A Working Momma

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner is having a link up for working moms.

My dream job has always been to stay home when I had babies but that is not possible for us at this time. I feel like teaching is the next best thing to staying home. I am off weekends and holidays and most importantly, summer! I feel like I get to do the SAHM thing all summer and I feel like it makes me appreciate those summer months more. Working full time and being wife and mom are hard. I am constantly juggling 3 jobs and making sure I am not dropping the ball with one (pretty sure the wife job gets put to the wayside the most). I definitely feel I am a better mom and wife in the summer because I am not working those months.

Our family:

My husband works for a restoration company. He has always been in construction and has done some traveling with previous jobs. I am thankful he works in the DFW area and is able to home every night. I don't know how working moms due it with traveling husbands.

I work at an elementary school as a 4th grade Science teacher. I do like my job and I am lucky to work around women who understand the daily struggles of being working moms. We recently moved back to my hometown to be in a smaller town/ school district so I get to work with my mom, she's the librarian. Plus it takes me literally 15 minutes to drop my son off and be at school. So nice!

We have one son, Lincoln who is 2. He is a crazy toddler who keeps us busy and laughing. We are expecting baby #2 in about 6 weeks so our craziness will double soon.
Daily Schedule:

5:30-5:45 I wake up and start getting ready. This will be earlier once I am given the ok to workout post-baby. It is easier to get up super early (4:30am!) and workout than do it at night.

6:30- Shane gets Lincoln up and dressed. This can be a struggle some mornings, other mornings he is up and going. Lincoln eats breakfast at school so we wait to wake him until the last minute.

6:45-7:00 Out the door with Lincoln. I drop him everyday since Shane has to travel in traffic to get to work. We live so close to his daycare, which helps a lot.

7:15-3:15- Work, work, work. I teach 5 classes of Science. Nothing too exciting to write about here. 4th graders all day can be interesting or hair pulling frustrating.

3:15-3:45- I try to get all my work done at school so I don't take anything home.

3:45-4:00- Pick up Lincoln. My goal this year was to not work past 4:00 so I could have some time with Lincoln before the evening routine started.

4:00-5:00 Lincoln and I play or run errands but I try to not do this too much because it can be pretty tricky.

5:00 Start dinner and eat once Shane gets home. We try to not eat out after working all day. We only eat out once maybe twice a week. I wish we could eat more so save my energy but I don't think our weight or budget would like it.

6:00 Shane and I divide and conquer the rest of the night. One of us will take bath time for Lincoln while the other cleans up the kitchen.

6:00-7:15 We try to not watch tv during this time and use it to play with Lincoln as a family. Our time is short in the evenings so Lincoln is our primary focus.

7:15 Lincoln goes down pretty early for every one's sanity. He gets up so early and needs a lot of sleep so he usually easy to get to bed without a fuss.

The rest of the night is spent watching tv, picking up or grading for me. Lately I have spend this time sleeping on the couch before I head to bed but I am hoping that stops soon.

I head to bed about 9 and Shane is soon to follow about 10. We don't keep the same bedtimes so any of us on weekends. We keep Lincoln up later so we can all sleep in.

Pros of working
1) $$$$$$- Having the money to support our family and get to do the fun things is what keeps me working. Shane would like for me to stay home but it's not possible right now with one sickly kid and one baby on the way. Someday we hope to not need my income but for now we do.

2) Lincoln gets daily interaction with kids his age and other adults. Lincoln loves his friends and he adores his teachers. There is a part in me that would be sad for him if I got to stay home because he would miss this daily interaction.

Cons of working:
1) I hate being away from Lincoln everyday and missing the fun things he does. This is less now than when he was a tiny baby. I felt then like he was changing everyday and I missing so much.

2) I battle with mommy guilt almost on a daily basis. I hate sending him to school on his "off days" and cries when I leave him. I feel guilty that he has to get dressed and head to school when he is not feeling 100%. I would Satan definitely gets to me in that way. It is the worst!

Helpful tips
These are 3 things that have made it easier on our family with 2 working parents.

1) I don't sweat the small stuff. If Lincoln gets donuts for breakfasts 2 mornings a week, I am ok with it. If his hair is a crazy mess, I am ok with it. If my sink is left with dirty dishes, I am ok with it.

2) Find a daycare or sitter that you LOVE. This is what makes me working ok for the most part. Lincoln loves his teachers and they seem (or at least act like to me) that they love him too. I trust the decisions of all the staff members there and I never worry about his safety or well-being. It is a huge blessing to send him to "school" everyday where I know he is getting loved on all day.

3) Shane and I have to work as a team to get everything accomplished. We sort out the chores so one of us isn't stuck with doing everything. We try to get things done the night before to avoid the morning rush. Weekends are spent cleaning and the weekly upkeep of the house and we do it together. I am blessed to have married a man that works all day and comes home and does as much as he does.

(Here is my sweet boy on the first day of school last year.)