How To Be A Work At Home Mom

This is not a post about how to get a work at home job. If you are interested in how I got my job, contact me and I'd be happy to tell you. But this? This is more of a survival guide. You see, being a work-at-home mom takes all the crazy and hard stuff (and the fun stuff, too) of being a stay at home mom, and throws it all together with the crazy and hard stuff (and fun stuff) about being a working mom, all into one insane awesome and busy package. I've done all three, and this is by far the hardest thing I've done so far. Imagine making dinner while completing a big presentation at work that needs to be perfect while folding laundry while running a marathon while monkeys are climbing on your back, because that's pretty much my job description every single day.

The first thing to do is to have a well organized office. Here is mine:

They say sarcasm doesn't transfer to the written word, but did you get it? Well-organized? Hehe? Yeah, anyway, it's actually pretty clean in this pic. This room is so necessary for my sanity. I can lock us in to a nice safe zone and just turn the monkeys loose, and it's tucked away in the basement so when people come over they don't have to see my war zone. 

Second, don't be afraid to stop working long enough to put on a tiara if it is offered to you. Or to give a hug or help color a picture, etc., because really, that's that whole point, right? Just don't forget to take off the tiara before answering the door. I have only accidentally opened the door wearing one twice. So far.

Third, invest in some good educational and/or religious DVDs. That way when it's crunch time and you really need to get some work done, you don't have to feel as guilty about plopping the kids in front of the TV.  We like Veggie Tales and Super Why around here. And of course Tangled, which is neither educational or religious, but just happens to be the best show ever, so I let it slide.

Fourth, caffeine and chocolate. My mom job follows me even into the bathroom on my pee breaks from my job job. ("Whatcha doing mom? Can I come too? Big girl, mom, now you get a sticker!") If I never get to have a real break ever, at least I can drown myself in Dt. Coke and chocolate and feel like I get a few seconds of me time.

Lastly, I will admit that I sometimes whine and complain about my job, about how hard it is to do everything at once and on and on, but I always try to focus on exactly how blessed I am. I have a job that I love and I don't have to leave my babies, what is better than that? I'm a very lucky girl!