Hello fellow parent, @nikkabomb here. I just came back to hive after more than a year of hiatus and this is my first post in this community (motherhood community). I hesitated for weeks because I might not be able to give stories that may help and inspire others. But as I keep on reading all of your contents here, it made me want to share my life as a mother as well.
For everyone in this community, allow me to give you a little information about myself!
I am a mother of a one-year old baby girl. We're currently living in Cebu City, Philippines. I work as a Civil Engineer. I have a dayshift babysitter who's also my neighbor. And lastly, my husband works away from the city and so I look after our child every single day except on weekends, the only time my husband comes home.
Working day and night is hard. Being a mother is also hard. So why did I come back to blogging when my life is already hectic as it is? How do I manage my time?
This might be a little cliché but here's a universal truth - "All of us are given twenty-four hours a day." Time management is the key. It might be a little challenging at first but I am so grateful for still being sane despite of the busy schedule and I am also very glad for still sleeping six hours everyday. Before deciding to blog again, I thought I'd be totally sleep-deprived. But hey, I am not. Congratulations self! So let me show you a graph of my general schedule of the day.
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Duty Hours | 8 hours |
| Sleep Time | 6 hours |
| Blog Time | 4 hours |
| Dinner and Playtime with baby | 2 hours |
| Morning Preparation | 2 hours |
| Dinner Preparation | 1 hour |
| Lunch Break | 1 hour |
| TOTAL HOURS | 24 HOURS |
As an Engineer, I was expected to work more than 8 hours a day but I don't. I always clock out on time because I like to complete all my deliverables within the duty hours. Having to overtime had always been a no-no for me. And the fact that we are now focusing on Architectural works in our project, we don't really need to stay up late at night.
Every after duty, I immediately prepare dinner and set the dinner table right away. I also make sure that I allocate time for playtime with my daughter before going to bed. Since I work and live on the same site (two out of the seven buildings are already occupied), I can maximize my time and almost not waste any single hour.
Here's a photo of our building (the two buildings on the right are now almost fully occupied). This is located in Brgy. Binaliw, Cebu City. During this pandemic, my life had been revolving around this site.
I don't mind the scorching heat of the sun as I inspect the site and I also don't mind the hours I needed to work and to play with my baby. It's just so fulfilling to be able to provide the needs of my baby without sacrificing our time together. I may not be able to be always around as I need to work everyday. I just make sure I am present every single day - eat meals together, have playtime, and sleep together. I consider this as a blessing because not everyone have the same situation as I am. Some are wishing to have more bonding time because their work demands so much of their time. While others wish to work even when they have to leave their babies because of the need to provide for their families. But actually you can maximize your time while being at home, too. I know someone who’s very good at that. My friend, @junebride, is an amazing example of a full-time mom who has mastered time management. She looks after her son 24/7 while being active on all of her four blogging platforms. She earns as much as I am in my regular 8-hour job! See? Time management is the key!
After a long day at work and when my baby finally is asleep, I either edit the drafts I make during the day or start a fresh blog. In the graph I’ve shown earlier, I only allocated 2 hours of blog time. Why? It is because that 2 hours can either be the editing of the previously drafted blog or publishing the blog and interacting with other bloggers. The 8-hour duty can sometime spare me a little coffee break to check my social media accounts and even draft a blog. Every minute counts!
You may wanna know if I have ever been exhausted because of this hectic schedule. Well, it’s both a yes and a no. Yes because it truly is very busy and sometimes it feels like I sprint all day withou a pause. But it’s also a no because just being able to hear my baby’s giggles and see her eat very well, all the tiresome activities of the day seem to fade away! Also, I still sleep very soundly every night. And blogging is what makes me even happier. I love the idea of being able to share a bit of me and be part of my readers’ lives! I love reading random stories as many as I can. It feels like I am traveling to places without actually going anywhere.
Despite of a very busy day, I always end up still waking up with a more energetic vibe willing to sprint again for the day. Knowing that all I do is for my family and for myself. When you become a parent, you should not lose yourself. You shoud still find yourself lost in the responsibilities of parenthood. That’s why I blog, drink coffee and even prepare it the tedious way, go camping on weekends, drink beer with my friend slash neighbor, @kimshinimba, and still rest like a normal adult. Being a parent should not feel like there’s less of you. It should feel like you have been more of you and you have become a better you! For all the parents out there, please know that you are doing an incredible job! And for those who wants to be a parent soon, I wish you luck and if you need a friend to talk to, just drop by in my wall and comment to any of my posts, I’ll be glad to hear from you. Of course, there are those who opt to stay single. I totally respect your opinion and I totally support you! To each their own!
Apart from an effective time management that has always been a great help to my unending ticking-off-the-to-do-lists’-boxes, I have my husband who always make sure I am doing fine. He video chats us every single day and comes home of every weekend. Weekends are my vacation days!
I can’t imagine a life without him. A little clingy it might be but I think for a marriage to work you need to depend on each other. You need to always think that you are never alone. Life is hard! So share the hardships. It may not always lessen the load but it makes it bearable.
And that’s how I managed being a full-time engineer, a mom, and a blogger.
Nikka Mededa, the author
I am an engineer, a mother, an aspiring photographer, and also a blogger. A workaholic mom who found its comfort through brewing coffee and making home-cooked meals. I write and read a lot but I think I collect books even more. And there’s nothing more fulfilling than finally ticking off the books my reading list. Hopefully, one day!
I really love to fulfill my childhood dream of becoming an author and so here I am, in my little corner in the blockchain. I hope you had a good read and check out more here ---> @nikkabomb. Lovelots.