Finding Balance
Hey friends! My name is Caroline, I am a full-time working mom with two boys! Maverick is almost 4 and Ridge will be ONE in October. In addition to working full time, keeping up with the endless loads of laundry…add on my part time job on Instagram. Most would call it “influencing” and I suppose I do influence a good amount of you to buy adorable clothes from shops such as Hello Dahl Baby, but I rather call myself a content creator because I do love creating. Sounds like I have my plate full? Just a little, which brings me to sharing how I manage to TRY and balance it all.
First word of advice, seek all the help. For me that means both boys go to daycare. This “plan” was not always the plan for us however when Maverick was born, I quickly learned that working a full-time job and tending to an infant (as a first-time mom) would prove to be very challenging. I know a lot of moms say one of the hardest things to do is to ASK for help. I personally struggle with asking others to help me out when it comes to watching the kids for things such as date night or girl’s night out, so I understand the mom guilt feeling but I promise, ask for the help. One of the first words of advice I received from my postnatal nurse in the hospital after having Maverick was how will you be able to take care of your sweet boy if you don’t put yourself first and take care of you. It's ok to be “selfish,” you need make some time for yourself.
Now that you have found some time for yourself, as in time for those 4 loads of laundry, dishes to be unloaded and reloaded into the dishwasher, make a list. I find that making a list, you know, the old school ones with pen and paper that you can scratch off as you are going, really makes yourself feel like you are getting things accomplished. A list keeps me on track, don’t worry…I am not perfect, I still get distracted but I do find that I am able to get more done in the day when I know what I have in front of me. Another helpful tip would be to keep a family calendar somewhere that both you and your spouse have access to seeing ALL THE TIME. We both work, the kids have tons of stuff going on and if you have the tiniest amount of time for social life…pencil it all in so that everyone knows what is happening all the time.
My last word of advice is to just go with the flow and just try your best to be open to the fact that things won’t always go as planned. My friends tell me that I make it look easy, but I have hard days, I have times that I just want to hide in the closet and cry. Being a mom is not always easy, but you got this and those hard moments are worth every single sweet moment with your babies. Find your community, I’LL BE YOUR COMMUNITY, consult in other moms, and just enjoy the crazy ride because it will go by faster than you can even imagine.