How to Integrate Work, Marriage, and Motherhood for a Successful Multi-Paycheck Household
As a woman, you are a multifaceted taskmaster. On any given day you wear the crown of a loving wife, doting mother, and successful career woman. All these are titles you would love to be associated with. The real trick is learning how to mix them all together.
It is estimated that 65% of all mothers in the United States are part of the workforce. There is no sure-fire recipe to integrate work, marriage, and motherhood for a successful multi-paycheck household. But, there are a couple tips and tricks that will make your busy life a little easier. We’re looking at seven ways you can balance your work and home life to be the best mother and entrepreneur possible.
Communicate with Your Employer
An essential way to balance work, marriage, and motherhood is by communicating honestly and openly with your employer. You want to be a hard, reliable worker that your boss can count on. At the same time, you need to make sure they understand what family obligations you have. You might be surprised how willing your employer is to offer you a flexible schedule suitable for a wife and mother. Great options may include working earlier or late shifts so that you can get your children ready for school or be able to pick them up in the afternoon. Working part-time or working longer shifts (such as 10 hours instead of 8) allows you to have an extra day or two to spend with your family.
Spend Time with Your Children
Spending time with your children individually and as a family with your partner are both important. Children thrive when they feel loved, respected, and get individual attention. This will help establish a strong bond with your child. Spending time with a family is also essential to maintain a happy family life. Plan fun outings once a week or even once a month if that is all your schedule allows. This could include a trip to a museum, going swimming, a picnic at the park or a movie night at home. No matter what your budget, a family night together is an absolute must for balancing your work, marriage, and family life.
Stay Connected to Your Partner
Without the support of your spouse, balancing work, marriage, and motherhood would be very difficult. Therefore, it is important that you stay connected to your partner. Take time each day, even if it is only 30-minutes, to sit down and talk to your partner. Set your smartphones on silent and spend time connecting on an emotional or physical level.
Physical intimacy such as hugging, holding hands, or having sex brings a couple closer together and encourages trust. This is accomplished through the oxytocin hormone that is released when you have physical contact with someone you care about. Touching, communicating with your partner about their wants and needs, and going on dates or doing enjoyable activities together are all essential for maintaining a happy, healthy marriage.
Use Your Time Wisely
If you only have time to clean the house while your children are home, so be it. Utilize your time when you have it. Run errands on your lunch break or right after dropping your children off at school. Invest in some dry shampoo and master the art of 5-minute-makeup skills in the morning. Set clothes out for both you and your children every night for the following day. Schedule business calls during your morning commute. Wherever you have time to multi-task, utilize it. This will allow you more time with your family and less time worrying about mundane errands. It is also beneficial to get at least 8-hours of rest each night so your body is refreshed and ready to go the next morning.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
When you are having trouble balancing work, marriage, and motherhood, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Relationships are partnerships. This means your mate is there to help support you financially, emotionally, and physically. If you need a little extra help getting the children ready or performing household chores, ask your partner for help.
Many couples find it helpful to make a list of chores and responsibilities for the week. When it comes to your children, alternate who picks them up from school or who wakes in the night to feed them. Of course, it is beneficial for your children if both you and your husband are actively involved in their care, but this is not always possible in households where both parents work full-time. You may also divvy up housecleaning, grocery shopping, and school-related meetings.
Be Prepared
Becoming organized about how you plan your week will do wonders for balancing work, marriage, and motherhood. Make a family calendar or use an app on your smartphone and mark down both you and your partner’s work schedule for the week. This will help you remember who will be available for what activity, such as picking up the children or making dinner. Next put in your bills, your work deadlines, your children’s activities, and any other event that you may forget throughout the month. Referencing your app or calendar frequently will help you keep on top of things.
Prepping dinners and lunches at the beginning of each week is another way to save time and keep organized. Crockpot recipes are also great for making large meals that you can pour in the slow cooker and cook while you are gone to work.
Give Each Area 100%
Having an excellent work ethic is going to help you in all three aspects of balancing work, marriage, and motherhood. It may be tiring at first, but it is important to give your husband, children, and boss 100% of your energy and efforts. Your children, husband, and your employer will appreciate the hard work you put into each important aspect of your life.
Author Bio
Sylvia Smith is a relationship expert with years of experience in training and helping couples. She has helped countless individuals and organizations around the world, offering effective and efficient solutions for healthy and successful relationships. Her mission is to provide inspiration, support and empowerment to everyone on their journey to a great marriage. She is a featured writer for Marriage.com, a reliable resource to support healthy happy marriages.
Johanna Galyen says
Julie,
As a Work at Home mother( registered nurse, blogger, and Christian Life Coach) I really appreciated this article. I’ve learned that I cannot do it all. Thankfully my kids are getting older and can do a lot more responsibilities now. I haven’t touched the dishwasher in weeks!
But on the other hand, I know how important it is to spend time with my children. Just yesterday, my youngest looked at me with her big blue eyes, and said “Momma, can we have Mommy-daughter time?” Umm…well, I could spend a few hours more on my work and blog…and then there is dinner. But no. I stopped. And we went for a walk together in the neighborhood. It took all of 20 minutes, and I created a memory.
My work will get done, somehow. But I’ll never get her childhood back. So I’m thankful that I did stop and spend that time with her! ~ Johanna
Julie says
Love this note! Yes it will all get done somehow and they are so tiny for a small time.