Getting It All Together (and why I share so much on Facebook)

The last few weeks have been both a blur and a constant whirlwind of paying attention to detail. I've been trying to get my ducks in a row with a routine, my new normal, for my three jobs. I also post on Facebook several times daily and perhaps some of you don't really know why I'm posting some of the things I do. Well, here are my reasons...

JOB 1: I am a full time mama AND a watch another little one full time during the week. This is my favorite job and easily the most important one. I get to wake up each day, snuggle my sweet babe and make breakfast. Mornings are my favorite part of every day. I have these two little boys in my home that snuggle and coo and smile up at me all day.

It's true I don't wear make up and my hair is a mess most days. The boys aren't ALWAYS smiley and perfect and sometimes I discover body fluid on me and I have no idea whose it is or how long it's been there. But, I can rock some spit up "shoulder pads," survive a day on little sleep (and I'm still proudly not a coffee drinker), and my house is more in order than it's been probably ever. I have more motivation now than ever and it's a fantastic feeling. This is reason #1 I post on Facebook. I'm so proud of my son and really, my choice to be home with him.

JOB 2: So when I left my job, one of the reps jumped on the opportunity to hire me as a quarter time admin person for him. The perks are that I get to work from home and it's only about 10 hours a week for now. Thrivent helps their members to live generously and be wise with money and there are SO many great reasons to be a member. Part of the job is to post on social media for him, so that's reason #2 I post on Facebook. I am happy to support a company that has such outstanding benefits for it's members.

JOB 3: My oldest friend has always had a passion for birth, for literally as long as I've known her. She's now a doula and began the Iowa Doula Agency last year. When I was expecting Silas, Randy and I took a few birth education classes and realized that we wanted a doula during our labor and delivery process. I was lucky to have my husband AND my oldest friend in the room to welcome Silas into the world with me. To be frank, doulas are amazing and it was the best thing we did for ourselves during the whole process. Anyway, Andrea asked if I'd be interested in being her Operations Manager, so here I am! It's also mostly from home and involves a lot of social media, so that's reason #3 I post on Facebook. I'm passionate about moms having the best birth experience they can, and I believe doulas are a part of that. 

My intention was to be home with my son, but my fear was to give up life in the working world. God led me to these other two jobs and I'm SO happy it's working out the way it is. I still have a ways to go with getting a routine in place, but the best I can do is take it day by day and do a little better each day. My Facebook posts are intentional and not just to toot my friends' horns. These are GREAT organizations to be involved with and I'm happy to spread the word!

Business to Busyness

OH man. The last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of busyness.
My life is completely different than it was a month ago and finding my stride and routine continues to be a work in progress.

So-- I quit my job. My steady, full time, full benefits office job. I quit rushing around in the morning to get Silas ready for daycare and me presentable for work. I quit commuting. I quit meetings and conference calls and fixing the copy machine.

I traded it for a 24/7, nonstop career of giggles and crying, snuggles and diapers, smiles and snot. The first week was spent completely in sweats and no make-up. I celebrated my new role and mourned the loss of my old one at the same time. After the first week, I decided I needed to maintain some sort of structure. If I'm going to juggle as much as I plan, I need to treat my life more like a business.

So Monday I woke up, put in my contacts and put on jeans. YES, structured pants were a good start. I made a two-item to do list:
- make a tax appointment
- do all the laundry


But, because my house was filled with babies that needed attention, only one load of laundry was done on Monday and I didn't get around to emailing the accountant until Thursday. This is another week, right? I can start fresh again? I can totally do this and a two item to do list should not be difficult to accomplish each day. I've got this.


I have to have some faith in this process. Change is hard and a huge shift in routine is a difficult adjustment for me. But, I'm telling you right now that God is already showing Himself in my life.

My sister is staying with us for a few weeks with her four sweet kiddos. While there are some really crazy moments, I am so thankful she's here. I've relied on her for guidance and advice and there is absolutely no woman on Earth more patient than my little sister. She's leading by example as a mother and a time manager and God's timing is perfect with her being here.

Of course, my main support in all this my husband. This man is always, and I mean ALWAYS ready and willing to help. He works hard at work, in school and as a husband and father. He jumps right in for everything, with our sweet son and with our niece and nephews. Knowing that not all husbands and fathers are as involved, I count my blessings knowing that I can always rely on this man to be my balance, sounding board and peacekeeper.

So as I prepare for the upcoming week, I am eager to start establishing a routine of time management, get my home office in order, and keep working on those pesky day to day chores like laundry. My work life balance is changing for the better and we are redefining "normal" for our family. Life is crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way right now.