This weekend we had a picnic at our favorite beach spot. That chicken caesar salad that Conor made was Ah-mazing and the company was my favorite! And these pudgy little toes dancing on my face never get old!
I hope everyone out there is having a wonderful Friday night. It is 8:30 PM here and I am just wrapping up for the evening. This week was a doozey! Here I come weekend! Here I come! At least I get to work on fun stuff - I mean take a look at that there mood board! It has been a fun project indeed! I will share more details when it goes live. For now, I am off to kiss my boyfriend (and by boyfriend I mean that guy I am married to) and snuggle my baby (who now smells like lavender and sweet dreams thanks to that very boyfriend I just mentioned). But just before you go envying my life (I mean it really is great and everything) you must know that there was a brief moment today where I found myself sobbing on the floor like a real baby because I may (or may not) be moving to Oklahoma. We are for sure moving away from our island home but exactly where is still undetermined. We think we have it nailed down and then something changes or some shiny new job presents itself. Big changes can seem like massive scary dark holes to me sometimes. And moving away from my home makes me want to run screaming into the ocean with all of my clothes on and yell at everyone on the shore that I am never never never getting out again! and then maybe mooning them for good measure! :)
I feel like I have written quite a few posts lately about working and being a mom and how the two don't nesssecarily fit together quite as nicely as I thought they would before I became a mother. I also mentioned that I was going to write a 2 cent Tuesday about the topic and "How I do it." But the truth is I don't really have a perfect way, or easy solution. So, I just want to preface this post by first saying that I strongly believe that "mother knows best." I think every mother truly knows what is best for her child and herself. So with that being said this post is less of a "this is what you should do" and more of a "this is what I do, not sure if it is working out that great yet but, I am surviving and things are going pretty well, so maybe it might be interesting for another mom to read" post. So here it goes:
This is how I work from home (I currently write this blog, guest blog and curate roundups for other blogs, work as the art director at Verily Magazine, run an online shop, about to start a letterpress paper line and take on freelance projects when I can) and take care of my 5 (almost 6) month old son:
We wake up between 5:30 and 6:30 everyday (depending on how long Henry will let us sleep in). Conor tries to take Henry on a walk or play with him quietly in the living room while I catch another half an hour of sleep if he can. I get up, put a swimsuit and a big t-shirt on, we make breakfast, listen to some music, let Henry play on the floor and I try to get a few things squared away (pay a few bills, catch up on a couple of emails, maybe do a quick blog post). Around 9:00 Conor leaves and I put Henry down for his morning nap. This is a long, tedious process which includes nursing, letting him cry in his crib for 10 min, nursing some more, rocking, bouncing, leaving him to cry some more and over and over until he eventually gives in to his sleep demons and closes his eyes. While he is asleep I work on something - a blog post, an invoice, a portion of a project - whatever I think I can get done in an hour.
I have discovered that there is no hope of getting any work done while Henry is awake and in my care. The minute I gave up any notion of that happening the two of us became a lot happier together. He simply needs all of my attention and can't be placed in a bouncer while I get a few things done. So when Henry wakes up I change him out of his pajamas and head out for an adventure. We go on a walk to the post office to mail packages for Chief and Crown, to visit a friend, to the beach with other moms or play at the playground behind our house.
When we get home I try to eat some lunch and get him fed and then we settle in for another nap. Tuesdays and Thursdays Conor comes home early so I work for the rest of the afternoon, taking breaks to feed Henry or to take a walk around the block to get some fresh air. Monday, Wednesday, Friday I either take an afternoon nap with him (or if I have a big deadline I try to get some more work done). On those days Conor gets home by late afternoon and I start working then. Around 5:30 we give Henry a bath, feed him a few bites of baby food (he is really in to that right now) give him a warm bath, put him in some cozy pajamas, read him a story and I nurse until he either falls asleep or is not interested anymore and then he goes in his crib around 6:30. Then, Conor and I make dinner, talk, clean up and I finish up some stuff that I am working on. I try to stop working around 8:00 but sometimes that just isn't possible and I end up working until 10:30 or 11:00. When I do finish around 8:00 we watch a couple of shows together, talk or have our good friends over for some cookies and a game or two (They live right around the corner from us so it is easy to have them over for a brief time before bed like that).
I try to take weekends off - especially Sunday. We try to make Sunday as much of a family day as we can. We don't work, shop, watch TV, do chores or go to the beach. I grew up that way and it always made Sunday a fun special day to spend quality time with my parents.
The three things that I eventually learned after trial and error that have helped me out tremendously are-
1. It is important for me to have set work hours. Even if they are crazy ones, having separate distinct times for family and for work help me balance the two better than when I didn't have that.
2. I don't try to work when taking care of Henry. Working while taking care of Henry means that I don't do either very well. Both suffer. Giving up on that made both fall in to place a lot easier.
3. Let trusted friends and family help when they can. It has been (and still is) really hard for me to leave Henry with people. I don't do it often. I even felt guilty when I first startied having Conor watch him in the afternoons. Yes, I am his mommy and he does need me but I think it is good for him to have some time away from me, get used to other people and (in our case) spend some quality time with his dad. It is also good for Conor to get the opportunity to have that father/son time and feel confident in his abilities to take care of his son alone.
Well, because this post was already too long three paragraphs ago I am going to stop here. I did find some interesting reading over on A Cup Of Jo by some blogging/working-from-home-moms on how they handle their lives and balance family and work. If you are interested in reading it click here. And to all of those moms out there trying to balance it all - you are good! You are the perfect person for your little ones and you know what is best for you and your family. Sometimes it is just a struggle finding that right routine or taking that big step to get help when you need it. Don't give up on your dreams because you have kids. Being a mom does mean giving up a lot of things but it doesn't mean giving up those things that make you feel fulfilled. Doing that is not going to do any one any good. I personally feel like if I am truly committed to my kids they will be inspired by my goals and determination instead of hindered by them.
Wayfare / Rue / Fete Press
I have a little secret. I have been working on a new online magazine project for the past couple of months and we are about to debut the first issue in a few weeks! I am really excited to get it out there! I have been so inspired by a lot of beautifully designed online magazines out there and thought I would share a few of my favorites with the readers of Dotcoms for Moms. If you are interested in seeing my other favs click here.
Also, I was excited to see some business cards I designed for Chelsey of Type A Press featured on For Print Only by the creative geniuses behind UnderConsideration. Wahoo! Thanks guys!
Hello everyone. My name is Conor and I'll be taking over today.
First, I must wish all you mothers out there the very best Mother's Day!!! Without you, we are nothing. Thank you for your love, support, help, kindness, meals, allowance, and rides to soccer, baseball, hockey, gymnastics, ballet, school and to our friends house. Thank you for being patient. We know now that it isn't always easy.
To my mother: I can't thank you enough, or express how thankful I am for you. I love you and you have been the greatest example to me. I'm still trying to figure out how you do it all.
To Jane: Happy Mother's Day Tootsie Pop! You are perfect in so many ways. I knew from the start I was going to love you forever. Remember the time I surprised you at your front door after treking across Portland and Washington in the middle of winter, and then waiting for two hours outside in the bitter cold until you got home? I would do that everyday if it meant seeing you smile the way you did. I'm so glad that Henry has a smile like you. Every time he smiles or giggles I think of you...which is a lot because he laughs all day!
Your sense of humor is unmatched. Thank you for making me laugh everyday. I would have never thought how important it was to be so supportive of others if it weren't for you. Thank you for listening to me, understanding and supporting me in the decisions I make and dreams I have. You truly are the best and I am thankful for everything we have. You grow more beautiful each day and everytime I look at you and Henry my heart melts a little more.
You have grown so much since he came to stay with us and I love the way you love him. Janey, I can't wait for all of the wonderful years to come. You are an amazing mother, the best wife, and mostly...you are my best friend. Happy Mother's Day! I Love You!
I hate diets. I have never really been on one. I think they are boring. But, I did just have a baby and I am attempting to lose that last 10 pounds that I just can't seem to shed with my normal "one milk shake a night" diet. So, I am dieting (aka just eating healthy). Here are some recipes I am going to try out this week.
I recently teamed up with photographer Natalie Norton for a little brand re-fresh. It was a fun little project to work on and it is always inspiring to work with beautiful photography. Here is a little sneak-peek at the board we put together. Can't wait to see the real deal put together live on her blog!
P.S. Working from home with a babe is way harder than I thought it would be. Please don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining or anything! I love what I do and I LOVE Henry. I just think I was a little naive about how tricky/difficult/challenging being a mom could be. I was recently asked by another mom (who from an outside perspective thought I had it all figured out), "How do you have time for it all"!? So, I guess I just wanted to admit that I don't really have it all put together just yet but, I am learning! I plan on writing a Two Cent Tuesday about working from home and being a mom but the truth is I am no expert. I'm waiting till I can scour the internet for some other good sources of information to go with my humble opinion/experience. Moms of the internet - If you have any advice for readers please share! Until then I will just say this - I have had to say the big two letter word we all hate to say - NO - to more people than I thought I would have to. But, hey, if that is what is best for Henry and myself that is what I gotta do! Right?! Right.
How great are these lookbook shots from Need Supply Co.? All based on Wes Anderson films and his artistic eye. I love them. And while we are talking about Wes Anderson - I seriously can't wait for his new movie to come out May 16th. Moonrise Kingdom is probably going to be 2nd movie I see in the theater in the last 5 months. (These days going to the theater rarely happens - but that it does happen at all is awesome with me!) Also I loved this cookbook so much that I couldn't help but put together a little outfit inspiration board for Dotcoms for Moms. To see it click here.
So, I recently said I was going to do some blog posts about what to do in Hawaii when you travel here. And because Hawaii can be pretty expensive I thought I would start out by doing a little post for the budget traveler. This would be a fun filled day that wouldn't cost you an arm a leg. Camp on the North Shore of Oahu in a yurt at Melekahana Beach park. Fall asleep listening to the waves crash against the shore. Wake up early and rent some long boards and surf right outside your yurt. Grab some lunch at one of the many delicious shrimp trucks along Kamehameha Highway on your way to Waimea Bay. Get your Maui Babe sun lotion on, lay out, play in the surf, jump off the big rock and swim across the bay. Head up the highway further to Haliewa and grab a shave ice and some dinner. On your way back to your little cozy beach yurt stop at Sunset Beach to watch the sun go down. As you drift off to sleep (tired and a little sun burnt) read a good book and dream of the next day to come! Sounds amazing right? Can't wait to share another awesome day in Hawaii with you! Until next time...
Erin Jane
