Jackie from With Just A Bit Of Magic is my twitter pal. She is simply amazing – a working mom to 4, wife, blogger, etc.! I am constantly asking how she does it all because I’m overwhelmed just thinking about her life and schedule. Her blog name fits perfectly because according to Jackie, it takes a bit of magic to get it all done. I wish she’d share her magic wand because I am a SAHM to one and cannot get it all done!
Be sure to check out Jackie’s blog, become a facebook fan and follow her on twitter.
Full-time Job, Full-time Mom to 4, Sanity In Check!” by Jackie Cross
First of all, I have to say that I’m honored to have been asked to be a guest blogger! I was so excited when Jessica asked me! It was totally unexpected and I jumped at the chance to do it!
My first thought was, “what am I going to write about?” But after talking to Jessica for a bit, we came up with something. I hope that you enjoy it.
I’m a mom if you didn’t know and as a matter of fact, I’m a mom of 4 busy children ranging in age from 14 to 9 months old! Three girls and one boy.
I’m a working mom. I work full-time outside of the home and am gone the majority of the day and during that time my kids are either in school or at the babysitters house (that part really sucks).
After work I gather them all up from their various locations and then start my busy evening. There’s piano lessons, sports, homework, dinner, shopping, and just about anything that you can think of in between.
It’s like the running never ends.
Want to hear the best part…. My sanity thus far has remained in tact! Are you surprised… especially with a teenager? There are people who say, “I don’t know how you do it!” My answer to them, “I don’t know either!”
My kids are my world though and I would do just about anything for them. Now, don’t get me wrong there are many times that I flat out tell them no on things. There are times that I snap at them and always later wish that I had handled the situation differently. There are times when I’m busy and don’t have as much free time as I’d like to spend with them.
I’m far from being the perfect mom! I swear that I will never win parent of the year award! That’s okay with me. Besides what would my kids have to complain about if I were perfect!
As parents of 1 or 4 or even more we all try to do the best we can with our kids. That’s all we can do really.
I would love to be able to stay home with my kids, volunteer at their schools, take my little guy to the park or on play dates. I can think of a million things that I could do if I was able to stay home with them. But honestly…. We’ve all grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle and without me working we wouldn’t be able to maintain that after paying all the bills!
My family always comes first and my employers know this. They understand, as they’re a very family oriented company. I’ve been able to work from home, go to the kids’ school parties, leave early if I have to, and I’ve even been able to bring one or two of my kids to work with me. I consider myself pretty lucky to have the job that I do.
Being a busy mom requires compromise, hard work, and often times setting things aside. My house isn’t always clean, the laundry isn’t always put away (or all done at once), and sometimes dinner is something fast and easy. But instead, I spend time with my kids and husband.
How do you do manage getting everything done?