{“Mama + Biz Owner” — Putting kids before work, part I.}

With my newly announced baby bump status I thought it would be fun to interview seasoned mama’s in hopes to glean a bit of their expertise. In my new series, “Mama + Biz Owner”, I’ll be asking five friends to share how they made the transition from mama-hood to work-life, or vice versa. Whether they were a mama first or had their career first, these friends have both now AND they know how to manage them well. I know our drive out to California in just a couple days will be filled with lots of baby/work/family life chatter :)

Today I’m featuring a dear friend, Casey Wiegand, which is so perfect because she + hubby Chris welcomed little Apple into the world Tuesday morning. In the end, it’s true — we all have our own unique schedules and day-to-day “ness” that keeps our worlds turning, but learning from friends + hearing their stories is a fun way to connect. So grab your coffee and ENJOY!

Hi!! My name is Casey Wiegand! I have three kiddos… Aiden (age 3), Ainsleigh (almost 2) and Apple (she was born Tuesday of this week!). I do quite a few things that make me a “work from home” mom! First, I am a freelance artist. I sell original, abstract art in local galleries and art shows, as well as do commission work. In the past few months I also opened an online shop so that I could sell smaller pieces and prints. Second, I own an art studio for kids called “A Little Artsy“. I have designed the curriculum for all of the age groups, ranges baby — adults. Lastly, I blog over at CaseyLeigh and recently took on a part time job writing for Disney Baby!

Being a “working from home” mom requires (for me) a lot of organization and a lot of flexibility. I have calendars, spreadsheets, folders and Google Docs that keep everything incredibly organized — this is huge for me! Being flexible is key though. I have learned that some days what I had planned to get done just won’t happen… and other days I will get an unexpected pocket of time and am able to get ahead. When I had just one child I was able to work during naptime but now with three there really is never a time during the day that I can sit down and work… it requires me getting up early or staying up late to get everything that I need to get done for that day.

My husband and I are both artists and both very entrepreneurial spirited… even before babies we were this way. We are just doing what we love and feel passionate about… and are very fortunate that we are able to make it work for now!

I think adapting for me is just staying laid back and flexible. I know that getting less sleep (waking up early and staying up late to work) is a very small sacrifice to do what I love and feel passionate about. It’s worth it to me. So if I am painting or writing late and have to run on a few hours less sleep, it’s worth it to me. I want to build a career in the things that I feel like God created me to do and up until now I have found a pretty good balance between doing that and putting my kids first.

Actually having kids has made me want to work harder. I want to be able to give them a lot and I know that the harder I work at building my art career, our studio and any other business ventures will give me the ability to do that more and more. I have wanted to be a mom my whole life. I adore kids… my kids are my world. Putting them before my work isn’t hard. And staying inspired to work hard isn’t a problem either, I want to give them everything.

The best advice that I can give is just to stay flexible! Find what works for you personally and do that… there is no “right way” and no formula!

SHARE WITH US: What is your biggest take-away from Casey’s feature? When you need to find extra time, do you skimp on sleep? What is your solution? Are you as organized as Casey is? Share your thoughts below!