Complete Guide to Being a Badass Entrepreneur and Stay at Home Mom
Updated: Jan 22, 2021
If you are anything like me, first time mom and an entrepreneur DURING a global pandemic where daycare is NOT an option, you are often trying to find a way to be productive, energized, and make sure you're doing this mommy thing the right way!
My life consisted of always checking my "What to expect when expecting" app to make sure my baby boy Kaiel (Ki-El) is developmentally on track or googling the foods he can and can't eat. I'm constantly balancing work, on top of parenting, healthy eating and finding ways to incorporate self-care. As a dual-certified health and life coach I must admit the self-care and healthy eating parts are a little easier for me because I so often help others understand the importance, and implement it into their lives. However adding ALL of the above into a daily regimen made the equation hard to solve.
To stay motivated I started listening to a lot of motivational videos and reading self-help books. But I found myself become de-motivated...developing a sense of guilt and defeat. Everyone was always saying "Get up early" "Form a routine" blah blah blah and Im just sitting here like "How the hell am I supposed to do that when my entire life is constantly changing and in control by a tiny human who eats his own foot and tries to drink his bath water? HOW?"
Then there were the sites of at home moms, but they were NOT single.
Then there were the working moms who had daycare.
NONE OF THAT applied to me but SOME of it did.
I quickly realized that there was little to no DIRECT help or guidance for the world's ULTIMATE hustler.... A SINGLE MOM WITH A BUSINESS or are pursuing a passion!
So you know what I did... I got....
DEFEATED
Thought I was going to say something profound? Well I did! There's no better teacher than Failure! And boy oh boy did I feel like a failure when I couldn't be as productive as usual, I was no longer as organized, my house was not consistently clean, my spiritual life had started to lack nourishment, and I was constantly feeling like I was chasing my tail.
And that spilled over into my work. I felt like a fraud. How could I be helping people and I couldn't even help myself? Thank God my mom always taught us "Don't focus on the problem focus on the solution". So I started where I was with what I had.
What I had was the moment.
What do I mean by that?
I had to start being fully present in the moment. Paying attention and finding commonalities like when do I HAVE to feed, thats pretty consistent. Babies nap pretty consistently (the length of time however is not), what can I do from my phone while holding him since sitting at my office desk was no longer realistic, what were some quick meals (raw fruits/veggies, pastas, pan meals, and crockpot dishes) became my best friend!
I also had to do the hardest thing I have EVER done.... give up control. How do you have order and no control... by going with the flow.
The KEY to this entire thing is FLEXIBILITY. Be Fluid.
A little goes a long way! So small steps, small strides, short bursts of work get you ALOT further!
Baby schedules are not as rigid as they make it seem.
Opt for ranges NOT set times (Example- Eat 11-12 Verses Eat at 11:15)
Try to eat when baby eats
Work during independent play or naps
Get up a LITTLE earlier OR Stay up a little later (self-care, decompression, reading, etc)
Remember there's no such thing as interruptions. They're just signs to move on to something else OR chill out. You can always come back to "it"
Grocery Shop on the app and schedule pick-ups
Create a cleaning schedule by day or weeks
Implement different meals *I live on Pinterest for this (Follow Me)
Raw fruits/veggies, Guacamole, Hummus, Nut Butters
Pastas (I use protein pastas, veggie noodles, red lentil penne, and chickpea spiral pasta in place of old fashioned pasta noodles)
Sheetpan meals
Crockpot dishes
Once you find what works for you and crack YOUR baby's code, KEEP DOING THAT! THAT is YOUR schedule!
Below is the layout of how my days go at a glance. Keep scrolling for a more detailed account.
Here is my sample cleaning schedule
Sample baby schedules for 11- and 12-month-olds of a Mompreneur
Typically I try to be up between 6:30a-9:30a so I can do my morning routine, prayer meditation, yoga, work, and morning pages uninterrupted. THAT'S NOT ALWAYS REALISTIC LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!
(In the Below Scenario this is my day when I wake up when he does)
10:00am Kaiel Wakes up
10-10:15 Morning Prayers/Plays in Bed
10:15-10:45 Change his diaper + free time in his playroom to crawl around and explore.
I read my Bible devotional aloud then stretch/yoga
(He does downward dog and climbs on me)
1045-1100 Pump while he enjoys a snack (cereal puffs) + water (1 oz)
I do my morning affirmations then scroll my business social medias responding to posts or connecting with others
11-1130 eats his bottle (with vitamins-polyvisol) /plays in crib
(I play music for him)
During this time I do my morning self care routine for my Hair and Skin
1130-1200 Play and Explore
Chases the dogs around while in his walker as I make my breakfast and goes in his high chair while I eat
I set my intentions for the day and fill in my daily to do list/planner
12-200 is madness aka it's time to BE FLEXIBLE.
This time can look like so many things but most importantly it looks like whatever I need it to.
For Me:
It’s a variation of clients (sometimes I can drop him off with my mom), cleaning, working on prep-work, creating, marketing, accounting, washing, cleaning, learning, meal-prepping etc)
For Kaiel:
Crawling, in his walker, or in his crib... he’s wherever I need him to be to keep him occupied while I do various things. It's important that he learns independent play skills.
At some point he will eat his oatmeal with bananas and other fruit such as strawberry, mango, or banana. It may be Whole Foods or baby food + baby water (1.5-2oz) or juice (he's not big on juice however)
I follow a cleaning schedule I personally think this is VERY important because I’m an overachiever and would often pressure myself into doing more. I created a cleaning schedule for micro-wins. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF MICRO-WINS!
130/200-330/400
Change Diaper + Nap time. I pump while he’s asleep
400-410 wakes up and we play together/read books together
410-430 eats a full jar of baby food+1.5 oz baby water (ALWAYS FLOURIDE FREE)
430-500 playtime/explore time
I’m working from my phone
500-615 High Chair
Eats a snack+water/watches coco melon or little babybum
I work at my desk from my laptop and I give him his as well and we “work together”
I keep him updated on my affairs and he lets me know the latest at Baby Corp
Drinks his bottle
615-645 Clean as he roams around in his walker
Whatever is left on the list
His room
Highchair
645-800 More Flexibility Training
I may be cooking, he may be FaceTiming with family, we may be back in his room.
He eats another snack or more baby food/yogurt/Mac n chz.
Again it’s whatever we need it to be
800-845 Bath Time.
Bring the high chair in the bathroom and he plays while I shower.
Then I draw his bath and baby massage after