As a new Mama with a newborn baby, you can hardly imagine having another baby in your sleep deprived state. You are sleep exhausted, and still figuring out what your baby needs! Having one baby is extremely demanding, and difficult. I can’t imagine having 2 at the very same time! You only have so many arms to do things for your baby, yourself, and your family. However, it is truly amazing how much we can endure when we must! We adopt and evolve.
Elna is a Mom of twins, and has been building her online empire for the past 4+ years. She has learned to set realistic expectations and goals for herself, focuses on her children and family, and dominates her online business. She is a true role model to other Mamas, and just “gets it done”! Please meet Elna, one powerful Warrior Mama.
Learn more about The Warrior Mama Series.
1- Tell us a little bit about yourself? Where are you from, how many children do you have, and how old are they?
I currently live in Canada with my husband and twin children. I have boy/girl twins who are seven years old and in grade 1.
2- What is it like raising twins? What is the best and toughest part?
I know no different! However, I have heard from other moms that having children of different ages may be more challenging.
I was able to put my twins on the same schedule. So naps were the same and feedings were the same. I also potty trained them around the same time and currently, homeschool them together.
But, the one big challenge I have with my twins is the constant sibling rivalry. Even though they are of opposite genders, they argue over the silliest things and since they aren’t in school right now, it’s tough on this Mama.
3- When did you start your blogs? What are they about?
I started blogging in 2014 as a freelance writer. A few years later I started Twins in 2017. My freelance blog (elnacain.com) is all about providing tips to new freelance writers. I also shared my journey as a new freelance writer. Twins Mommy was originally a passion blog about being a work at home mom to twins. It soon turned into a case study of growing Twins Mommy. This attracted other mom bloggers that wanted to grow their blog and make money.
4- How do you find the time to be a Mom of twins, and manage your own business?
It’s difficult for sure! When my twins were younger I only worked on my business during nap times and when they went to bed for the night. This gave me a good 4 hours a day to hustle and find clients.
Once my twins dropped their day nap, I had to find pockets of time to work. Giving my twins activities like bath crayons, allowed me 20 minutes to outline a blog post or find some writing gigs. For a long time I did most of my work at night when my twins were sleeping. Once my twins started school I was able to work more traditional hours from 9-2 or 9-3pm.
My husband works from home also so we share the load of doing chores, meal prep and cooking. I also have a lot of help from my MIL. A few days out of the week during the summer she takes the twins for the day or does sleepovers. This gives my husband and I alone time, or time to hustle hard on our business!
5- What made you want to start blogging?
For me I wanted to contribute to our finances since my maternity leave was ending shortly (you get a year off in Canada).
My background is special education, so I promoted my services around town to help children with autism. I found some families that needed help, but they were a long distance from my home. I ended up spending two hours traveling and two-three hours working and this wasn’t working for our family.
My husband couldn’t work at home and also watch the twins. So either he works or I work. This wasn’t what we wanted. So, my husband suggested to find something online. He mentioned that moms were virtual assistants, or they were doing freelance writing. This was all new to me. I spent my free time learning about this new world and wanted to try it out. This allowed my husband to work at home and I could start this as a side hustle.
6- What tips can you share with other Mom bloggers?
Blogging isn’t a race; it’s a journey.
Don’t feel like you have to create amazing content right off the bat. Or, don’t feel that if you don’t have an eBook to sell or printables, that you can’t make money. There are many ways to make money online. I started freelance writing in a few months, and was making more than my full-time job at the school I worked at. When I started Twins Mommy, it took me over a year to make decent income. So, as you can see, different monetization strategies aren’t all equal. My other blog has ad income, and as soon as I enrolled into Mediavine I was easily making $500-$1000 a month.
What you need to focus on is creating content for your audience. Help your audience and over time they will trust you, and that will help you create more income.
7- What is your take on time management?
I feel it’s an important part of working at home. I’m not the best at time management, but I do my best. Every day I wake up, feed the kiddos, do online school, and get some time to work on my business. Then lunch, more school, and outside time for the day. From there it’s dinner, bath and bed, and I have some more time to work on my business. It’s working for now, but every season it changes and sometimes every day it changes!
8- What tips can you share for other Moms who are looking to “do it all”?
First of all, give yourself grace mamas! We are doing great as is, and when we add more to our plate we have to realize that other parts of our life will shift. Balancing means not neglecting other parts like family time. So realize that as a mom your blog and business will take time to grow, and don’t expect a fast turnaround time. For me it took almost four years to get to the point I am now and I did it slowly!
10- What advice would you give to women encountering challenges or stresses?
Whenever I have a challenge I have to take a step back and see how I can pivot or change. Sometimes it’s hard to realize I do have a problem. For example, if a course that I enjoyed setting up doesn’t sell, I don’t want to discount it or take off the market. But, it’s at times like those that my husband can direct me to the best course of action, and in the long run I know that it will benefit my business.
11- What is your favorite thing about motherhood?
I truly enjoy the time I can spend with my family. Watching my twins grow and learn is a blessing, and I’m happy that my husband can witness this too.
Set GOals and prioritize Mama
I know I say this often “you can’t do it all”, but Elna certainly comes close! She has become an expert at understanding how her family will operate (even if things are changing as her kids grow). She has researched and analyzed all the ways to make money with her business. She learned how to set realistic expectations, and how to set a timeline for herself.
Those three things create a person who gives love, has peace, and challenges their mind. The most important things I learned from Elna’s story is we can have big goals for ourselves, but how are we setting those goals? If we can realistically understand how and when we can accomplish our desires, our journey will become that more fulfilling. When we bring love and family to the table, our goals grow and evolve.
Our life goals should be focused on creating memories, and helping to shape our children’s futures. Understanding what we have to do in order to build that life, is what defines a true Warrior Mama.
Thank you Elna for sharing your story!
Make sure you check out Danielle’s story next! A Mother Who Never Gives Up!
Learn more about Elna
