Work/life balance... Help!

[QueenofHearts]

As a mum, working 3 days a week and setting up my beauty business I often wonder... Can you do it all? Do any of you geeks have words of inspiration to keep me going? I want to be a success in what I love, but man it's hard work sometimes!

 

[Perfect Pinkies Surrey]

I have a one year old and a 7 week old. Its hard don't get me wrong, but knowing that you can do so much more with them with the money you are earning is rewarding.

;Plus we all need time when we dont sit and watch cbeebies and talk baby language!!

 

[HWilliams]

Well, I moved into the beauty industry while on Maternity Leave.

The thought of going back to a very stressful office job with a newborn did not appeal to me at all.

At first it was fine because husband was home to watch baby while I went out to work. Then, I got my first salon job and my mum looked after my boy as husband became a driving instructor.

I always found with this support I was fine.

Then we left London and I have had such a crap time.

My husband is 'too busy' to alter his working hours, and I had to BEG him to finish work early on a Thursday so I could do my late night.

Now it's got worse, we have had some real bad luck since we got married ironically.

It seems since my nan died in October, everything has gone to pot especially financially.

I have now had to go from being open 4 days to 3 days as our nursery bill got quite high and we weren't able to pay it so they've asked us to leave!

My husband arranged for his mum to have my boy for those 3 days and I'm so worried because my in laws and I don't really get in anymore.

I always wanted to be self-employed and never thought I'd have been a mum. I had my nipper at 31. It just didn't happen til then.

Now sometimes I think, yep I own a business and I have this great career purpose then I feel guilty and think I should be at home with my son.

I need to work, being a lady of leisure is not an option but I feel I miss out with my kid.

Yet it's so nice to get out if the house and meet new people too and get paid for it.

It is hard to balance things. The guys where I work have suggested changing my hours to meet more peak times but the childcare factor makes that impossible.

I've an arrangement to pay the nursery but as they've booted him, I've lost my childcare element of tax credits so deffo not in a position to put him in another nursery.

All the school run ones only have the kids half days and that's no good to me. So have to plod along til he's in full time school next September.

I guess what I'm saying is I'm managing with no help or the wrong help. So it can be done it's being prepared to make those 'sacrifices' that will get us to our ultimate destination.

H x

Sent from my GT-I9100 using SalonGeek

 

[QueenofHearts]

Oh love, you've definitely not had it easy but I admire your fighting spirit! We have to keep going to get where we want and I probably need to be more realistic about making some of those sacrifices (something has to give a bit!) thank you for the advice and keep going xxx

 

[Carron]

Hi,

I'm having similar bother and been thinking about stopping for a while. I have a 3 year old and a 2 year old. I'm so random with the days I work, I never know when I'll next be working which isn't good when people want to make blcok bookings

Where I live theres no childcare/nurseries that i can put the kids in so I'm relying on my partner to look after the kids while I work.

I'm finding it a complete nightmare trying to sort my diary and do the home work side of things. I'm finding i'm spending more hours at home trying to sort my diary out so it fits in with my random days
.
What I've been doing for the past 2 years since I started up is look after the kids all day, then as soon as I get them to bed my partner gets home, I then have to work toll 10 or 11pm then can be up all night with the kids, then have a 12 hour day with them then work again at nights.

My partner gets a lot of time off his work but he's building our house so he wants to be there every minute he's off so I end up working nights so everything fits in. I find its not good especially when I'm going into work after dealing with two hyper kids and i'm not in the mood to hear all my customers news

I've only got till April next year till my youngest one goes to nursery for 2 hours 5 days a week so i've just got to put up with it till then and I can start working more sence.

I really hate been soo random, thankfully i live in a place everyone knows everyones business so a lot of my customers are very understanding but I have noticed I've lost a lot because I cant book people in when they leave because I never know when I can work next

 

[crazybek]

I would love to do 3 days a week.
Im currently putting in 48-50 hours a week as i help with banking/paperwork and run the salon facebook and internet pages (which alot of is done from home in my evenings).
I have 3 children aged nearly 2,nearly 7 and nearly 14!
Its manic at work all day every day which is great to be busy but i really struggle with the balance thing.
Im up and out the door by just before 8 every morning and although salon hours are till 5.30pm with a late night till 8pm,we never leave before 6pm or 8.30pm on the late night.
My hubby is at home with the kids as he was made redundent so i have to work full time.
Its hectic at home for him but luckily hes a very laid back and patient guy and is amazing with our very difficult non sleeping youngest.
Its really hard dragging yourself up at stupid o clock after not alot of sleep knowing its going to be manic all day with no gaps.
I constantly battle with myself about the whole home/work balance thing and my perfect situation would be to work 3 days so i get the time i feel i should have at home,just to see the kids when they get in from school or to go to the playcentre with the youngest during the day and get to know what theyre up to more.
My eldest is about to embark on exam stuff at school so i offer alot of support for him and as much time as i can for number 2 so we spread ourselves very thin with only 2 days to catch up at home and fit anything in we have no social life at all and even worse can never afford to do anything too much as a family or a couple.That makes it feel totally like a slave to the bills!

I think if you asked 100 women if they were truely happy with the work/home balance they had most of them would say not but resign themselves to the fact that they have no other choice.

I will continue to spread myself thinly and cherish the moments i can with my family before they grow up and create their own lives but i will ALWAYS feel guilty about it!x

 

[MrsHBeauty]

Much like crazybec I do 50+ hours a week. I officially work 25 hours in my salon. But I there much much more. Then all the evening work at home newsletters, research, bookwork, Facebook, PAYE etc. Then when I'm not at work or doing paperwork I'm running to the wholesalers, running out for loo roll, milk. Officially Monday is my day off it's the one day I week I get to spend with my 2.5 year old but it rarely is, I'm in most of the day and she comes with me.

I have 3 children 8, 6 and 2.5. I love them so much, I cherish our time together because it's short at present.

My husband works 9-5.30 mon - fri and every other sat am.

My little sister who is currently unemployed looks after my youngest during the week 9-3 but Thursday's and picks my bug 2 up from school until 5.30pm when my hubby's finished work.

I also work 8 hours for my dad doing his bookwork - it's the only wage I bring in :-/ hoping that will change soon tho as my salon is doing better and better.

If I was earning money I would be soo much happier because at present I'm working soooo much and not getting the reward but I know it will come.

The time I spend with the kids is much better than when I was a stay at home mum, we have fun. The only thing which stresses me out is the housework, I just can't fit it all in. My husband is AMAZING and does loads, but it's not quite enough and no where near how I like it. I'd never moan tho because without him I think social services would have something to say about my house lol

It's never easy having kids and working but you cope, figure things out. My children are already learning the value of money, how you get it etc

 

[QueenofHearts]

I'm amazed how we do this!! That's women for you multi-tasking experts! My 3 days a week are in my paid job (audiology) while my other days/evenings is my mobile beauty business. And then being a mum to my 2 year old, who is my world. I never fully appreciated how much work this would be, but I'm so in love with the industry that there is no turning back for me! I'm on a weeks make up artistry course next week and that's it for training this year. Just hoping to improve and improve until I can bravely let go of my regular income and go it alone... Eek! I admire all of you who are out there and living proof it can be one, just not without a damn good amount of hard graft xx

 

[JoJo1980]

Its a juggle, thats all I can say. We become masters of "plate spinning". The odd one may wobble, but you'll set it straight before it falls!
If you were at home, you'd feel guilty for not contributing, and if you were at work, you feel guilty for not being with the kids. We just have to live with that Im afraid as we mums are destined for guilt!
Remember what you do, is ultimately for your family. Happy mummy = happy home. If youre not happy - change it!
xxx Big Respect to us working mummies xxxx

 

[Waxpert]

Its such a juggle isn't it!

I have 3 children of 5, 4 & 2 but I feel lucky to have a succesful part time business that I fit around my children.

Pre children I was a PA & was going to put my first in full time nursery but I couldn't do it so I did part time care work every evening for rubbish money & felt grateful that at least I got to see my kids but me & hubby were like ships passing in the night!

I only work evenings / saturdays doing beauty but it gives me a small amount to keep us ticking over until I can work more. I still dont see a huge amount of hubby but he is fab with getting kids to bed & we always have Fri, Sat & Sun evening together.

Cx