A Day in the Life: Running my Business at Home with a Toddler

How It All Started

When I found out I was pregnant, I really hoped and prayed that I would be able to stay home with my baby, which has always been a dream for me. I know, it’s not for everyone, but I really just wanted to be a full time mama!

However, this meant quitting my full time job in order to pursue my new dream. I actually studied Health Promotion, and my full time job was working in Corporate Wellness and even coaching Crossfit over the years. Since fitness pretty much consumed my life, I decided a few years into my job, that I wanted to take on a little side gig in a totally different “field”. My sister had started as a Stella & Dot Stylist a few years before, and I was always buying the products from her. She finally convinced me to sign up to be a stylist for myself (back in August of 2016 right after Austin and I got married). I loved it and still love it! I had truly no idea how many doors this little venture would open up for me in the years to come.

July 2017 at my first Stella & Dot conference with my sister

The Next Few Years

For a few years, I ran this side gig on the weekends and in any free time I could find. I threw parties, had friends host parties and shared my love for Stella & Dot through word of mouth and wearing and sharing.

Social media was starting to get more popular, so I took a plunge and switched over my personal Instagram account to primarily a style account. I created Instagram stories to share Stella & Dot products and would share my link through my bio or through direct messages.

After doing this awhile, I started getting questions on other details of my wardrobe. I thought, if there was a way I could not only share S&D but also my wardrobe and other items I wore and loved, this would be even more ideal. Shortly after, I applied and was accepted to LTK (liketoknow.it) where I was able to link multiple different brands and share links for my followers.

Throwback to some fun little outfit shoots back in the day.

Fast Forward

Starting a blog was always on my radar, but if I’m being honest, it wasn’t one of those things I thought I would ever do. First, I didn’t have ANY clue how to start that, I didn’t know what I would share, didn’t even think I had anything anyone would care about reading, and every other thought or excuse under the sun.

Well, I got pregnant with Ansley and decided, heck, if I want to do this, now is the time!

I knew I would have a little bit of time before she was born (sorta lol) and if nothing else, I would use the blog to journal about my own experiences like what to pack in my hospital bag, share maternity fashion, my birth experience, mom life and more.

So end of 2018, I started this blog, WatsonAnsley.
(Sidenote: WatsonAnsley was my originaly IG name, and I never changed it. Ansley was my middle name that I dropped when I got married and wanted to keep it in someway. Didn’t know at the time that it would also be my daughter’s name)

When It All Really Began

Our sweet little Ansley Mae was born at towards the end of 2019, and everything changed for the better! I ended up having a bit more free time than I had before after leaving my job. Who knew..newborns sleep a lot in the beginning, lol. Don’t get me wrong newborn life was tough and emotional and just all so new. But, any time Ansley was sleeping, I was working (whenever I wasn’t also sleeping, ha!). I became so determined to learn new things on my terms. For the first time, I felt like I could learn and work for what I wanted instead of doing something someone else told me to do for them. What a freeing experience!

This is when even more of a shift happened. I was still sharing fashion and accessories, but I wanted to authentically share my new life with anyone who was following. I wanted to share mom world, my breastfeeding journey, our favorite mom hacks, baby products, and more! I truly felt like I had a purpose now. I felt like I was really helping other moms feel less alone. Sharing my experiences as a new mom, brought in so many new friends and new conversations. I didn’t know it all, of course not, I just became a mom. But I figured, why not share my journey along the way. I can do my best to help others and others can also help me as I learn!

Not All Rainbows & Butterflies

I felt like I was getting into more of a groove with my work and also being a mom. But as most moms know, the second you feel like you get one thing down with your children, they like to change things up on you.

If I’m being honest, balancing it all took a big toll on me. I had started taking on more collaborations, aka more work, which I LOVE (and still love). However, Ansley was changing and growing too, which meant more of my time needed to be spent focusing on her.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get frustrated. I was finally feeling like I could have the best of both worlds, working for myself on my own terms and also being a full time stay at home mom. But that was just it, both were becoming full time, and there was only one of me.

Ansley turned 15 months, and I decided to start her in a Mom’s Day Out program just a couple hours a week *cue major mom guilt*. I had quit my job to stay home with her and now I was sending her off, so I could work and have a minute to myself. By the way, it’s been the best thing for us. I quickly learned that not only did she love being around other kids and it was great for her development, but it was also super important for my sanity and mental health as well. Everyone needs breaks and being a full time mom can drain you at times.

Making a Shift

For a while, I was still trying to balance working on the days and hours she was home too, since Mom’s Day Out was not long at all. It worked for a little while, but I found myself getting so frustrated when I was getting interrupted or not able to finish something I started. I quickly realized this wasn’t fair to her at all. I didn’t want my child to think I was never paying attention to her or that I was on my phone every time I was with her.

Well, two months after we started Ansley in Mom’s Day Out, we actually moved to a completely new town, a really small town compared to where we were before. They didn’t have Mom’s Day Out here, at least not one like we were going to previously. It was the end of March, and every school or day care I called was on a school year calendar (even for 1 year olds), so I waited for 2 weeks and kept calling places. By the grace of God, my top choice school had one child drop out right when we needed to get in, and she was able to start shortly after with just 5 weeks left in the school year.

I decided shortly after that in order to be the best mom I could be and also get my work done that I was going to work only during school time or nap time as much as possible. Don’t get me wrong, at times this just isn’t possible with deadlines and partnerships, especially ones that I involve Ansley in, but I noticed a huge shift in both of our happiness levels when I made this change. I could now focus solely on Ansley when I was/am with her and work when she isn’t with me, as much as humanly possible.

Since she was out of school in the Summer, I lined up babysitters to help a few days a week at the house and I would go in another room to work. This was also great for her because she was able to learn to have me in the house or same room and not be a total clinger like she had been her entire life, LOL!

Having a Plan

Whether it be during the school year or Summer time, it has required me to have a plan ahead of time. If I want to be as productive as possible while I have help with Ansley, I need to have a plan of what I am going to get done BEFORE I send her to school or the babysitter arrives. Otherwise, I find myself wasting time and becoming more frustrated.

Sundays are a great day to plan for the week, since Hubby is also home. It’s not always possible for me to plan out every single day with the work that I do, but I at least try to draft an idea of what needs to be done before the end of the week or on certain days of the week. Having a planner is KEY for me! It always has been and makes such a difference in my productivity level.

As you know, if you’re a mom, nap times can be unpredictable too, so I’ve had to learn to prioritize what is most important that needs to get done first and what can wait. I can’t tell you how many times Ansley will wake up, and I won’t be finished with what I am right in the middle of doing. Like, just about every day. But, that is life. If need be, I move that task to the next day or plan to pick up where I left off at another time.

You Get to Decide

Becoming a mom is life changing. No one can really prepare you for what you’re going to experience, because everyone’s experiences look different. But I can tell you, you can do it all, just not all at the same time. You can be a stay at home mom and work for yourself. You can create dreams and goals for yourself and accomplish them with a determined mindset and attitude, even when it feels like no one is cheering you on. Just be sure to give yourself grace, because you’re not meant to carry it all alone at one time. Life is filled with seasons. You get to choose what is most important to you in that moment. You get to choose your attitude and how you will respond to not only the good & celebratory seasons, but also how you will respond when things get really hard and everything feels impossible.

This “new life” we’ve created is beautiful, also hard, challenging, frustrating, you name it..But every day I have to remind myself that my baby is only a baby for a short amount of time. I’ve chosen to cherish each moment to the best of my ability. I’ve also chosen to keep working, because it brings me great joy to help and connect with others and also have an outlet for myself outside momming 24/7. I’ve chosen to make this season meaningful and impactful on both my baby (soon babies) and this amazing community.

If you’re in a season of feeling drained, or pulled in too many directions, I hope this brings you some encouragement. Take some time for yourself to reevaluate your priorities and what is most important in this season on your life. It’s never too late to make a shift.

We’re in this together!