Borrowing from ourfriends at Reno Moms Blog, here is Part 3 of the series I Don’t Know How She Does It. You can read April’s Part 1 here and Lisa C’s Part 2 here.
As a working mom, I am often asked, “How do you do it all?” And the truth is, I don’t. There are many
many things I would love to have or love to be as a mom, but at this point in my life…right now…this year…it’s not in the
cards. Here’s a snapshot into my little life.
1. What’s your work schedule?
I work full-time for a public school district as their Director of Communications. Love love love my job. I work a lot…probably more than I have to, but I’m still trying to figure out a balance that works for me. To more clearly answer the question, my work schedule is crazy town. I never know when there might be a campus crisis, I never know when we may win an award that will require some early-morning or late-night press release writing I never know when Mother Nature will send us a hurricane and we have to quickly report to the news that school is cancelled. AND not to mention managing a Facebook page with 6,000+ moms and dads. It can get crazy.
2. How do you handle childcare?
Caroline attends a church-based preschool. They are open from 7 to 6 and it just works with my schedule.
3. Where do you work during the day?
I work for a nationally-recognized public school district all day, every day.
4. What do you like best about your current set-up?
I like two things the most: (1) I love my actual job responsibilities. As I started growing in my career, I started to identify the things that I loved doing, things that I wanted to grow doing and things that I wanted to keep doing and I am so fortunate my job, encompasses all of those things. (2) I love our mission. We are focused on serving students from low-income communities who may not have access to the high-quality education options that exist in more affluent parts of our city. Access to a high-quality education is a predictor of lifetime success and I am privileged to work for a district that is offering that to more than 15,000 students throughout Texas.
5. What do you find so-so/tricky/hilariously bad about your current set-up? What would you change if you had a magic wand?
The so-so thing is that I have to travel. I am out of town for a couple of days every other week. The hard thing about that is my days while I am gone are SO intense (ask Allison…she can never get ahold of me during those days!) and I come back a little less that Perky Miss Mama. The travel is also tricky. The hilariously bad about my set up is that often times are things I need to do at home and so I find myself working from the couch or bed, etc. Where the hilarity comes in is that Caroline will mimic me by pretending to be working in her bed or on the couch. It’s a coin-toss, really. I want her to know that I am a hard-working woman and that I do what I do to provide for her, but at the same time, I want her to know that computers aren’t only for work 🙂
6. Do you have any time for yourself?
Yup. Non-negotiable. I will always make time for a manicure, never skip a hair appointment and schedule that full-body massage
whenever I can. Oh…and I’m going to see Justin Timblerlake in like TWO WEEKS!
7. Do you ever wonder how other women manage the juggle? Have you talked to other women about it?
Are you kidding? Who do you think had the idea to steal this series from a sister site? I’m obsessed with wanting
to know how other moms find balance. I’m convinced there’s this secret club where the moms are given actual magic wands. Seriously,
how does a mother of more than one kid make it out of the house every day? How do you find the time to make crafts and sew? (This
was Lisa’s answer, but it’s pretty darn spot on…so I’m keeping it!)
8. What advice would you give to other moms about how to balance work and life?
I think the biggest thing is to not compare. My sister has the opportunity to work-from-home and spend more time with her kids than I do, but I would drive myself crazy thinking about her situation versus mine. I’ve actually done that one too many times. The biggest thing that has impacted my peace of mind about my “situation” is that I got myself into this career and this job and I can get myself out.
