I Have One Obstacle Left In My Work At Home Dog Mom Schedule

One of the major daily struggles for me is to know when it's time to walk away from work stuff and proceed with everything that happens between the point when Lisa gets home from work and when she and the kids go to bed. I refer to that period of time as Our Bodacious Evening Routine. I struggle with that routine because it's never etched in granite.

Prior to Lisa getting her promotion into management in June of 2017, her schedule was pretty much the same from week to week. She clocked in at 6 a.m. and left at 2:30 p.m. Occasionally, she'd get out earlier.

After her promotion, the times she arrived home from work fluctuated. Sometimes she got home early. Other times, she didn't pull into the driveway until after 6 p.m.

On the evenings when Lisa got home after 5 p.m., the kids would go nuts. They'd get restless and pace. They knew something was off. It's as if they were telling me, "Our other Mommy is supposed to be home by now. What's going on?"

I'm not complaining about our schedule. It is what it is. Over the years it's changed because of a multitude of reasons. Our family got bigger. Lisa's promotion. My stream of clients. Etc.

I also started spending more time in the kitchen especially after my shameful chicken tender dinner back in September. A lot of that time is spread out during the day while I'm working on blog columns or waiting for paint to dry in the Bodacious DIY Dog Mom Workshop.

And, let's not forget that earlier this year, I transitioned from working on the overnight to sleeping on the overnight. Lisa and I are now on the same schedule. 

All things considered, the last obstacle is choosing a time frame to wrap up the first portion of my workday and continue onto the next.

A good portion of that struggle is realizing that blending work stuff and Our Bodacious Evening Routine is 'bout near impossible. I've attempted this on many, many occasions.

Try writing a blog column when all 4 kids are barking and running around because their other Mommy is home. They get so excited and I love that.

While some may suggest that I utilize our home office and shut the door for a bit, that's not something I do. I don't like having a closed door separating me and our family. The only time I would do that is if I had a meeting on the phone with a client.

The transition from one portion of my workday to the next needs to be clean.

I'll get there.

It's one of my goals before the end of 2018. I've got a month and a half to figure it out.

When I finally figure it out, that should conclude any changes I have to make in my Work at Home Dog Mom schedule.

*knock on wood*