Working mums – Organised Jo

As a working mum, some days I find it extremely difficult while on others it’s nice to be able to sit and have a hot cup of tea without having to wipe a nose or change a nappy! I know there are a heck of a lot of working mums out there, some love it, some hate it, others are somewhere in the middle. I thought it would be interesting to see exactly how others feel about being a working mum and maybe we can all learn a little something about dealing with that dreaded mummy guilt!

This week we have Jo from Organised Jo answering all of those working mummy questions.

Tell me a little bit about who is in your family
Hello – my name is Jo, I am 41 and currently work 30 hours a week for a Local Authority as a Communications Officer. I have been married to my husband Andy for the past 11 years. We have two girls, who both have just had birthdays and are aged 8 and 5, and we live in sunny Torbay on the South Devon coast.

What age were your children when you returned to work? 
Both of my girls were 6 months old when I returned to work. They attended a lovely local nursery which had a great baby room, full of indoor and outdoor sensory fun, with lots of messy play!

Did you return to a job away from the home or within the home?
My work has always been away from home, but luckily within 20 minutes of where I live.

Did you choose to return or did your circumstances force you back? 
It was a bit of both. Financially I needed to do something, just so we could keep some of our perks of having two cars and trying to fit in a family holiday every year. I personally also needed some adult interaction, and the opportunity to sit still without being climbed on, drinking a warm cup of tea!

Did you return to work full or part time? 
It was part time, ish! When I initially returned it was for 30 hours a week, but over the 7 years that I have been back it has ranged from 18 and a half to 30.

What childcare do you have in place and how did you go about choosing it?  
When I went back to work our eldest spent two days a week in Nursery, with my mum having her for one whole day. My husband works shifts, over a four week shift pattern, so my mum wasn’t needed every week and my husband had the chance to have at least one day a week with her. We carried this on when our youngest came along.

Now they are both at school I tend to do the school runs in the morning, the bonus of flexi, but it does mean I work until 5.30 pm. For school pick ups this is a mixture of grandparents from both sides and my husband when he’s not working. After school clubs have also kicked in for my eldest, and a couple of times a week she stays behind to take part on these, which helps.

What do you find the most difficult about being a working mum? 
Everyone probably says this but for me it’s balancing everything and managing the guilt when I’ve got a sick child at home but need to get someone to come and look after them.  

How do you deal with the working mummy guilt? 
I don’t think I do really. I think while I am working for someone it is always going to be there. Now they are at school it is a bit easier, but when they wake up in the morning saying their tummy hurts or they have a sore throat, the guilt kicks in, along with the negotiation skills to get them to school saying it will be better when they get there.

How did you feel when it was time to go back to work?
I remember having mixed emotions. Someone else was going to care for my child two/three days a week, and I knew I would miss out on some firsts like that first step. But I also felt excited to be able to start doing something for me again, my time in a way. And I must admit, having those 30 minutes to have a quick wander around the shops helped too. Even if it was for me to buy things for them and the house, it meant that when I was home I didn’t need to drag them into the car to the shops and we could stay at home or go somewhere for fun.

Is your work/life balance what you want it to be or would you rather work less or more? 
At the moment I wouldn’t say the balance is perfect. I would like to work less, so I could be there for more pick ups at the end of the day. I think a job where I could for the majority work from home would be the best balance for us. It would also mean that when my husband is off during the week we could have some of our time, which has certainly been lacking while juggling work and the girls.

What advice would you give to a mummy heading back to work? 
On an organised front, because of course I would say this, get prepared the night before. Get yours and their bags and clothes ready, lunches made and any forms for school/nursery that need filling in completed and ready to go. This makes the mornings so much easier.

On an emotional side, it is hard to start off with, and be prepared for some tears. But call the nursery/school at lunchtime to see how they are doing, that can really help put your mind to rest. Soon enough though, when you see your little one run off into nursery or school without glancing back to go and play with their friends, you know they are happy and you go off happy too.

Thanks so much for taking part in this Jo. It’s interesting to hear that even with you working part time hours, it’s all still so hectic. I definitely think working from home should be more of a thing these days – there is just no need to be in an office when pretty much everything (including meetings) can take place elsewhere! It sounds like getting back into work was quite important to you and it’s kind of nice to see that even though that was the case, the mummy guilt still factors in. Those days when they are sick are absolutely the hardest – how to evaulate just how sick they are and whether they/you can go in or not. Being a working mum is definitely a juggle and I hope you manage to get those reduced hours, or a work from home scenario, soon.

Along with her blog www.organisedjo.co.uk, you can also find Jo on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

I’ve been nominated for ‘working parent blogger of the year’ at the mumandworking awards. If you’d like to vote for me just click on the image below to take you to the voting form!