I’ve been on work release from baby jail for almost five months now. Having a break from the kiddos a couple days a week is good for all of us. And now that I have Google Play, I like being stuck in traffic even more. Hubs said that even though I’m ridiculously crazy busy, I seem happier now that I’ve gone back to work. My client keeps extending my contract, so I’ll keep letting them pay me.
My client has also tried to recruit me several times, but there is no way I would give up owning my own business. (Unless Hubs suddenly lost his job tomorrow, in which case, I would crawl on my hands and knees and beg them to hire me!) I only work twenty hours a week, but get paid like I work forty. I set my own hours, I pick my own projects, and I don’t get caught up in the office politics because I don’t actually work there. And I still get to be home with my boys three days a week. It’s a pretty rad deal.
Being a part-time working mom with two small children means
constantly being pulled in different directions. Finding balance is not easy,
and I struggle to find time to accomplish everything. But here are a few ways our
family makes it work.
We have the most wonderful nanny, a spunky grandmotherly-type, who watches the boys on Mondays and Tuesdays, plus some date nights. She loves my kids, and they love her. She’s part of our family now, worth every single penny we pay her.
On Mondays, I “work from home,” which really means working from anywhere that is not home and has free wi-fi... after I go to the gym and run errands by myself. This is key to my sanity.
I’m careful not to let my client take up more than twenty hours each week. When the work load gets too heavy, I remind them that we run the risk of going over budget for the project.
Hubs and I share all of the evening responsibilities. Meal planning, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, bathing the boys, and putting them to bed are all done as a team. *fist bump*
If you think working for yourself and being a mom is out of reach,
I’m proof that it’s not. You could start your own business today, if you wanted
to. In fact, I think moms make the best entrepreneurs. Motherhood forces you to
look at everything differently, and when you change your perspective, the ideas
start flowing.
Along with all the love and joy I felt when Quinn was born,
also came challenges and pains, for which I had to figure out solutions. I
started noticing all kinds of things that could be improved upon for moms and
babies (Why don’t shopping carts have brakes? And better seat belts?!) and
thinking up new products and services that would make moms’ lives easier
(Starbucks daily home delivery please).
Enter MUMZY™ – the first crowdfunding platform designed
especially for moms. Moms can submit their ideas or projects and raise money to
launch and grow their businesses. Whether you’re starting a small business like
I did, turning one of your bright ideas into an invention, or creating a
non-profit, MUMZY™ helps ensure moms have the right resources to bring their
ideas to life. And once your project has reached its funding goal, you can
discuss next steps with other community members and share ideas. 
You know how passionate I am about small business (I’m also a
member of a start-up that helps people set-up their new businesses), so I’m
falling in love hard with MUMZY™ right now. It’s also building a community where
we can support each other’s business ideas by pledging money and offering suggestions
and expertise.
As a little extra incentive to participate in this growing
community, MUMZY™ is offering the first 100 moms who submit a project on www.mumzy.com the opportunity to win $1,000
toward their project’s funding goal! That is so cool!
It is possible to
balance kids, family, and your dream career. There’s no reason you can’t have
it all – or just as much of it as you want. So check out www.mumzy.com and see what your fellow moms are
thinking up. You just might be inspired to turn those cupcakes you’re always
baking into a business, or submit that idea you had for an improved diaper bag.
You’re going to have to get your own nanny, though. Ours is not available.
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On work release from baby jail
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On work release from baby jail
The Transition: From career woman to SAHM to WAHM to total insanity
Ready or not, I'm doin' this
