moms who work from home...

ashf4i

I work from home and have yet to strike a balance to get everything done in a day... from paperwork to housework... it seems like it's constantly piling up!  It's such a blessing to be a sahm, but at the same time, it's difficult having your workload in front of you 24/7 and no babysitter.  Just wondering what you ladies have come up with.

TIA 

mommytobe87

I'm dealing with the same thing...I do medical transcription part-time (thankfully it's really part-time) but still, some days workloads are bigger than others soo I'm trying to slowly get a routine to make it work, not to mention housework, dinner to be cooked, etc.

ashf4i

amy052006:

There is no balance.

You are working from home, you are not a stay at home mom.  You are still responsible for you job to your employer, and really aren't supposed to be doing all of your housework or watching you kid on their dime.

 

Bummer thing is I am my employer! lol (kinda hard to work for) ;-) 

iheartyou0225

Just was wondering where you work through for Medical transcription?  (like did you find it on the web) I have a degree in it and have not found any jobs for it, and I would love to work from home right away and not have to work in a office first like most places.

Jaffytaffy

I work from home 2 days/week, but I definitely am less productive on my WFH days.  There's just no getting around it with a baby to take care of.  Thankfully LO loves to roll around on her playmat w/ lots of toys to keep her occupied and also I can nurse her and work at the same time.

juliedooley

I thought I could do this, and realized after only getting 10 billable hours in the entire month of December that it wasn't possible, at least not with my job (freelance editing), and that it would be irresponsible of me to lead my clients to believe I could meet deadlines with a baby in front of me.

LO is in daycare 3 days a week so I can focus on getting a decent amount of work accomplished and still have my wits about me at the end of the day enough to entertain and take care of him, make dinner, do laundry, etc etc. I only work about 20 hours in those 3 days + 1 day of my mom coming to watch him, but I know it's a lot more than I would get done with him here!

On days I have him home with me, I'm lucky to get 1 hour of work in between errands and other housework while he's napping. I'll probably have to take on more work soon so I actually anticipate sending him to daycare full-time in a few more months.

Of course, I say this as I'm on the Bump but sometimes daycare is nice because I can have a bit of time to do silly things around the house during the day like I used to before DS was here.

canthardlywait426

I dont know how you all do it. Its all I can do to maintain my house with LO home. I couldnt imagine trying to work while doing it.

JaimeCH

I found it tough enough on my maternity leave to get housework done while LO napped. I can't imagine trying to add work on top of that! I had to work from home a couple of days last week because I was getting over being sick, but I still sent LO to daycare. I wouldn't get anything done otherwise. It sounds like you have no separation of home life and work life. That would be exhausting. If you want to keep your business (and sanity), I think that daycare would be the only way to go. 

 

AngelaL

It's really hard. There is ALWAYS something to do. Most of the time I play catch up on the weekends. The laundry is always waiting to be put away. Just do the best you can. They will only be little once and as they get older it will be easier to do things.

ashf4i

juliedooley:

LO is in daycare 3 days a week so I can focus on getting a decent amount of work accomplished and still have my wits about me at the end of the day enough to entertain and take care of him, make dinner, do laundry, etc etc. I only work about 20 hours in those 3 days + 1 day of my mom coming to watch him, but I know it's a lot more than I would get done with him here!

I've thought about this too - kind of feel a bit guilty about sending him to daycare though... don't ask! haha Right, I say this as I'm on the bump too... teehee. (palm to forehead)

ashf4i

rochella:

I pretty much have to do all my work when DH is here or when LO is sleeping.  DH and I split the chores, but I only do them on the weekends or again when DH is here.

I've done this too, but the bummer thing about it is - when do I get to relax with DH?  haha and round we go!  

ashf4i

AngelaL:

It's really hard. There is ALWAYS something to do. Most of the time I play catch up on the weekends. The laundry is always waiting to be put away. Just do the best you can. They will only be little once and as they get older it will be easier to do things.

Exactly - thanks for the great advice!   

juliedooley

ashf4i:

juliedooley:

LO is in daycare 3 days a week so I can focus on getting a decent amount of work accomplished and still have my wits about me at the end of the day enough to entertain and take care of him, make dinner, do laundry, etc etc. I only work about 20 hours in those 3 days + 1 day of my mom coming to watch him, but I know it's a lot more than I would get done with him here!

I've thought about this too - kind of feel a bit guilty about sending him to daycare though... don't ask! haha Right, I say this as I'm on the bump too... teehee. (palm to forehead)

I felt a bit guilty at first too, especially because part of the reason I wanted to work from home was so I could stay home with kids someday... but I worked it out on paper and this is really the best arrangement for all of us right now! I do some extra work a couple nights a week after DS goes to bed but this way our weekends are free to spend as a family.

mrsf123

i still haven't found the right balance.  i may get a babysitter one afternoon a week to help me focus on work.  also, dh does a lot of the childcare after he gets home from work so that i can do the rest of the work. i also have a housekeeper so i don't have to worry about any of the cleaning.  it's someting dh and i came up with since i'm not a sahm and have work to get done. 

shelbell1028

It is tough but I find it to be manageable.  I WFH 3 days a week.  My job is mostly done online and through email.  Most requests I deal with are not time consuming.  I have learned to prioritize my requests and when LO naps I clean up anything I have pending. 

argonne

I seriously give the big 'ol side eye to women who "work" from home, but with no babysitter or childcare.  You're essentially getting paid to babysit your child and it's not fair to your employer (unless you are your employer in the case of the OP). 

I work from home Tuesdays and Thursdays, but my nanny is here during that time so I am actually very productive.  I chose to work from home part time so I didn't have to be entirely away from DS five days a week.  The nanny still provides all of his care while I am home, but I get to take short breaks and play with him for a bit.

shelbell1028

argonne:

I seriously give the big 'ol side eye to women who "work" from home, but with no babysitter or childcare.  You're essentially getting paid to babysit your child and it's not fair to your employer (unless you are your employer in the case of the OP). 

I work from home Tuesdays and Thursdays, but my nanny is here during that time so I am actually very productive.  I chose to work from home part time so I didn't have to be entirely away from DS five days a week.  The nanny still provides all of his care while I am home, but I get to take short breaks and play with him for a bit.

Everyones situation is different.  My employer is 100% aware that I WFH and take care of my child at the same time.