The Balancing Act

Written by Rebecca Ingram Powell

This article is courtesy of ParentLife.

Every mother is a working mother. The majority of mothers, however, not only work at being moms, but they also work either full- or part-time on a job site or from a home office. With everything that is demanded from a mother, how can you find the balance between work and home? How can you find time for yourself?

Calendar. Time-management experts agree that the road to balance is paved with proper planning. Your planning may start with a wall-sized monthly calendar. Hang it in a centrally-located spot and write down every family member's time commitments.

Take a few minutes each week to look at the week ahead with your husband. Agree on who is taking the children to their activities. Let each other know what is going on at work. Are there deadlines, meetings, office parties, or showers? Use the calendar to plan meals and make your grocery list. What nights will you be home to eat? Are the children planning to have friends over? Buy only what you need, resolving to keep your shopping to one trip a week. Once you plan a few weeks' worth of menus, rotate them and shop from a master grocery list.

Family time. Reserve family time on your calendar. Order pizza and help your children with homework while you wait for it to arrive. Use paper plates and cups to minimize cleanup afterward. Then get out board games and enjoy playing with your children.

If you drive your children to school every day, use the time in the car for conversation. Sing songs, play games, and pray out loud for each other on the way to school.

Lighten Up. If you are a working mom, you are holding down two full-time jobs. Do not expect to be a perfect homemaker. Your husband and children would rather have time
with you than have freshly vacuumed floors or dust-free furniture.

Jeannie, a mother of two, works two part-time jobs outside the home. How does she find balance? "I give the children jobs to do around the house. They do not do things the way I would, but it is good enough." Learn to live with "good enough."

First Things First. As hectic as a working mom's day is, it is imperative that you put God first each day. Wake up a few minutes early to take a look at the day ahead. Check your to-do list and spend time committing the day to the Lord.

The Bible says, "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps" (Proverbs 16:9, Holman Christian Standard Bible). It is OK to plan as long as you are willing to yield those plans to God and surrender daily to His plan for your day. What would be priority on Christ's "to-do" list? Love, forgive, encourage, intercede, worship …

Rebecca Ingram Powell is the author of Baby Boot Camp: Basic Training for the First Six Weeks of Motherhood. She and her family make their home in Nashville, Tennessee.

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