Happy Good Friday friends!
I can’t believe how many amazing ladies entered the Unglued Devotional giveaway! I really wish I could give each of you a copy.
The winner is: Amanda VanStedum!
But we have plenty more at the Proverbs 31 office if you’d like to purchase a copy. Here’s the link: http://www.proverbs31.org/store/product/unglued-devotional/
I’m really excited about this two-part series on the blog starting today called, “10 Things Every Working Mom Needs to Hear”. On Monday I’ll post the 2nd part of the series AND I have a really amazing giveaway to go with it… you won’t want to miss it.
1. We must find our own rhythm.
What works for others may not work for you.
This was a hard lesson to learn when I first started back to work.
I tried going to a boot camp very early in the morning because it was what a lot of working moms I knew were doing to get in their exercise. But I am not a morning person and I found each morning I went to boot camp left me feeling very rushed, flustered and exhausted before the day began.
So, as hard as it was to quit…I did. And I’ve found other ways to get in exercise like taking walks or doing short videos at home. While this might not be the BEST workout possible…it’s helping me find my rhythm.
2. Guilt is a tool not a resource.
Let me explain.
As a working mom time is often very short. There are only a few quality hours I get to spend with my girls. Its very easy to let guilt drive my responses and reactions towards my kids and their behavior. I found myself “giving in” a lot more times than I should and it led to some unhealthy behavior in one of our daughters.
But I have learned that guilt is a tool the enemy of our souls uses to distract, discourage and deplete us as followers of Jesus. Guilt can so easily become our resource for the way we react. But as we learn to identify the guilt, we can more easily not allow it to control reactions.
3. Rest is vital.
Working mom or not, it is very easy to go, go and go. But a few months ago I listened to this message by Pastor Robert Morris. It challenged me and changed me.
After I let that message soak in, I’ve never thought of rest the same.
4. Planning is the power.
For everything.
But in our house especially meal planning.
I’m about to confess something to you… so no judging ok? 🙂
The first month I went back to work I could not figure out where on earth my entire paycheck went for that month.
Since life was busy, I knew we had spent a little more on eating out. But I was not prepared for what my husband showed me.
He sat down and added up every penny we had spent on groceries and eating out. Are you ready for this? Our budget had gone from around $800/month to OVER $1400 for the month.
I’ll wait while you gasp. I did too.
I KNEW that we had to do something. That Sunday night I sat down and created a meal plan for the entire week. This helped a lot.
But this area is still a little bumpy for me so if you have ideas, I’d love to hear them.
5. Be willing to say, “I need help.”
I thought when I started working more that I would be able to do everything I normally did. Laundry, kids, cleaning, cooking, writing, speaking… all of it.
But I very quickly found myself sinking.
I talked to my husband and shared with him that something had to change very quickly.
We spent some time looking through our budget and found a few ways to help like getting a babysitter when I need some extra time or hiring someone to help with a few things around the house.
That’s it for part one of this series…I’d love to hear your suggestions and thoughts. I love learning from other women and hearing what works for YOU. Leave a comment and come back Monday for the rest! 🙂
Thank you for letting me join. I Love reading it.
Thanks Nicki!
I really needed to hear that guilt is a tool of the enemy. Not only am I a working mom, but I am a single mom as well. I feel lots of guilt. This is not what I dreamed of when I got married and started my family. I hate that this is the situation my children are being raised in, so I all to often try to over-compensate. I pray that God will whisper in my ear (or knock my over my head) when guilt clouds my mama judgement! Thanks again for a great post. I can’t wait to read Monday’s list. (I like that you broke it up over the weekend so that the first five can sink in!)
HI Nicki,
I love how your heart is so open. I have been a working mom for very long time. It is a bit easier now that my twins are near 17 and can drive..but I still have some of the same issues as before like meals. One thought that might help you is make ahead casseroles that can be frozen. I do that and label what kind and whenof course it was put in. I used the foil pans from the store so I can just pop in the oven. It has really helped in a pinch sometimes. I hope your Easter is blessed and I look forward to Monday.
Don’t be afraid to ssk for help we all are in need of help in our hectic lives.
LOVED this and part one. so glad to hear a mom in the thick of it showing it’s ok to and giving us permission for some of these things. so helpful to have for this “newbie moma”
Such truth for us who labor for our families in and out of the house. The many times I have felt the guilt while on a business trip, in a late meeting, or just because my career is consuming. I learned to say no to LOTS of things so that I could use my time wisely with my wonderful husband and very active children. I learned that perfection was the enemy of my soul and discovered that as I allowed myself to be imperfect, I liked myself so much more. So yes, there is lots to learn and share for us working moms. and thanks very much for the candid manner in which you address us.
Put yourself in time out! In other words make sure to get in some “me” time. Quiet time daily with The Lord, pedicure, manicure, read Karen Kingsbury Redemption series Awesome!, exercise, girls night out, massage, etc. your body, soul & mind need it! (((HUGS)))
I think this is great – especially letting what work for you be individual. As a career mom with three year old triplets – out solutions don’t work for everyone and I write about this tension of managing it and handling getting home at the witching hour – so glad to see others tackling the challenges!