{On mixing mamahood + handmade life.}

One of my very wise and dear friends, Liv Lane, is guest blogging today on a topic that I know many of us hold very close to our hearts: how to mix mamahood + handmade life. Now that our little one is here I am working on juggling my new role as a mama :) I can’t wait for you to read the advice Liv is sharing with us today. “See” you in the comments! PS. You must must must read this particular post… xoxo

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How do you find time during the day to focus on your business? Do you have a nanny? Use daycare? Are the kids in school? Do you carve out certain times of day that are for work, whether your kids are with you or not? How do you explain to them that you need to work on a task and need them to leave you alone? How do you keep them busy?

This much I know: running a home-based business with little ones underfoot is not for the faint of heart. It’s a constant balancing act. Just when I think I’ve got it down, something changes — my schedule, the kids’ needs, the childcare situation. At first, that unhinged me. After leaving my corporate career in 2007 to start my own biz and be more present for my family, I learned the hard way that I couldn’t do it all. I needed to keep bringing in an income, but I struggled to be focused and productive in my work – and that,
in turn, made me a cranky mommy. Everything suffered.

Today, things are so much better. It helps immensely that my boys are now in school; my fourth grader is gone from 8:30 – 3:30 and my four year old attends preschool four afternoons a week. When our little guy was just a couple of months old, we hired our first part-time nanny; the freedom that gave me to focus on my work was amazing. Now, we have a flex nanny — someone who cares for several families and can frequently juggle her schedule to fit our needs. She is usually here three to four mornings a week until our 
four year old goes to preschool. It’s the perfect schedule for us right now; unless I’m traveling, I’m able to get the kids ready for the day and be there when they get home from school.

It also is important for me to have my own creative workspace. We turned our dining room, which was wasted space most of the time, into my studio (we call it the dudio… dining room turned studio!). It’s unconventional and we certainly can’t host Thanksgiving dinner, but I love having sacred space for my work while knowing the kids are nearby, often playing in adjoining rooms. Most days, I still have work to do even after they get home from school — so I’ll take time to play, chat, make snacks, and help with homework — and then set them up with toys, video games or a movie to keep them busy while I sit back down at the computer for a bit. The key for me is doing whatever is best for our family and not trying to live up to anyone else’s standards. I love our set-up right now — and feel blessed to be able to make it work for all of us.

SHARE WITH US BELOW: What scares you about mixing mamahood with handmade life? What tips have you adapted personally that made the transition easier? Or, what have you since learned that’s made juggling both of these roles a bit easier? Let’s educate + encourage each other in the comments below…

Liv Lane calls herself a Human Sparkler, using her gifts to illuminate and celebrate yours. She leverages her background as a journalist, publicist and creative entrepreneur to helps artists, authors and advisors embrace their brilliance and master the art of feel-good self-promotion. Her coaching, ecourses and uplifting art can be found at LivLane.com.