Recently I asked the Making Work at Home Work blog ring bloggers this question:
What has been the toughest challenge you faced over the past year as a work-at-home mom and how did you solve it?
Over the next few posts I'll be sharing their responses! Scroll down for another response.
MariLee Parrish had this to say ...
My biggest challenge as a work-at-home mom this past year has been trying to find a balance between work and family life. My company is very busy and I've recently had to hire help. That has given me a lot of time back, but I still struggle with the daily questions like: what are we going to have for dinner? how will I find time to get to the grocery store? how much educational t.v. is too much for a toddler? can I fit in a play date this week? etc.
I'll be honest and say that I haven't solved these issues yet...but I am working on them. I try to create me "to-do" list for the next day before I head to bed. I strive to create a menu for the week on Monday and make sure I have all the ingredients. I start the morning by committing my day to the Lord and inviting Him to be a part of everything I do. And I make sure I fit a little bit of "play time" into each day, too.
MariLee Parrish is a Christian author and the owner of The Christian Moms Business Resource. www.christianmomsbusinessresource.com
Thanks MariLee! What about you - what has been your biggest challenge?
I must say, after reading some of these posts about the challenges younger moms have and REMEMBERING the challenges I had just starting up a home business with 4 children at home and home schooling and another one in special ed. school, I realize that my situation isn't so bad! Wow! If we open our eyes we will find someone else in a more difficult situation and it brings us to the realization that we wouldn't want to trade our "hard" for theirs. Having a home business as a middle-aged mom has other challenges - many I'm in the midst of working through. I may not have crying babies or whining toddlers or carpools to work around but I do have a special needs son who is almost 21 years old and struggles with pain management sometimes, a husband who works at night and doesn't always understand the need I have of trying to concentrate in my make-shift office/piano room, another teenage son who is ADHD and borderline depressed, and a daughter living with us and planning a wedding 6 weeks away. All this while dealing with hot flashes and menopausal irritation, anxiety, and weeping that comes upon me all of a sudden from nowhere. Whew! Just typing this out puts me on the verge of a hot flash! But then I take a deep breath, take a step back and try to look at the bigger picture. God is sovereign and knows all this. Family is more important in the bigger scheme of things. And glorifying God is the most important of all. Sometimes I just have to stop trying to "make" something work and just go watch another Laurel and Hardy episode with my son or laugh at something ridiculous with my husband. Tomorrow is a new day with a clean slate.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to share my toughest challenges with everyone,two years ago I used to be a transcriptionist and mom of 1 year baby , I still remember the day when I have to submit my final report and my baby were suffering 101 fever , no-one was at home to look after him , being a mom I have to nourish and care my baby , but then what about my Professionalism ?? I kept awake for complete 72 hours and somehow managed to maintain equilibrium between both the things.So its always not a easy task to maintain both Professional and Personal thing , but when there is a Will there is a way to it.
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