10 Things Every Working Mom Needs to Hear [pt 2]
Today is part 2 of our mini-series “10 Things Every Working Mom Needs to Hear”. If you missed part 1, go here.
Stay tuned till the end because we’ve got an awesome giveaway today!
5. Be willing to say, “I need help.”
I thought when I started working more that I would be able to do everything I normally did. Laundry, kids, cleaning, cooking, writing, speaking… all of it. But I quickly found myself sinking.
So I went to my husband and told him something had to change very quickly. We spent some time looking through our budget and found a few ways to help like getting a babysitter when I need some extra time or hiring someone to help with a few things around the house.
A friend and I are also talking about doing meal doubling. We would each cook meals for our families and double the recipe to be able to give each other the meal. This would cut down on cooking a lot!
6. Days of discouragement are temporary.
Whether you’re a working mom or stay at home mom, days of discouragement are always going to be.
There will be days where you feel like no matter what you do, what you say or how you look at someone…it will be wrong.
7. Be willing to evaluate life frequently.
There are weeks where our schedule changes from day to day. I have learned to evaluate life frequently because I want to make the most of our time together. Sometimes this means putting certain opportunities to the side because it’s not what’s best for the entire family.
It also means being able to step back and see what is not working in our schedule.
For my youngest daughter this meant taking a break from gymnastics for a few weeks. I was making myself crazy trying to get her there every week. As hard as it was to make this decision, she wasn’t happy at first but is now looking forward to this summer where she can go to gymnastics camp.
8. Engage with friends as often as you can.
I have felt like a lot of my friendships have been struggling. And I realize it’s because of this season of life change. I won’t lie; I do miss frequent coffee and lunch dates with friends.
And I believe God has seen that ache in my heart…
A couple of weeks ago our 2 youngest daughters were at our church after school for a rehearsal for the weekend. I figured it would be a good time to run some errands so I headed across the street to a shopping center. While I was walking around I actually ran into a friend whose daughters were at the same rehearsal.
I felt this prompting on my heart to stop running errands and ask her to go grab a cup of coffee.
I’m so glad I did. It was the most refreshing hour I’d had all week.
God ordained that meet-up.
9. Don’t let the things you love slip to the side.
This is so important.
Carving out time to do the things you love whether its art, photography, writing, projects around the house or yard work is so essential. As you do the things you love in life, your soul will be refreshed.
10. Find a way to be spiritually encouraged frequently.
This is hard because time is so short. But its possible. Whether its through a Community Group, Sunday School class or Bible study… God has an encouraging community just for you.
And here’s where our amazing giveaway comes in today.
My friend Melissa Taylor leads these amazing online Bible studies through Proverbs 31 Ministries. I’ve been a part of it for several months now and this community of ladies [and even a few men ☺] is simply incredible.
I love it because its so convenient and its a work at your own pace study.
Melissa’s next study is on Stressed Less Living by Tracie Miles.
PERFECT book for every woman, no matter what season of life.
Melissa has generously offered to give one copy of the book away here on the blog AND the conference calls that go along with the study!
You can find out all the information about the Bible study by clicking here.
In keeping with our theme today… to enter the giveaway, please leave your name and the best idea to help a working mom!
I’ll announce the winner on Friday April 5th. 
10 Things Every Working Mom Needs to Hear [part 1]
Happy Good Friday friends!
I can’t believe how many amazing ladies entered the Unglued Devotional giveaway! I really wish I could give each of you a copy.
The winner is: Amanda VanStedum!
But we have plenty more at the Proverbs 31 office if you’d like to purchase a copy. Here’s the link: http://www.proverbs31.org/store/product/unglued-devotional/
I’m really excited about this two-part series on the blog starting today called, “10 Things Every Working Mom Needs to Hear”. On Monday I’ll post the 2nd part of the series AND I have a really amazing giveaway to go with it… you won’t want to miss it.
1. We must find our own rhythm.
What works for others may not work for you.
This was a hard lesson to learn when I first started back to work.
I tried going to a boot camp very early in the morning because it was what a lot of working moms I knew were doing to get in their exercise. But I am not a morning person and I found each morning I went to boot camp left me feeling very rushed, flustered and exhausted before the day began.
So, as hard as it was to quit…I did. And I’ve found other ways to get in exercise like taking walks or doing short videos at home. While this might not be the BEST workout possible…it’s helping me find my rhythm.
2. Guilt is a tool not a resource.
Let me explain.
As a working mom time is often very short. There are only a few quality hours I get to spend with my girls. Its very easy to let guilt drive my responses and reactions towards my kids and their behavior. I found myself “giving in” a lot more times than I should and it led to some unhealthy behavior in one of our daughters.
But I have learned that guilt is a tool the enemy of our souls uses to distract, discourage and deplete us as followers of Jesus. Guilt can so easily become our resource for the way we react. But as we learn to identify the guilt, we can more easily not allow it to control reactions.
3. Rest is vital.
Working mom or not, it is very easy to go, go and go. But a few months ago I listened to this message by Pastor Robert Morris. It challenged me and changed me.
After I let that message soak in, I’ve never thought of rest the same.
4. Planning is the power.
For everything.
But in our house especially meal planning.
I’m about to confess something to you… so no judging ok?
The first month I went back to work I could not figure out where on earth my entire paycheck went for that month.
Since life was busy, I knew we had spent a little more on eating out. But I was not prepared for what my husband showed me.
He sat down and added up every penny we had spent on groceries and eating out. Are you ready for this? Our budget had gone from around $800/month to OVER $1400 for the month.
I’ll wait while you gasp. I did too.
I KNEW that we had to do something. That Sunday night I sat down and created a meal plan for the entire week. This helped a lot.
But this area is still a little bumpy for me so if you have ideas, I’d love to hear them.
5. Be willing to say, “I need help.”
I thought when I started working more that I would be able to do everything I normally did. Laundry, kids, cleaning, cooking, writing, speaking… all of it.
But I very quickly found myself sinking.
I talked to my husband and shared with him that something had to change very quickly.
We spent some time looking through our budget and found a few ways to help like getting a babysitter when I need some extra time or hiring someone to help with a few things around the house.
That’s it for part one of this series…I’d love to hear your suggestions and thoughts. I love learning from other women and hearing what works for YOU. Leave a comment and come back Monday for the rest!
Getting back to it…
Well, most likely if you are reading this blog today its because you’ve hopped on over from the Proverbs 31 Ministries devotion.
Because… um, hello my last blog post was on February 12th, so probably not many people have been hanging out here.
But… I’ve had good reason.
Being on staff at Proverbs 31 Ministries has been such a blessing, gift and truly amazing!
But y’all… life got busy when this momma went from working one day a week to 4 or 5 days a week! And its taken me quite awhile to find a good rythm to being a wife, mom, P31 staff member, speaker, writer and oh yes… blogger.
I’ve missed this little blog so today’s the PERFECT day to get back to this community!
Today through Friday I am giving away a copy of Lysa TerKeurst’s new Unglued Devotional.
I’m really excited about this devotional because it is JUST what busy women need. It includes a daily opening Scripture, Thought for the Day, devotion, and closing prayer, this book helps readers begin a 60-day journey in learning to positively process raw emotions, such as fear, anger, and regret.
All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me where you are from! Easy entry. I’ll pick the winner on Friday and I’ll be back with some of the things I’ve discovered about being a working wife and mom. Good and Bad. Stay tuned!
Happy entering!!
Read More2 Minute Tuesday: Anointing and Appointing
Click here to read the P31 daily devotion. And don’t forget to sign up for the devotion for free!
Two Minute Tuesday: James 4:7-10
Read MoreJames4:7-10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.
