Sometimes Even The Simple Life Feels Complicated

Lately, I’ve been struggling A LOT with the challenge that all working mothers face: Balancing Work, Home and Family.  Working is not a choice for me... I must work in order to support my family, but... I also made the choice a long time ago to do whatever it takes to be at home with my kids, homeschooling them and raising them according to my beliefs and ideals. I have always taken the job of raising my kids very seriously. I believe that having children is such a privilege, and I’ve always tried to give them my very best. But lately, I find that the responsibility of raising a family, homeschooling and taking care of things on the homefront while running a home business (which requires me to put in a minimum of 60 hours a week) has taken its toll. Most of the time, I don’t feel as though I’m doing ANY of those things particularly well. I know that I’m not alone in feeling this way… I have heard other moms with demanding jobs voice similar concerns. It is SO difficult to be Present for our family when we’re feeling stressed out about financial burdens, mounds of paperwork, responsibilities and deadlines.  I’ve been trying to work on this issue of finding balance for quite some time… I no longer work on weekends, unless it’s extremely important (like a tax deadline, or a class I need to finish) I now try to be done with all work-related tasks by 7pm in the evenings. . I’m trying to get some good, solid, consistent routines in place to help me manage my home and life in such a way that things run smoothly.  I’ve been trying to find outlets for my stress (running, when I can… and writing) so that I don’t take that stress out on my family. But, by no means do I have all the answers to this age-old dilemma. I’m figuring it out, as I go, finding some things that work, and making some mistakes, as well. This is very much a Journey Toward Simplicity.