Hey mama! How are you? YOU, yes, YOU! The mama that’s working from home with her kiddos

during this pandemic and embracing what we are calling “the new normal”. As a work from

home mama with two sweet babies aged one and two, I wanted to check in on you and offer a

few tips to navigating the work from home life with your littles by your side. I write these tips

with a light heart and a coffee stain on my shirt, wanting you to know that we will get through

this together! Here are a few things that I incorporated into my life pre-pandemic that make

working from home with the babies a little less stressful.

Tip 1: Set realistic expectations for yourself. As the saying goes, you can do anything, but you

can’t do everything. As a self-proclaimed overachiever, this was a hard lesson for me to learn,

especially after we welcomed our second sweet baby. Mama friends, this is so true. I hold

myself accountable by making a list every night, which contains the work that I need to

accomplish the next day, activities to do with the kids throughout the day, and a few household

chores (I’m not talking Spring cleaning here)! If I accomplish what is on my list, I end the day

feeling accomplished and anything else that gets done during the day is a bonus.

Tip 2: Check your mom guilt at the door. You love your kids. That is what matters the most,

but to reach the hearts of my mama friends with big worries, I’ll keep going! Incorporating the

kids into the things that need to get done throughout the day helps me feel like I’m spending

quality time with them and teaching by doing. For example, as I’m running the vacuum, both

babies follow me around with toy vacuums. This is a great way to teach your kids while still

accomplishing things around the house. Another way to fight the mama guilt is to surround

yourself with moms that make you feel empowered. That can include a much-needed break

from social media once in a while. Your kids know how hard you are working and how loved

they are, even if you feel like the days are filled with chaos.

Tip 3: There is no normal. Even though we are all using the phrase “the new normal” right now,

there really is no “normal”. While every day is different, it’s still beautiful. Some days we feel

like we have the hang of doing all the things. Some days we aren’t sure where the time went.

Some days there’s a happy mixture of laughter and tears. Some days we did everything on our

list. Some days the baby shredded up the list. All of this is okay!

Of course, I’m no expert. I’m just like each and every one of you and making the very best of

every day. My hope is that these tips left you with a smile and helped you to find a sense of

calm throughout the day. I can’t wait to talk with you all about “all things mama” very soon, but

in the meantime, I need to wash the coffee out of my shirt!

Chelsey’s son Rowan helping her wrap up a conference call.