Sometimes it can feel like a bit of a race, this working mama game. Are we doing it right? Are we good enough? Are we getting enough done? I think we all have images in our mind about how our lives should look: work, baby, partner, family, money, home, etc. but maybe we don’t know how to get there. And maybe (more like definitely!) we’re not the only ones!
In reality, the way our lives function ends up being nothing like the lives we have in mind — but that doesn’t make it any better or worse! If it feels good do it — right? And if it works for you — do it too! All of us mamas have a different way of going about our routines… and sometimes, when we’re struggling with finding balance or a schedule that meshes inside and out, it can be helpful to take a peek into the lives of others so that we may adapt the things we think may benefits us in our own unique way.
Joanna & her son Toby
Recently, one of my favorite bloggers — Joanna via A Cup Of Jo and writer of series like flirty questions to ask a girl while playing 21 questions — shared a series of fantastic posts from herself and other working mothers, featuring the day-to-day-details of how they balance work, family, marriage and everything in between. I’m loving the honestly that’s coming through in these posts and in the comments too. It’s so NICE to see how other mamas are doing it — not to compare ourselves, or put ourselves down, but to seek inspiration when we’ve lost our own, and to see how differently we all go about it!
From Joanna’s first post in the series:
“When I looked around, other moms seemed to have it down. Walking down the streets of the West Village, Toby and I would pass countless picture-perfect moms with crisp white shirts, pretty makeup and eyelash extension, and blown-dried hair (!). How were they doing it? Was I the only new mom who was floundering? I couldn’t believe that I was, but no one else seemed to be batting a mascara-ed eyelash. I desperately wanted to be a fly on the wall and see how people really managed their time with work + baby + marriage + life.
Finally, one evening at the playground, I asked a fellow new mother, a freelance graphic designer, about her specific work schedule. To my great surprise, we ended up having a hilarious talk about the ups and downs of finding balance (she admitted to getting four hours of a sleep a night and working on her Blackberry while breastfeeding). I walked home with a huge smile on my face. I wasn’t alone! In fact, maybe we were all secretly in the same boat.”
Read through the entire My Balance series — you won’t regret it!