The Unglamorous Life Of A Work-From-Home Mom

Most of us have seen the clip of Professor Kelly being interrupted by his kids. For people like me with babies and careers to balance, working at home can be wonderfully unpredictable.

In many ways I find it easier to be at the office with my daughter in tow. Because a typical day working from home is tough. Because actually, there isn’t a typical day. I wish there was, then at least I could figure out a pattern. Some things do repeat. Here’s an example of a recent day that wasn’t too dissimilar from other days:

4:30 AM: Check emails whilst my family sleep. Make to-do list. Queue Afrocenchix social media posts for the day. Drift off.

7:00 AM: Wake to Nature’s cruel alarm clock  tiny palms tugging at my teeth. Attempt to “shh” her back to sleep as I drift off again.

7:05 AM: Wake to daughter eating my cheek and laughing. Time to get to work. First tasks of the day nappy change, breakfast and nursing time. Meditate on the bible whilst little one pulls off her bib to stain another outfit.

8:30 AM: Clean 70% of my daughters breakfast from the floor. Set darling down to play on the clean floor and open up the documents I’ve been working on.

8:45 AM: Morning nap time. Send emails drafted earlier whilst my 8-month old feeds in her sleep. Number todo list and hope today will finally be the day I get everything done.

9:00 AM: Make like a ninja and escape my sleeping beauty by slipping out of my dressing gown, excited to get 15 minutes of peace in the bathroom. Manage to wake darling daughter by forgetting her rattle is in the bed. Strap her into her bouncer, singing songs through my shower in the hopes that I can at least wash the soap off before she starts screaming.

9:02 AM: Screaming begins. Bring daughter into the shower with me. Get us both ready and dressed for the day.

10:00 AM: Nurse daughter and set her up on her play mat and open my Macbook. Wonder where the morning has gone.

10:05 AM: Pick up little one and seat her in my lap as my toy is far more interesting to her than hers.

10:10 AM: Realise this isn’t workable whilst wondering how she learnt to scroll. Finally placate her with a noisy toy. Reflect on how grateful I am for noisy toys. Remember I had said I’d never have a bunch of annoying noisy toys and laugh at my naive, idealistic and principled younger self.

11:00 AM: Clean kitchen and start on supper whilst preparing lunch with daughter tied to my back and eating my top.

12:00 PM: Put baby in high chair. Attempt to eat lunch whilst watching her destroy the floor I earlier steam cleaned. Hoorah for baby led weaning.

12:15 PM: Free full child from her chair and attempt clean her as she pulls her bib over her face and hair. Clean food from her hair with a wet flannel. Nappy and clothing change.

13:00 PM: Nap time. Attempt to “sleep when the baby sleeps”

13:15 PM: Remember I have calls to catch up on. Watch daughter sleep for a few moments; she really is so beautifully peaceful when she sleeps. Creep out of the room to make my calls.

14:00 PM: Attempt to finish lunch. Answer door. Entertain unexpected visitor.

14:30 PM: Pick up cooing baby. Feed her. Hand her to visitor for cuddles.

15:30 PM: Feed screaming child down for a nap. Check todo list. Lament the fact I’ve only ticked off two items. Add baby related tasks. Enjoy the satisfaction of ticking off “change nappy” several times. Move unfinished items to tomorrow’s list. Leave only the urgent tasks for today.

15:40 PM: Give into exhaustion and nap.

16:00 PM: wake up. 20 mins of sleep debt cleared. Rejoice that daughter is still sleeping! Get up and finish lunch.

16:30 PM: Celebrate again - she’s still sleeping. Check she is breathing and continue to plough through work.

17:30 PM: Baby still sound asleep. Check every fifteen minutes that she is alive, remain reasonably productive nonetheless.

17:45 PM: Baby wakes beaming after her two hour nap. Tie her to my back whilst I clean the bathroom and empty the laundry. Feel like superwoman.

18:00 PM: Notice dear daughter has somehow projectile vomited directly onto the pile of clean laundry. Proceed to refill washing machine.

18:30 PM: Greet husband excited to have adult company. Glare and hand over baby as he insinuates that he’s more exhausted.

1850 PM: Repent of my attitude and enjoy watching husband animatedly sing to our daughter. Briefly debate who should change the nappy and who should serve the food. Husband takes the nappy. It’s a poopy one. Breathe a sigh of relief that it’s one less poop for me to handle.

19:00 PM: Eat supper, convincing husband it would only be fair if he let me eat first; he doesn’t mind cold food anyway.

19:15 PM: Rescue daughter from high chair and feed her as I eat one handed. Wonder how this always happens.

20:00 PM: Check emails as dear husband gets little one ready for bed.

21:30 PM: Endure daughter’s hype hour as husband snores.

22:30 PM: Listen to my family snoring in sync and wonder why I’m wide awake.

My to do list is neverending, clothes stained, life one that no one would envy and yet I find myself grateful that I can run my business, earn money and be at home with my daughter. I also recognise that this situation is ridiculous.

Can anyone else relate?