More and more moms are getting motivated to become entrepreneurs and earn a living from home. I think being home with my kids and being able to create an income while doing so is the best of both worlds. Usually. I admit there are times when I fantasize about going to a job outside of the house, and wearing high heels and “grown-up” clothes. But it takes just one silly smile from one of my kids, and I am loving their sticky faces, my old sweatpants and even our six dogs.
Do I make a lot of money? Heck no. Are there months where I make little to no money? Heck yea. And do I still feel it is worth trying again and again to be a work at home mom? Absolutely. To me, I would be a stay at home mom even if I made no money. But that is just me. Not everyone will share my feelings about not caring if staying home means I own a couple of pairs of sweatpants, make my own coffee (Starbucks? what’s that?), eat a lot of spaghetti, and have date night at home with my hubby and assorted munchkin guests.
But since there are so many opportunities now available for anyone to make money from their home, I certainly am all about making the most of them! We certainly do need an extra income, and I am excited about contributing what I can each month to our budget. But it is hard balancing mommy-hood with entrepreneur-hood. The toughest days will always end with me asking myself if I am trying to be a “SuperMom” and in the process, actually spend less quality time with my kids?
I take some deep breaths, and remind myself that nothing is written in stone. There is no boss making me work overtime, or work on weekends. I am in charge of my destiny and my priorities. And hands down, my main priority is my kids. If I ever begin to feel overwhelmed enough that I want to quit (the working at home part, not the mommy part. Again, usually.) I now recognize that these are signs to back off the laptop, maybe even go cold turkey a day or two, and be just mommy. I have learned to let go of the feeling that if I don’t type that one more article, or do a little more social networking, that all will fall apart. Or that the fame and fortune I so desperately work for will elude my grasp if I choose to play hot wheels instead of dropping EC cards. I kid about the fame and fortune part. Mostly.
That for me, is the key ingredient in the mix of working from home while being a mom too. Balancing both worlds when I can, and when it works. And knowing that the sun will rise tomorrow, the bills will still arrive in the mailbox, and life will work out somehow for our little family if I stop the balancing act for a while, and just drop the working mom bit and just be mom 100%.
Besides, I get all the fame I need from my munchkin crew (they think I am pretty cool still. Usually.) and their hugs and smiles are truly my fortune. So a few extra bucks doesn’t hurt either. And I will always strive to honor and respect my entrepreneur side. But it may will be more of a snail’s pace than a rat race for me to achieve my business goals.
