I recently re-entered the workforce after almost three years of staying home. When my husband and I had our second son, it wasn’t supposed to be a long-term experience. But 18 months later, a third little boy came along—and going back to work before he turned one wasn’t something I was ready to do. 

When I was ready to jump back into the workforce, I took a leap of faith and made a complete career change. As a military spouse, I was able to participate in Salesforce Military, a Salesforce program that helps military veterans and their spouses learn the platform while providing Salesforce guidance and support. After completing the Simplus Bootcamp, I had all of the tools I needed to succeed in my new career endeavor. Well, almost. 

Like all of us here at Simplus, I have the luxury of working remotely. But, being in Salt Lake City, I choose to work at the Simplus headquarters office—except for Mondays. On Mondays, I work from home. 

I strategically meet the demands of my job, spend time working on my professional goals, and offer support to other members of my team—all while dedicating the same level of commitment to keeping order in my home. And like most working moms, I sometimes navigate two jobs at once. Let’s face it: parents who work from home could teach classes on mastering the art of streamlining processes, organization, inventory control, meeting customer’s expectations, and time management.

Along with my work obligations, Monday is a hair-in-a-messy-bun-and-throw-on-any-clean-shirt kind of day. I schedule school pickup on my calendar for my 7-year-old, so I’m not worried about how he’s going to get home. It’s trying to find that “Work-Life Balance” that is steadily becoming a “Work-Life Merger, the two versions of myself trying to peacefully come together and be successful in both realms. 

Working from home has its perks, too. There are beautiful moments hidden amid the chaos, such as lunchtime cuddles on the couch and dance parties in the kitchen between business calls. It’s one of the crazy yet amazing parts of being a working mom that not many people talk about. 

Even in today’s evolving business culture, women try to fit into the “traditional” mold of what a mother and professional are supposed to look like. When that mold doesn’t fit, women attempt to hide the process.

But today, this is what my mold looks like. This is how I blend my professional goals with my family’s needs. I can guarantee that what I experience on Mondays is not an exception to the rule. And as my boys grow up, these Mondays will be a thing of the past. Although there might be some moments when I look forward to going into the office every day, something tells me that, more often than not, I will look back longingly. 

So for now, I’m going to prepare what feels like a million snacks, keep a Disney musical on repeat, pray for good, long naps, and keep my family life on my work calendar. Why? Because I am a proud working mom.