Working Motherhood

Savvy Ways to Manage Pain

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. All opinions are mine alone. #StopPainNow #CollectiveBias

You never think you’re going to be one of those people who has frequent back pain. For me, it’s still something that I’m just a little bit in denial about. The truth is that, 4 years ago, I started suffering from back pain. My doctor says it’s because my newborn twins were putting a toll on my core muscles and my back was doing more work than it was capable of. Since then I’ve learned to manage my on-and-off back pain.

Savvy Ways to Manage Pain

Let Go of Control of the Housework

Yes, I just said that. You have to give yourself permission to not have a perfect-looking house. We keep a clean home but I know my limits and what my body can take, so I’ve learned to not push myself. Carrying the laundry back and forth to the laundromat, and the movements required to fold it all puts a strain on my back. There are some days when I (gasp!) don’t fold it all. My kids have clean clothes to wear and that’s the best I can do at the time, so I’m ok with not having neatly organized drawers of folded shirts and pants.

Find a Supplement that Stops the Pain

Last week at Sprouts I discovered Curamin® Stop Pain Now. I picked up a bottle of the Curamin® Extra Strength in 60 count, which was just about enough to last me a month. I love it because it uses natural ingredients to get right to the source of my pain. Plus it doesn’t have the side effects that some other pain relievers do. I keep a bottle of Curamin® Extra Strength in my purse so I’ve always got some on hand because it’s gentle enough on my system that I can take it daily. Since I started using Curamin® I’ve been able to enjoy time with my little ones without that constant back pain. Grab yours at your local health food store, or through this buy now link.

Speaking of Housework… Recruit some help!

If you have kids, then they can be a big help around the house. My oldest (before he broke his ankle) has been tremendously supportive, and the chores he does aren’t even that complicated. It’s just such a relief to have one less thing on my to-do list. Lately I’ve been encouraging the 4-year-olds to help out around the house, although I sometimes cringe on the inside at their “organization” skills. When they’re cleaning up it helps me and gives them a sense of responsibility. Little ones love to be helpers!

If you don’t have kids, you’re not out of luck. Try talking to a neighbor to see if they know anyone who can help you, or maybe put a note up at your local community center. Many high school kids have to complete community service hours as a graduation requirement, so you could also contact the local high school about finding some free helpers.

Give Your Kids a Reason to Want to do Chores

In our home we make chores a positive experience. With the preschoolers, we use our imaginations to make the chores fun. We might pretend that all the toys are leaves and we are the fairies that have to make room for a fairy party. Or we may play a game with the laundry as we sort it. “Do socks go with pajamas?” “No! They go with all the other socks! Silly Mommy!”

It’s always funny for preschoolers when the “wrong” thing happens. 🙂

My oldest wants to have his own spending money, so his chore chart is more of a “menu”. I use the blank chore chart to write in jobs and prices. That way he can choose the chores he wants, and he’s also in charge of how much money he earns for doing them. You can grab your blank chart here and write your own ideas on it, and the chart with chores printed on it here.

Follow the Doctor’s Orders for Exercise and Stretching

My doctor assigned me some stretches that I’m supposed to be doing on a regular basis. When I keep up with my stretching and make sure I am exercising, I feel better and have less back pain. Of course, finding the time for exercise as a mom with 4 kids and 2 jobs is the real trick. 😉

Don’t Push Yourself Too Far

Part of learning to deal with frequent pain is also learning your limits. Before you push yourself too far, take some time to do something that reenergizes you. When I need slow down I do something for myself, like grab a snack and work on my adult coloring book. Whatever you do for fun, make sure it also helps you to relax.

I’ve had back pain ever since my maternity leave after twins. Since then I had another baby, and the pain hasn’t eased up any. My doctor says it’s from doing a lot of lifting and bending, which you really can’t avoid when you have 3 small children. So until they grow more independent, I am learning how to live with it.

I hope these ways to manage pain were of some help to you. Do you have anything you could add to the list? What are your go-to pain management tips?

When Work and Motherhood Collide

04. I cMost of the time being a working mom isn’t such a big deal. It’s just a normal pattern of life, the same as many other moms have. My family has a pretty good routine going and we’re pretty happy with our schedule. But every now and then the demands of being a full-time employee conflict with my responsibilities as a wife and mother. In those cases I have to choose between paycheck and child. Last week was one of those times when work and motherhood collide and I have no regrets that I sacrificed my reputation as an employee for my son.

This was 2 weeks before the injury, after his performance in Singin’ in the Rain

When Work and Motherhood Collide

On a lazy Tuesday evening as we were all settling in for the evening I got a phone call from a number I didn’t recognize. The rest is kind of a blur, but I remember some snippets of the conversation.

“… An accident”

“… Paramedics advise going to the nearest hospital”

“… In a lot of pain”

It was the kind of phone call a mother dreads. While things could have been far worse, it’s terrifying to find out that your child is injured and requires immediate medical care.

After rushing to meet my son at the ER, all the missing details were filled in. He had fallen while roller skating. His right ankle was broken in several places. A splint would be put on to keep the bones in place until we could get to a pediatric orthopedist. The injury was treatable but may require extensive treatment.

The timing couldn’t have been worse

But I guess that’s the definition of an emergency, isn’t it? I had already taken the day off work to stay home with the twins, who were sick with the stomach flu. I had parent conferences scheduled for the following day, but while in the ER I was quickly making arrangements to postpone those.

We spent most of the next day at the children’s hospital hoping to have the fracture repaired by a specialist. Unfortunately, the doctors weren’t able to push the bones back together. Surgery was recommended, as soon as possible.

Our care was transferred to our insurance carrier’s hospital, where we spent another half-day doing pre-operation tests and scans. Our appointment was so early in the morning that I had hoped to still be able to hold parent conferences later on that day. After several hiccups in the process, it became clear that I wasn’t going to make the already rescheduled conferences after all.

There was nothing I could do

We were at the hospital, where the phone service is practically nonexistent. With it being such short notice, emailing the families wasn’t a reasonable option. I had to make a difficult decision.

I called my supervisor and told her there was no way I could make it to parent conferences. It wasn’t even possible to call families to let them know I wouldn’t be there. I asked if she could please tape a note to my classroom door because today I’m not even going to try and be an employee. I’m a mom first and foremost.

It didn’t sit well with me to bail on all those families. They entrust their children to my care, and my commitment to my own child had a negative impact on the children in my class.

Sometimes being dedicated to my family makes me feel like I’m being selfish. Having to choose between somebody else’s child and my own doesn’t seem like it should be that difficult, but it is. I care deeply for the students and families in my class. It breaks my heart to let them down.

Regardless of your profession, it’s never easy to have to choose between work and motherhood. It takes a conscious effort to push away the guilt you feel for not choosing the other, and to be confident that you made the right choice. I hope I’m not alone in feeling like, no matter what I do I’m going to be disappointing someone. I just don’t want that someone to be my child. 7c2e0580ad6cb2f0df3056f6bcfa88098e1cdbdc453438aaf7

6 Things I’m Doing to Live More Joyfully

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This past year sure was a bumpy one. I’m thankful to be sitting here today with so many blessings. We have good health, reliable~ish transportation, and financial stability. I know, right now you’re probably thinking I’m just a “sunshine and roses” kind of girl. Really, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. This was a very tough year for me emotionally and physically, and I admit I didn’t always handle the lows as well as I wish I had. It took many frustrating, tearful, and overwhelming experiences to teach me these 6 things I’m now doing in order to live more joyfully. I know these would help you too!

6 things I'm doing to live more joyfully

6 Ways to Live More Joyfully

Enjoy Being Where You Are

Feeling discontent robs me of my happiness. I start to get restless. I seek out new opportunities in hopes that a change will make my life better, as if my true happiness lies in a job or an event or another person. The moment I start to notice all the things I have, I realize how blessed I am. I open myself up to live more joyfully when I shove aside discontentment.

Share the Load

It’s hard to enjoy yourself when you feel overwhelmed, isn’t it? Over the last 4 years of my marriage I’ve learned to let go of my need to control and instead let my husband take the reins. When we moms try and take on too much, we’re really not giving our husbands much credit. Husbands can follow a dinner recipe, load the washing machine, and get the kids ready for school just as well as their wives can. A while back I read the book The 5 Love Languages, and it has really helped me to communicate (rather than nag) and listen to my husband. I highly recommend it!

Approach Life with an Open Mind

I had a principal once whose mantra still sticks with me today: “We can do hard things.” With his empowering attitude, he motivated the teachers and students in our school to find faith in themselves and to push themselves farther than they thought they could go. Last year, I found myself making excuses for things that seemed too hard. Making excuses only gave me permission to give up. This year I’m going to try things I didn’t think I could do and celebrate every win. I know there will be many!

Treasure the Small Moments

There are 4 young people in my home who won’t be little forever so I’m storing up pictures and memories. Every kiss, every cuddle, every call for Mommy. I’m telling them stories of when they were “little” (which was not long ago!), saying yes to every story book they want read and every song they want to sing. My children mean the world to me and I want them to know that. Plus, they are 4 more reasons to live more joyfully everyday.

Be Proud of Who You Are

This life lesson comes from playing the compare game: Putting my own strengths and accomplishments on a balance scale against those of others and finding self-worth in whether or not I come out looking better. Well, that’s a bunch of nonsense. I have a husband who loves me with or without a great bikini body. I’m one lucky girl! My coworkers are kind. My friends are loyal. The people I’m closest to stand behind me 100%.

Take Risks

It’s such an exhilarating feeling to go totally out on a limb doing something, and then watch it turn out better than you anticipated. Last year I was pleasantly surprised by a DIY post I wrote that went viral (on a small scale, but it still made my day!). That’s what I want to see more of from now on. Not everything works out though, and that’s ok. I did another project last year that was a total flop. Every new venture brings with it the chance to do something amazing, or learn from what didn’t work. The difference between joyful and unhappy people is their attitude when the results aren’t great.

I hope the new year brings you plenty of opportunities to grow and challenge yourself to be more and do more than you thought possible!

How this Mom Makes Time to Enjoy the Weekend

This morning I woke up with a sense of panic and anxiety that I had to hurry and get ready for something. Every other day I have some important reason to lurch out of bed and get the show on the road. But today there was nothing on the agenda. I literally had no where to be, nothing to do… The whole day was wide open in front of me and I was completely free to enjoy every minute of it.

I’m so used to having a packed schedule that it actually took several hours to adjust to the fact that the day was all my own. Even my husband was surprised that I had nothing planned. For once, I was going to be able to enjoy the weekend.

So what did I do? I drank my coffee in the living room, savoring two whole cups of coffee in one of my favorite mugs. When you’re always on the go, drinking coffee at home instead of in a travel mug in your car is a big deal.

The kids stayed in their jammies until almost lunchtime.

I leisurely braided the girls hair.

I carried Johnny around A LOT. And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Find me on Snapchat! —> SimplySweetDay

I went to visit my parents. The little guys spent the first hour there running in mad circles around the house. With at least 12 different spots to sit, they all wanted to sit in Papa’s favorite chair!

I went for a bike ride with my dad. He’s really into electronic bikes, so we took them out for a spin. These things are pretty cool. They have a throttle, like a motorcycle, and have a little motor. It sure was nice not having to struggle up those steep San Diego hills on a hot day!

As soon as it was cool enough to play outback, the kids were in toddler-and preschooler-heaven. Dirt, swings, slides… everything a busy little guy needs to have fun. They ran barefoot through the drought-parched grass until they almost couldn’t stand anymore.

The girls got their dresses so dirty but I don’t care. It’s all about finding ways to enjoy the weekend, right? A little dirt never hurt anyone.

It was such an enjoyable day, and I feel very blessed to have had this chance to slow down. What did you do this weekend?

Finding Joy When Life is Crazy Busy

As a working mom of 4, I’m becoming quite the expert on how to survive as a busy parent. But while survival is great, if that’s all I’m trying to do is just survive, then I’m selling myself short. The real challenge is to get through each day with a smile on your face and a bounce in your step. That, my friends, was the struggle I found myself in not long ago. I felt like my life was so busy that there was little left of my time or energy to spend on anyone else. It wasn’t easy at first, but I learned to be joyful in spite of a crazy busy schedule. I even managed to find a little time for myself!

4 essential habits for finding joy when life is crazy busy.

Resist the urge to compare.

I often catch myself making the mistake of looking at my life under a microscope, comparing what I’m going through to how my friends and coworkers appear to be living. Besides being a sure-fire way to wallow in discontentment, I’ve learned there is one big reason why you shouldn’t compare your life to someone else’s, and that is because you are not him. Your finances are not his finances. Your talents are not his talents. Each of us have a different skill set which qualifies us for our unique place in life. There is no guarantee that you would be any happier if you were to trade lives with another person anyway. You don’t know what struggles and hardships he may be facing, even though he appears to have it all together. When you start looking at your life in comparison to someone else’s, you’re setting yourself up for discontentment and you are ignoring the truth of how fortunate you really are.

Be laser-focused.

By this I mean stay focused on what is the most important to you. Do you love to exercise but feel like there’s never any time? Take your gym shoes with you in the car so you can get in a quick walk or circuit train while you’re out. Feel like you don’t spend enough time with your family? Make the moments … [read the rest of this post on Empowered Living]

Thanks for taking the time to visit Craig’s blog www.whowillyouempower.com and read my guest post! He is an amazing speaker and I’m honored to have him share my writing.

Turning Grouchiness into Gratitude

Last week I was all prepared to do a “day in the life” post, where I would show pictures of what a typical day looks like in the Rushed Mommy household. Unfortunately, right off the bat, I realized that my heart was not in the right place. When I should be taking this as a chance to share our day with my readers in a reality-TV sort of way, I could see my inner desires pushing me to making it into a “look how hard my life is” kind of thing. Who wants to read that sort of stuff? Not me! And I’m sure you don’t want to read about it either. So instead of sharing the whole day (you can thank me now because it was a long one!), I decided instead to share with you the times when I realized how truly blessed I am.

Turning grouchiness into gratitude: Mornings are hard but things could be a lot worse

Even though it put me behind a little bit, I left for work fully prepared with everything the little guys would need for after daycare. I made their fave pasta and even snuck in some whole-wheat noodles to make it a tad bit healthier. I sorted through all of our “pouches” for three of the flavor that they love. I brought along a big jug of milk and some sippy cups so they’d have something to eat and drink later that evening at their brother’s baseball game. And, as a last-minute thought, I threw a big playground ball in my bag so they’d also have something to play with.

This all went with me to work. It included my breakfast, plus a bunch of snacks for the little guys!

I’m pretty lucky because, since I leave for work before daycare opens, I don’t have to get all the kids ready and out the door in the morning. Daddy gets to do all that.

PLUS I went through Starbucks and got a special treat just for me. 😉

Work is crazy but I am appreciated

The Mother’s Day craft my class made for their moms

From then on it was easy to keep the positivity going.

At lunch the PTO had planned a decadent catered meal for the entire staff (secretaries and supervision aides included) in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week. They laid out a beautiful table and gave us each a canvas bag with “It takes a big heart to teach little minds” printed on the back, plus several other goodies. By the end of lunch we all felt refreshed, happy, and best of all FULL!

After work it took TWO trips to get all my teacher appreciation gifts and flowers into the car. No joke! I drove back to our hometown, grabbed the little guys from daycare and the oldest from home, and we all piled in the car to go to Logan’s out-of-town baseball game. And, let me tell you, he rocked it. He got a hit every at-bat and, even though his team lost, they are all a bunch of great kids and their spirits were high the whole game. It was a lot of fun to watch them play.

Baby John Cheering on his big brother

Evening activities give me more time to enjoy with my kids

The little guys loved the pouches and pasta. I had a deeeelicious Yerba Mate tea in the car, which gave me the energy I needed to keep up with everyone. The girls found a friend in a sweet, sweet girl who is about 7 or 8 years old. The three of them played the whole time and I got to spend most of the game cuddling and playing with Baby John. On the way home I got Logan a hamburger, which he was stoked about because we never eat out. I enjoyed leftovers on the couch with a glass of wine once everyone was in bed.

With that, Thursday came to a close.

I’m really glad I didn’t do a “day in the life” post after all. I don’t think that kind of sharing is good for me because I already struggle with putting a positive spin on things. I want to encourage you, the next time you feel that your thoughts are going down a negative path, to find 3 things to be thankful for. It’s amazing the change you will feel when your start turning grouchiness into gratitude.

My Descent into Sub-Par Parenting

After my first child, I was the perfect mom. I loved him so much! That love was expressed through my desire to do everything in my power to make sure he was taken care of in all the right ways. I also felt like, because I was a young single mother, I had something to prove. I went the extra mile for my son as much as possible.

A few years later I had twins, and then our fourth and final baby came not long after that. My, oh my, things sure do change once child number 4 enters the picture! Obviously I still love my kids and take care of them, but my slow descent into sub-par parenting is unmistakeable if you look back on the last 13 years.

Nutrition:

After Child 1: Homemade baby food, carefully strained of irregular-sized pieces. Meticulously planned meals with attention paid to calories and full inclusion of the 5 food groups.

After Child 2 & 3: Fruits and vegetables at most meals.

After Child 4 I introduce “bathtub dining”. After a long day of work, errands, and driving children to and from events there has been more than one occasion when we’ve gotten home late and my dirty little children finished their last few bites of dinner in the tub. We pretended we were mermaids though, and they thought it was awesome. 🙂

Extracurricular:

After Child 1: Mommy and me playgroups until old enough to play sports. Mom sits and watches every single weekend game and after-work practice. Mom volunteers at AWANAS and VBS.

After Child 2 & 3: Weekly trips to the library for story time and sing-alongs. We learn our Sunday School verse in the car on the way to church.

After Child 4- free time? What’s that? 😉

Bedtime:

After Child 1: After a relaxing bath and some soothing lavender lotion, we read stories for at least 20 minutes. Then Mommy sings songs while child drifts off to sleep.

After Child 2 & 3: Snuggle up on the couch and read a story after bath time, then off to bed where we sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.

After Child 4 Mommy runs out of steam at around 7 pm. Baths sometimes go like this: Screen Shot 2016-03-29 at 5.06.00 PM

Followed by rousing games of “catch the naked baby” and “who peed on the floor?”

Academic Enrichment:

After Child 1: Home-made pocket charts to help learn sorting and early phonics skills. Educational CD-ROM computer games. Flash cards to practice skills in the car.

After Child 2 & 3: We sometimes read stories. Mommy doesn’t correct their speech errors because she thinks their toddler talk is cute .

After Child 4: Story time always ends up with someone crawling across the book or turning all the pages too fast.

Outfit of the day: rain boots, jammies, and an Easter dress #ootd #twins #sisters
A photo posted by Nikki Stevens (@nstevens223) on Mar 25, 2016 at 12:32pm PDT

Wardrobe:

After Child 1: All the latest styles from expensive boutiques. Brand-new clothing and toys with each developmental milestone.

After Child 2 & 3: Hand-me-downs for the win!

After Child 4 we still have a lot of baby girl stuff in good condition, so baby boy sometimes wears a pink bib or his sisters’ pajama pants. But only around the house, I promise!

When my oldest was born 13 years ago, I did things a lot differently because I just had him to take care of. But over the last few years I was running myself ragged trying to keep up with everything I was able to do when I only had one child. Now that I am a mom of 4, I no longer think I have to prove my love for my kids by doing all the extra things. Not that there is anything wrong with spending extra time and effort on your kids, I just don’t have the minutes in my day to do that anymore! I love them, and do as much as I can for them, and that is all that matters to me.

Twins Maternity Leave: My Story

At our first ultrasound, we never thought we’d hear the doctor say that we were expecting twins. Once we had some time to wrap our heads around this incredible and unexpected news, it was time to start thinking about how we were going to plan for their arrival.

Bies/ Flickr/ Creative Commons

In the beginning I was bound and determined to work right up until the day the twins came. However, my OBGYN recommended I go on maternity leave at 32 weeks. By then I was already pretty enormous, but I convinced her that I was ok to work a liiiiiittle longer. I was teaching third grade at the time, spending the day on my feet and with a commute of just under an hour either way. As my pregnancy progressed she insisted I stop working at 35 weeks, and I was so uncomfortable that I took her advice without hesitation.

Then, at 37 ½ weeks, the girls came! They were beautiful and delicate and oh so much work! I wanted to spend every minute looking at their sweet faces and holding their tiny bodies.

RELATED: This post explains how we financially prepared for twins.

I got what I wanted, and then some. That first week home from the hospital was rough, to say the least. Twins require a LOT of holding. They also cry a lot, have to be fed ‘round the clock, and between the two of them they keep you up all night. After weeks of literally sleepless nights I began to panic. How was I going to keep this up AND work a full-time job? Work started at 7:15. Factoring in the time it took to drop off the girls at daycare and my older son at school, we would all have to be out the door before 6 a.m. Adding to my anxiety was the fact that the on-campus before-school care for my oldest wasn’t even open until 6:30 and the only childcare I was able to find for the twins was 25 minutes away.

All my worries tore me apart on the inside. What was I to do about my oldest child? When was I going to spend time with my children? How was I going to be a good teacher when I wasn’t getting more than a few hours of sleep a night?

As unreasonable as it sounds, I truly felt like I was destroying all possibilities of happiness for my little family. As if any unpleasantness in the home was ultimately my fault. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was rapidly plunging into post-partum depression.

I was really hoping that I would be entitled to twice as long a paid maternity leave since I had given birth to twice the usual number of babies. Unfortunately, whether you give birth to one child or quadruplets, you are only allowed 6 weeks of paid disability leave for a vaginal delivery (even with insurance). But only 6 weeks after having twins, there is no way I was functioning at full capacity. I was a wreck, and I looked it.

I went to see my doctor, hoping that he could help me figure things out. I told him about how I was having difficulty concentrating, how I was forgetting things like the lyrics to the ABCs, and how I was losing control of my emotions. He must have recognized the symptoms of PPD, because he gave me a note for an extra week off of work and referred me to a therapist.

Because of post-partum recovery and the ensuing depression, I ended up taking a full 3 months off of work. Looking back, I really needed that time to mentally recuperate and adjust to the chaos that having twins threw my life into. In all, my maternity leave went from when I was 35 weeks pregnant to 12 weeks post-partum. When I finally went back to work, I was in a good place mentally. I could find things to laugh about, my relationship with my husband had improved, and I was enjoying my little girls more every day. Of course, it helped that a major leap of faith got me into a job that was much closer to home.

I hope this post doesn’t sound like the downer it reads in my head. Things are rough that first few months as a parent of twins, but you will survive. And even in the midst of those hard times you will find that your babies bring you so much joy.

I love hearing from other Mommies, please share your maternity story in the comments section below!

There Was A Mommy

Once upon a time, there was a mommy. She loved being a mommy, but she was also a teacher and she loved that too.

Some times during her life she was just a mommy. She stayed at home with her children, showing them how much she cared for them with hugs and kisses and by making nutritious lunches and squatting down to talk with them at their eye level. When they woke up in the morning she would bundle up in blankets with them on the couch and drink her coffee, stroking their soft hair as they sat contentedly reading stories. She sang lullabies at nap time to send them off to sleep. Her children loved having their mommy with them, On sunny days they would all go to the park, and on cold days they would stay in and color and watch movies. Those days were filled with little giggles and learning new things together.

There were other times when, very early in the morning, the mommy would quietly slip out of the house and go to work. When she was working, she was so busy that she often didn’t have time to eat lunch. She was hurried along all day by loud bells clamoring a constant reminder to “Hurry up!” The mommy bustled here and there, sending important messages and doing important things. Everything is very important at work. But when she had a moment to herself, she would think about her children and their soft hair and squeaky voices. When those moments came, she just might cry.

When work was over she would come home and hug her happy children, hang up her purse and start making dinner. The house was loud and busy. Her children would pat the couch cushion next to them and plead their mommy to “Sit! Sit!”, which sometimes she did. But other times she knew that dinner had to be made or everyone would be hungry and grouchy, so she would kiss them on the cheek and invite them into the kitchen with her.

After dinner the family would visit for a little while. They would tell stories from their day and laugh at the funny things the little ones did. All too soon, it was time for baths and jammies. When the mommy tucked her young children in to bed they would sob, begging for their mommy to sing a lullaby, which sometimes she did. But other times she knew that if she was asleep in 20 minutes, she would get 6 hours of sleep that night. And she was just so tired from being a teacher and a mommy. So, with tears softly running down her cheek, she sang one short lullaby. Her darling children’s voices called out to her in the dark as she walked from the room,

“I love you, mommy”

And she cried a little bit more. She loved her children so very much and , even though she liked work, there were times when she didn’t want to do it anymore.

My maternity leave is over, I’m going back to work today, and I’m pretty sad to leave my babies all day. I keep telling myself that things could be worse. I could have a longer commute, I could have longer hours, I could have a child with special needs… The list of worse situations goes on and on. Unfortunately, thinking of those things doesn’t make me feel any better. I choose to work, but if I had the option I would much rather be just a mommy.

I know there can be a lot of animosity between working vs. stay-at-home moms, and I’m a little too sad for any of that right now. If you have something to share, please leave a kindly worded comment.

How Does a Busy Mom Get it All Done?

Your coworkers are all stressing about upcoming deadlines in your department. You’re bogged down by emails, and there is a pile of paperwork overflowing from your inbox. As the day turns into afternoon you plod through the day’s tasks and daydream of eventually getting home to your kids.

To get out of the office (or classroom, in may case) in a timely manner, I brainstorm all the tasks that I feel need to get done. Then I sort them into the 4 quadrants of the Stephen Covey matrix, and rank them in order to importance.

According to this matrix, everything we do fits into one of four quadrants:

When you are faced with a task, it can be categorized as

Quadrant 1: Urgent and important. This includes crises and last-minute deadline changes
Quadrant 2: Important but not urgent. Things like exercising and preparing things ahead of time belong in this quadrant
Quadrant 3: Not important but urgent. Facebook distractions and phone or email interruptions fall into this quadrant.
Quadrant 4: Not important and not urgent. Time-wasters like Pinterest browsing and playing candy crush go here, and are not at all helpful when you’re trying to get your work done quickly.

As you can see from my personal task list, I don’t get it all done. But the tasks I am able to cross off are the ones that were of the most importance.

When those last few hours of the workday seem like they take forever, yet you feel like you didn’t finish all that you needed to in the day, maybe you’re not taking the right approach to completing your tasks. To be the most effective in the shortest amount of time possible, you really have to prioritize. It’s how a busy mom like me gets stuff done!

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