Inside the Life of a WAHM (3 Years Later)

I’ve been dying to write this post for a long time. Way back before I was married and had children, I desperately tried to envision what life would be like owning a business, working from home, while raising a family. It’s been on my mind for a long time to be able to share my own story, in the hopes that there’s a 20-something year old girl, similar to me, dreaming about her future life and how it would look.

The truth about working from home

Being a WAHM is one heck of a job. Sometimes I fantasize about being back at my corporate job (my last day was when I left for maternity leave) and sipping coffee quietly at my desk, enjoying lunch out with coworkers and being able to do my work for 8 solid hours.

These days my life is a balancing act. I’m pulled in a million different directions, and I’m also constantly reheating my coffee. ☕

I’ve been at this for 3 years now and so far I think it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

My Typical Day As a WAHM

6am – Wake up early to work for a couple of hours
8am – Shower and get dressed before Ryan is up
9am to 12pm – Get Ryan up, eat breakfast, cleanup the house, go to the library/park/stores
12:30pm – Lunch
1:00pm – Naptime
3:00pm – Get Ryan up from his nap and either play outside or do an indoor activity
5:00pm – Get started on dinner
6:00pm – Dinner
7:00pm – Bathtime and read some books
7:30pm – Bedtime for Ryan
8pm – Head into my office to work once the kitchen is cleaned up and chores are finished
11pm – Finish up work (sometimes earlier) and watch some TV

The Highs of Being a WAHM

The best part of being a work at home mom is having flexibility. I can take Ryan to the beach or to the zoo on a whim and not have to worry about using a personal day. We get to explore new places during the week (when it’s much less crowded compared to weekends) plus go to classes at the local library, swimming lessons and to the park.

Before I had a child I was 30 lbs. heavier than I am now! Sitting at a desk all day at my full time job made me gain weight, while being at home and active all of the time and sitting less kept the weight off. After having a child I’m actually thinner than I was when I got married!

Another obvious perk of being a WAHM is that I get to spend every moment of every day with Ryan. Early on I never got to miss his first laughs, first steps, first words and his first tantrum.????

Our mornings are relaxed and low key, we never have to rush out the door so I can get to work and bring him to daycare. Also, compared to most kids I know that go to daycare, Ryan doesn’t get sick as often, which means we don’t get sick as often.

The Lows of Being a WAHM

Now that I’ve told you about how amazing it is to work from home with kids, I’m going to be real with you and tell you some of the downsides.

It’s a lot of work. The idea of going back to my full time job, working at my desk for a solid 8 hours sounds like a vacation, seriously! Working on a project uninterrupted, being around adults all day, taking a long lunch break either with coworkers or by myself (and squeezing in a solo Target run) is like a retreat when you’re used to juggling your day as a WAHM.

When Ryan sleeps, I work. This means I get little personal time and less time alone with my husband. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make in order to be home with Ryan, but it’s not easy. I’m envious of my friends who get to relax after their kids go to sleep at night while I’m staying up late working hard to meet a deadline for a client. I did choose this lifestyle and I am not complaining.

Keeping the house clean and making three meals a day is a challenge when I spend most of my free time working. I do most of the house cleaning when Ryan is awake and he even likes to help out now. To be honest, we do get takeout or go to a restaurant about 2-3 times a week.

What I want to happen three years from now

Ryan turns 3 this March and in three years he’ll be in Kindergarten! I would imagine my work days will be more fluid since I’ll have bigger chunks of time to get work done during the day. At night I’ll be able to focus more on my family and maybe catch up on any client work.

Conclusion

Working from home is a great lifestyle for families with young children. If you’re willing to make the sacrifices, you’ll never regret being home with your kids full time. If having kids is far off in the future for you, start planning ahead now. It was almost 6 years before I had a child that I became curious about being a work at home mom.