If you have been following along here on the blog, or even over on Instagram, you’ll know that for several years I either wasn’t working or was working part time. I was very blessed that I was able to keep my full time job as a teacher and yet have that flexibility when my son was in his infant years. But since my son was eighteen months, I have been working part time and now that he has started kindergarten, I went back to work teaching full time. I was worried about this change for our family–a lot was changing at once and I wondered how I would adjust as a mom and homemaker. Could I really be a homemaker working full time outside of the home?
I think some people would say that I can’t do both. And to be honest, I am not sure that I am able to do both. But somehow we have adapted.
Establishing Routines
One thing that you need as a homemaker is a routine. And I have a routine that keeps my home in order and easier to maintain so that I can do other important things like cook nice meals and spend time in prayer or time playing with my son or time resting.
Morning Routine
My routine is pretty simple: I get up on weekdays at 6:30, and once I’m dressed and ready for my day, at around 7, I go downstairs and prep my son’s lunch and then I prep mine. In between prepping I’m getting my tea and toast ready for breakfast. My husband gets my son up and dressed and supervises his breakfast. I assist with this at times, as time allows, but my husband is really does this. At 8 my son and I leave the house and I drop him off at school before heading into work myself.
This morning routine has saved so much time and keeps us all on time and the morning running smoothly. It sets us up all up for success.
Dinner Routine
We also have an after school routine, which is a little more flexible. Having flexibility in routines is important too because we cannot always be rigid–some nights my son wants to play outside and that’s okay, other nights we don’t play outside. Rarely, we might run an after dinner errand at a nearby store.
The most important part of my dinner routine is the clean up part. After dinner, I always make sure to get the dishes loaded into the dish washer, to sweep the floors and wipe the counters. I put away anything that doesn’t need to be out on counters as well. this way, in the morning we have a tidy kitchen and clean dishes. I don’t let dishes pile up and that makes the kitchen tidier and cooking a lot easier.
A tidy kitchen means preparing meals is less daunting and far more pleasurable for the cook. Cleaning up the kitchen resets us for the next day and ensures that the morning routine goes smoothly.
Bedtime Routine
But we usually have our son in the tub by 7:30 and in bed for 8. We read stories and snuggle and then go to sleep. That bedtime routine is so important to my son; he loves reading with me and that snuggle time helps him wind down and fall asleep. Bedtime routines allow us all to get enough sleep, and sleep is something we value a lot in this house.
Why am I telling you any of this? After all, I’m sure millions of others do something similar everyday. It’s not ground breaking. But my point in sharing this is that routines are an important part of homemaking: that’s why so many homemakers have schedules that they follow to keep their homes in good order. Many homemakers utilize cleaning schedules or routines so that they do all the things that need doing in the home.
I’m attempting to create a routine that will allow me to be both a homemaker, one who makes the home a comforting place for our family to be because it’s tidy and restful, but also allow me to go to work full time. The above basic routines are allowing me to do just that so that my nights and weekends are not chaotic, and I’m hoping can help you too.
Separating Home and Work
This is very important. Women are great at multi tasking, and many women will use lunch hours or down time to either do work for the home and family, or vice versa. I have a colleague who can duck out on her lunch hour and run errands (even groceries!) in one hour and be back at work on time. How she does this, I’ve no idea, but it works for her.
Personally, I prefer to separate work and home. If I’m at home, I am not doing anything work related. I prep all my lessons and do all my other teacher related tasks that are administrative at work. Rarely do I do anything from home, and if I do it’s usually report card writing which takes a long time and is very involved.
Similarly, when I’m at work, I’m not trying to do tasks that are home and family related. Which, admittedly, is hard to do when I’m not home but I am not making grocery lists or texting my husband tasks I’d like him to do from work. I meal plan when I am home and know that my husband does what he can at home while I’m working. For the record, my husband works from home and if he’s able to, will do some household tasks during the day.
Personally, I think having that separation has made it easier for me to balance things. People talk about a work-life balance and this is one way to achieve that: don’t blur the lines. Work is for at work, and home is for at home.
Spend Your Weekends Wisely
Weekends are too short. Everyone says this, and I wholeheartedly agree. But when I hear what people will squeeze into two days I’m always stunned and a little bit horrified. I have no idea how people brave Costco on a weekend and then somehow spend half the day at soccer practice or games and attend a birthday party and get laundry done.
I like to live more slowly on the weekends and I’ll tell you why. Rest is needed. Rest is self care. Recreation is self care too, but spending the entire weekend running from one task to an event and then to another task and event and another task is not recreational or restful, and is definitely not self care.
Spend your weekends wisely. Decide what is really necessary to do. Are groceries? Can you divide and conquer that task between you and your husband? Do it! Does your child have to attend every birthday he is invited to? Maybe some he should skip simply because you are not available. It might seem unfair to your child, but it is a lesson for him in self sacrifice for others–in this case, for his parents and maybe even, for himself. After all, we are not always able to attend every birthday party or wedding we are invited to as adults.
Instead, spend your weekends doing necessary and leisurely things. Do the groceries and laundry. by all means, but also have a family dinner. Watch a movie together. Let your child be bored or enjoy doing quiet activities at home like reading or helping you out in the garden or playing with the mountain of toys relatives have given him. It’s far better for everyone’s nervous system.
Final Thoughts
I am happy to say, by doing all of the above, I have made it through the first month of working five days a week for the first time in five years without feeling burned out and with lots of energy. I spent a good amount of time this summer thinking about how this September might go, praying and trusting in God and that has certainly made this transition a lot easier as I’m not trying to control everything and worrying. I don’t need to worry because I know God is with me. But having these routines and mindset have helped me adjust to this life change and balance it all so that now I can say yes, I am both a working woman and a homemaker in the true sense of the word.
How do you balance work and home? Share your tips in the comments below.