Before the long weekend, I thought I’d share a few recent questions I have received for the Dear Katey series! If you missed the first one, you can read it here.

Beauty

Balance

Hi Katey! I’m 35-weeks pregnant and I will be a work-from-home mom as well! I feel like there is little to no advice on this in baby books and forums. Do you have any tips for balancing these two worlds?

Katey: Congratulations, girl! You are in the home stretch! The work-from-home mom has her toe dipped in both waters, and it can be hard to get applicable advice sometimes. I want to start by saying that being a WFH mom is truly one of the greatest blessings in my life next to being a wife and mom. To know I can do both right now and show that to my daughter is something I cherish more than words can say. But that isn’t to say it isn’t difficult. I always feel guilty that I squeeze work into naps and early mornings/late evenings. And I always feel guilty that I can’t focus on keeping the house in order as much as I would like. But I think accepting that there is guilt in any world as a mother is the first step. I also think acknowledging that guilt is Satan is key for me! I’ll be doing a blog post soon with Ashley on what we taught at the rS conference about managing your to-do list and I think much of it will be applicable to the WFH mom.

Here are a few things I do to keep things in order so I can try my best to balance:

• One Load a Day. I make sure I do one load of laundry a day and load the dishwasher at night and empty it in the morning. When I put Maxi down for a nap I literally sprint to my laptop, so I don’t really use that time to clean. By making sure I do one load of laundry and dishes, I can stay on top of things that pile up.
• Prioritize People. If you are a people pleaser like me, this can be so difficult! When looking at your to-do list view those tasks as people. For example, making Maxi’s meals refers to Maxi and meeting a new brand for coffee ultimately refers to a stranger. I’ll list out the “people” I’m working with and when I have to say, “No” to something that makes me feel less guilty. I’ll talk more about this in the upcoming blog post with Ashley, but sometimes you just have to say, “Will this person be upset I disappointed them in a year?“
• Two-Day Rule. Give yourself two days a week where you can be strong in one role. For example, on Mondays, I really don’t schedule as many work-related tasks. That is my day to be the best mom I can be. I try to plan one activity with Maxi {like the museum or swimming!} and then I focus on keeping our house in order. I do get work done those days, but it’s only about 4 hours or so. By starting my week feeling like I’m a good mom, I enter work with a greater sense of peace and happiness. Now to make up for that, I do work on the weekends, but I’m fine with that! Then one day a week I focus on being the best blogger I can be. I usually have that day set for Tuesday. I shoot all my content that day and Paul stays behind a little later in the mornings to be with Maxi. During the day I’m with her and then when Paul gets home from work that evening he will take Maxi on a walk. While on their walk, I work in my office and get as much work done as I can.

Lastly, don’t forget to give yourself grace AND time! I’ve found that it can be really hard to carve out time for yourself because if you have free time you try to work. I’m sure so many women can relate, but I feel like I always have to be doing “something” productive. But try to do something consistent that YOU love. Right now, I’m into easy summer reads. {Here is what I’m reading.} I’ll take a bath at night and read or read a little or take 10 minutes in the morning to drink coffee and read. Promise yourself to find time to do what you love because you can’t give of yourself to your child and your work if YOU aren’t being filled.

Fears

Hi girl! I know you’ve mentioned before that you get anxious before going to events. I am getting married in a little over 2 weeks and was wondering how you mentally prepare for your events especially speaking in front of people. I hate being the center of attention. What if I trip or pass out? ha! Just wondering if you have any tips for conquering social anxiety?

Katey: STORY OF MY LIFE! I’m always nervous about one social setting or another and really have to talk myself into being able to do it. I just have to ultimately remind myself that people feel the same way we do. As a bride, people are there to celebrate and honor you and just want to make you happy as a guest. You know how you go to a wedding and hope you get a chance to talk to the bride and groom? That’s how your guests will feel! They will be so focused on how stunning you look and the fact they get to celebrate this intimate moment with you all, they won’t notice if your voice is shaking from nerves. I have to remind myself when I’m speaking at a blogging event, those girls are there to learn, they aren’t there to judge me if my hands are clammy. 😉 Everyone at your wedding loves and adores you, so just remind yourself of that. I was so nervous before I walked down the aisle, I kept telling my dad I wanted everyone to have to close their eyes and not look at me. As cliché as it is, you really do just focus in on your fiancé when you walk down the aisle. Once I saw Paul, I felt completely at ease and just wanted to walk down the aisle and get married.

Fashion

Hi Katey! I’m getting ready to make my first designer purchase and wanted to pick your brain. I see you have the Monogram and Damier Azur Canvas, but which LV pattern do you reach for most?

Katey: I definitely reach for the monogram print more! However, it is what I have owned the most of! I haven’t had any issue with my Damier Azur leather, but it is only a year old so that could be why. I also am more gentle with it than I am my Monogram bag just because I know it could show wear and tear more. I think if this is your first LV purchase, go with the classic monogram as it will always be in style. If you ever purchase another maybe get a wallet or something small in the Damier Azur Canvas. I will say, I would recommend purchasing the Monogram through resale as most everyone’s Monogram Canvas will look the same once it is broken in. However, I would get the Damier Azur new so you can have a bit more control with how it looks.

Food

What are some of your go-to dinners you make for your family during the week? I always get so bored with what we make and I am tired of Pinterest fails!

Katey: Ugh. Pinterest fails. I find more flops on Pinterest than I care to say! ha. Right now, I definitely stick to more simple meals. I try my best to have Maxi eat what we eat, so it’s just less stressful to make easy meals for all.

• Sunday: On Sundays, I like to make a heartier meal for dinner and that way we can all eat off of it the next few days for lunches. This is my family’s favorite spaghetti and then I just pair it with green beans or a salad.
• Monday: Mondays always seem crazy getting back into a schedule, so I love a sheet-pan dinner. This one is very family friendly and we all love it.
• Tuesday: Salmon is my favorite fish and Maxi will eat it if I make it like this. I’ll make this asparagus for a side and serve with rolls.
• Wednesday: You can’t forget the Mexican Casserole! This is a great option if you only have 10 minutes to make your dinner.
• Thursday: I don’t care what time of year it is, I always want soup! I love to make tomato soup {this is my favorite, but I skip the croutons #TooMuchWork} and I will pair it with grilled cheese or chicken salad sandwiches.
• Friday & Saturday: On Friday evenings we typically pick up an Eatzi’s pizza for dinner and then Saturday we either have a date night or go to dinner with Maxi!

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Dear Katey! As always, feel free to leave questions for the future one!