Here’s a glimpse into how our Mrs. Wagon juggles her work/life balance!

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Describe a typical day in your life.

I wake up at 6:30am and get ready for work while Wagon Sr. gets Wagon Jr. ready and fed breakfast. We drop Wagon Jr. off at daycare at around 7:15am, then Wagon Sr. and I drive into the city. We both work 8:15-4:15, and we get to Wagon Jr.’s daycare around 5pm for pickup. We rush home and I prep dinner and wash dishes from breakfast. We eat dinner together, then I clean up and pack Wagon Jr.’s lunch for the next day while the boys play. Around 6:45pm we start the bedtime routine of brushing teeth, bath, prayer, and songs. Wagon Jr. is usually in bed by 7:15pm. Then Wagon Sr. and I finish whatever chores we have for that day and relax until about 10:30pm when we go to bed.

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Has your work schedule changed since you had a baby?

Yes! I was unemployed before Wagon Jr. was born, I was a SAHM after he was born and eventually built up 3 part time jobs. When he was 18 months I quit all my part time jobs, started working at my current job 3 days a week, and now I work 4 days a week.

What type of childcare do you have?

Wagon Jr. attends a private preschool that is run by a local community association. It’s more of a preschool than a typical daycare. They only take 15 months and older, and the classes are split into toddler, toddler nursery, 3s, and 4s. The children can stay at this school until they are old enough to attend public kindergarten. Wagon Jr. is there 5 full days a week, but some children go as little as 2 full days or 3 half days.

How do you juggle work/family/spouse/personal time balance?

Since I struggled as a SAHM for 18 months, work has been so enjoyable for me and our family is all so much happier. Wagon Sr. and I are both lucky enough to work for organizations who prioritize work/life balance, so we’re able to adjust our hours so our family can be together each night for dinner. After Wagon Jr. goes to bed, Wagon Sr. and I have plenty of hours each night to relax together. We also get babysitters at least 3 times a month so we can have date nights. We’re lucky enough to commute together and we try to meet for lunch once a week. So we get to spend lots of time together. Quality time together is a huge priority for us as a family.

What advice would you give to other moms about work/life balance?

The only thing I can say is: do what works for you! In all things, you can only be the best mom to your child(ren) if you are happy. If you need to work hours that aren’t family friendly, find childcare that works for your schedule. If you find yourself struggling because you want to spend more time with your family, seriously consider looking for a different job. I like to think that women have a little bit of an advantage in terms of holes in our resumes. If an employer doesn’t like the fact that you took time off to have a baby or that you need a family-friendly schedule, then you might want to look for an employer/company who puts more emphasis on work/life balance. An employer who frowns at the fact that you took 6 months off to have a baby probably won’t be very understanding if you need to get to a 5pm soccer game or ballet recital.

What’s a parenting rule you never break?

Never say never! But we almost never go to Wagon Jr. when he cries between bedtime and morning. He always falls back asleep. We only go to him when we know he’s sick.

What’s a parenting rule you always break?

I always give in and let Wagon Jr. watch rock music videos on his iPod touch during meals. I just can’t resist the fact that he’ll sit still and eat ALL of his food, and we can eat in peace as well. Also, when he was a baby, we followed the clock rather than the baby. I know this will probably change with baby #2, but as a SAHM, my schedule was my savior.

What’s the hardest part of being a mom?

I think the hardest thing is that there is always at least one very difficult thing to deal with at every stage. That difficult thing always passes, but it’s always replaced by something equally or more difficult than the last. My heart also always breaks every time Wagon Jr. cries, and watching him suffer when he’s sick makes me feel so helpless.

What’s the best part of being a mom?

This is difficult to quantify into words, but I feel more complete. Now that I am in, what I believe to be my ideal situation as a working mom, I feel very content with my life. Before I had a child I always felt incomplete and yearning for more, and I always felt a little out of place and insecure about myself. But now my entire life revolves around working for my family (both at work and at home) and looking forward to our future, and I firmly embrace my roles as mom, wife, and employee. I go to bed every night totally exhausted and knowing that I’ve accomplished something important every single day. And of course the slobbery Wagon Jr. bedtime kisses help as well.

What are three words that describe you as a mom?

Efficient, all-consuming, love.

What do you like to do in your personal time?

I mostly like to relax and watch TV, but I also like to keep busy by doing crafts (currently needlepoint, again!) and playing games. Wagon Sr. and I love board games, and right now I’m obsessed with Puerto Rico and play online vs. strangers pretty regularly. I also love love love to blog, but I go through spurts. Sometimes I’ll blog multiple times a day, and sometimes I’ll go weeks without posting anything.

If you had an entire day off, how would you spend it?

I have the HUGE luxury of having Mondays off. I do a bit of work from home, but Wagon Jr. is at school the entire day. Every Monday I run my errands (Costco, grocery store, post office, dry cleaners, pet store) and I cook dinner and plan for food for the rest of the week. I also usually take a HUGE 2-3 hour nap now that I’m pregnant. That’s how I spend my entire days off. The rare times when I have several hours to myself, I’ll go shopping, get a mani/pedi, watch tv, play games online, and do needlepoint.

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Thanks so much for sharing Mrs. Wagon!