Recently, I asked my followers on Instagram what they wanted to know about the balance of being a working mom, and I got some great questions! Truthfully, I don’t think there’s ever a true balance when it comes to parenthood and work, but I have learned what works for my business and our family in this season of life. Although I am so thankful for the amazing projects I get to work on and being able to connect with my clients, being a mom comes first!

Working Mom Q&A

Q: How did you decide on your schedule?

A: Thankfully, we have a flexible daycare that allows us to choose the days we want to send our kids. We are able to choose from 3-5 days and only pay for the days that our kids are there. The price per day is most cost-efficient if they are there all 5 days, but I knew that I wanted to have them home with me at least one day a week. My mom is a teacher with summers off, and she comes up for “Nana Mondays” so it seemed to make the most sense to have our kids in daycare Tuesday-Thursday the rest of the year.

Ever since starting Willaby Way, I have used Matt’s more corporate schedule to determine my holidays, vacation, and hours to build out some structure of my own. I take the standard holidays off, plan for a week off between Christmas and New Years, and I usually at least another week or two of vacation a year. The hours I work on daycare days are typically 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but I also sometimes check in on emails during the kids’ nap time on Mondays and Fridays.

Q: What did maternity leave look like?

A: With my first pregnancy, I knew that I wanted a maternity leave but wasn’t sure what it would look like. My plan was to take 8 weeks off from starting new designs, site visits, showroom meetings, etc. During that time, I still checked in on emails and got the creative itch to write a few blog posts. Thankfully, I am able to make my own schedule and take on projects that I want to, so I had all of the timelines ending 2 weeks before my due date. Good thing I did because Saylor Chloe came two weeks early – just 2 days after my last meeting wrapped up!

The second time around, I took four and a half months off for maternity leave. Since my due date was in early November, I knew I’d be taking time off around the holidays anyways, and we also had a family vacation planned for beginning of March. My plan was to come back “fully” (which I have in quotes since my full-time is 3 days a week instead of 5) after that. During that time, Saylor continued going to daycare Tuesdays and Thursdays to save her spot, while also having some extra time at home to hang out as a new family of four.

Levitt Dean was born November 2 and the four plus months off were an amazing time together. During that time, I checked in on emails a couple times a week and also brought him to a few site visits. He started going to daycare 2 days a week in February before our vacation in March, which was a nice way to ease into daycare and for me to slowly get back into the swing of things.

Although I wasn’t fully off during my maternity leaves, it still felt like a wonderful break since I wasn’t starting new projects and got to spend time with our sweet kids. Another aspect that was super helpful during my second leave was having all my social media content created by my sister, who owns Content By Carm. Not having to worry about what to post and clearly communicating to followers and new leads that I was off and when I’d be back brought me a lot of peace.

Q: How do you fit in site visits and showroom meetings?

A: Planning them out in advance! I really try to batch all of my in person meetings to one or two days of the week so I have at least one day of solid work time at home. Google Calendar is such an important tool in my business, and it’s how I plan out what I’ll be working on each day, when projects are due, and how far out I’m booking. This also allows me to look ahead into the next month and coordinate with clients on when I’ll be out for site visits or booking showroom meetings. Of course, if something needs to happen outside of that day I have planned, I’ll do my best to make it work!

Q: Do you prefer full days or half work days?

A: For our family, it has seemed to work best to have three full days in a row of daycare/work days and then have four full days of a “weekend” off. Fridays are a great day to be with the kiddos because if we’re ever out of town, we’re not needing to miss that day of daycare. Personally, I like that there are only three days where we have to all get ready and out of the house. The days that we’re home together are also so nice to have all day to do whatever we want to, rather than a morning out + about and then home in the afternoon.

Q: Is the balance ever hard to manage?

A: Absolutely! I really try my best to be present in whatever I’m doing, whether that’s at work or with the kiddos but my mind can definitely wander and feel pulled in two different directions. Again, I am so so thankful to have my own business where I get to make my own schedule, set boundaries, and check in when it works for me. What I’ve learned as a working mom is that there are going to be ebbs and flows of feeling like I’m rocking it at mom life and then others where I’m loving the business side of life and that’s ok!

Something else I’ve learned is that seasons will come and go, and it’s ok to make a change. When I had Saylor, we had a nanny a couple of days a week and then switched to a daycare center soon after she turned one. I’ve gone between working 2-4 days a week depending on the season we’re in as a family, and I know it will continue to change as our kids get older and more come into the picture.

Q: How many projects are you working on at a time?

A: It really depends on the size and scope of the project, but typically anywhere from 3-8. Usually one or two are in the beginning phase of planning out the initial site visit and gathering inspiration, one or two are in the midst of material selections and floor plans + renderings, and a few are in various points of the construction phase.

If you have other questions about the balance of being a working mom, I’d love to connect! By no means do I have it all figured out, but I’ve found it’s so helpful to connect with others going through the same thing!