When I started my Instagram account, back in March, I had no idea what an amazing, kind and caring community of mothers (and fathers) was out there. I have met so many sweet and inspiring moms over the past couple of months. They live all over the world, either working moms like myself or stay at home moms. Seasoned moms with multiple kids or new time mamas. They are all so different and yet we alsoΒ share a lot ofΒ things in common. For starters, we are all sleep deprived and trying to balance being a mom with everything else in life. But the most important thing we all share is the love we feel for our children. Today on World Mama I would like you to meet Shannon. She is a working mom from Atlanta, Georgia. Shannon is married to Todd and together they have two girls. She is one busy mama and if you want to know what a day in the life of Shannon looks like, keep on reading!
I often get asked, βHow do you do it all?β or something similar, and I also often hear that I appear to have such balance. Well, I must make it look really easy because 1. I donβt do it all and 2. I have zero balance. Some one actually used the word βglamourβ recently and, as sweet as the comment was, I laughed out loud. That said, I thought it might be a good idea to share what a typical workday looks like for me lately. Todd and I take turns with morning kid-duty but hereβs an example of what my day looks like when itβs my turn to drop the girls off.
5:40 am: Alarm starts to sound. I hit snooze.
5:49 am: Snooze again.
5:58 am: Snooze once more.
6:07 am: Check my phone. Respond to messages and comments. Block 20-30 creepy men who followed me over night. Post my daily photo.
6:30 am: Get in the shower (20 minutes later than I should have)
6:45 am: Start getting Β ready for work
7:30 am: Go upstairs to get A ready for school (20 minutes later than I should have) and pray that sheβs in a good mood and is cooperative.
7:32 am: Rush her to move faster even though itβs my fault we have to rush. Defiance, frustration, and tears ensue.
7:50 am: Go downstairs, pop 2 waffles in the toaster for A and give her a yogurt squeeze pouch because thereβs no way sheβs getting to school before 8:00 when breakfast ends.
7:51 am: Load my stuff in the car. Chances are I didnβt pack lunch the night before and I donβt have time to make one so I go to work sans lunch.
7:52 am: Wake up E, change her diaper, and put her glasses on.
7:55 am: Load kids in the car.
8:05 am: Drop A off at school (5 min past the end of breakfast), waffles and yogurtΒ pouch in hand.
8:15 am: Drop E off at my momβs house.
8:20 am: Head to work (20 minutes later than I should have). Check and answer emails and comments at stop lights (shhh⦠I know).
9:20 am: Get to work (20 minutes later than I should have β if Iβm lucky and thereβs no accident on the way there, of course)
9:30 am: Put the yogurt that was supposed to be my breakfast in the office fridge and go straight into meetings.
12:00 pm: Think about how hungry I am but get so engrossed in emails, messages, comments, and work that I lose track of time.
12:50 pm: βOh crap, I have a 1:00 meeting. I should eat somethingβ
12:55 pm: Eat my breakfast for lunch.
1:00 pm: Meetings start again.
2:00 pm: Starving. Must find food. Eat junk.
5:00 pm: Meetings end. Actual work begins.
6:30-7:00 pm: Leave my office.
8:00pm: Get home.
8:15 pm: Start putting E to bed while Todd puts A to bed. Before I got home,Β he picked them up, cooked and fed them dinner, and gave them baths. He does it all. Heβs amazing.
9:15 pm: Leave Eβs room after rocking her and singing songs.
9:15 pm: Pick up toys. Clean up any messes laying around.
9:20 pm: Eat dinner.
10:00 pm: Blog. Prep my social mediaΒ posts for the next day. Answer emails, messages, and comments.
12:00-1:00 am: Go to bed after falling asleep at my laptop.
#LatherRinseRepeat
If youβre reading this and thinking that Iβm doing life wrong, youβre probably right. Actually youΒ are right. It used to not be this way but little by little, I have ended up working later and later every night. My commute doesnβt help, either.
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Despite my fear of being judged as a terrible mom (because I feel like one a lot), I thought it was important to write this because social media has a way of making things look easy, perfect, and effortless. But knowing this fact, I would be neglecting my purpose as a blogger if I didnβt show you the reality of my life, despite the appearance thereof. Itβs hard and exhausting and I miss my family during the week. MotherhoodΒ in and of itself is hard and exhausting, regardless of whether you work away from home, at home, or are a SAHM, am I right?! Itβs crazy and chaotic but itβs a blessing for which Iβm grateful.
So no, I donβt do it all; I barely do any of βitβ and I donβt balance well at all. But, Iβm working on it and hope to see some improvement soon. I know youβre probably thinking I should just ditch the blog but I canβt. I wonβt. This is the thing I do for me.
So, thereβs my day in the life. Share yours with me!
Shannon writes about her life as a working mom on her blogΒ momwithoutlabels.com. She is one of myΒ favorite bloggers, because she is honest and smart and caring. So be sure to check her out!
Thank you, Kari!! I’m honored to be featured and your kindness and support mean so much to me! It’s touching, really! We mamas have to stick together!! xo