Three Strategies to Make Being a Working Mom Easier

Me at the United State of Women Conference Sponsored by the White House (it was a very good day)

“I think while all mothers deal with guilt, working mothers are plagued by guilt on steroids.” Arianna Huffington

In the interest of keeping it real, I want to say "Mother *$*%*#*$*$!!!" Somehow, right when I was going to press "Publish" on this blog post, it was all gone. I'm not sure how I managed to delete an entire post, which was particularly inspired, but I did. (I think I made a rookie mistake, I had too many screens open and saved the wrong thing.) As any writer knows, it's incredibly frustrating to lose your work because, at least in my experience, after I memorialize words on a page they are somewhat lost forever, unless those words are, "Roses are red, violets are blue, I lost my entire blog post, and computer I hate you..."


Although I wasn't planning to include this strategy, "Always save your work and exit the document after doing so." 

"Being a working mom is hard, damn hard. But you just have to keep going." said by an attorney in Pittsburgh with three children (not me). 

The question is how?

 Three Strategies to Make Being a Working Mom Easier

One secret to succeeding at home. Be creative. Consider doing your housework at atypical times. I don't know about you, but housework is the last thing I want to do when I'm home with my kids. Instead, I want to enjoy them--directly or by blogging about them! :-) This may be why as it says on my profile, I am "struggling to keep my house clean". Trust me. It the struggle is real! Still, housework must get done. So, figure out how to do it in the most disruptive way possible. I live close enough to my house that sometimes I go there during lunchtime and clean. I put a load of laundry in first thing in the morning, dry it at night and put in the person's individual basket afterward. Towels are washed separately because they are super easy to fold. For more laundry tips, click here. 

Working mom at UNCF Maya Angelou Women Who Lead Luncheon

One secret to succeeding at work.  Work where you're valued. Do what you love  like a lot. If you're not doing those things, dust off your résumé. Here's the thing. If you're working full time, you're spending more of your waking hours at work every day than you spend with your kids. Because of that, you need to feel like your work it worth it. If you hate going to work, do something about it because hating your job is not healthy for your family. So, commit to finding a job that you enjoy. Being happier at work will help you be happier at home. And everyone knows, when mama is happy everybody is happy!

One secret to succeeding internally. Remember, you matter. Everybody knows that self-care is important. However, a lot of people focus on manicures, spa treatments, etc. Those are nice, but I have gone years without them sometimes and still been happy. Taking time to do things you truly enjoy is what self-care is about. One thing I prioritize is engaging in activities I enjoy and then posting photos of myself having a good time. So, it's like I get to enjoy them twice! I chose the photograph to accompany this post because attending the "United State of Women Conference" was an epic event for me. It took place a little over four years ago, under the Obama administration. And I was thrilled that I got invited because of my blog. So, I look at this photo from time-to-time because it encourages me. It encourages me so much that I recently attended the UNCF Maya Angelou Women Who Lead luncheon in Charlotte, NC. Oprah Winfrey was the keynote speaker. As soon as I heard that Oprah was going to the be the keynote speaker, I was excited to attend. The event was sold out, but I wasn't dissuaded because folks said that I wouldn't get to attend the State of Women even either! Because Tyyawdi Hands is the best friend ever, I was able to attend and so was my sister. So, I got to hear Oprah and spend time with two of my favorite people. Needless to say, I really felt like I was succeeding internally that day. And this photo will continue to inspire me for awhile. (What do you think of the outfit???)

These three tips won't get your kids homework done, part traffic like the red sea, or put many in your pocket. However, they will make your journey easier. Trust me.

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