Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho...

Posted by: Bridget

Hello everyone!  I, too, am back after a longer-than-expected hiatus from blogging.  Hooray!  Unlike Maureen’s fun activities as of late (mentioned here and here), I don’t have any really fun excuses as to why I’ve been so MIA except that I’ve been super busy with work and that’s made keeping up with the rest of my life pretty tough. 

I can’t complain though.  Being busy is a really good thing for me because I’m self-employed and my job is appointment-based, so when I’m not working, I’m also not getting paid.  I’m a registered dietitian and a certified personal trainer, and I run my own private practice:

I absolutely love my job.  It’s very fun and rewarding to help people improve their health and their lives.  And I’m passionate about health and fitness, so it’s a total joy to be able to work in a field that I love and truly believe in. 

It’s also really great to be your own boss. 

There are some obvious perks, like being able to make your own schedule and take as many vacation days as you want.  I don’t have to worry about all of the corporate procedures and policies that my hubby and all of the other people in Corporate America have to deal with.  I’m not going to show up to work one day only to find that my entire team has been restructured and I’ll now be working on a totally different project or anything like that.  I’ve never been good at following rules, especially ones that I don’t agree with, so working for myself is perfect for me. 

But there are a few minor drawbacks. 

First, running your own business is a lot of work.  I don’t get to be just a dietitian and personal trainer.  I’ve also got to be a manager, marketer, accountant, administrative assistant, IT expert, etc…  I have to be really disciplined in order to be successful because there’s no one else to hold me accountable.  Sometimes that can be hard to do. 

On the flip side, it can also be challenging to know when to draw the line and step away from work.  It always seems like there’s something that I could or should be doing for work in order to build my business, so I tend to feel guilty when I’m not working.  It’s always hanging over my head, kinda like that feeling in college when you had a huge paper to write but you decided to go out drinking instead. 

A second drawback that I am now painfully aware of is that I won’t be getting paid maternity leave.  Booooo.  I don’t think I even need to elaborate on how much of a bummer this is.  So I’m definitely embracing the busy work schedule that I’ve had as of late and the consistent income that goes along with it. 

While we’re on the subject of work, I should probably mention the whole working post-baby issue.  It’s something that I’ve been giving a lot of thought to lately, for obvious reasons.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve always thought that I would be a stay-at-home mom when I have my babies.  Of course, that was before any of this was an actual reality, so I was always thinking idealistically.  I just never liked the idea of missing out on so much of my baby’s waking hours because I had to be at work. 

Now that this situation is about to become a reality, I am looking at things a little differently.  I still don’t like the idea of having to put my baby in day care, but I also don’t like the idea of putting my job and my career on hold.  If I was to quit working now, it would feel like a huge disappointment after having earned a Master’s degree in my field and worked hard to build my business.  Plus, I’ve already mentioned how much I love my job, so I don’t want to stop working.  Then, of course, there’s the issue of financial stability to consider.  But, still, I really don’t want someone else to raise my baby while I’m at work.

Note:  Before I go any further, I have to add that I absolutely do not judge anyone else for their decision on whether or not to be a working mom.  I think that it’s a very personal decision that everyone needs to make for themselves based on their own life situation, needs, and goals.  I’m just sharing my own thoughts as Scott and I try to work out what’s best for us.

This is another situation where I’m pretty lucky that I’m my own boss.  I have the freedom to decide exactly 

how much or how little I want to work.  This is made even easier by the fact that my job is appointment-based.  Since I can work even just an hour or two here and there, I can still make some money and keep my business going even at a slow pace while I figure out motherhood and what my new life with a little one will be like. 

So that’s the plan as of now.  I’m going to take some time off for my own self-imposed maternity leave and I’ll see how things go.  When I feel ready, I’ll slowly start getting back into work and decide then how far I want to take it.  We’re really lucky that our families live nearby, so hopefully we’ll be able to get some help with childcare while I figure out my new routine. 

In the meantime, I plan on working all the way up to my due date as long as I keep feeling good.  But I promise I’ll be better about making time for blogging so that I don’t go weeks without a post again.  I don’t want to go disappointing any of you loyal readers out there!