Work Day

Today is the day that comes every week in which Tre goes to my bestest bud Laurie's house so I can "work". This concept makes me smile every Tuesday when I drop him off. Because although Tuesday's is officially my VisionAir day of work, to me it feels like the most welcome day of rest! A day in which I dictate my schedule, when I take a shower (alone, without an 18 month old throwing dinosaurs at me and wanting me to hold him under the water for hours at a time), I even get to decide when and what I eat (I try to eat a very sophisticated lunch, something that I could not eat with an 18 month old around, like a spicy chili and I always leave my food on the coffee table for a couple hours, with a full glass of water just because I can, it won't get knocked over, eaten, spilled, splashed, thrown, or even fed to the dog.) I also try to call as many people as possible and just chat away as I hear their kids screaming in the background, just to remind my self how lucky I am for these few hours. I always pick up the house and vacuum and light candles and put them in low lying areas. And then of course, I do my work, which seems like such a relief. But by the time five o'clock or so rolls around, and I am on my way to cardio salsa with the girls I am truly missing my little whirlwind of a boy. I always call to make sure he is doing good and I hear him crashing trucks in the background, banging pots, and chasing the "keekee" (kitty) all around, and I smile as I sit in traffic on my way to castle rock, alone, with the radio loud enough to hurt an infants ears, on a channel in which the topic of discussion is not appropriate for a child who is beginning to repeat everything he hears, and eating whatever I can cause I don't have to share it, and I especially don't worry about how long I will be sitting here before he starts to go nuts. I even find that on my "work days", traffic is a welcome thing, because it is almost relaxing to sit in traffic without an 18 month old.

Working is such a funny concept. Mom's are the hardest workers in the history of mankind, being a stay at home mom is the most difficult job one person could ever have. The amount of time, energy, prayers, patience, blood, sweat and tears that goes into being a mom is something that will not be notably rewarded until we get to heaven. And no man will ever understand what it takes, and that's okay, I almost like it better that way, it is a bond that we women share, something that we can understand about each other. I think the hardest thing about being a mom is staying engaged. At whatever level your at with your kids, staying engaged. Getting down on their level and caring, working on your parenting skills, and treating it like a job in which if I study this, if I research this, if I get by in, if I get advice, etc. than I will excel at this! That is the hardest part. So today, on my "work day", I am going to read the next chapter in my parenting book, so that tomorrow when the real work begins again, I can engage a little more.

So I must go and "work". Ahhhhhhh, Tuesdays!