As a mother there is always a balance to maintain… a precarious line we must toe in order to meet our family’s needs while also maintaining our own sanity. Being a working mom creates additional challenges and obstacles. And working from home… well you might as well sign up for ballroom lessons because the steps and twirls required to make it all work out are complex indeed.

I won’t pretend to be your instructor in this life lesson, but today I’ll give you a peek into my life, and how I attempt to GET IT ALL DONE. To do this I am borrowing an idea from a fellow creative, Jennifer Garbers. Last week on her blog she shared her work day with us in the form of a photo essay. She took one photo an hour, all day. To see what her writing work day looks like, click here.

I took my photos last Friday. My kiddos were home all day with us, so I think it truly exemplifies the working-mother-balance-dance. I will also note, that because my husband and I are both teachers and home in the summer, he makes this dance possible. He is the best dance partner a working-writing-mother could as for.

7 o'clock hour: Catch with online work (emails, social media, Story Seedlings posts, etc.) for an hour while the house is still quiet.

8 o'clock hour: Drive to a meeting

9 o'clock hour: Meet with the Weber Center Interim Director about hosting an event. (Top Secret for now!!)

10 o'clock hour: Errands, including cashing checks (woohoo!) at the bank and Target.

11 o'clock hour: Library with the kiddos

12 o'clock hour: Lunch!

1-2 o'clock hours: Quiet time for the kids, work time for me!

3 o'clock hour: Arts and crafts. Creating aliens for the Summer Library Program

4 o'clock hour: A wagon ride to the park

5 o'clock hour: Dinner... which for me was cereal and watching my Dan Blank Mastermind Video

6 o'clock hour: Take the sheets off the line and make beds

7 o'clock hour: Ice Cream!

8 o'clock hour: Outline a blog post while the kiddos watch a movie

9 o'clock hour: Bed Time. (THANK GOODNESS!)

10-11 o'clock hours: Working on finishing up a portion of my YA Fantasy. (Sooooooo close to done... both the manuscript and my day!)

12 o'clock hour: Not pictured... collapsing into BED!!

This is what most of my days in the summer look like. It is a busy dance floor we have created for ourselves, but together, we manage the chaos the best we can. And at the end of most days, we smile and say... that wasn't a masterpiece of a day, but we did pretty good.

What about you? How do you manage to get your work done? Do you have any tips to share with us as you attempt to DO IT ALL? I'm sending you all productive vibes, and a huge dose of encouragement to help you do what you love, while you care for the humans you love.