The working mom's party invitation.

You know how you find those party invitations in your kid's backpack? The cute ones in envelopes that are hand-written? Or the ones created on the computer on party-themed laser-friendly paper?

I have done both of those myself. I probably will again, but only the handwritten ones because I'm not that crazy about using my computer at home.

But here is the best party invitation I've ever received, from a good friend and fellow working mom.



Seriously... PowerPoint? Wish I'd thought of it.

On the road again.

One of the great things about my job is that I don't have to do a lot of overnight travel. When I do have to travel overnight I luxuriate in the perfectly organized quiet of my hotel room. I browse the on-demand movies and weigh the benefits of choosing my own movie against the glory of an evening spent reading without interruption.

But that kind of travel doesn't come up very often and, truthfully, I'm glad. Because usually I spend about 10 minutes on the aforementioned luxuriating, and the rest of the time I'm either conking out at 9:30 in front of Law & Order or wondering what to do with no one to tuck into bed but myself.

I do, however, do a fair amount of day travel. What I love about day travel is that I get to have some of the good stuff about traveling and still sleep in my own bed. I might get a great lunch. I can listen to a book on tape while I drive. I get a dose of the juice that comes from a great presentation or an exciting new project discussion, and then get myself on home. And if I'm really lucky I get home AFTER bedtime.

The house is quiet. The kids are nestled all snug in their beds. The dogs are walked. All I have to do is kiss a couple of foreheads, maybe hit the jacuzzi and get to bed. What's more, everyone who's awake is delighted to see me. My dogs rush to my side and nuzzle their heads into my lap as I sink into the couch and flex my ankles. My husband gives me a kiss and a hug and asks about my day. And I can actually answer him.

Once in a while my homecoming sets off a karmic disturbance and Lauren will wake up suddenly, weepy and a little confused. Then I get to tiptoe up the stairs in my nice clothes, lift her sleep-warmed body out of her crib and settle into the rocking chair for a sweet snuggle. It's as if I'm the queen of a soft, warm and quiet little kingdom and my subjects need nothing more than to bury their head in my neck to set the world back to rights.

The funny thing is that even though I've enjoyed the rush of a great meeting and (hopefully) the pleasure of an adult lunch, I've also missed my girls. Secretly I'm happy when they rustle awake, that their subconscious minds know I'm home, but just need to check to make sure. It's these moments that remind me that I truly do have it all.

What did you say?

Me: So remember Grace, you don't have piano today so take the bus to Miss Penny's.

Grace: But I haaate the bus!

Me: You love the bus.

Grace: No I don't because I have to sit by Dylan and he smells like poop!

Me: Oh. Well. I wouldn't like that either. (impressive bit of wisdom there, eh?)

***

Grace: Mom, I had a nightmare it was REALLY scary!

Me: Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. What was it about?

Grace: A mean lady came into our classroom and turned everyone into a salad and then ate us! It was so scary!

Me:(nothing. I had to bite my lip and turn my head to keep from laughing)

***

Me: Lauren, do you want some milk.

Lauren: yeah

Me: Lauren, let's put on your shoes.

Lauren: yeah

Me: Lauren, are you opposed to President Bush's stance on the Kyoto Treaty?

Lauren: yeah

Will I ever get it?

Have you ever been at your child's school and you see all the parents of the older kids? They seem like they know what they're doing. They've been here before. They know how to handle things. But the other day I had an epiphany about these people.

They don't know what they're doing as a parent any more than I do.

That's because, at least with your oldest child, every new thing is.... well, new. And with each new thing you have to figure out what to do, how to answer. So while I'm well equipped to deal with Lauren's on-the-floor temper tantrums, I'm totally unprepared to deal with Grace's crushing need to memorize her piano songs instantly so that she can impress her teacher.

And that's the irony of parenting. You never really get it all figured out.

This moment of realization has made me feel a whole lot better about the job I'm doing. It's like realizing that even the CEO of your company has to go poop. We all do it. And we all get through it. We may not always get it right, but no one else is either.

Week....whatever

Getting up early has its good points. You get a head start on the day. You get to see the sun come up (especially now that it doesn't rise until nearly 8 am.) You get all the hot water all to yourself.

But I still can't get used to it.

Enough complaining, though. It's been busy days around here and the most exciting recent event is a poop and a few tinkles on the potty by the wee Lauren (no pun intended). I'm delighted that she's interested in the potty, and even more delighted that my wonderful Penny at daycare is facilitating her interest and putting her on it.

This is where being a working mom is really paying off. I have NO idea how one goes about potty training. Grace got through it thanks to one of her grandmas, so on my end it was like a miraculous transformation I just got to enjoy. Not once did I have to spend 30 minutes or more sitting in the bathroom waiting for the action to happen. Which is good, because that kind of patience is not one of my strengths in motherhood or otherwise.

I'm hoping Lauren's transformation will be just as miraculous.

There's always hope, right?

Week 2

My sister says that it takes three weeks to get used to a new schedule, specifically, the schedule that involves me getting up at 5:30 am.

It's week two and I think I'm making progress. The hard part is being disciplined about going to bed on time. I mean, on the one hand the kids are going to bed early now that school has started, so I have a little more free time in the evening. On the other hand, I have to go to bed earlier too, so the free time has not really changed relative to the kids' bedtime.

Darn it.

The good news is that Grace loves school. And I have a whole new insight into one of the reasons I love work. It's the structure. I like knowing I have a place to get up and go each morning, that there are people depending on me to get their stuff done. I like having a reason to wear shoes that aren't flip flops (at least from October to April, that is). I can tell that Grace likes this too. Today it's art class, tomorrow it's PE, computer/library time and guidance. Whatever that is.

Now if I could just get used to that early wake up call.....

Where did the summer go?

Okay, so I've been a little bit lax on posting lately. Sue me. It's been summer.

And I've been too freakin busy to worry about writing about it.

We've had one large beach party, one small birthday party, one case of bronchitis, one huge (and incredibly boring) trade show, one sold car, one bought car, one case of pneumonia, one office move, three weddings, one new baby (not mine!), and one blown gasket on the boat. That one came last, and was a definite indicator that summer has come to an end.

Yesterday was the first day of school, which has, for most of my life, been the equivalent of New Years. Now that I actually have a kid in school it feels more than ever like that. I like the structure and I'm going to get back on track posting here, not because I have hundreds of fans clamoring for my words of wisdom (because I KNOW that's not the case), but because it gives me a nice record of what's been going on in my life. I know that someday I'll have trouble remembering what it was like when my girls were small and I was busy building a business. But maybe not. Every time I'm at the pool, or at a restaurant or running errands with my girls I catch an older woman gazing a little wistfully at me and my children. Usually they smile. Mostly they give me a looking of utter knowing and commiseration. I know I'll be one of those women someday, but right now I'm kind of glad those days are still far away.