at home mom, but I should be a working mom. We can't really afford life as it is, sigh. Not to mention there are real needs and wants. Hoping to find our fine tend wheel soon. Such stress and worry!
ReplyDeleteBecause I'm at work (ironic, no?) I'm going to just quickly link up to a recent post I wrote about work-life balance (or lack thereof, in my case!) but I'm giving your questions some thought in the meantime! Hope that's ok.
ReplyDeleteI just realized this was here! it gives me inspiration for another WOTHM blogpost, but you make it easy with ideas for what to include. :) I'll be working on this soon!!
ReplyDeleteI finally posted! :) Took me long enough, right?!?
ReplyDeleteI agree about the majority of Catholic Mom blogs being homeschooling blogs. I admire them. I would like to homeschool but right now
ReplyDeletehttp://parentinghealthybabies.com/
I know this is an old post. but thank you for it! Just discovered your blog a day after I was thinking, "I love all these Catholic homeschooling mom blogs, but are there any other moms out there who work outside the home, too??" I have three boys, 5, 3, and 1, and work part-time now as a lawyer (it was full-time until the baby was born). I like what I do and it's necessary for our family now, but definitely a challenge. Thanks for the inspiration! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Colleen! I am new to your memories, my SIL (stay at home/home-schooling Catholic Mama of 8) shared your page as I often have to just vent to her. I am full time ("bread winner" since my husband works as a teacher in a Catholic school which all but covers our utilities and then a little) and have a 2 yr old and 4 yr old. My husband also coaches college lacrosse and I'm retired from coaching since having baby #2 and again, working full time. I couldn't agree more about being a Catholic Mom who wishes she could do the SAH/Home schooling, but God has a different plan for us! It is so nice to at least share and find support to at least get a Hoo-Rah for us once in a while:) Looking forward to listening and sharing! ~Jenny (Cincinnati, OH)
ReplyDelete1) What do you do for work and why do you work? CT tech/out patient lead for a hospital based outpatient center. Stayed at home for 5 years and had to go back to work when we went through a dark period in our marriage. Marriage is better, kids are older, and stuff is just flippin' expensive. So we are Dave Ramsey-ing it out of debt and saving for retirement.
ReplyDelete2) Did your mother work? yes
3) Describe a typical work day. up at 5/530 for some quiet time, try and take the dog for a quick 20 minute walk, kids up @6-7, make them breakfast, make myself bkft, lunch, maybe remember to take something out for dinner, get myself ready and either carpool middle schoolers or head to work. Take care of patients in between: make rounds the center and check in with all areas, ordering, conference calls, check in with Director for any updates. Carpool middle schoolers home or go straight home. Figure out dinner. Either yoga, or taxi duty for gymnastics, dog walk or bridge walk, shower, bed, chat with Hubs, read, sleep. Repeat
4) What's the best part about having a job? I love what I do, the constant challenge of learning and trying to master something new.
5) What's your least favorite part? the constant hustle--which I know I'll miss one day!
6) What would make your life easier? A housekeeper. Which I've tried and just couldn't let go....I'm sick, right? Maybe now, when toddlers won't destroy it in 10 minutes flat.
7) How do your children handle their mom's career? Mostly well, although since my job is somewhat flexible that definitely softens the blow. So does a stop at Dunkin' for some afternoon coffee, or before school caffeine. Don't judge. No one has stunted growth
8) Do you feel supported in what you do? yes
9) What are your future goals when it comes to work/motherhood? hopefully continually teach our kids that work ethics are important and so is balance in life. work smart, not hard. I hope to grow in my career---up zee chain. the empty nest is coming fast.
10) What are some tips that help you balance it all? one day at a time. take it all with a grain of salt. every family is different and we do what works best for our family.
I always find your blog very interesting. Thanks for the share.
ReplyDeleteI just want to thank you for sharing your information and your site or blog this is simple but nice Information I’ve ever seen i like it i learn something today. Working Moms
ReplyDeleteI'm a young single working mom of 3 carrying 3 right now, any tips
ReplyDelete