The Crazy Lives of Working Moms

Having a career and keeping up with the kids and house work can seem exhausting.

CareerBuilder's annual Mother's Day survey found that:

• 18 percent of working moms said they spend two hours or less with their children each workday.
• 29 percent reported they missed two or more significant events in their child's life because of work in the past year. 

This week's question:

"What are some tips local working moms could use to help juggle it all?"

Read what the Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch Moms Council had to say, then add your own suggestions in the comment field below this article.

Melissa Frasure: I personally have done both the stay-at-home and the working mom gigs. I stayed home for the first four years of my children's lives. Then it was time for mom to go back to work full time and start helping out financially. Both were hard for me, but I have to say that working full time and juggling everything else was exhausting. I have found a happy median this year by working part time. For me, it works better, and I have more time to focus on the kids and still bring in some income.

While I was working full time, I realized that it required some serious organization to make everything run smoothly. I had certain evenings dedicated to cleaning and laundry and other evenings dedicated to the kids' activities. I also would have meals planned ahead so that I could go ahead and have everything prepared beforehand. Cleaning on Sunday nights also seemed to work well for me so that the house was clean and ready to go for the week. 

Melissa Holder: I was able to stay home with my children during most of the years before they attended elementary school. However, when my first child was a baby, I did work part time in an office. For me, planning meals each week was very helpful. I also tried to break up my chores around the house and didn't pressure myself to get it all done in one day. I admit that things didn't always run as smoothly as they could have (and still don't), but I really believe that we need to not be too hard on ourselves. Our kids are young only for a short time. They will remember time spent with them more than if the floors are shined.