blogs / 05 MAY 2021
Cartus Team Members Celebrate Mother’s Day with Work from Home Joys
With Mother’s Day in the U.S. just around the corner, our team at Cartus is excited to celebrate the mother figures in our lives. In this collection of personal experiences, we’ll explore the ups and downs of the pandemic and how our team members navigated this difficult time to find beauty and connection with their loved ones.
We hope you enjoyed these snippets from our team life at Cartus. We wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day!
“I can share that, for me, I have been able to spend more time with my three teens (ages 14, 15, and 17) and set up a routine so that each of them cooks one day a week. That helps me a lot, and it helps them learn some skills in the kitchen. Also, I find that because I am working from home (WFH), I feel less tired at night so I make it a point as soon as I am done with work to go for a brisk walk. WFH has helped me stay in better shape and stay healthy.”
“I’m a mom to a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy (and two dogs). This past year has been a year of new beginnings for my babies and me. In March, I started working from home full time, and, in April, my now ex-husband and I decided to get a divorce. Being able to work from home full time during this challenging time was a blessing for my family and me. We were able to learn a new way of being a family and I was available to my children when they most needed me. My kids decided to not go back into the classroom this school year and have been distance learners. My daughter has made high honors every semester (9th grade, high school), and my son has excelled in school (7th grade, middle school). My dogs have loved having us home.”
“Before the pandemic, my husband and I worked full time and were out of the house 12 hours a day, five days a week. During our work week, we would send our five-year-old English bulldog, Josie, to daycare three days a week, and she would stay home by herself the other two days. Once COVID hit and the stay-at-home orders went into place, I started working from home full time and Josie stayed home as well. Three months went by. Josie would sleep in and sleep most of the day. Her only exercise was some playtime with us and her regular walks. She adjusted to this new lazier lifestyle pretty quickly and, quite frankly, she embraced it. As we were spending so much more time together, she became very attached to me and would follow me everywhere. Now that the stay-at-home orders have been lifted, and although I don't know when I'm going back to the office yet, I know it will be sometime soon. This means Josie will have to go back to her schedule, too. To help ease Josie's transition—from being home with me all the time to her former, more active schedule—we decided to start the process now and slowly reintroduce her to her old routine. We started by sending her back to daycare one day a week. After a few weeks, we upped her daycare visits to two days a week. In a few weeks, we'll increase it again to three days a week. We also started leaving her home alone a little bit more, even if we just go out for a few hours. This way she can start getting used to it. She has really responded well to this gradual transition, and we expect her to be fully back on her regular routine soon with no issues.”
“As I pulled a tick out of my dog’s nose this morning after a sunrise walk, I had the startling reminder that moms come in many shapes, sizes, and kinds. I am proud to say that I am a dog mom, and this pandemic has tested my 'parenting skills' comically, tenderly, and, occasionally, painstakingly. Moving to Connecticut from NYC, I was able to spoil my pup with more space—even if she still chooses to sit by my feet no matter where I am. This past year has brought us closer together, as I have been able to appreciate the company she provides, not just the responsibility of caring for a living, sometimes needy, fuzzy being. She has motivated me to stretch during the workday and actually get dressed for a public setting (anyone on calls with me probably recognizes my same outfit on the daily—I stand by the 'meeting sweater'!) 10/10 would recommend canine parenting.”
“This past year has really been extraordinary. Besides making a million adjustments and trial and errors for working from home, it has also brought on lots of gratitude and joy. My WFH journey has its ups and downs—having to cope with a demanding eight-year-old (looking over my shoulder as I type my email) and not having a dedicated space for work can be tough and nerve-wracking, especially during conference calls, hosting virtual events, or when deadlines are near. But reflecting back one year on, I have come to love this new work arrangement (such as sharing a co-working space as she does her homework), more bonding time with zero commute time, and simply just being there for her makes her happy. The time saved also means I have more time to do things I usually would not be able to squeeze in on a work day like working out, swimming, and cooking my favorite pasta. To top it all off, having a very supportive team makes it all happen. As the saying goes, 'There is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be better.' So go ahead, relax, and give yourself a pat on the back. Here’s wishing all mothers a very blessed Mother’s Day!”
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Cartus Communications
