A Day in the Life of a Married Working Mom of Two and Social Worker

Every day this month, I will be featuring an interview with a working mom just like you. It’s called A Day in the Life of a Working Mom.

We’ll learn about what she does for work, her family life, and….her tips/tricks for getting everything done.

Today’s featured Working Mom is Rasheeda!

Tell us about your family (married, significant other, children’s ages, etc.).

Well a little about the family, there is Rob who is 34, Iyahna age 15 and Robert aka Booker age 5 and myself age 37. I have been with Rob since 2001, but we got married in January of 2012.

Where do you live? 

We are from Roanoke, VA but now live in Salisbury, NC. We moved here for my job.

What do you do for a living?

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and I work for the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) as a Grant and Per Diem Liaison. Fancy for the government is giving certain facilities money and I have to make sure the veterans are getting the promised services from said facility.

How do you fit a side hustle into the mix (if it’s not your “day job”)?

In the evenings and on weekends, I do contract work and I am a therapist for another company. I am able to select my availability, so this is a very flexible part time gig.

What is your typical day like?

Typical day is VA work from 9 to 3, short hours due to Rob being sick, Neurosarcoid and now the stroke. I take and pick Booker up from school.

Then we go home and depending on the part-time job’s schedule, I might get right to work. But hopefully I am able to come home and relax a little before that gets started.

We eat dinner which has been a tag team effort with Rob and I.  Then I finish up any documentation for the day. We are really laid back (lazy, lol) so the end of the evening is usually all four of us watching a show or hanging out talking.

What’s the best thing about being a working mom? What’s the hardest thing?

The best thing about being a working mom is providing for my family. It gives me another sense of purpose, I am not just wife and mom, but it allows me to have an identity outside of my family role.

The hardest thing is the balance, or finding the right fit. I have been known to work too much. So sometimes realizing that money is not the priority but raising a healthy supported family is the main goal.

Do you experience guilt associated with being a working mom?

I used to feel guilty at first about all the hours that I worked and the time it would take away from the family. Now, I realize that I am the only one able to work right now and I don’t want my children to change their standard of living, so I just do it.

My daughter recognizes that sometimes mommy is not available because she is making money for the family, period.

How do you handle day to day responsibilities (meals, laundry, cleaning, chauffeuring kids, Dr. appointments, school meetings, etc.)?

As far as getting the day to day household things done, my hubby is a big help. He pushes himself to support us in that way.

He is usually the head chef and I am the sous chef.

I will wash clothes on the weekends and save bigger household tasks for then, too.

My teenage daughter is a big help, too. She helps with her younger brother and tasks are delegated to her as well.

What are your top 3 – 5 tips for keeping everything together?

As far as keeping it together…do people really have it together?

Personally I try not to take too many things that seriously. If a load of clothes is not washed, it is not the end of the world. So what if vacuuming needed to be done yesterday.

Again priorities: my family is safe, happy, and fed. If I can check all three of those boxes at the end of the day, I am doing better than most.

I also believe that we have to be able to laugh at ourselves. We all make mistakes and do things wrong. Being able to (most of the time) laugh at it and move on while learning from your mistakes.

There is no working mommy handbook, so I make it up as I go.

Lastly time for self! The most important thing is for me not to lose myself. I am a wife, mother, daughter, employee, counselor, and friend.

However, I am Rasheeda, and this chick needs alone time to recharge. I make a point to do this everyday, even if it is just for 15 minutes in a locked bathroom.

Guilty pleasures?

I love to read, so when I get a good book, umm hmm, I just dive in and block out everything else, hence the locked bathroom door for at least 15 minutes.

Is there anything else you’d like to add that you think would encourage other working moms?

To encourage others, I would say, that your journey is YOUR journey.

It may not look like mine, but that doesn’t mean it is wrong. Continue to push along and do what you feel is right for your family.

I try not to do too much peer comparison – it is overrated. Again, if everybody is safe, fed, and happy (including you), you are doing a great job.

What was helpful that you can apply to your work mom life?

Let me know in the comments below. If you have an extra moment, head over to give that working mom some love!

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If YOU would like to be featured, send an email to raki at outsidetheboxmom dot com. If all of the October spots have been filled, I will feature your interview in a continued series.