A Mom's Life

For the last few years, my mom and I have been taking a girls' vacation. It started because I was desperate for a space and place in my life when I wasn't responsible for baby diaper changes and sippy cups clean ups. The first child-free trip was such a success that it has now become an annual ritual. We've chosen Florida for the last few years since my vacation goals have been so simple: No kids. All beach. This year, I asked Mom if we could change the plan up a bit. Our house is baby diaper and sippy cup free and, dare I say it, caring for the girls seems easier. Don't get me wrong, they are still very annoying and very needy but I've found that, on a warm, sunny day, I can now close my eyes for 10 seconds and soak in the sun, which is something I was unable to do a few years ago. Unless I wanted to open my eyes and find them wandering down the beach or eating sand. I figured, this year, if I could get 10 seconds of relaxation on our girls' trip, I'd b...

I consider myself an organized person. At work, I pride myself for being able to dot my "i's" and cross my"t's". I enjoy scheduling meetings, gathering the team and keeping us on track. I don't miss deadlines. I come to meetings with notes. I read emails and reports ahead of time. Everyone comes to me when they need to find pens, paper, staplers because I organized our supply closet in my "spare" time. I have a handle on the budget. I know what paperwork to fill out to get reimbursed. I'm excited when the tough questions come my way. At work, people trust me, they rely on me and I know the ins and outs of the day-to-day. I'm there to coach. I'm there to support. I'm there to take care. I'm the work mom. It feels like a natural fit for me, because it's my personality and also because it's my other job. It's too bad that, at home, when I'm at my "other job", I'm actually a little less put toget...

Andy has work-related or volunteer-related meetings 2-4 days a week, almost year-round. He's up at 6 am every day and out of the house by 8 or so. After putting in his 9-5, which often involves putting on tons of miles on his car, he ends his work day and goes straight to a meeting. These meetings often last for several hours. Some of them are near home and some are very far away. He travels so much that I often can't keep track of his location: Was it Buffalo today or was it Saratoga Springs? Or was that last week? I never know what time he will be home because he is terrible at managing his time and he's always wrong. All I know is that he will arrive late. I wait for the call, which occurs between 7 and 10 pm, when he updates me on the where and when details of his day and estimated time of arrival. If I'm not asleep by the time he gets home, I watch him from my post on the couch as he drags himself into the house,looking rumpled and very tired.I'm always amaze...