The Balance Of Life for a Mommy Artisan

I know that today is supposed to be Thirsty Thursday but I haven't had time to really cook or bake this week... or at least from scratch. Like my title, I am trying to find the balance of my life as a single mom and a  small business owner. I think every small business owner has this dilemma but when you add single mom and artisan and the dilemma worsens. As an Artisan, we run our business on a daily basis plus create everything for our business to sell. As a mommy, we have a little human that counts on us for everything including love and attention. Lately, my struggle has been to spend more time with Lily doing things with her rather then let her sit on the computer or in front of the tv while I work the day away. (Don't judge me because none of us are a perfect parent!) Part of the problem with the balance is that Lily went from a full-day Kindergarten to a half-day Kindergarten in January. So I went from 8 hours to work without her to 4 hours which doesn't give me much time to get anything done..... or at least that is what I thought. 

I found the 15 minute rule works great when I am trying to work as efficiently as I can while Lily is in school. The 15 minute rule is that I work on something for only 15 minutes at a time. In that 15 minutes, I put all my focus and energy on that task so that I can do the best I can. Now this doesn't work in everything I am doing  when I am in creative mode but when it comes to the computer work, the 15 minute rule is working great!

Lily and I love our home pedicure nights!

When Lily gets off the bus, I tend to do my house cleaning and chores so that she can "help" me. She loves to help me clean which is a big help to me. I have implemented the 15 minute rule when cleaning too. Lily loves it because she thinks it is a race to clean up. Race against who or what, I am not sure but she has fun which is the best part of it. Plus I set aside Lily time so that we can spend time doing something special. Whether it is watching a movie, creating a craft, baking a treat or something else, that time is all about Lily and Mommy. I am slowly finding my balance and sometimes I need a reminder that I Lily wants Mommy time not business Mommy time. 

Each day is a work of Art so go out and create your beautiful day!

Everyday is a New Beginning

When I saw this quote on Pinterest yesterday, I knew that it was speaking to me because I was in a state of frustration in my life. I try to keep positivity  in my life as much as I can but I am a human and have my breaking points. As a single mom that works from home, I have my highs and lows. I absolutely love being able to get Lily off the bus everyday, attend the programs during school hours that most parents miss because they are working, taking Lily to the park when it is quiet and letting her play without fear of the older kids and so much more. At the same time, I struggle with the balance of working and family time and sometimes I don't realize that work is getting more attention then it should at that moment. The factor of business being slow doesn't help this balance. There are nights that I get so frustrated at my slow times and bills stacking up that I want to throw in the towel but there is always something that reminds me that I have a talent and gift that I get to share with others. Not everyone has the talents that I have so I am the lucky one to share them with others. 

So when the day is tough, no matter what time of day it is, just take a deep breath and remember there are many things in your life to be grateful and they outweigh the bad things. Each day is a new start and each moment is a new beginning so re-start your day with a new beginning now and smile because you are unique and amazing!