By Diana Guest Blogger from Hormonal Imbalances
These past few months, I finally started something that I have been working towards for about 2 years. I went from being a stay at home mom to a work at home mom.
Both of which I love.
I’ve been blogging on a consistent schedule for nearly two years. It started as a way to vent, and changed into a part of me I don’t know what I would do without. And in this time, I’ve started to (slowly) be paid for my writing.
Although it sounds like every bloggers dream and desire, it suddenly changed my entire day with my daughter. It threw me for a loop to have all the responsibilities of home, motherhood, and life in general stays the same; with the added mandatory deadlines. For the first few weeks, I struggled to find a balance. The two hours she would nap were spent cramming in writing emails, posts, and working on other projects. I felt overwhelmed and unprepared for how to handle the “when it rains it pours” method that blogging seems to have.
Some days I have nothing to do but answer an email and write a post. Others I have so much that (like as I’m writing this) I’m staying up till late trying to get it all done.
In the midst of it all, there is my daughter who wants me to play with her. At two, she does fairly well with playing alone in short stints, but of course needs my attention and help the majority of the time. Then there are playdates and classes we do – leaving me less time to write what I need to.
Making A Plan Of Action
I’m not complaining, in no way do I think I have it anywhere near as rough as a mom who works outside the home. Part time or full time. I tip my hat to those ladies each and every day. But to go from blogging purely for pleasure – my time, my choice – to writing for money is an adjustment.
I’ve found over these months that it simply takes a while to find a new routine. Like in all changes, nothing works perfectly at first, but eventually things smooth out. I still spend the majority of her nap working, but she also knows that in the morning I take a half hour to write. This is her time. It’s taught her to be a little more creative and self sufficient as well. I have my iPhone that lets me quickly respond to emails on the go or while working around the house.
I’m thankful for whatever I pull in to make ends meet for our family. That what I love to do is, in part, paid. I missed bringing home a paycheck when I stayed home. However small, it’s mine and it helps.
It’s not easy, but it is worth it.
Diana is an opinionated, sarcastic, blogger who recently found herself transitioning into the WAHM realm with all of the writing she has been doing beyond her personal blog, Hormonal Imbalances. She loves to write, is crazy about cloth diapers, and struggles with anxiety. She married her high school sweetheart, and after nearly 9 years of marriage, she and her husband Sam, have faced PTSD, a war, alcoholism, and moving all over the country. Diana’s daughter Bella was born in 11/09, and she and her husband recently decided to try for a second child. You can find Diana tweeting as @lifeasaSAHM (wonder if she needs to change that twitter handle 
).
