4:45 am: Maple wakes up to eat, and I scoop her into bed to nurse her, still mostly asleep. Suddenly she vomits all over us. I get both of us cleaned up and changed and then email my playgroup to let them know we won’t be attending today – just in case she’s sick and contagious. It’s too bad, because Maple is just starting to really be interested in the other babies.
6:15 am: Maple and I drive Ryan to work, then take the car to the shop. We’re a one-car family now, which takes a little planning but is a great way to save money. And when we get the estimate for work on the Volvo today, it’s enough to make me never want to buy a car again.
8 am: Home from the shop with a loaner car! Maple and I have breakfast outside while we play fetch with Amber.
9 am: Maple takes her nap, and I work on some issues with my website.
10:15 am: Maple is awake, so I let her supervise as I fold diaper laundry.
Most weeks (except this one, apparently) I can let her play independently on the floor while I get some more work done. But this week she seems fussy if I try to let her play alone. So, we have a little early lunch instead.
12 pm: I get her into the crib for another nap, and I make another cup of coffee. I’m feeling frustrated with how my week is going, so I give myself a time out with Architecture Digest.
I feel guilty if I take time to relax when Maple is sleeping, because it’s the only true work time I have. It’s easy to feel like you should always be working when your office is in your home.
12:45 pm: Maple is up again, so I feed her and play with her a little and I’m planning to set her up on a playmat downstairs so I can sew, but I’m so sleepy I can’t keep my eyes open . .and I know Maple needs to nap more . . .
I get into bed with Maple beside me and we snooze.
2:30 pm: We drive to pick up Ryan from work and then get the car from the shop. This takes forever because of traffic. By 3 pm rush hour has started in the DC suburbs.
6 pm: Finally home, I throw the linens in the laundry and wear Maple in my wrap as I prep dinner, since she’s so fussy and won’t nap. 
9 pm: After Maple is asleep I end up at my desk downstairs, trying to edit some product photos.
But at 11 pm I notice a pattern . . . many evenings my brain and body are tired, and when I try to work I don’t focus, and end up “wasting” the night, essentially. I go to bed thinking about how I can use this info to better plan my days.
2 Comments
I can so relate to these posts! I’m teaching piano lessons out of our home right now as well as experimenting with sewing more, and it is SO hard to draw the lines between work/family/rest. When you work from home everything just gets hodge-podged together. Some days it’s ok and other days it’s totally frustrating. Thanks for this series though, it’s been really interesting to read how you are managing things and your thought process behind it all. You are such a great mom and entrepreneur, I applaud you for all you’ve accomplished!
Yes, it’s really hard to draw the line. I had a babysitter this summer two days a week and that made it so much easier – my work time was clearly carved out so I didn’t feel guilty NOT working during the other, non-babysitter times. Also the 6-hour chunk of time that created was so nice and long…I was so productive. I think we may need to find a new babysitter. (The summer one went back to college.)It’s hard because I know that in order to stay home and have flexibility to care for Maple, I need to work on the business. But if I let work stress me out too much, it defeats the purpose of being home with Maple. Gotta love it! 🙂 Thank you for your encouragement!!