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Alchemy for Moms Parenting The Alchemist's Heart

Are You a Work From Home Parent? Here’s How to Develop a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Are You a Work From Home Parent? Here’s How to Develop a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Maybe, like me, you are a parent who does much of your work from home. If so, you are intimately familiar with the difficulties of managing a family and a career in the same location. The Pew Research Center states that up to 52% of parents having kids younger than 12 years report difficulties in striking a balance between work and childcare duties.  Fortunately, guest author Jason Kenner reached out to share helpful strategies to support you in achieving the elusive work-life balance.

 

1. Plan Each Day in Advance

Instead of waking up and facing whatever comes next, take the initiative to get organized the night before. Here’s a list of things I try to complete before going to bed each night:

Keep Meals Ready: This involves meal prepping in advance and portioning food in microwave-friendly boxes, making them ready to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Schedule Emails for Early Morning: Whether there’s a plan to be submitted or received, I schedule emails to the respective stakeholders the night before. This reduces the need to spend an hour sending emails first thing in the morning. The time saved can be used towards breakfast, getting kids ready for school, exercising, and other healthy activities.

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on pexels

Create a To-do List: With a list in hand, I’m ready to attack the day from the get-go rather than having to chase deadlines.

Maintain a Routine: While it took some time to form good habits, once I did, it made everything easier. Completing the same task at the same time each day provides me with some much-needed predictability and control over actions and expectations.

 

2. Hire Professional Help

One thing my experience working from home has taught me is that working long hours and managing childcare together is not sustainable. Most of the time, I ended up giving each of these things less attention than they deserved, as there were simply too many things to do at once.

Photo by jamie he on pexels

The best way to get things off my plate was to hire professional help. With a babysitter, things become much easier to handle. Whether it be picking up kids for school or ensuring they each are on time, I do not need to worry about any of these tasks. As a result, I was able to focus solely on my work leading to an increase in productivity and stress reduction.

 

Finding a good babysitter can be a long process. But, the go-to place to start was my network of family and friends. Once I received references, I set up interviews, requested trials with those I felt were the right fit, and then went with the option I thought was the best for my family.

 

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on pexels

3. Keep Distractions to a Minimum

Being disciplined is key to developing a healthy work-life balance. However, even during my busiest days, I noticed that I wasted precious time on unproductive activities such as scrolling for hours on social media, watching YouTube videos, texting friends in between work, and more. Cumulatively these activities significantly delayed my work activities resulting in me working late on a daily basis.

Here’s how I was able to cut down on distractions:

Investing in a separate phone for work. Keeping my personal phone in a drawer away from my workstation notably reduced my time scrolling social media during work hours. The result? Faster completion of work and more time to spend with the kids.

Photo by Sarah Chai on pexels

Minimizing electronic use an hour before bed helped me to sleep on time and wake up early. As reported by Sleep Foundation, the blue light emitted from electronic screens such as mobile phones, laptops, etc., signals the brain to stay awake, making it difficult to fall asleep. But, getting an early start to the day helped me avoid immediately rushing into work and spending more time with family.

Rather than trying to put one responsibility over the other, I assign ample time to each activity to avoid being overwhelmed. During work hours, I try to isolate myself from distractions. Post-work, my goal is to disconnect from work-related activities by spending time with kids, enjoying a hobby, and getting some much-deserved rest.

 

Guest Author Jason Kenner is a dad who loves sports, adores his kids, and strives to be a good parent.  As he began researching the challenges he faced with his own children, he realized there are a lot of similarities between sports and parenting.  At On-Par Parent, he shares his best advice about both but doesn’t pretend to be a pro in either….and he promises to go easy on the sports puns!  

Health and Wellness Parenting The Alchemist's Heart

World’s Gone Crazy? Here’s the Solution You Need!

Hello Darling,

May these words breathe nourishment into your life even though (or maybe especially because) the world looks a bit crazy right now.

On a recent day with “all the things” piling on with no sign of stopping, I came upstairs trembling during a short work break. Shaking, really. My insides couldn’t seem to settle on imploding or exploding.

My next client was scheduled to arrive in twelve minutes.

Did I eat? Hydrate? Help my youngest daughter with the holy hell that seems to be her online school? Melt into a puddle? Reach out to a friend for support? Don winter gear and yak tracks so I could walk outside on the ice for maybe 6 minutes?

I forgot all about the oxygen mask principle and opted to try to help my daughter. Yes, she probably needed it, but I suspect my real motivation was to distract myself from my feelings.

Alarmingly, when I tried to speak, words didn’t actually emerge.

Turns out you have to be able to BREATHE in order to speak, and I wasn’t doing either very well….which is when I realized I was having an anxiety attack – something I hadn’t felt in a very long time.

Not a shining moment.

Except that something magical happened…and it quickly became one.

My diminutive but mighty daughter looked at me with concern. Mind you, this girl kind of hates talking about her feelings and never wants to see a counselor no matter what’s going on. Which can be consternating because I AM a counselor who LOVES talking about feelings.

Turns out she knew EXACTLY what to do.

She got up and wrapped her arms around me from behind while saying:

photo of girl hugging her mom

This is how we breathe.”

And then she breathed me deeply and steadily…belly pushed into my low back, returning to the space I carried her in my womb, reminding me of the most important things – the breath of life, literal inspiration, delivered with love.

Inside of 3 minutes, EVERYTHING felt better.

My nervous system settled, I began thinking more clearly and elusive creative problem-solving came back online.

So Dearheart, if this is a day when YOU need to be breathed (and who amongst us doesn’t!), I’m sending you a GIANT warm embrace.

Please allow your sacred imagination to guide you….to a safe space…. with a safe person…holding you from behind….while taking slow, deep, steady breaths….to remind you that you are loved, you are supported, and you can breathe.

You are worth it!

With Love and Alchemy,

Christy

P.S. Want more? Here are 10 easy ways to nourish your spirits right now.

Alchemy for Moms Parenting Soul Adventurer The Alchemist's Heart

Confessions of an Alchemist ~ The Power of Choosing Again

choiceHer big eyes searching my face, I couldn’t hold her gaze.
Head down, I was ashamed I couldn’t answer her question.

“Mom, can we have a whole day together to just do fun things? We can eat our favorite goodies and not have you do any work at all?”

My head spun.
I was recovering from the flu and exhausted after a long day tending beloved clients with enormous stressors. I’d pushed too hard, but my heart was determined to serve.

Now my daughter needed me, but all I could think was “An entire day off? How on Earth can I do that?” It’s not practical! There’s too much to do!

And then she threw in the clincher….”Mom? This is what I want for Christmas.”

This should have been easy.
She is 13 years old.
She still wants to spend time with me.
It really doesn’t get any better than that.

I am blessed beyond measure, but Goddess help me, I STILL couldn’t give her an unequivocal yes.

Instead of looking into her eyes and assuring her I would ABSOLUTELY grant her wish, all I could manage was to say “Honey, I hear you, I know this matters and I’ll work on it.”

Not a proud moment….but a human one.

TIME and attention are our most precious commodities.
We are so damn busy whilst starving for human connection.
I know this.
I teach the importance of being truly present with each other.
And yet I couldn’t walk my talk.

So I asked myself how I would feel about this years from now.
Would I regret not being able to give this incredible daughter a simple day together? Teaching through my actions that she didn’t matter as much as all the other things that needed tending?

The answer was a resounding YES.

I resolved to get some sleep, clear my head, and choose with wisdom.

Now I’m writing you this embarrassing but absolutely true love letter.
Because I suspect I’m not the only one in need of this lesson.

In 20 short minutes, I’ll be picking her up from school, where I will thank her for making the request. I will assure her that not only will I follow through on this for Christmas, but REGULARLY, if she desires.

Because I get a second chance to choose again.

And Dearheart, so do you.
As long as you are breathing, you get to re-decide.  And choosing again is one of our most potent tools for change.

So tell me, quickly, what is ONE THING your spirit cries for that you have pushed aside as impractical or taking too much time?

Comment on this post and share what nourishment you are willing to claim for your life!

I will hold your name and nourishing activity in mind and heart over the next few weeks to support you in actualizing what you dearly need.

I await your word.

gifted
Favorite Books Parenting Podcasts The Alchemist's Heart Top Talent

How To Make Friends With Your Gifted Rainforest Mind – Part Two

gifted

Join another Truth-Telling episode with Paula Prober on The Alchemist’s Heart Podcast! Did YOU grow up as an unidentified gifted child? Do you have regular moments of guilt when you can’t seem to wrangle everything in your life? Imagine the relief you’ll feel as we gently and easily clear up misconceptions about your beautiful rainforest mind (or that of someone you love).

Let’s blow the lid off of preconceived notions about giftedness! There is a uniquely beautiful, complicated and enriching way of thinking and being that I bet you’ll relate to.

rainforest mind
Favorite Books Parenting Podcasts The Alchemist's Heart Top Talent

How To Embrace Your Beautiful Rainforest Mind – Part One

 

rainforest mindHave you been told you’re too sensitive? Do you hold high standards for yourself and have a deep need for beauty, balance, harmony? You may have a Rainforest Mind!

Get the inside scoop with alchemist Paula Prober, an expert on the social, emotional and spiritual needs of gifted children and adults.

Lest you think this doesn’t apply to you, THINK AGAIN. A surprising number of people have no idea they’re gifted.  WOW, are they startled when I press a copy of Your Rainforest Mind: A Guide to the Well-Being of Gifted Adults and Youth, into their hands! Stay tuned, because you’re about to learn something that can change your life . . .

Alchemy for Moms Humor Parenting

The Top 10 Things New Dads Need to Know

You Are So Much More Than a Sperm Donor:

The Top 10 Things New Dads Need to Knownew-dads-300x198

1. Becoming a good lover takes time. So does becoming a good father. Donating sperm may have been easy, but fatherhood can be a lot more rewarding. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the process.

2. Diaper duty earns big points. So does feeding, rocking, and bathing your baby. Any hands-on fathering will be a big help to your partner and your baby.

3. Your wife will be herself again. Yes, she is probably on duty 24 hours a day with baby on the brain. No, she probably isn’t much fun right now. But life will return to normal as the three of you adjust to your new situation, and the alchemy of your presence can help this process tremendously.

Alchemy for Moms Parenting

The Seven Cs of Parenting Success: Part Two

Do you think you need to be “on course” most of the time to succeed in your life?

XL jet airplane landing at sunset

Did you know that airplanes are off course most of the time, but consistently arrive at their destinations thanks to fine adjustments the pilots make?

It’s O.K. if we’re off course in different ways. What matters is looking at the feedback we’re getting from our world and making adjustments. By moving a little in one direction, or a little in another, we create the life we actually want!

In The Seven Cs of Parenting Success: Part One, I shared Tom V. Morris‘s wisdom about the first three “Cs” of Success – conception, confidence and concentration. Today we’re focusing on the fourth “C,” consistency.

Alchemy for Moms Favorite Books Health and Wellness Parenting

Mommy Guilt Solutions

The word Guilt written with a pencil on white paper. An eraser from a pencil is starting to erase the word guilt.

Mommy guilt. You know how I encourage other moms to release their guilt? Well, I’ve been dealing with some of my own. Turns out, some mommies I know are already in full swing with back-to-school preparation. Their children have perfectly coordinated back to school outfits, reusable, earth friendly lunch bags, and all their school materials are lined up. Mine do not.

Now, either these mommies are incredibly eager for their little ones to move along into school, or they are way too organized. Or both. Either way, I’m not quite there. It’s not that I don’t look forward to the prospect of my firstborn entering school. I actually am. It’s that I don’t seem to find enough hours in the day, or even the desire, to do that level of preparation this far in advance.