In conversing with my sister yesterday, I realized how infrequently I get to write these days. I looked over my past posts and noticed that the posts kinda trailed off in the end of 2016 and throughout 2017.
I'm in a weird place. Tightrope walking, trying to balance motherhood in one hand, my profession in the other. It's taking more concentration than I imagined not to upset the balance.
Being a full-time working mom is hard. Period. I do my best to try not to miss out on the important stuff, which right now is quality time, plain and simple. Juggling the daily to-do lists has my brain at max capacity.
My daily routine consists of the following:
5:30a - Jump out of bed to turn off the alarm clock so it doesn't wake my sleeping husband. Quick shower, even faster hair/makeup routine. Get dressed. Wedding ring, fingerprint charm necklaces. Check. Check. (It's my way of bringing my family with me wherever the day leads me.)
6a - I run downstairs and grab something quick for breakfast. Sometimes it's plain Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey, berries, and chia seeds. Other times, I grab a banana as I'm bolting out the door. Look for a clean coffee mug, fill 'er up, and go.
6:15a - Leave for work. Sometimes I drive in silence. Sometimes I listen to music. Sometimes I turn on NPR. The commute is my only "me" time of the day, so I try to make the most out of my 45 minutes.
7a - Get to work. Work involves a variety of projects. And after 5 months, it's all still new to me. PR, video production, communications, databases, events, meetings. I'm diving in and am embracing the discomfort. And dare I say it, I think I might finally be catching on.
11:30a - On Mondays, I meet up with my brother for lunch. On Tuesdays, I head to my sister's. Wednesday - Friday, I try to make it a point to stop working and take a lunch. Many days, lunch hour turns into lunch-meeting hour, or, errand-running hour.
4p - Turn off the computer and head home. On the drive home, I usually find myself setting up appointments or making necessary arrangements for the family.
5p - Get back home. Figure out what to make for dinner.
6p - Eat dinner with my kids. We talk all about their day. And without fail, my son always asks, "How was your day, Mommy? What did you do? Why did you do that?" I love this conversation.
6:30p - We get up from the table and leave everything as it is. Sometimes we go for a walk to the park. Sometimes we run more errands. Sometimes we watch a movie. But always, we play.
7:30p - Bath time / bed time. Each kid picks a book. My son chooses my left leg, my daughter, my right. Each has at least one blankie and stuffed animal wadded up in their arms. We read. Then we turn off the lights, my daughter's favorite daily task. We head back to the rocking chair, and we pray. We pray for our family and friends and life. They collectively choose three songs. Then, we hug it out, the kids say their I love yous, and my son follows me into my daughter's room as I lay her in bed. She gives me hugs and kisses and says, "I love you, Mommy. Have a good day!" as I head out the door. Then my son takes my hand as we walk back into his room where his nighttime ritual continues.
8:30p - We finish rocking, and he's ready to cuddle in bed. He doesn't like to be alone. So I lie in his bed with him and tickle his back.
9p - I climb out of his bed, and he always wakes back up. So I sit next to his bed and watch him sleep. I study his face and how long his legs are getting. His not-so-baby hands. I notice how long his feet are getting. I breathe in his sighs. Then I sneak out of his room.
9:15p - I pick out my outfit for work the next day then head downstairs. I make my lunch and decide what the kids will eat. I get the coffee ready for the morning. And then I go to bed.
I love my life. I'm thankful for the opportunities that have come my way. I'm thankful for professional growth and that my kids are so awesome and resilient. And I tell them I love them every chance I get. I hope they never doubt it.
My nights are consumed with routine. It's not always peaceful. Sometimes (more often than I'd like to admit), I lose my cool. My son and I fight. And my daughter cries because it breaks her heart. I get caught up in the "I have to do this, so you need to not need me right now" moments.
And while it's frustrating because at the end of the day, I just. want. to. sit., I know that these days are fleeting. My kids are growing fast. And one of these days, my son's going to stop asking me to rock him or cuddle with him. One of these days, he isn't going to need my help to fall asleep. One of these days, my daughter, my little book worm, will read to herself.
So for now, in the midst of the chaos, I choose to focus on the moment (and try hard to focus with JOY). Because you never know when the moment will end.
I'm in a weird place. Tightrope walking, trying to balance motherhood in one hand, my profession in the other. It's taking more concentration than I imagined not to upset the balance.
Being a full-time working mom is hard. Period. I do my best to try not to miss out on the important stuff, which right now is quality time, plain and simple. Juggling the daily to-do lists has my brain at max capacity.
My daily routine consists of the following:
5:30a - Jump out of bed to turn off the alarm clock so it doesn't wake my sleeping husband. Quick shower, even faster hair/makeup routine. Get dressed. Wedding ring, fingerprint charm necklaces. Check. Check. (It's my way of bringing my family with me wherever the day leads me.)
6a - I run downstairs and grab something quick for breakfast. Sometimes it's plain Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey, berries, and chia seeds. Other times, I grab a banana as I'm bolting out the door. Look for a clean coffee mug, fill 'er up, and go.
6:15a - Leave for work. Sometimes I drive in silence. Sometimes I listen to music. Sometimes I turn on NPR. The commute is my only "me" time of the day, so I try to make the most out of my 45 minutes.
7a - Get to work. Work involves a variety of projects. And after 5 months, it's all still new to me. PR, video production, communications, databases, events, meetings. I'm diving in and am embracing the discomfort. And dare I say it, I think I might finally be catching on.
11:30a - On Mondays, I meet up with my brother for lunch. On Tuesdays, I head to my sister's. Wednesday - Friday, I try to make it a point to stop working and take a lunch. Many days, lunch hour turns into lunch-meeting hour, or, errand-running hour.
4p - Turn off the computer and head home. On the drive home, I usually find myself setting up appointments or making necessary arrangements for the family.
5p - Get back home. Figure out what to make for dinner.
6p - Eat dinner with my kids. We talk all about their day. And without fail, my son always asks, "How was your day, Mommy? What did you do? Why did you do that?" I love this conversation.
6:30p - We get up from the table and leave everything as it is. Sometimes we go for a walk to the park. Sometimes we run more errands. Sometimes we watch a movie. But always, we play.
7:30p - Bath time / bed time. Each kid picks a book. My son chooses my left leg, my daughter, my right. Each has at least one blankie and stuffed animal wadded up in their arms. We read. Then we turn off the lights, my daughter's favorite daily task. We head back to the rocking chair, and we pray. We pray for our family and friends and life. They collectively choose three songs. Then, we hug it out, the kids say their I love yous, and my son follows me into my daughter's room as I lay her in bed. She gives me hugs and kisses and says, "I love you, Mommy. Have a good day!" as I head out the door. Then my son takes my hand as we walk back into his room where his nighttime ritual continues.
8:30p - We finish rocking, and he's ready to cuddle in bed. He doesn't like to be alone. So I lie in his bed with him and tickle his back.
9p - I climb out of his bed, and he always wakes back up. So I sit next to his bed and watch him sleep. I study his face and how long his legs are getting. His not-so-baby hands. I notice how long his feet are getting. I breathe in his sighs. Then I sneak out of his room.
9:15p - I pick out my outfit for work the next day then head downstairs. I make my lunch and decide what the kids will eat. I get the coffee ready for the morning. And then I go to bed.
I love my life. I'm thankful for the opportunities that have come my way. I'm thankful for professional growth and that my kids are so awesome and resilient. And I tell them I love them every chance I get. I hope they never doubt it.
My nights are consumed with routine. It's not always peaceful. Sometimes (more often than I'd like to admit), I lose my cool. My son and I fight. And my daughter cries because it breaks her heart. I get caught up in the "I have to do this, so you need to not need me right now" moments.
And while it's frustrating because at the end of the day, I just. want. to. sit., I know that these days are fleeting. My kids are growing fast. And one of these days, my son's going to stop asking me to rock him or cuddle with him. One of these days, he isn't going to need my help to fall asleep. One of these days, my daughter, my little book worm, will read to herself.
So for now, in the midst of the chaos, I choose to focus on the moment (and try hard to focus with JOY). Because you never know when the moment will end.
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