Toddler Times
Day in the Life of a Freelancing Mom
I have always been a career-driven person and knew I wouldn’t change once I became a mom. However, due to decisions that were not my own, I was laid off from the job I held for twelve years shortly after I returned from my three month maternity leave.
I work as a creative director in advertising and full-time jobs like those don’t come easy. But I was not about to stay home just because someone else decided that’s where I should be. So my husband and I decided to keep our nanny (who we had just recently hired) and I dedicated myself to finding a new full-time job.
I never found one.
Instead, I found freelance gigs.
For the most part, the gigs are two-three week jobs where I work on site. Occasionally, the jobs will require I work from home, but I find that near impossible (leaving the house for an office is one thing but staying in my room with the door shut while my baby plays with someone else is unbearable) so I will work out of a Starbucks instead.
For much of the first year, there were stressful breaks between each job when I wasn’t sure when paid work would come next. But on the plus side, I got to enjoy that extra time with my daughter.
At some point last year, two old supervisors of mine started their own ad agency. In the beginning, the company was run out of one of their apartments and I did small jobs for them here and there. But in the past few months, the company has taken off, rented a small downtown office (which is a lovely change from the huge corporate space we all used to work in) and have me working for them pretty much full-time.
On the surface, I work every day from nine to five. But there are actually major lifestyle changes from my old job.
For starters, I get paid by the hour so when I leave at 5:30 to relieve the nanny, I am off the clock. I can also leave for a pediatrician’s appointment or a preschool conference without feeling guilty because I am not billing for that time. And although, I will occasionally work late or on the weekend, I have the freedom to say no without the fear of being fired.
More importantly, I truly love my job. If I had to sit in a sea of cubicles at my old corporate office, working for people I didn’t like on assignments that felt tailor-made to kill me, I would have had a much harder time swallowing the time spent away from my daughter.
I still have moments of working mom guilt (I wrote about them here). But over the last year and a half, I have discovered that working freelance works better for me than working on staff. My career may be on a slightly different track but my income hasn’t suffered and I have more time to focus on my family.
I have also channeled a lof of my ambition towards that little thing I toyed with when I first found myself out of work— my blog. Something I now can’t imagine living without.
Basically, I learned that I can still be career driven without being part of a traditional corporate track. And I can work at a company while essentially working for myself.
The definition of “work-life balance” is different for every working parent.
I happened to find mine entirely by accident.
Below is a typical day in my life. (Note: The pictures were actually taken over the course of one week. Mazzy’s outfits may change, but I assure you, each of these events happen every single day.)
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18 Comments
Alison@Mama Wants This commented on Jan 13 12 at 8:57 amMy Monkey starts the day pretty much the same way – with a slice of bread in hand, except he’s sitting on the couch :)
And Mike goes to bed at 10????
Also? I end my night the same way – having a peek at the sleeping toddler!
Megan commented on Jan 13 12 at 9:23 amI just noticed ALL of those chocolate goodies are in a Welch’s fruit snacks box .. it’s as if they tricking you so don’t feel bad ;)
My son is the same age as Mazzy and is still in his crib too .. I get hassled all the time by family to get him to a toddler bed so you made me feel sense of ease as if I am not the only one.
Loved the post!
Jen O commented on Jan 13 12 at 9:28 amI see she managed to get that sippy cup in bed with her! Thanks for posting this! And now every night at 7pm I am going to imagine you guys and your dance party, and what a fun idea. I think we are going to try to adopt this tradition. Have a good weekend!
Breenah commented on Jan 13 12 at 9:41 amAfter dinner dance party was my favorite part!
Kristin @ What She Said commented on Jan 13 12 at 9:54 amYou’re very lucky that you’ve found the perfect work-life balance, even if you did it accidentally. I’d love to work in some sort of freelance capacity, especially if it would have me up and out of the office. The drudgery of sitting in front of a computer all day feels brain-draining. Not to mention the temptation is always there to waste time on the Internets while fooling yourself into believing that you really don’t have THAT much to do.
And not to sound stalker-ish, but I’ve kind of always wondered what a day in your life would look like. Great post!
Lisa commented on Jan 13 12 at 11:06 amYou’re family is so sweet it hurts. I love that your hubby & Mazzy share a smoothie every morning – so sweet (you should submit that to a blog called Life to Her Years). And the eskimo/goodbye routine – sweet! It’s great you only live 2 stops from home too! I can’t believe Mazzy’s two b/c my son is 18 months and I can’t imagine that he’ll be doing similar things to her in only 6 months — ie, get own bread, plop in front of tv, after dinner dance party! Glad you found your stride in the working world!
Alyssa @NearNormalcy commented on Jan 13 12 at 12:53 pmI see a sippy cup in that crib. Did you cave after all?
Kim at Let Me Start By Saying commented on Jan 13 12 at 1:24 pmLove these snapshots. I so get this routine, and want to work at that other end of your conference table, please.
Carmen commented on Jan 13 12 at 1:37 pmGreat post! As an advertising person myself, and a mom of four and a half twins, I completely relate/share your sentiment of having the best of both worlds. Congrats on making it work!
julie gardner commented on Jan 13 12 at 2:39 pmI love this. And feel like the laziest person on the planet now.
Especially since my husband goes to bed at 10:00, too.
But he makes me to with him.(Not in a controlling “I’ll duct tape you to the bed if you don’t come” way. More like in a “I’ll text you that I miss you if you stay on the computer for even two more minutes” way.)
So this is how I justify my relative lack of success when compared to you.
But I get a damn lot more sleep. XO
Kristin @kdwald commented on Jan 13 12 at 3:01 pmIs there room for random freelancers to just hang out at that office? I’ll bring coffee.
Excellent perk of being paid by-the-hour to be “off the clock” when you leave. Especially if your employer adheres to it!
Kande commented on Jan 13 12 at 6:17 pmWe don’t eat eggs, just was never a chosen breakfast food and not thought of as dinner option. Then a friend mentioned how her family does eggs one dinner a week and the kids get to choose how they are prepped. Fun right? My eldest was at that time 3.5 and my only. My husband was away, it was my bday, so I thought “make your own omelet night” would be fun celebration (it’s the little things right?). And fun it was – oh, she had a merry old time choosing toppings, mixing eggs, kind of like a version of make your own taco. So proud of her creation, sat down to eat – there was a pause, an almost-tear, a “what’s wrong honey?” and the inevitable answer “but … but … I don’t LIKE eggs!”. What can you do but laugh? And eat double helpings of eggs!! :)
Alissa commented on Jan 13 12 at 9:13 pmLove this peek into your life. Our little guy and Mazzy should discuss their book selection stalling techniques–since they both seem to be masters at it.
ilanawiles commented on Jan 14 12 at 9:47 amAlyssa and Jen O- For the record, she did NOT win! That sippy cup is full of water. She sleeps with water every night. We make her hand over her milk. It is not negotiable.
Julie and Mike- My husband usually falls asleep on the couch unintentionally so I am free to do as I wish as he is none the wiser. If he actually does go to bed, I usually go with him *ahem*, and then get back up later.
Lisa- so much changes after they turn 1! And believe me, we have our not so sweet moments too.
Kim- I can’t tell you how happy I am to walk into that office. You should have seen my old place of work. Looked like an insurance office.
Breenah & Jen O- After dinner dance party is my favorite part of the day!
Mari, smallforbig.com commented on Jan 23 12 at 2:09 pmWow, this is a little eery. I could have written that first paragraph! I’d also been at my design job for 12 years, then got laid off 4 months after my daughter was born. Though it was a blow to the ego, now I”m also doing freelance and blogging (and adjunct college teaching) and though my take-home pay is less, I’m much happier. I’m still trying to find balance, but I’m much closer than I would be at a full-time day job. Serendipity is a lovely thing.
MommaR commented on Jan 26 12 at 1:13 amI too could have written a similar first paragraph – let go 3 months after I came back (after a whole laundry list of things they threw at me to get me to go on my own). I was an office manager for 7yrs there. I, however, have for the most part been home with my lo ever since. LO just turned 3, and I need to go back, but I really don’t want to either. I tried for a long time, but as many times as I sent out my resume, I never so much as once got even an acknowledgment of receipt, not to mention anything else. I guess I am too old-school or something?! I just got depressed by the whole thing and started hiding at home with the lo instead. Don’t get me wrong, I love going out to the park and all the things we do together, but she needs more and so do I at this point. I hope I find something fantastic like you have.
Ella commented on Jan 26 12 at 6:13 amI LOVE IT! It’s so cool when we can find that new place in our lives (which is why I work at the God awful hour of 5am…from my BED!). The fact that your daughter sits by the bed with bread watching TV is priceless. My belief is that they have that TV stuff wrong. My daughter learns a lot from TV especially when I have the time to watch with her. And her and my iPad are so cute together. If she can figure out the swipes and clicks enough to get to her own Backyardigans then I’m so good with that. The world is changing and they learn in infinite ways.
So glad you found positivity.
yasminovaeily commented on Jan 26 12 at 11:01 aminspiring to me. seriously! pretty much the same story about work, although I haven’t found that perfect by the hour freelance situation, I am trying to create it. we have a dance party too + smoothies! enjoy!
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