How These Amazing Mothers Are Handling Life Right Now + GIVEAWAY

In honour of Mother’s Day, we wanted to celebrate all the hard-working women out there that not only are managing working from home in these unusual times but are also managing full-time childcare.

Keeping in line with our entrepreneurial mindset, we thought we would acknowledge the extra hard-working mamas who are also entrepreneurs. Not only are they running their businesses 24/7 during an unprecedented crisis, but they are also juggling a full-time parenting gig – managing everything from homeschooling to diaper duty to full-time entertainer.

We polled our network of boss babe mamas, who have been managing the juggling act, for their tips on how they get it done.

We also want to give one deserving mama a special gift-bag of goodies from our FSHOPPE. Nominate a mom who does it all by commenting and liking our recent post on Instagram.

 

CHRISTINE FAULHABER, President & CEO of Faulhaber Communications, mom to Jack 11 and Zoë 9

1) How are you managing running your business while juggling all the other roles that come with being a mom in quarantine?

“What’s challenging is all of the extra hats we have to wear, even for a master multitasker like myself. In addition to the regular roles of entrepreneur, mother, partner, friend, daughter, team leader many of us are now dishwasher, toilet cleaner, teacher, math teacher, art teacher, music teacher, grocery orderer, and student. I will be the first to admit that I am a control freak. And being a mother and business owner through a pandemic, you quickly realize how much is out of your control. That acceptance has been a key factor in my mindset before I tackle the day. The upside of all this is I’m learning a lot and I get to be in the same room with my kids more than ever. As a co-parent, there are some days when my children aren’t in the house. That allows me to get some focussed work done and also enjoy a little me time.”

2) What are you doing to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

“This Mother’s Day all the kids (and the dog) are in the house and I think they’re going to be making me something special… I’ll likely ask for some quiet and take a nice bath with some Fresh beauty bath cubes. Love it. I’ll also likely be doing a drive-by of my mom and my sister to celebrate them.”

 

DANIELLE GRAHAM, Etalk Host, mom to Beatrix and Marigold

1) How are you managing running your business while juggling all the other roles that come with being a mom in quarantine?

“I’m taking it one day at a time. Celebrating the small victories like the baby sleeping through the night or Bea playing quietly alone. And I’m letting go of the stuff I just don’t have the reserves for right now like the house being upside down most days. Or the fact that Bea has eaten Mac N Cheese every dinner for a week. The process of learning to let go has also been a lesson in being kinder to myself which has been a welcome change.”

2) What are you doing to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

“It’s my first as a Mom of 2 so does that mean I get to celebrate twice as much?!  All I really want this Mother’s Day is a little time alone. To read and sit quietly without anyone asking me for anything. A couple of hours is all I need and then I’ll miss my babes and be dying to smother them in kisses.”

 

SASHA EXETER, @SashaExeter, mom to Maxwell 2

2) What are you doing to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

“This Mother’s Day my plan is to order in my favourite meals for dinner AND lunch because I really don’t want to waste any of the day cooking. I’m going to read, take a long bubble bath and really enjoy some much needed alone time to relax for a few hours.”

SAFINAAZ RAWJI, The Grey Canvas, mom to twins Rehya 2 and Zayn 2

1) How are you managing running your business while juggling all the other roles that come with being a mom in quarantine?

“Focus. On. Today. Every day comes with its own challenges, they all have their ups and downs, so I focus on today. I create a list for every day on what needs to be done, where they are ranked in priority and if I don’t get everything, it’s okay. There is always tomorrow.”

2) What are you doing to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

“To be honest, I have no plans for Mother’s Day this year. Usually, we order take away and have a cake and some flowers. This year, I will most likely have a bubble bath with my twins and maybe end the night with a movie with popcorn. The movie will most likely be something from Pixar or Disney.”

 

RANI SHEEN – Executive Editor, The KIT, mom to Levi 2 

1) How are you managing running your business while juggling all the other roles that come with being a mom in quarantine?

“Honestly, it’s a constant juggling act that I don’t really see easing up until social distancing comes to an end. Mostly, it means working in short, focused spurts throughout the day and after my two-year-old goes to bed—often until midnight. (I vented about this here.) I love being around him all day, though—rambling through alleyways or playing in the garden when I’d usually be at the office is quite delightful.”

2) What are you doing to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

“I might request a long solo walk; I’ll bring an iced coffee in a travel mug, listen to music and pretend I’m exploring somewhere beyond my 10-block radius. A little alone time sounds like the ultimate luxury right now.”

 

MELISSA BISHOP-NRIAGU, Olympian and Nike Runner, mom to Corinne 1

1) How are you managing running your business while juggling all the other roles that come with being a mom in quarantine?

“It’s been hard to figure out, but we’ve got ourselves a new routine. It may involve an extra afternoon coffee, but once I get Corinne down for a nap, I give myself 2-3 hours to work out, get some admin work done, or simply get a nap in. We all deserve an extra break right now. If all else, pack her up in the stroller and get a run done with her.”

2) What are you doing to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

“My husband has been working and has the day off, so I imagine we’ll spend a quiet morning, get a run in (if we’re lucky, we’ll all nap), talk to all our important Mom’s in our life and enjoy being together as a family.”

 

MARIAM WHITE, Founder of The Principle Brands, mom to Sarah and Dovi 

1) How are you managing running your business while juggling all the other roles that come with being a mom in quarantine?

“I am so grateful to be working in this environment so the “working-mom juggling thing” is what has to be done to keep our business moving.  Yes, there are a lot more things to do in the day but we’re making it a team effort and my kids are learning life skills and responsibility – there is no other option.  I am also super lucky to work with other working moms who are the most efficient people on earth. When you have a great team working through a crisis it feels like a large extended family with all our compasses pointing in the same direction.”

2) What are you doing to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

“I will probably be grabbing lox, cream cheese, and bagels from Bubby’s Bagels in Toronto and eating a brunch al fresco with my family in our postage-stamp-sized garden.  That is heaven to me!”

 

LEXI PATHAK, VP & Partner, Faulhaber Communications mom to India 4, Sage 2 and stepmom to Jack 5

1) How are you managing running your business while juggling all the other roles that come with being a mom in quarantine?

“The juggle is legit real! There are good days, great days, and really, really hard days. The secret to managing for me has been to adopt a go with the flow mindset. Accept the chaos, accept that not everything is going to be perfect, laugh when one of the kids photobombs my teams conference calls, and know that this is not forever. I try to schedule activities for the kids to keep them focused and entertained but have also accepted that there is going to be more screen time than I would ideally like. When I have an important call, out comes all the Tupperware and water and bubbles, which makes a mess but keeps them distracted. I make sure we have outdoor time whether it is a bike, or a walk or playing ball to help break up their and my day. I am also super lucky as my husband is a firefighter and is home a lot of the time to help share the childcare duties. We work together so that if I need focus time, I can get my work done. Balance is key. Sometimes I get up early or stay up late to manage the workload, but other times when I know the kids or I need a break, I close my computer and go build a fort. When it all feels like too much, I remind myself this is not forever and to be grateful that we are all together and healthy. When you start to adopt the mindset that this time is a gift instead of a burden it makes everything easier.”

2) What are you doing to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

“I am going to celebrate myself by spending some quality time with my girls. We are going to paint rainbows on rocks and then taking a forest walk and leave them along the path to brighten up other people’s day.  If I am really lucky, I will also get to sleep in…. hint hint.”

 

KATHERINE HOLLAND, Photographer, mom to Roxy 10

1) How are you managing running your business while juggling all the other roles that come with being a mom in quarantine?

“Honestly, there’s not a lot of ‘managing’ when it comes to my business right now. The reality is, unless you are shooting product as a photographer right now, there is essentially no work to be had. It’s pretty challenging because this is definitely the busiest time of the year normally, when I bank all of the money for the year, so it’s definitely very stressful. But for me, there’s no use in forcing it. If shooting isn’t possible right now as it was before, I’ve gotta focus on what I can do. My husband is working double-time right now, which is a blessing, but of course he’s exhausted, so I want to make it as easy for him as possible. As a result, I have been shooting a fine art project with my daughter called Homecoming, which is keeping me sharp, and building some awesome memories with my kid 🙂 The day today is a lot of homeschooling (read as ‘crying’), baking together, and trying to get out for bike rides as much as possible, as we find it helps SO much with our mental state. I’ve seen my daughter really struggle emotionally through this, so I think my number one job right now is trying to keep the sense of play in the house. Too much time in grown-up world makes all of us crackers.”

2) What are you doing to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

“For me, Mother’s Day weekend is always getting the seedlings in the vegetable garden. The first gardening session of the year is so special to me, because I am a gigantic sun baby, and any chance to see new life popping up is truly magical. I’ve also asked my daughter to please draw a portrait of the family this year that I can frame to remember this time together. (And pancakes- naturally!)”

 

Jessica Concannon,  @westmountfashionista, mom to Iliana 4

1) How are you managing running your business while juggling all the other roles that come with being a mom in quarantine?

“Taking each day and moment as they come! While it might take me a little longer to get work done, I’m loving all of the extra hugs and playtime that I’m getting with my daughter throughout the day.”

2) What are you doing to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

“I might have ordered myself some Mother’s Day flowers from one of my favourite local florists here in Montreal. I’m also planning on a date with a hot bath, good book, and my favourite face mask, Masque Vivant from Biologique Recherché, for a little at-home spa time.”

Nikita Stanley & Aleks Jassem, @TheRebelMama

1) How are you managing running your business while juggling all the other roles that come with being a mom in quarantine?

“We owe any productivity we’ve been able to salvage to our noise-cancelling Apple AirPods and the powers that be at Disney+.”

2) What are you doing to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

“Mostly just hoping that everyone takes 24 hours off from asking us where stuff is around the house.”

Recommended read for moms: The Rebel Mama’s Handbook For Cool Moms. It’s the instruction manual you wish your kid(s) came with. (Sold here).