Juggling work, family and fun

According to answers.com, large numbers of women in the United States began to work outside the home as early as the 1840’s. Today in 2011 it’s extremely common for women to balance work and a home.

The reasons for a woman to work outside of the home vary: financial necessity, passion for their career, the want to challenge their minds…whatever the reason, let’s face it…we ladies work HARD!

I myself do my best to balance being a wife and mother of two small children, directing a medium size child care center full time, instructing 8-10 Zumba® fitness classes a week, co-running a company and website, carving out a little “me” time every once in a while, and being an aunt and sister.

I am just one of millions of women who share similar responsibilities….here are my top three ways I do my best to juggle it all!

1. Stay organized. We have one central calendar in our house. With jukido, dance, lacrosse, birthday parties, board meetings, staff meetings and holidays events; life gets crazy! I have a monthly calendar on my desk in our office, but break it down by the week and have a weekly copy on our refrigerator. Looking at my weekly calendar allows me to focus on one day at a time without feeling too overwhelmed.

2. Making family a priority. No matter how crazy life gets, we try and our best to eat dinner together and talk about our day, have family movie nights, get together with extended family, read together at night, and attend church. However you choose, you must make time to be together….because let’s face it….family really is the most important thing in life. If you have a spouse…it is also important to give priority to your relationship. A simple date night every now again is just what my hubby and I need to slow down and re-connect.

3. Love what you do when you are working outside the home! Sometimes it is hard to find a job that meets your financial needs and is satisfying to your soul. However, if you are able to love what you do, it makes working a lot easier. This is even more important if you work more than one job. After working hard at our school all day, you better believe that my passion for teaching Zumba® fitness helps give me that “second wind” needed to go back out there!

We’d love to hear from you too….feel free to share your tips on how you balance the responsibilities of a woman in 2011!