A Year in the Life Series: Working Mother Leanne Davis
Meet Leanne Davis, a busy working mother of two who we will feature each month as our working mother of two young children.
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PrintIf you are thinking your plate is full this morning, meet Leanne Davis! Leanne, a Senior Account Executive, works full time in a job one hour away from home, and her husband, a police offer, also has an hour-long commute each way.
In addition, their family is not closer enough to help out with the house and kids, which are two boys, ages three years and three months!
Leanne went back to work when her second son was six weeks old. She says that her biggest challenge is the ability to manage two children, the house, family, and, of course, her job. Leanne moved in May of 2008 and is still working on unpacking boxes, which she hopes to get done this year.
As we working mothers know, organization is a huge issue for many of us. Trying to get things put away is tough with little ones roaming around the house, picking everything up that we just put away. (I still have a few Christmas items out, not because I want them out but because cleaning up piecemeal means missing stuff as I go!
Kimberly Medlock, Certified Professional Organizer and author of "What NOT to do at the Office - 44 Annoying, Time-Wasting and Unproductive Habits in the Workplace," says those of us who are looking to become more organized should find supervision for a few hours.
For Leanne, who is still looking to get boxes unpacked, she suggests putting the boxes in the room in which they belong rather than in one place like the garage, which will enable her to put away a few items at a time when there is time.
Also, says Medlock, don't feel motivated to find a home for everything. "If you don't really have a room or a good place to put something, ask yourself if you really need it?"
Probably not.
I have experienced the same thing after a move last year. I still have a few boxes that have not been unpacked. The other day I carted them out to the Jeep and down to a donation place. If we haven't used them, we don't need them, end of story. And with kids, you accumulate more things than you can ever possibly use! Think of the toys your children are not playing with right now, and then get them out of the house - when the kids are gone, of course, since if they are like my kids they will spy the garbage bags and start picking stuff up, crying even if they haven't played with a certain toy in several months.
Medlock says it best. "Your home should be a place of calm, not chaos; a place of welcome, not shame; a place of joy, not junk." If you can't use it, lose it.
Leanne would like to lose the baby weight and plan and execute more family activities, and hopes that during this year she can accomplish keeping her sanity and remembering that family does come before work.
We'll catch up with Leanne next month to see how she is doing! In the meantime, if you have some tips that can help her unpack and get the clutter cleared away, please share as a comment.
In addition, their family is not closer enough to help out with the house and kids, which are two boys, ages three years and three months!
Leanne went back to work when her second son was six weeks old. She says that her biggest challenge is the ability to manage two children, the house, family, and, of course, her job. Leanne moved in May of 2008 and is still working on unpacking boxes, which she hopes to get done this year.
As we working mothers know, organization is a huge issue for many of us. Trying to get things put away is tough with little ones roaming around the house, picking everything up that we just put away. (I still have a few Christmas items out, not because I want them out but because cleaning up piecemeal means missing stuff as I go!
Kimberly Medlock, Certified Professional Organizer and author of "What NOT to do at the Office - 44 Annoying, Time-Wasting and Unproductive Habits in the Workplace," says those of us who are looking to become more organized should find supervision for a few hours.
For Leanne, who is still looking to get boxes unpacked, she suggests putting the boxes in the room in which they belong rather than in one place like the garage, which will enable her to put away a few items at a time when there is time.
Also, says Medlock, don't feel motivated to find a home for everything. "If you don't really have a room or a good place to put something, ask yourself if you really need it?"
Probably not.
I have experienced the same thing after a move last year. I still have a few boxes that have not been unpacked. The other day I carted them out to the Jeep and down to a donation place. If we haven't used them, we don't need them, end of story. And with kids, you accumulate more things than you can ever possibly use! Think of the toys your children are not playing with right now, and then get them out of the house - when the kids are gone, of course, since if they are like my kids they will spy the garbage bags and start picking stuff up, crying even if they haven't played with a certain toy in several months.
Medlock says it best. "Your home should be a place of calm, not chaos; a place of welcome, not shame; a place of joy, not junk." If you can't use it, lose it.
Leanne would like to lose the baby weight and plan and execute more family activities, and hopes that during this year she can accomplish keeping her sanity and remembering that family does come before work.
We'll catch up with Leanne next month to see how she is doing! In the meantime, if you have some tips that can help her unpack and get the clutter cleared away, please share as a comment.
