Working Mom Guilt?

actually, no... (Do I feel guilt over not BFing Button as well as I did Ms. Mack? yes... but another story, for another day...)

Recently a coworker asked me if I was still taking Wednesdays off (which I got to do for a few months after returning from maternity leave)... while I reminisced at how nice it was to have those days off with my girlie, I honestly responded, "no - and it's ok, I don't mind being back to work FULL full-time..."


::double-take:: right??

While I would just adore the extra day to get shit done around the house (laundry, putting away the clean clothes that have piled up 3 loads high at the foot of my bed?!) I honestly don't mind working 5 days a week... (Of course, realize that on average, I'm off once every two weeks or so - kids' illnesses or doctor appointments, for which I take the whole day, or my doctor/dentist/dermatologist/ophthalmologist appointments...)


But again, why am I ok being away from my kids for 40 hours a week?!

While motherhood definitely defines who I am, it only defines PART of who I am as a person.

I'm also an avid reader, a crafter (hello crochet!), a pianist, and hobby-photographer.

I enjoy listening to music and having drinks with my girlfriends!

I am still a person, and believe that I can be a better mother if I take care of myself first - mostly mentally.  (I was going to say physically too, but I guess I can mother just as well even when my eyebrows are woofing because I haven't had time for a wax salon visit... true story.)

I was thinking all of this as I read a favorite blog of mine, Enjoying The Small Things by Kelle Hampton... Her recent "10 Ways To Get Your Mom-Mojo Back" (yay for catchy click-able titles!) screamed for me to read, and the two most important take-aways I wanted to note:


Get away FROM the kids. Ironic, yes, but it works.  You need to breathe for yourself before you can breathe life into motherhood, so get out the door and go find a coffee shop.  A bookstore. A TJ Maxx, a Whole Foods, a pottery class, a sushi joint, a hotel.  Be by yourself. Journal. Harmlessly gossip.  I can leave my house on a Saturday morning for my “Hour of Power” thinking I might never come back, and every time I pull back in my driveway after some time alone, my heart soars at the site of my kids running to greet me.

My get-away is my work day (do I need it every day?  ..... sometimes! lol)
And when I walk into the daycare and Ms. Mack spots my face for the first time... oh those smiles...

(I'll be that horrible mother of two, where all of her photos are of her baby, and almost none of my first born...) but nearly every day, Button sees me and Ms. Mack through his room's window, and I can hear his "Mommy Mommy Mommy Mommy!" start before I've come around the corner and through the door....

But the get-aways, no matter how long, short, or frequent, are important... because then, when we do THIS, it is that much sweeter:
2. Get away WITH the kids.   We’re on a little staycation right now, and I can’t tell you how great it’s been to be away and not have laundry or cleaning or e-mails to keep me busy.  Our job is simply to HAVE FUN, and it makes me appreciate these little kid days so much. 

So, tomorrow E heads out of town (across country actually!) until Sunday morning, and I've penciled in and booked a few close mom-friends and their babies for an epic-Going-With-No-Plan playdate on Saturday. What time?

Whatever time they want to come. lol

We'll take a field-trip to the post office Saturday morning, because there's a postal worker who wants to buy a Cincher (my new business! OMG! if you buy/wear LuLaRoe, you need one of these! They're custom-made!
and if you sell LuLaRoe, you need to offer these to your VIP customers! (Bulk discounts available!)
Give code BuggyList15 for 15% off your order!  

And  then the day is our oyster... I think we're gonna paint some tushes and make these cute little Butt-kins with our friends!