Mr and Mrs Smith… & their 3 kids

The Smith’s (Mark, Shannon, Trey, Boston, and Lola) welcomed me into their home for an entire day and it was ammmmazing and insanely hilarious.
Shannon is an awesome wedding planner in the Phoenix area, so I asked her a few questions, specifically about the juggle/struggle of being a working-from-home mother!

My favorite time each day: Dinner time. About 9 months ago we implemented a no cell phones rule at the table so we all sit down together and talk and enjoy each other… I’m not going to lie, the second best might be bed time: )

What surprised me the most about motherhood: The amount of love and worry that consumes your heart. The overwhelming feeling is something you cannot explain to someone without kids. Your heart seriously gets bigger with each kid.

What has challenged me the most: Running a business with kids and making enough time for you and your spouse! The more date nights we have the more fun life is no matter what we are doing. It’s really hard to find time during wedding season, but we have learned no date nights is simply not an option!!

I am grateful: that I married a supportive husband! I would not be able to run a business without his support. He completely takes over the household when I am gone. Some days he works all day then comes home to make dinner and bath the kids if I have wedding appointments etc. I get to do what I love and still keep our kids in their own home with their parents! It’s amazing!

The best part about this current stage in my life: For the first time in 7 years, all the kids are self-sufficient! We can go anywhere without a meltdown or naps etc.

The best part about the baby-stage: Don’t get me wrong, I love that the kids are getting easier, BUT OH HOW I MISS THE BABY STAGE! I loved curling up in bed with my sleeping baby….. they make you slow down in life.

My advice for working-from-home mothers: It’s all super interesting… you have to be very organized to get everything you need to get done! I have to have a schedule for laundry, bills, cleaning, dinner, and work! Life is so much smoother with a schedule but life is life and doesn’t always go as planned. So I remind myself to have grace, nobody is perfect and hop back on the schedule and start over.

My advice for soon-to-be-mamas: If I could go back, I would savor every moment I was pregnant! I wouldn’t wish away those days to get to the next point. It was such an amazing experience, feeling the baby move, and then its gone.
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