Why Working from Home WORKS for Our Family

Thank you to everyone who reached out about yesterday's post.  There is so much beauty in the opportunities we moms have. It is a wonderful thing to celebrate and support fellow moms in whatever their decision is because, at the end of the day, deciding what works best for our own families is the most important thing we can do.

I want to share today why our family has found me working from home to be our best fit.

The blessing it has been to never have to leave this guy and GO to work.

I like to work.
When we found out we were pregnant with our second child, Andrew and I really began to have conversations about me working outside of the home. Day care was going to be more expensive, life would be more hectic. Did me working still make sense for us? And when we looked at the black and white facts of it all, it did.

One reason being that we, like most families, needed two incomes. But more than that, I like to work. Every summer, as it was drawing to an end, I was anxious for the school year to start up. Not because I wanted to leave my boys, but because I missed work. I missed the routine, the challenge of using my skill set to help all my students succeed, problem solving, being creative, adult interaction. I liked having a role that was MINE outside of wife and mom. Working gave me a very real identity that was me, not who I was in relation to someone else.

When I became a coach, that void I was worried about was instantly filled. I have a very real role outside of my children. I get to interact with other adults on my team as well as my clients. I am constantly connecting with new people, problem solving with clients and my coaches and getting to be creative in how I approach helping others.

Working from home perk--comfy coach, workout clothes, messy bun

I'm the boss.
I know that sounds cocky but think about it. One of the hardest parts of working outside of the home and balancing motherhood is the lack of flexibility. I had an amazing and super empathetic principal to work with. She was always understanding when the boys would get sick (or our sitter would get sick). I was really blessed. But at the end of the day, I worked for someone else.

I had to haul my butt in to get plans ready for a sub either early in the morning or late at night, depending on when sickness struck. If I didn't have any time off, I got docked pay. I had to return to work after my first son was born via c-section, after only 6 weeks off (and still had a few days of docked pay because I didn't have enough sick days accumulated)!! I get that all of this is part of having a real job, but I wanted more.

I wanted to be home with my kids when they were sick and not be thinking about work and wondering what I would come back to. (Not all substitutes are created equal). I wanted to be able to see my hard work and give myself a day off when I wanted. I wanted to decide if I wanted to work, what hours I wanted to work and where I wanted to work them. {I much prefer working poolside while my boys splash around. I've also worked in the passenger seat on the way to the beach, in an airport, from the couch, at our backyard table...all with my family nearby.}

I worked at the library while they got books and colored. 

Impromptu afternoon off so we could get out and head to the mall. 

I also wanted to decide my worth. Think about it? At the end of the day, your hard work's worth is determined by someone ELSE. I could put in long hours, come up with creative, engaging plans, spend my own money on items for my classroom and still make the same as another teacher doing half the work. What kind of incentive is that to work hard?

Now, my hard work is directly reflected in my pay. I have given myself a raise 3x since becoming my own boss. I have matched my old monthly income working a quarter of the time each week and if I want to make more, it is up to ME!

I get to be there.
Unless my kids were going to go to the school where I taught, I realized pretty quickly I would miss a lot. Their class parties, their field trips, their fun days at school. I wouldn't be able to go. Not unless I took a day from work to do that. All my life, when I thought about being a mom, I thought about those moments. I wanted to be there.

I wanted to volunteer. I wanted to be available to run up a forgotten lunchbox. I wanted to be waiting for them after school with a snack to hear all about their day. I wanted to send them off without being rushed to get out the door. Call me selfish, but I wanted all the memories.

Working from home allows me to make an income for our family and have a something else that gives me passion but also allows me to be there for all the moments; big and small.

I get to be on the preschool board, volunteer in Hud's classroom, go to all the school parties. I love those memories I have stored up. I loved the excitement when I got to share in his experiences.

Hudson's Mother's Day Tea

Thanksgiving Feast

I like adventure.
Deciding to take the leap into coaching was one of the most adventurous decisions I have ever made. To take a risk and decide to put yourself out there was not in my comfort zone. I like consistency. I like predictability to a degree. I like acceptance from others.

I had no idea where this was really going to go. I have no business degree, no fitness or nutrition background. All I had was a desire in my heart to do something well, to continue to make a living doing something I loved, and to do it in the presence of my children.

That passion has led to more adventure than I could ever imagine. The friendships that have blossomed from this opportunity blow my mind.

*I've flown to Texas alone to meet a group of people I had only met through social media, save a couple of people.
*I've roomed with people I hadn't met in person {but loved immensely already!}
*I've driven to Nashville with a girlfriend.
*I've booked hotels and made traveling arrangements (something typically left to my husband).
*I drove the boys and I to visit friends 6 hours away.
*I've spoken in front of large groups.
*I've earned us free trips. {Punta Cana 2017--EEKK!!!}
*I've been challenged in my faith.
*I've dared to dream for more for my family, monetary goals aside.

Working from home, this opportunity, opened up a whole new world to me and in turn opened up a whole new {BETTER} ME.

If you asked me what my perfect working world would look like--I'm living it. To be able to feel fulfilled, driven and alive while mothering my boys.

**If you are interested in what I do, how to make working from home a reality for you, or just a chance to add to your family's income, I'd love to chat. I am currently expanding my online business and am looking for people who want to change their life!**

The 3rd Mom: WAHM

This week it seems as though my social media news feed has a had a lot of articles being shared about motherhood and work.

*The struggle of staying home
*The choice to stay home
*The struggle of choosing to go back to work
*The BOGUS lack of time for working moms to have at home before returning
*The judgement of staying home after kids are in school

And the list goes on and on.

What I noticed, though, is a lack of a very prominent group of mommies: the work at home moms. And this group, is a GROWING group. With e-commerce becoming a staple in society and more and more people finding a way to make legitimate incomes for their families doing so (check out this article), moms are figuring out how to have their kids and make money too!

I have had the unique experience of being a part of all three groups at one time or another. I taught first grade both before and after having my first two boys. I remember the hardship of finding reliable daycare, only having a short amount of time for maternity leave and not feeling ready to go back, the piece of my heart outside of my chest each day as I dropped my boys off. Juggling the pressure to do my job well and still be the mom I desired to be all while keeping up with the house at home was hard! It was early mornings and late nights trying to get it all done.

Full time teacher 

2 year old and 6 month old in daycare

Because I taught, I had my summers off (for the most part). I got to stay home with my boys, go on play dates, sing songs and soak up every moment with them. What I found was that staying home was tough too. I missed the schedule and routine of our school year. I missed the adult interaction. I still couldn't get the house cleaned all through the day unless it was in shifts because I had the boys home with me. Messes were definitely more being home all the time.

Staying at home isn't a walk in the park. ;) 

Both roles are hard.

Equally as hard, is working from home. Almost 3 years into my coaching business there is a lot I've come to learn.

1. A lot of people don't understand working from home. 
Family members, friends, the outside world in general--a lot of people don't get it. When I say that I work from home, I automatically get pushed into the stay at home mom circle.  Which I get. Because I don't GO to work.

But moms who work from home have all the responsibilities of staying at home PLUS their actual work. It is different for everyone I suppose, but my work gets done in the cracks of my mothering. Which means nap times and after bed time aren't as leisurely as they used to be or can't just be used to catch up on housework. Which brings me to my next point..

2. We are always at work. 
Because we work from home, our work is always with us. My housework may get done but my job is still waiting. Or vice versa. I don't get to shut my computer down, straighten my classroom and turn of the light to leave. My work is always there. And since my work time varies, it can often feel like our work hours are 24/7. I have learned (the hard way) to set limits on my work time and when I respond to messages from clients. But finding the balance is hard, just like it is for any mom.

3. There is STILL a stigma
Like all things the mommy-war evokes, there is often a stigma with moms who work at home; especially those who are starting their own businesses. Often, we aren't recognized by other working moms. I can't tell you how many times another mom who works outside the job speaks about the balance of it all and when I comment--BLANK STARE. As if we both don't work. I've heard other moms experience this as well. It definitely doesn't feel good.

But at the end of the day, it is one of those things I choose to ignore. Because working from home has changed my life; my family's life. Motherhood is hard. Deciding what's best for you and your family is hard. Having experience in all three groups, I have found working from home is the best fit for our family.

And tomorrow, I'll be sharing the WHY behind how I've come to that conclusion! So check it out!