This is How She Does It...

So, you wonder how a mother manages to run a business—and attempt to take care of her family at the same time? Let me walk you through my morning.

1. I wake up at 6 a.m. to the sounds of my youngest playing in her room. Before I took on my last project, which required a crazy commute into the city, the girls (and I) would often sleep well past 7. But now, my girls have become early risers. Check my e-mail for the conference call dial-in. I'm supposed to be on at 9 a.m. sharp.

2. Get the girls (and me) breakfast, which is one big bickerfest over plate and cup colors, and who gets to sit next to mommy.

3. Get everyone dressed. We're running into a problem where most of our oldest's clothes are too small for her, yet she insists on wearing them...resulting in me looking like a bad mommy who lets her four-year-old daughter wear belly shirts. Hunt through the house for oldest's shoes. The dial-in number finally comes through, and I take a few seconds to look over the documents.

4. Feel an odd sense of foreboding when I leave to drop my youngest off across the street at 8:30. This is all going too easy.

5. Get my oldest strapped into the car, then discover that the key is missing off of my chain (thanks to yesterday's car repairs). The time is now 8:45. I have to get my daughter to her school, 10 minutes away, and make the conference call.

6. Get my daughter out of the car. Run into the house and scramble frantically for the key. Call my neighbor to see if she can drive my daughter to school in time for the 9:30 field trip. My neighbor already left to take her son to the same school. It is now 8:55. There is no key.

7. Get on my conference call on my cell phone. I warn my daughter to be quiet. I put myself on mute whenever possible and rustle through things. The time is now 9:10.

8. Find my key. Continue listening in on the conference call, on speakerphone and mute, while I drive. The time is now 9:15.

9. Get daughter out of car while making a few meaningful comments on the call. Put on mute as I get daughter into class (thankfully, there was no need for me to chime in while I was near the rowdy three-year-olds). She arrives as her class is lining up to hit the planetarium. She gets a quick kiss as I run for the exits.

10. Make my contributions to the conference call from my car, in my daughter's school parking lot. Take deep breaths. And wonder if it's too early to drink wine when I get back to my house. Time is 10 a.m.

Comments

[Leisa Dreps]

Oh... There are times when those things happen. You'll never know when you will lose something as important as your car keys. Did you happen to have an extra key with you back then?