Workin' Mama

Hello Readers, It has been a while. I was intending to post pics and a story about my little man's first haircut but that will have to wait. Tonight I want to encourage a friend or two. Dear, sweet friends that I love. We talked and something you said sparked this post in me. I lived parts of this post already and am daily living other parts and so I want you to know that I have felt what you are feeling.... You will know who you are when you read this... I hope it lifts you up. To the Working Mom, I know how you are feeling tonight. I know how tired you are. I know that you are feeling a million emotions right now. You feel unprepared to face your next day at work because you just have so many details to manage that you just can't get ahead. You feel a little guilty because you let the baby watch a show on the iPad because you needed just ten seconds to yourself so you could go to the bathroom. You are sad because someone else is holding your little squishy love all day long, watching him chatter and play and you are missing it. You feel elated because it is only two more days till Saturday when you can actually breathe and catch up on a few tasks. You feel a little giddy because your husband called and told you he got a sitter so you can go out for dinner (just the two of you) and see a movie (which both of you will fall asleep while watching). You wrestle with yourself because you want to get the dishes done before bed but you also need to get the laundry done because no one in your house has any underwear left. You are feeling exasperated because you thought over the weekend you would be a super mom and make some freezer meals but time got away from you and you now have the fixings for forty meals but only have the time to make two. You worry... you obsess a little bit...and eventually sleep overtakes you and it is morning. In a flurry you find clothes for you, clothes for baby, hunt down the missing whatever it is that hubby can't find (probably because he put it one place, you cleaned, forgot where you put it and now it is missing), get hubby out the door. Then, time to pack your lunch (diet friendly of course because hello... people still ask when the baby is due because you have not lost the baby weight yet. Even worse, you are now getting the "Oh you are already having another one?" question). Time to pack the Baby's lunch (which has to be cut into a zillion little pieces). Grab your purse, his backpack, your lunch, his lunch, a Blankie for the ride, a pacifier (just in case), at least one toy, a cup of water (because your are supposed to drink 6 of those a day and you know you aren't), a coffee because, hello, you have a baby, and the keys (which you lost ten minutes looking for only to discover you did not take them out of the front door from letting yourself in YESTERDAY night). You pause to thank the Lord you were not all murdered in your beds, mumble something about "thank goodness hubby didn't know I did that", check the blinking message on your phone which reads "You have GOT to stop leaving the keys in the door! Love you, Hubby" and then get in the car. Strap baby in and away you go. PHEW.... are you tired? I am... and its only 6:45 A.M. Maybe you are a mommy in waiting and you know that when baby comes, you will have to go back to work. Have no fear mommy-to-be. There are a few things you will worry about that you DO NOT NEED to worry about (but you probably will still do it anyway). 1. Baby will never, ever in a million years forget you while you are at work. That first drop off on his/her first day will be so so so hard. Be brave and do the work God has asked you to do and then, the moment your time at work is over, go get that little treasure, take him/her home, drop EVERYTHING else and cuddle with that little love till your hubby comes home and then share that baby with Daddy for a while. 2. Baby will not get you and his "teacher" confused. You will always and forever be mommy and she will always be his teacher. He will love her... but differently and that is a good thing. You want him/her to love their teacher. It will make your life so much easier when you have to leave them. 3. You won't miss anything is you take a second to sleep, eat or shower. That first week of Baby's life...I rarely left his side. I remember nothing except looking at his face. Be sure to eat, sleep and take care of you when you can. 4. Don't waste ONE second of your maternity leave lamenting the fact that it is only __________many more days till you go back to work. Love every moment and try not to think about when it ends. If you are a Stay-at-Home mom, please know that you have my utmost respect as well. You ARE a working mom. You have the daunting task of making ONE income cover a whole family. That is not easy, and you have to do it while keeping your children, your house, and your life in order. No piece of cake. You have no "break time.". You ALWAYS have someone who needs your attention, who is knocking on the door while you go to the bathroom, and countless other demands on your time. You are cook, daycare provider, nurse, laundress, event planner, organizer, gardener, recycler, and a thousand other job descriptions. You have a skill set that no workplace can match. You speak "toddler" fluently (which is an amazing feat of understanding). You can remove any stain. You can hear mischief from at least two rooms away. You are one of the world's hardest workers and the thing is, YOU NEVER LEAVE WORK.... where you go, work goes (cute little bundles of work, but still) At day's end, regardless of what category of mom you are, you are a mom and that is a big responsibility and without a doubt one of life's most challenging roles. However, we are not alone in this venture. WE have OUR heavenly Father. He gave us these children but he also placed us in jobs outside the home (for some of us). We asks us to do BOTH and then goes with us into those tasks. Parenting and workplace alike, HE is there. What a treasure! What a resource of strength! I hope that as you read and find yourself in one of these categories that you remind yourself that HE just asks us to do our best. You can do it mom!!!