A Foot In Two Worlds

I was reading through some new-to-me blogs a few weeks ago on Working Mom Wednesday when I came across a great quote on The Working Homekeeper.  Mary Ellen described being a working mom as "having a foot in both worlds."  It's such a perfect description, because finding balance as a working mom is so hard!  We truly do have a foot in at least two worlds - sometimes more!  We have to balance our jobs outside the home with our jobs at home.  We balance full-time employment with full-time motherhood, trying to accomplish twice the work in the same 24 hour time period.  We're all chasing the dream of being Supermom.

I recently read an article from Working Mother magazine that said that although 2/3 of working moms are primary or co-breadwinners, they are still the ones who do most of the housework and most of the childcare.  That's a huge role to fill.

My typical day involves my job as a manager at a women's gym.  I love what I do, but it's not a low-stress job.  Most days, I'm on my feet the majority of my 6 to 8 hour day.  I come home late and tired to a hungry family, so I cook dinner and attempt to clean up afterward.  Sometimes I help with my kids with their work, or I grade and file tests and record scores for our homeschool.  Once I get them in bed, I do my own schoolwork.  The days when I have both college classes and work are even harder.  What makes my schedule even crazier is that my husband is a full time pastor.  Our church is almost large enough to start adding staff, but until we get there, I help him on my days off (Wednesdays and Saturdays).  I'm never home, so it's really hard to get things done.

The truth is, there aren't enough hours in a day.  All we can do is to do the best we can and know that God will use us, regardless of where we are in life.  I truly feel that I am making a difference at my job, one that I could not make if I didn't work outside the home.  Sure, there are days that I wish I could go back to being a SAHM, but I've found a lot of joy and a lot of amazing opportunities in my role as a working mom.