How do you work and be a mom?

I have gotten asked this question by a lot of people...some over the blog and some in just small conversations. So, I thought I would go ahead and answer it and document it for my own babies to see when they are older. Directly out of high school I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I had thrown out the ideas of being a fashion designer and then I figured I probably would have to move too far away from my parents if I wanted to pursue something like that so I crossed that off my list. :) A Psychologist was also something that sounded appealing but then I worried that I would be depressed all the time because people's stories sadden me super easily. Teacher...yes that was what I wanted to do. I felt a calling to be a teacher and seriously be able to make a difference in other little's life. I work at a great school that has a lot of wonderful parents but you always get a few sweet ones that are suffering from a rough home life and their teacher and experiences at school are what they rely on. A day to day schedule where they know they will be loved on and cared for...I wanted to be that person for them. Then I had Camdyn. I went back and forth over what to do, if I wanted to stay home with her or if I could teach and take good care of her. That decision was easy the first year. Then onto the next year, I went back and forth, back and forth and once again, I decided to keep teaching. Sometimes I have struggled with what I wanted to do and I know we could survive off of one income but as much as we like to humbly give to our kids and save for their college..I feel that working and helping Dustin provide for our family is what needs to be done. I also feel that God wants me to be out in this world, teaching while caring for my family. So with all of that being said...here is how I do it!! :)

I have a great job that lets me do BOTH! I am at work by 7:15 and I can leave as early as 3:15, I have all Summer with them, off for holidays, the weekends off and I have at least 10 days to use during the year.

Each morning I wake them up and we get dressed, play for a bit and then they drive with me snuggled up in their car seats to school. On our way we talk, listen to music and talk about what a great day we are going to have! I drop the girls off at their sitter and then I head to school. Camdyn is going to a private school 3 days a week and Maddyn will be at the sitter with another little boy her age. I like to look at it as if I am dropping them off for a long play date, while they take a big nap and eat lunch and then I head back to get them! :) While I'm at school, I call and check on them throughout the day, receive text messages and pictures of how their day is going and then before I know it, school is over and I am back to the sitters to pick them up. Camdyn LOVES going to school and her sitters and Maddyn never gets upset so that makes it even easier to drop them off in the mornings. After I pick them up we get home around 3:45 to 4:00. When Cam was little we would sometimes stop off at a park on the way home and we hope to start that up since Maddyn is bigger now. We then come home, I get them a snack and we play for about an hour. At 5:00, I usually do a craft with Camdyn or get something started for them to work on for about 30 minutes while I get dinner ready. Sometimes I also put Maddy in the bumbo chair so she can watch me and we play back and forth. Dinner is usually something easy that I can do that won't take a ton of preparation. A few times a week I try to do a few frozen items and throw those with homemade sides to save me some time. It also has been great to make a few casseroles and freeze them and throw them in the oven!

We then eat dinner and then play up until about 8:15 and start winding down.

***All during this time I am doing absolutely NOTHING except playing with them and being with Dustin. Dustin cleans the kitchen up so I can be with them and I love that.

We get our baths, watch a little t.v and then they are in bed by around 9:00. Yes, I put them to bed a little late because I need that time with them.

I rock both and lay them in their beds and by the time I'm done, it's around 9:30. At 9:30, I pick up around the house and get ready for the next day. It's now around 10:00 and Dustin and I enjoy some time together before going to bed.

Doesn't sound very hard does it? ha! And it's not!

As far as the things I choose to do for myself such as sewing, crafting, etc. I take on these items in bits and pieces throughout the time we are home and usually nothing like that will I finish in one day. I usually take my time and work on that throughout the week. I try to save everything for the weekend so I can take my time and relax to get those items done.

On the weekends is when we do deep cleaning, laundry, dusting and all of our big errands and Dustin is a HUGE help in all of this. Many times he will clean the house himself so I can get more done on the weekends. It's all about time management and prioritizing what needs to be done. Dustin and I are a great team and this is what makes all of this easy. I rely on him and he relies on me. I do not feel super busy or overwhelmed, our house in not a wreck, my kids are loved on and I am super excited to see them every chance I get. Everything just falls into place.

This life we live works great for us and we are excited about a new change in life that is about to come! I will share that more once everything is finalized!

If you have any questions, I would love to answer them!