Making life easier as a working mum

Being a mum with a full time job is not an easy task. Every mum tries hard to create a sense of balance in their professional and personal life as best as possible. We know that family time is vital to children, they need quality time from parents. Unfortunately, children didn’t come with an instruction manual so it’s a job mums have to learn everyday while doing it. There will be days when you make mistakes but that’s okay, we are humans and we aim to do our best.

Balancing time

As many mothers will tell you, there is no such thing as balancing time. We are not perfect, but we do our best to ensure that our children are in the best of health and feel loved. As a mum, if you are feeling overwhelmed it might be a good idea to get help from an au pair. There is no shame in hiring someone to help with the kids while you are at work. Many mums utilize this option to ensure that the children are never alone after school hours.

As a mother, it is crucial that you pencil in some time for resting and naps. It will be hard if your kids are hyper-active but consider ways to make it happen. From time to time, you may also consider a mummy day out. Plan trips to the spa, a book club, eating out or just enjoying a glass of wine with girlfriends or partner. In the absence of an au pair, ask family or good friends to watch the kids so you can enjoy a day out.

If possible, it is great to pack children’s lunches from the night before so that there is no need to rush in the mornings. A schedule is always great to have so that you know exactly what will happen on each day. A great way to help with getting things done around the home is implementing a chore calendar for the entire family. Teaching kids to be responsible at a young age will help them to become more disciplined and respectful. A budget for the family should be considered, whether bi-weekly or monthly, depending on your salary payment. This can help in preventing you from going over spending limits and prioritizing only what is necessary.

Chores for kids

We spoke about the chore calendar earlier. Mums may assign chores to each child based on age and abilities. Younger kids have lighter chores while older kids can handle more than one chores for the day. When it comes on to doing chores for the younger kids, it should be tailored to their abilities. Chores aid in building self-esteem, discipline and responsibility as well as the importance of having a job.

Another great way to get your kids involved in chores around the house is rewarding them for great work done. For younger kids, rewards can include adding a sticker to the completed task on a given day, taking them out for ice-cream at the end of the week, extra time for TV / play time, etc.

Chores for kids 3 – 5 years old:

• Pack up toys when finished playing
• Put dirty clothes in the laundry basket (parents can place a basket in the child(ren)’s room)

Chores for kids 5 – 8 years old:

• Place clean clothes in drawers
• Keep room clean and tidy
• Set the table
• Help with the dishes
• Feed the pet

Chores for kids 8 – 10 years old:

• Put away the groceries
• Water plants (assign specific plants for the child(ren) to water)
• Load the dishwasher (but allow the child to learn the manual way of washing dishes)

After each chore is completed successfully, mums should think about praising their children for their hard work. By doing this, it will boost their self-esteem and help them to be stress free and relax. It will also boost their ego and motivate them. With kids helping mums, your load will be lighter and you will get more time to spend with them. Please take into consideration that kids who receive positive reinforcement for their hard work, feel motivated and want to continue to work hard to get high praises.

Budget

This is of utmost importance for the family. Whether your house-hold is of dual income or a single mum income, budgeting takes a great deal of financial planning, discipline and hard work.

A monthly budget is one of the most used financial tools for families across the globe. Most companies pay out a salary per month or bi-weekly basis. Whichever way you are getting paid, budgeting works similarly. Here is an example of how you can break down your budget.

• Monthly income
• Mortgage / rent
• Insurance (house, car, health, etc.)
• Groceries
• Utilities
• Education / day care / Au pair
• Transportation
• Entertainment
• Savings (Parents’ accounts, kid(s) accounts)

This not an exact science as each family earns differently. As a mum, you can tailor your budget to suit your lifestyle but the main objective for a budget is to separate needs from wants.

Being a mum can be challenging on most days, however, it is fun and exciting especially if you are having your first child. Some days, you may feel doubtful as to whether you can manage. But the truth is being mum is, overall, a wonderful feeling. Yes, you will have to stick to your guns when rules are broken but at the same time, you get to mold your little ones into beautiful men or women as they get older. Mums need to take care of themselves too to be at their best for children and their partners. Feel free to join our interactive mummy group for help and advice.

Love always,

Keri