Healthy Work at Home Tips For Homeschooling Families

I know you have all had days or weeks when it feels like there’s just too much. Too much to do, too much to organize, too much to clean, too much to think about, too much to handle. The breaking point often comes at a moment fueled by lack of sleep and/or hormonal imbalance. For some it’s tears. For other, irrational yelling. Some stomp out and go running, and others retreat to a hot bath and bed. As women, mothers, business women…we have all been there. (For men reading this post…I know you have your overwhelmed experiences as well..this post is about women…so read it for the one you love).

Usually, once you reach that breaking point, you can wake up the next morning and start to get a handle on things. Sometimes it takes more than the emotional bottom to turn things around. Sometimes the tears or the anger are the signal that we need to make a change–that in fact it all is too much and something has to give. As women, our intelligent bodies give us information that will help us maintain balance but often we are too busy or bull-headed to listen. As women, it’s important in business to do it in a way that is synchronistic with our beings. That means that we may not do it as the men do.

Today I cried on the phone when talking with my very old school masculine mentor. I didnt’ mean to cry. I hadn’t planned on crying. But the old guy came out of the blue and complimented my commitment, dedication and leadership abilities on the same day that I was questioning whether I had what it takes to succeed in this business. Here he was telling me that I was unique in this business and that the level of success that I’ve achieved so far is just the beginning. An hour before, after a night of no sleep and 52 hot flashes and a snuggle from my daughter who was concerned that mommy woke up crying–I was wondering if it was all worth it.

Just when you think it’s all too hard… the simplest comment from the most unexpected source, can set you back on your track.

Free Network Marketing Success Newsletter

PS. Do your self a favor. Take the time to learn how to do business from a position of strength, even if you’re dealing with aggressive people. Watch this free video and you’ll begin to understand the power that comes from inside of all of us. How you communicate it, relates directly to your own sense of self in relation to doing business.

I’m continually struck by the number of men who rocket to success in companies where the majority of people are women. What is that about? From my perspective it’s about many things. The one that comes to mind first is that in most families, men have to ability and the option to be mono-focused on business. In my family, even though I’m obsessively focused on my business at the moment, because I’m loving the process and the results so much, I still have to be a wife and a mom. Even though I wake up in the morning just itching to get to work, I still have to feed, dress, pack, sunscreen, toilet, etc…my child. And that’s if I’m getting her ready to be gone for the day. If it’s an at home day, then I do all that in addition to puzzles, painting, fairy games, dress-up and starting next week, our home school curriculum.

I’ve spoken to many of the men in my company. They tell me to create “massive action”. They talk about how they get in their car and visit prospects all over the state and country, sometimes driving thousands of miles in one week. They talk about doing 15 meetings per week. Yes, they take time off to be with their families. In fact, this industry allows them the opportunity to travel and vacation and still maintain their momentum and income. It’s a beautiful thing. But still…when they go to work they say, “Honey, I’m off to Arizona for 3 days and then on to California. I’ll be back in a week. We’ll talk tonight” and then they’re gone.

This past weekend I attended a national training event and was gone for 4 days. Prior to leaving I needed to arrange for childcare during the weekdays, make lists regarding lunches, sunscreen, phone numbers, etc…I had to pay some bills, arrange for the milk delivery, sort out the laundry and I have a really, really helpful and involved husband. My point it that as working women with families, we do not have the flexibility to just pick up and go. If my husband’s job required him to be elsewhere on those days, I would have needed to stay home. This is not a complaint. It is a fact which I believe is true in most families.

That is why I was so impressed by what occurred at the training I attended. My company included a training session presented by women and focusing on the differences, the struggles and the benefits of how women approach this business. In addition they will now be having a “By Women, For Women” weekly training call. I’m thrilled. Beyond the soundness of the business and product, I knew from an emotional and spiritual perspective that this way the right company for my. That knowledge has now been even more solidified.

The path to being a women on top, may be different. But it is equally valid and ultimately more satisfying to do it in our own unique manner rather than doing it like the men. Work at home moms are very powerful women. Click here to read a blog post specifically about this topic.

OK, be honest here…how many of you eat the bread crusts your children leave behind and call it lunch? Or what about the half eaten apple, or the very bottom part of the banana? I have a friend who makes beautiful box meals for her kids when they are away from home for lunch but she is lucky if she remembers to throw some almonds in her pocket when she is running out the door. At least it’s almonds and not M & M’s!!

Let’s look at the difficulties involved with eating nutritiously as a busy mom. Personally, I’m not a food lover so if I am really busy, feeding myself is the first thing I “forget”. I also have a child who likes to eat constantly. I figure that if I nibble on her small left-overs, that should be enough to hold me until dinner. Thank goodness my husband likes to cook, and likes to eat meals as well. No corn flakes and milk for his dinner. So every night he cooks us a nice meal and we all sit down and eat together. Family time and nutrition in one easy package.

I do not feel I am alone in this manner of eating. When we have a ladies night out, we often share stories about nibbling on the lunch box remnants in the car on the way home. Are we really that self-sacrificing that we cannot take time to nourish our bodies? Work at home moms are especially prone to this problem since we are often don’t spend much time with other adults. If you work in an office, at lunch time most people eat. They either go out, or sit together and enjoy the meal they brought from home. Lunch at the office is both nourishing and social. Office people also take coffee breaks. Even though excess caffeine consumption can be a concern, these breaks are primarily about snacks and socializing.

At home most of us do not do this. We are so focused on our children, our home schooling (if we are doing that), our home business and all the other responsibilities of caring for a family that we often do not create a schedule that includes breaks for ourselves specifically designed for eating.

So what’s a mother to do? Stay tuned to the next few post and learn some nutrition basics, some time savers and some healthy eating tricks. By the time this nutrition series is done, hopefully we will all be taking better care of our bodies and our health.