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.
Tell us about your family (married, significant other, children’s ages, etc.).
I met the love of my life at the tender age of 9 in the fifth grade. We didn’t meet up again until we were 18 through mutual friends and started dating at 19. At 20 we were living together and expecting our first child, which is unheard of these days! We married at 22 and were blessed with baby boy number two at 24. We have been together 25 blissful years and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our ‘boys’ are now 23 and 20 but a Mum’s job is never done!
Where do you live?
I’m Sydney (Australia) born and bred. I love this city and while I travel frequently around the globe I would never live any where else.
What do you do for a living?
I’m a Senior Risk & Compliance Manager for one of Australia’s leading banks, predominately working in fraud prevention and detection.
How do you fit blogging into the mix (if it’s not your “day job”)?
Lots of nights existing on four hours sleep or less! (it’s 1am on a work night as I am typing this!) I work full time and have a lengthy commute so I’m out of the house for 12 hours a day during the week. I also frequently need to travel to Melbourne for week which is tricky to juggle. I try to plan ahead and do as much as possible on the weekend and schedule posts through the week. It’s not easy but if you enjoy it you will find a way.
What is your typical day like?
I’m not sure there is such a thing but a mix of commuting, working, blogging, chores and family time are always in the mix.
What’s the best thing about being a working mom? What’s the hardest thing?
Hmmm The Best? Probably being a balanced person. I love that I have an identity outside of just being Todd and Adam’s Mum. The hardest is the juggle and that constant feeling that you are not giving 100% to either of your ‘jobs’.
Do you experience guilt associated with being a working mom?
Absolutely! Doesn’t everyone? There is always guilt, mostly over missed moments but I always made individual time for both of them every night as I tucked them in where they could tell me about their days. It wasn’t as good as being there but seeing their faces light up as they regaled me with their adventures (often embellished to delay bedtime as much as they possibly could!) was a close second. Now that they are older and we live in the mobile age the lines between work time and home time are blurred because they think nothing of ringing me continuously at work to ask me the really important questions like “Where did you put my car keys?’, “What’s for dinner?” or “Where’s Dad?”. I don’t know why the bother because my answers are usually the same: “I haven’t touched them”, “I’ll figure it out when I get home and look in the fridge” and “Why are you ringing me to ask then when you could just ring him?”
How do you handle day to day responsibilities (meals, laundry, cleaning, chauffeuring kids, Dr. appointments, school meetings, etc.)?
My kids are older now but when they were little I was blessed with a Mum and Mum-In-law who were only too happy to help. I can’t even imagine how many loads of laundry my Mum has done for me over the years! My husband is also a shift worker so I’ve been very lucky not to have ever had to pay a cent for childcare as we have always been able to manage our schedules to make sure someone is always available for all the necessary appointments etc. The juggling can be tough when one of them gets unexpectedly sick though. I can remember one particularly tricky patch we went through when they were sick a lot. I had exhausted my carers leave allocation and told the hubs he had to take one for the team and stay with a sick child. He works on the waterfront in a very male dominated environment and when he told them he was not coming in to look after said child they told him that was he wife’s job. His response? “Do you want to tell her that? Cos I sure as hell don’t!”
What are your top 3 – 5 tips for keeping everything together?
1) Be organised and do as much as you can on the weekend to prepare for the busy week ahead.
2) Try to car pool chauffeuring duties with the other Mum’s when local kids are going to the same events.
3) Talk to your boss about what is going on at home and engage them in your families lives. That way of you need time to deal with stuff going on they are going to be more sympathetic to your plight when they feel like they know them.
4) Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
5) Make sure you have some ‘couple’ time as well as just ‘family’ time. It’s important to keep the romance alive!
Guilty pleasures?
An icy cold glass of quality Sauv Blanc.
Is there anything else you’d like to add that you think would encourage other working moms?
Two things: 1) Sometimes done is better than perfect and 2) Don’t beat yourself up too much. You are never going to be perfect but you are enough. You are the best person for the job of being your child’s Mum. Own it!
Where to find Allison online:
Website: Sydney Fashion Hunter
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
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.
[…] Day 5: A Day in the Life of a Working Mom of Two Grown Boys (Allison) […]