Confessions of a Work-at-Home Mom, or: When Is it Time to Stop Working and Go Hang Out With Your Kids?

Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday!

I've been meaning to write more in this space about how I'm making work-at-home work. (For those of you who don't know, I work in advertising, part time which at the moment means about 30 hours/week although I'm trying to get that number closer to 20.) Here's what has lately been my biggest weapon in the ongoing struggle of how do I divide my time and what thing gets my attention.

Last Friday, I had a particularly trying day, including things that weren't work related such as a stressful discussion with the people supplying our mortgage (they are being totally unreasonable in my opinion as far as what they want to verify that the money from my business is actually money from a business and not I don't know what--Money from drug deals? Arms sales to Iran? Money laundering? I went through this when we refinanced our Colorado house too...despite having run a business for 11 years, mortgage people can't seem to wrap their heads around this style of working.) Also trying to get the electricity at our Colorado house out of my name and into the renters (the electric company changed it to the renters for one day, and then changed it back to me...that is just not logical!) And then crazy work stuff like half a dozen projects that were briefly talked about months ago are all all of a sudden urgent and also I had a regulatory meeting (held to make sure the medical stuff I'm doing is in compliance with the FDA) and was being asked to do things that are WILDLY outside the scope of what I normally do. 

Anyway, my mom had been taking care of the kids all day (confession: I also snuck a hair cut/color in there), and they (the kids) were about to get up from their afternoon nap and I had soooooo much I needed to do including a deadline that needed to be met that day and I never miss deadlines but I called the associated account manager and asked if we could push it to Monday and she said no problem and I closed my computer and went to spend the rest of the day with my kids.

Part of the reason: My dad had sent an email earlier in the week talking about work/life balance and how if you die, the people you work for could replace you in a week and not miss a beat. But you parents and husband and kids--they won't get over you in a week. This is something I've heard explained this way before but it's so good to keep in mind as I try to divide my time as a working mom. Who cares if this smartphone alert to doctors that I'm writing gets put into regulatory a day late? (as long as I'm not blowing my deadlines every time). My time last Friday afternoon was much better spent crawling around on the floor with my kids, playing peek-a-boo with the big brown box that is their new favorite toy, feeding them a ground up version of my mom's elk stew, watching them in the bath, Zo sticking her finger over and over into Luke's mouth and giggling like crazy (and he doesn't bite her when she does this...he bites me every time I put a finger in his mouth), Luke and Zo crawling around at my feet while I folded and put away laundry, snuggles and bottles before bed, etc. 

You're easily replaceable at work.

Not so much with your kids.

Keeping that top-of-mind helps me keep my priorities where they should be.

XOXO