Work at home mum: The modern day mum juggle

As a professional blogger and work at home mum, I’ve had this sneaking suspicion that the notion of being a mum working from home is not the big ideal that everyone has been led to believe. Before I go on, I have to say that I am massively grateful for the flexibility it has provided me with – the fact that I can both work and do the school drop off and pick up and be there for my daughter when she needs me, but it’s not all rosy in the garden of the work at home mum.

The modern day work at home mum goes straight from getting the kids ready for school, to making them breakfast, to harassing them out of the door onto the school run, to sweating bullets getting them to school on time, to racing back to the desk to nail her deadlines and targets.

She bashes out her work, taking a 5 minute lunch break when she usually fixes herself a mediocre lunch and puts the latest heap of laundry in the washing pile on. She races on through her work in her makeshift work space until school pick up when she has all of five minutes to switch out of work mode into mum mode, trying as hard as she can to be present and not let the unfinished work tempting her from her laptop or the house stuff that needs to be done encroach on those precious afternoon hours, before fixing dinner.

The modern day mum doesn’t get to switch off after bed time – but spends her evening fixing the house, mopping up the rest of her emails lest she drown in them the following morning, before slumping in front of Netflix. The repeat adinfinitum.

Although fulfilled, she is operating on a bajillion miles an hour as she tries to cram two crazy days and existences into one.

We hear it all the day, “you’re so lucky to be able to work from home!”“. And in many ways, I do feel that I am lucky, but there is a massive flip side to that too. Because being a working mum is hard, but being a work at home mum is also very hard too. We are not just sitting around sipping coffee in our PJs whilst lying on the bed tapping at our keyboards. If only!

Being a work at home mum, there’s no going to work and shutting off the mum life because you’re still in the family home. And you’re not a stay at home mum who can focus solely on her kids and the house because you have a pile of work to do that would make Mount Everest look like a dwarf. You are stuck somewhere in between the two, telling yourself that you’d rather this than either of the other two, and it’s true….you would.

But that doesn’t take away from the fact that workin at home and being a mum is still damn hard work. So here’s to every working mum, and every work at home mum. You are a mum, you are a woman, you are a savvy time manager, you’re a multi-tasking pro, you are self-motivated,  and you work when you open your eyes to when you close your eyes.

Are you a mum working at home? Can you relate to the above? Do share in a comment below. And for more on the modern day mum struggle see this post on the 15 hardest things about being a mum.

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25 comments

  1. This is so relateable for me! I’m a work at home mum, and for me it’s that lack of distinction between home and work that can be the biggest struggle. I’m definitely guilty of grabbing a quick 5 minute lunch and not taking a proper break, as well as trying to fit in household chores like putting the washing on and getting it hung up, in between work. The flexibility is great, but it does grate when people seem to have an image of you just sitting around checking facebook all day!

  2. I love working from home, it gives me the flexibility that I need and means that I am around to do thise extra things like a load of washing in between. It can get crazy sometimes and may be hard to switch off but if I was working in an office I would have to do everything else in the evening meaning less time to chill. So far I am loving it

  3. I love being able to say that I work from home… however, I don’t even think my husband gets how hard it is. I can do up to 5 school runs a day, and have 3 children home most of the time. Then when I get 5 I’m answering emails, writing and planning. It’s exhausting and I can’t separate the two.

  4. I love working from home but I can never switch off. There is always something to catch up on being a blogger. If it is not emails it is social media and so on. I sometimes wish I had a job where I could go to work and then leave work there but then I remember how much I love being home when my kids need me for hospital runs or being off sick poorly then I here for them 🙂

  5. Definitely going to watch the video. My work life balance is a bit rubbish! I’m hoping things will improve once my daughter is fully settled at playgroup.

  6. So very true! Working from home just presents a whole new set of challenges. I miss having people to turn to and rant about stuff or have a chat about what was on telly last night. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be, though there are definitely perks #coolmumclub

  7. Oh my! This is literally my life! 🙂 But I’m not sure I would change it. Sometimes I think I never have down time. It’s all work in some form either as a parent or a freelancer. But then I don’t miss Christmas concerts, playdates, picnics in the summer. The list goes on. If one of them is sick I can be there. It does have it’s benefits. But it is in no way easy! #coolmumclub

  8. I definitely relate to this, I work from home once a week with my office job but end up spending any spare minutes I have catching up on the house work too! the dream would be to have an office in the home I can shut the door on but I know that would never happen x

  9. I couldn’t agree more – it’s hard establishing a balance isn’t it! I think many people think it’s all very easy working at home but it can be such a challenge trying to get work done and occupying little ones as well xx #coolmumclub

  10. I so relate! Before working from home I thought it would be easy. Now, I seem to have so little time. When I had a job job, I had so much free time. Me and Michael used to go out all of the time. Now, I work from home, i should have more time, but Robyn spends most of her time watching Mr tumble because I never have time to do anything! #coolmumclub

  11. Parenting always feels like a jingling act. We need awards for trying to keep everything in place X #coolmumclub

  12. I totally agree with all of this. I find working at home harder than I ever did going out to work. I feel that I’m left with the childcare, the house work, the cooking, shopping, ferrying the kids about, all whilst trying to do a full time job which ends up being a night shift!! Aghhh! #coolmumclub

  13. I feel a bit jealous tbh….I can understand all of what you say as being at home it must be tempting to get chores done rather than do any work however at least you don’t have to battle traffic to get to work. Also you work for yourself so there is no boss breathing down your neck. I understand you still have deadlines and it must get lonely some times -do you miss having work colleagues or perhaps that is a bonus? I don’t know. I think working juggling a family and a house is tricky wherever you work I expect. Great post though so thank you for sharing. #coolmumclub

    • Yeah I probably need to hear that because I do know that going to work and having the commute is terrible. I’m not even sure I miss work colleagues but I do go a bit stir crazy if I don’t have any human interaction in a day but weirdly that almost makes me look forward to the school run more! x

  14. Feeling this in double bubble lately – managing the kids, the temp job, the december mania, the blog commitments… but wouldn’t change a thing. Working a short stint has reminded me why it pays to work from home (missing both nativity plays, sob!).
    Thanks for flying the #coolmumclub flag for us WAHMs…
    x

  15. I totally get what you mean about the merger or blending of your mum-life and your professional life. I have full-time 9-5 job in government. Although I would absolutely love to have the flexibility that working from home affords, I know that once I have left my office I am in mum mode and can focus on parenting. When I am at work I am in professional mode and act quite differently. It is quite easy for me to draw a line under work and to focus on …hmmm…the washing…

    Pen x #coolmumclub

  16. Being a work at home mum is brilliant and tough all at the same time! I love the fact that I can be at home and be with my children, but I often feel like I have so much to do and with a 2 year old hanging from your legs it isn’t getting done. I always have to do a huge catch up after bed time when actually I just want to hang out with my husband, who actually works 70 hour weeks running our art business so I can be at home with the boys. It’s such a juggling act it and it’s lovely to hear it being recognised. Thanks for a great read 🙂 #coolmumclub

  17. Yes! I’m a work at home mum and it really is so difficult trying to keep the two parts of my life compartmentalised – I have to flick so rapidly from one to the other and back again that it can be hard to know whether I am coming or going. It is great to be able to be here for my kids, but it is also very draining both physically and mentally #coolmumclub

  18. I work at home and at the office, and you’re right, it is hard, although I’m not complaining. The main thing I like about the days I work from home is not having the commute. It’s only 45 mins, but each way that makes it 1.5hours out of my day that I could have been doing something productive. I think one of the hardest parts about being a working mum full stop is having to drop everything to go and pick your child up, no matter how in the zone you are. #coolmumclub

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