posted November 03, 2003 05:28 PM
Can I balance it? Depends on what day you ask. hehehee It's not a myth, though. I believe there is a happy medium out there as long as you have a supportive family and the right job.
posted November 04, 2003 09:31 PM
Yes, I do balance work and family, but family ALWAYS comes first. I think you can have it all if you have a good balance, BUT, it won't be a perfect 50/50. Something will always take up more of your time, either work or family, and I strive to always make that family rather than work.
posted November 27, 2003 03:21 PM
I do most of my work while the kids are at school and during their study periods at home. This ads up to about 7 hours a day which is quite OK I guess. The rest of the time I'm either organising things involving my kids or I'm doing stuff with them. Sometimes I just have to work longer hours and and I cancel my appointments with them.
posted March 03, 2004 03:02 PM
I think it's a myth. I honestly think it is impossible to "balance" work and family. You lose out on one or the other and what you lose out on is usually very little. You ALWAYS have to spend more time with one or the other. If you spend more time with work, you fall behind on family time, cooking or cleaning. CAUSE A WOMANS WORK IS NEVER DONE IN THE HOME. If you spend more time with family, you just don't get the money you want. Once you have your own family (kids or no kids) it becomes very challenging and it's a challeng that I enjoy.
JulieType "Something will always take up more of your time, either work or family" netwise "Sometimes I just have to work longer hours and and I cancel my appointments with them." JackieUlmer "...but my business requires some evening hours and that's just the way it is."
posted March 07, 2004 12:30 PM
Yes!! I believe that you can balance family and work. In my life I will always put family first. I quit my professional (out of home)job to be close to my family. I found that if I am a stay at home mom, doing nothing but caring for the household, I get a little bored.
Once I added the stay at home job, it took a little while to get into the right rythem, but I did. Mostly because I loved the business so much that I lost track of my priorities. My priorities are straight now and I have a great schedule that allows me to contribute to the family income while always being available for my children and husbands every need.
I think the key is flexibility, focus and balance all together. If my children are home from school for a week break, I don't have to work at all if I don't want to. If they are in school, I make the best use of my time. I keep a calender just like I would in any professional job. I keep to the task and stay focused. It is amazing how much more I can accomplish if I don't have to get dressed and greet the public first thing after dropping my kids as school.
Well, I am thrilled that there are so many opportunities out there for us moms to choose from. I found my nitch and love it. My business is awesome and it is equally awesome that we can come to websites like this to get the support we need when the balance doesn't seem to be there.
Decide what your true dreams are and reach for them. Now is the time.Enjoy your children and know your husband or special adults in your life. Life does not have to be hard with so many great opportunities in front of us.
posted March 07, 2004 04:19 PM
Yes I think balancing work and family is very attainable. It requires some practice, especially when you've just left the outside work force.
Keeping a basic list of what has to be done, and when, is a helpful start. There has to be some dedication and prioritizing for task completion to occur.
posted August 18, 2004 08:02 AM
Yes you can balance work and family. With help of course I am doing it everyday. I am married with two young sons (12 & 9), I work full-time outside the home, I work part-time with my home business, plus when I can I work overtime as well. I spend time with my family, they will always come first. I have been at my job for 15 years, now as I said in the beginning you need help. My husband does his part as well. Without him no I would not be able to do what I do. Its that simple.
I have help so I know how hard single moms have but some are doing it as well. thanks
athomePT
------------------ MAKE MONEY WORKING AT HOME. No gimmicks, no pie in the sky, no bull. Proven, 16-year track record: Join Now.
posted August 20, 2004 01:37 PM
I do believe it is possible, but I also feel you must put everything into perspective.
I work at home. This works well for me b/c my hubby works crazy hours. There are days he's home at 11 a.m. and other 6 p.m. or later. With a schedule like that, who could work outside the home with children? What would my childcare provider do with those types of hours? LOL She'd fire me! LOL!
Seriously, I was working in the evening doing direct sales and it was working ok, but not great. I decided to further my education and get a career that would enable me to work here so I didn't have to worry about childcare or my hubby's schedule. I became a medical transcriptionist and now I can do what needs to be done without worry.
With that said, working from the home has its share of difficulties too. I must get up at 6 a.m., if I don't, my house is a mess. I must pickup in the evening, if I don't the next morning is a nightmare LOL! I can't "put it off" b/c it won't get done by anyone else.
This post is reminding me that I need to fly over to flylady.net and get my act together!
posted April 28, 2005 06:13 PM
I think it depends on your situation. I am married with 3 children, all five years apart. My husband doesn't help with the bills nor much with the kids or house so I'm stuck having to work part time until my business takes off. I also have to raise the kids almost by myself. My 10 yo talks excessively, my 15 yo is a grump, and my 4 yo climbs all over everything. Unfortunately I work during the day at something I can't stand so I come home grumpy when the kids are yelling and screaming. I barely get any time to myself, even in the bathroom. The kids have broken the lock off the bathroom door when they chase each other so even when I'm in the bath, the 10 yo and the 4 yo just walk right in. Oh, let's not forget the excessive whining the 10 yo does when he doesn't get his way.
I'm also their taxi for karate class because his heinass is a sensei so I have to drive them to his classes. He works part time during the day but only uses the money for his karate studio. Oh, did I mention I have the added stress of worrying about his taxes because he's too ignorant to do them. He thinks because he doesn't make a profit that he doesn't have to do them. I routinely need to explain to him that he has to and he would probably get a lot of write offs but he doesn't listen. So, my business is now classified as an LLC to hopefully protect it from his stupidity.
Each situation is different. Sure, if my husband was a decent human being like all of your husbands or if I weren't married at all, I might have less stress and be able to handle it better, but right now, my house is a pigsty, my life is in the toilet and my job bites (I absolutely HATE fixing computers for a living yet that's what I do).
So, please forgive me if I'm bitter, angry and full of tears. It's been very difficult and I'm quite sick of it. Once I get the money to boot him out on his rear, I will be in a better mood.
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posted November 02, 2003 06:45 PM
hehehee It's not a myth, though. I believe there is a happy medium out there as long as you have a supportive family and the right job.