When I plan outfits I try on 20 different things to make sure what I put together is my absolute favorite. Somedays it comes together quickly and other days not so much. Anyone else have that problem 🙂

I love listening to books (Cody and my Dad got me hooked on Audible) because I don’t have time to read as much as I used to. Beckam always wants this book because there’s four guys balancing on a Ferris Wheels on the cover and he thinks they are doing tricks lol. Every time it comes up he yells “OH MAN MOM!! Look at that sick trick!”

Having a home office is so nice and other days really hard. Somedays I find it takes me twice as long to get the littlest task done because distractions continually pop up, but I am also so thankful to have that time with the kids. I keep two baskets of toys in my office so Beckam can pull out things to play while I get stuff done.

I know it’s cheesy but I love his little hand resting on my back.

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I’ve gotten so many questions on working from home, from blogging to being a working mom and balancing family, ILY, and the blog so I wanted to do a little Q&A with some of my most common Q’s.

Q. How do you juggle your responsibilities at work and being a mom?

A. Honestly, it’s a weekly struggle! I try to make it a point to work hours when the kids are asleep or out with Cody so I can take full advantage of the time I have with them. I have some days when it all comes together and somehow feels so easy but then of course there are times when all my deadlines seem to hit at once and there are never enough hours in the day. There are weeks when I feel like, no matter what, something’s gotta give and I am falling short somewhere (or everywhere!) whether it’s missing out on moments with the kids, falling behind on things for ILY, missing deadlines for the blog, or not getting enough one-on-one time with Cody.

I had one of those days last week! I woke up to my blog not working and had 3 projects due for work. Mio got out and was missing for over 5 hours. I was panicked looking everywhere for him. Beckam was having a two year old tantrum crying over everything, then he had a diarrhea explosion and got poop all over our bedroom floor. I was literally in tears. Now I look back and laugh but it was one of those days I was like, “ugh I NEED a break!” I think we all have those days, but I also believe you have to have those struggles and hard days to appreciate the good!

Q. What’s your work day like?

A.  I end up working really odd hours but sometimes that’s hard when the rest of the world and deadlines operate during normal business hours. When there’s a lot going on with work I’m up by 5:00 or 5:30am so I can get as much as possible done before the kids wake up. I usually work for 2 more hours once they are awake because they like to play in the toy room or cuddle in bed so it’s just lazy time for them around the house while I get a few more things done.  I love working in my home office! But there are days I have places and meetings I have to be at. The kids end up running around with me, from shoots to handling stuff at ILY.  Cody is amazing and takes the kids for the full day once a week and takes the kids at 3pm three days a week so I have time to knock out as much as I can for work from 3-6pm without distractions and so we can focus on family time when we are all together. Once the kids are in bed it’s back at it again. Cody and I set days and times to shut everything off, but we both work a lot at night because we both want to be involved with the kids as much as we can during the day.

Q. How do you get focused when you are working from home?

Time blocking! It has seriously saved my life! I set times to get certain things done without distractions. That includes time with the kids where you don’t have your phone or do anything but just spend time with them.

Cody also got me hooked on audiobooks. It’s so hard for me to find time to sit down and actually read. We always download Audible audiobooks about habits of successful businesses and entrepreneurs. I like to listen to them while that we listen to on road trips or when we are traveling. It’s seriously one of the best ways to stay motivated and ambitious! Some of my favorites are Outliers and The Power of Habit. Also just restarted listening to the Life Changing Magic of Tidying up, it’s so good! I always go through a big dejunking after I listen to it.

Q. How do you stay focused?

Cody and I have always made it a priority to set goals. We literally take dry-erase markers to our mirrors and windows and set goals for ourselves personally and also for our blogs and companies. Posting your goals keeps them on the back of your mind (or front!) and has always made me more ambitious to accomplish them.

Q. How do you find time for “you time”?

I’m a huge believer in finding you time. Losing yourself is the first step to losing your sanity so think of keeping yourself grounded as an investment! I’m a sucker for massages and also love going shopping (surprise!). For those days when I’m lucky to get a few minutes free here and there at home during nap time, it’s weirdly relaxing for me to organize my home office. Our house is literally almost always a disaster (I’ve come to realize it can’t all be done and a clean house was the first thing to go 🙂 so organizing my office has become a common occurrence. I usually have an audiobook playing too, whether it’s my current motivational read or an old classic like Anna Karenina (narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal).

Q. What advice would you give those moms trying to balance it all?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! At some point you realize there is no such thing as a perfect mom. The word mom has so many different meanings now so don’t compare yourself to others. You don’t have to have the perfectly kept house or a home-cooked meal every night. Stepford wives don’t exist anymore (at least not in my world :). It’s ok to let the dishes go and take those extra moments to cuddle your kids!

Comment below with any other questions you have! I’m going to start doing more question and answers 🙂 Also I’ve teamed up with Audible to offer you guys a free 30-day free trial with a free book download. It gets so addicting, especially for long flights or when you are multi-tasking around the house.

XX, Christine

*This is a post sponsored by Audible. All opinions and text are my own.