When Grace is What We Need

Hi mamas-

Work-life balance?? If you’ve ever rescheduled a meeting and a pediatrician appointment in the same five minutes, you already know that “balance” isn’t the right word. In reality, most of us are just trying to keep countless balls in the air without dropping ourselves in the process.

This week we focus on knowing which balls can bounce, and when it’s time to let someone else take the wheel. Whether you need to outsource it all, delegate a few household duties, or finally catch your breath and lean into something fun, we’ve got you covered.

And if you’re feeling the mom guilt big-time, check out this helpful resource from CARRY™ Media founder Paula Faris. (FWIW: 80% of moms say they experience some level of mom guilt. You’re not alone!)

You’re doing better than you think, mama. 💪

Enjoy!

 This week in The CARRY™ ALL, we’re talking about:

• 🛟 When You Need Someone Else to Take the Wheel 

• 🙌🏻 When a Little Help Goes a Long Way

• 🎉 When You Have the Bandwidth to Lean In

THE BIG 1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣

1️⃣ 🛟 When You Need Someone Else to Take the Wheel

As working moms, we grew up believing that we could have it all — the career, the family, the life we envisioned for ourselves. But when reality hits and you’re up for a promotion but have a toddler with hand foot mouth disease that you might have contracted yourself, you know all too well that you might be able to have it all, but it won’t be perfect. Something will have to give. In those times when we need to give ourselves more grace, it’s important to outsource anything and everything so that we can focus on the most important parts of our lives. When you need a life raft, here are some great ideas for outsourcing:

• Forbes rates various Meal Prep services and provides details on each 

• Sundays provides executive assistants for work and home, with various tiers available

• Poplin is a nationwide laundry service with free pick up and delivery

• If your teens need to be shuttled to and from practice or social activities, leave the chauffeuring to Uber Teen

2️⃣  🙌🏻 When a Little Help Goes a Long Way

In those seasons of life when we need support (but maybe not an entire army), it’s important to remember that you don’t need to carry it all. Here we have some ideas on how to get your kids and partner to step up to the plate, so that you don’t have to keep all the balls in the air yourself.

• Start with a Skylight calendar, so everyone knows where they need to be and when (and don’t need to ask you).

• Wet towels in the summer are enough to make anyone crazy. Mom hack: put a towel rack in the garage so the kids can hang them there to dry.

• Depending on their age, assign the kids one or two nights per week when they’re responsible for dinner. They don’t need to make a gourmet meal: They can warm something up, make something that is frozen, or even make a board from items they can find in the fridge and pantry. Worst case scenario? They’re responsible for ordering from Door Dash. 

• Speaking of kids, tell them that they’re responsible for packing their snacks the night before school or camp. And if they’re a bit older? School lunches are now their responsibility.

• Laundry got you down? You’d be surprised how capable children are. Have them use laundry detergent sheets to make the process easier.

3️⃣ 🎉 When You Have the Bandwidth to Lean In

Every so often, we working moms are able to take a breath. And when we do? We never waste a minute. So if you’re in a season that isn’t completely chaotic (even if that season lasts only 4 days…), we have some ideas to help you make the most of your time.

• Did you know that Regal Cinemas has $1 family movies all summer? So if you’re able to cut out of work and catch a flick with the kids (in time for the first showing on Tuesdays or Wednesdays), do it and save a ton of money in the process.

• The secret to a successful home is an organized one. That’s why we love this NEAT Method Organizing Recipe Book. It provides step-by-step instructions for organizing over 70 spots around the house that the whole family can maintain.

• Want to have a little fun with dinner without cooking gourmet meals? Pro Tip: Put your meals on repeat (i.e. Taco Tuesday, Pasta Wednesday, Pizza Friday), but have some fun with the themes. Grab a checkered tablecloth and put parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes into shakers to transform your table into an “Italian restaurant.” Or decorate with this Taco Bar Decoration Kit for a fiesta on taco night.

📰 IN THE NEWS

High incomes and good work-life balance. See which U.S. cities have the best job markets.

➡️ It all comes down to what you value in a job. Is a shorter commute important? Or the opportunity for growth? This CBS News article considers several factors as it ranks 348 cities with the best job markets. Check it out.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT 🤎

for working moms with older children

• Need some serious intel on how to break through those tricky teen years? We all want to raise functioning humans, but sometimes it feels nearly impossible to cut through the chaos. We love these 7 simple “secrets” to raising functional teenagers because they come from a place of no judgment (while recognizing that there’s no such thing as perfection…) Some of our favorites include saying yes more than you say no (we know, we know…), and not sweating the small stuff. (Seriously, pick your battles.) Do you have any “secrets” for raising awesome teens? Let the other mamas know in the comments below!