A couple of years ago Jared took a break from his work and stayed home for a while while I focused on my work. It was good for both of us: he needed a break and I needed to dedicate more time to grow this site. Now though, my site has continued to grow and become a full time job and his work has grown as well and we’ve found ourselves both working very busy full time jobs, while trying to figure out how to manage all household duties and raising children. Today I’m partnering with Munchery to share some advice on home/work balance from some friends of mine who are in similar work situations in their household. Here’s what advice they had (and why Munchery is one of my best pieces of advice!)…
Two things that have become more and more apparent in our experience: hiring out what you can (like childcare and some house work) and the importance of lowering your expectations of things that aren’t really that important (like cooking fancy meals every night). I actually really like to cook but often we find ourselves either without time to shop for ingredients or without time to cook at all, even if we had the ingredients around.
In these situations, we’d normally just get take-out but as you know, it’s hard to find healthy, quality, delicious take out. I was excited to find out about Munchery. They’re a meal delivery service in San Francisco, NYC and Seattle that focused on chef-cooked dinners that are delivered to your door and you warm up yourself. They have amazing options (see the daily menu here) from a variety of amazing chefs, including kids meals and salads, soups, and desserts (and often less expensive than take-out). The menu is super diverse so there’s something for everyone on those busy nights. One night last week we ordered Munchery and Jared got a Japanese sukiyaki dish, I had a delicious baked chicken pesto with noodles, and Henry and Edie had baked chicken nuggets, veggies and rice (which I also kind of picked at- the chicken nuggets were too good!). You can order the same afternoon and pick the time you’d like the food to arrive.
The meals are super delicious. My sweet tooth already has favorites like the gluten free chocolate cookies (below) and chocolate almond milk (Edie loved that as well). Be sure to head over here to get $15 off your first order with Munchery. Plus for every order, they donate a meal to someone in need through the food bank.
And here’s some more advice for home/work balance from some of my busiest friends who place great value on both parenting and their careers:
“We both had to learn to relax and communicate. In the past I did laundry every Tuesday, without fail. When he does laundry, it happens when it happens. I had to relax and accept that as long as there were clean clothes in the closet he could handle his responsibilities on his terms. If I need something cleaned by a certain day, it is my job to communicate that need to him. That communication and relaxation works best when it flows both ways.” – Sara
“I take on the bills and general daily household maintenance, including all meals. Paul really steps up on the weekends and tackles the vacuuming, laundry and yard work. Paul is adamant about doing the laundry, which is great for me! We split taking our kindergartener to school, depending on travel/meeting schedules.”-Kim
“Weekends are our regroup time. We try to squeeze in a meaningful adventure every weekend. There is something about us all going together somewhere fun that makes the long weeks worth it”. –Kim
“I do all of the cooking in the house and it makes a huge difference when I actually plan out the meals for the week on Sunday evening. Otherwise I feel like I’m running to the grocery store for odds and ends all week….as far as work/life balance, sometimes it feels like it’s impossible to separate work and life when you run a lifestyle site. I’ve tried to make a habit to not take my cell phone into her room, though. I’m so much more present and focused on her when I’m not hearing the vibrations of the next email or text coming in.” – Jen
“One critical piece for us is NOT keeping tabs as things are never equal in the short-run but, we hope, feel equal over a longer phase. A delicious morning latte is key to survival!”- Ali
“Put your physical and mental health first! Our family machine runs so much better when we eat good food, take heavy doses of sunshine and play, and get our heart rates up at least once a day.”- Ashley
“For our family, there needs to be a very clear priority list. What comes before work? What doesn’t? What type of work comes before family? Whose work comes first? Although these scenarios ebb and flow, we’ve prioritized family above all, and in each season, we have one of us take the lead as parent and one take the lead as breadwinner. (Sometimes this looks like a 51/49 split, others it looks like 80/20.) When we’re both working full-time toward a breadwinning position, there’s little energy and time left to devote to raising Bee, so it’s always been a clear priority that we maintain enough flexibility to keep this in check. It can be difficult, I’ll admit, when opportunities arise for both Ken and I simultaneously, but we know ourselves and our stress levels well enough to consider the cost. If it distracts from our time together or adds stress without value (and I don’t mean the financial kind!), we’re quick to decline.” –Erin
“Flexibility has always been our strength. We have a gigantic amount of respect for each other and want to see all of our dreams come true. Arguing about tasks and pop – up frustrations seem to dissolve when we remember our family goals.” –Rachel
Such amazing advice, do you have any brilliant ideas for home/work balance to share?
This post is sponsored by Munchery. Make sure to get your $15 credit off your first meal by going here (code is SAYYES)
Photography by Liz Stanley. Assisted by Sara Albers and Sarah Iveson