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On January 6. 2013 I became a mom to Andrew. Everyone said my world would change, but of course I could never have predicted the exciting moments and challenges that would come until I experienced them myself. Now I understand first hand how so many families felt when they called me for help organizing their lives, creating balance between their work life and home life, and why many were just desperate for any advice that might be the magic fix to make their lives easier. My biggest struggles? Not adjusting the new responsibilities or the sleep deprivation. I am a small business owner so I have already experienced that constant drive to keep up with my business as a Professional Organizer for the past 8 years. The business was my first baby and I was there for it 24/7 if it needed the attention. The difficulty with motherhood didn’t come because I couldn’t find babysitters to help, it was the idea that I needed to find a babysitter to get to the dentist, let alone pursue my other interests and goals uninterrupted. I didn’t have emotional struggles handing my son off to others for a break to work, it was accepting the thought (without guilt) that it is okay for a mother to prefer working sometimes to playing with her infant. Did I also mention that I was jealous of my husband for getting to go to work every day? I didn’t even mind the constant dirty diapers, the occasional crying spells and the endless feedings. I love my son and want to make him smile everyday. The hardest adjustment for me was letting go of my need for order, my desire to perform, and shutting off the constant stream of project ideas and new goals that emerge in my mind everyday, because I no longer had time. Simply having to stop, let go of the details and just take on my new job as a mom is still something I endlessly fight…but I am getting better at it every day. Why am I writing about this you may ask? Because any parent I have talked to before and after I had a child seems to struggle with the right equation to find balance among what is best for their child and what is best for them personally. Often In the process, they will feel like they are slowly losing their mind, their house is falling apart and they are too tired to care or find a solution to make it better. I remind myself everyday that I have been lucky enough to get to be home and still pursue my career, not all moms have the choice or the financial freedom to get the best of both worlds. That being said the challenges can be just as hard and I work everyday to do something to make my life feel a little less chaotic. I decided to start this blog and share it with other parents who may need some inspiration and some comfort that even a Professional Organizer can feel disorganized and paralyzed by the baby brain that inevitably takes over with a child. Luckily, there are plenty of days I break through the fog. In this blog, I hope to share some of the ideas and organizing tips that make my life a little simpler so I can enjoy the fun moments with my son, yet still feed my need to create, write, and help others improve their own lives. I look forward to your comments and ideas as well to share with my readers. One of the best parts of being a new mom is the wonderful community of new parents and old friends who support me with their thoughts, advice and ears for venting sessions each week. They make the new parent experience even more fun and I plan to include some guest bloggers for even more tips. Stay tuned for my next article: Meal Planning Hell and Conquering the Grocery Store
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