A Day in the Life of SuperWoman
 aka: The Great Balancing Act
by Mari Peckham

Up early, waiting to hear those birds start chirping. They
have to wake up, too, don't they?  Pounding coffee with extra cream and sugar (for nourishment, of course) while I toil away at my computer. I have, hopefully, at least one more hour before my day has to really begin.

I hear the baby crying on the monitor. Okay, don't forget to save the work this time...refill the empty coffee cup, pet the cat, and grab the bottle from the fridge.

Ah, now this is one of my favorite 10 minutes of the day. It's the 10 minute maximum that my beautiful 14 month old son, Ian, will cuddle with me in bed with his bottle, and I can sip my coffee and watch the weather report. Why does this have to go by so quickly?

Ian squiggles off the bed just as the alarm goes off. What timing! Time to wake Reece, the 7 year old, make sure the beds are made, breakfast is eaten, vitamins taken, appropriate clothing is worn, (remember, I get to watch the weather), and the dishes are done. As I say a quick prayer thanking God for the fact that I am blessed with a RESPONSIBLE 7 year old boy, a true miracle. I double check his backpack for his completed homework assignment and his library book, get him in his coat, and kiss him at the door.

Whew! Amazing what can be done in 50 minutes!

My little CEO and I go down to my cluttered home office, complete with a playpen that houses all the important papers that I haven't had time to file, but need to keep away from the mad paper-eating baby. Read and respond to Email, place the ads that were ordered for my ezine, read a few article submissions.

Oh! It's Elmo's World! Time to watch the cute little red fuzzy guy and dance around the room with Ian. We LOVE to dance around  the room! Plus, it gets in a nice little workout for Mom, too!

Time to shower, with Ian, of course, because Moms don't really need any time to themselves. We have to get going. We have a "Baby's first music" class and need to be dressed and there in 45 minutes. Plenty of time!

A quick stop off at the grocery store on the way back to pick up dinner supplies. I swear, one of these days, I'm going to plan the meals a week in advance, so I quite having these bonding experiences with Jewel! Then I remember that I am married to a professional stage hand and that his schedule varies daily and most often DOESN'T include dinner at home. Oh, well, it was a nice thought!

Home for PB and J, bananas and milk. A busy day always puts us in the mood for a nap. But not for me. I have to prepare a PTO report that has to be delivered this evening. The 1 1/2 hours of uninterrupted work times is amazing! Got it done moments before  Ian wakes up, and 1/2 hour before Reece walks in the door from school.

Already 3:50 PM. Where has this day gone? We have 15 minutes to do homework before we rush out the door to karate. Reece is a blue belt. Glad to know I have this great guy to protect me! Of course, an attacker would have to catch me first. With my schedule, he may be hard pressed to work that out. I drop him off, then run home to start dinner, and run back out to get him.

A bit more homework while I finish up dinner. The doorbell announces the arrival of the babysitter, another gift from God. 

Feed the kids, feed the babysitter, feed myself, and I'm off!

I love the Parent-Teachers Organization! I plan on being president next year. I have time. Somewhere. Oh, I can work it in. Recap the success of the Halloween parties and introduce the new Internet shopping fund raiser. Introduce the parent who, to my delight, has offered to build the PTO website that I had offered to build, since there was no one else. All is well! 

Back at home, I finish getting the kids tucked into bed. A half hour of "Harry Potter" for Reece. Back to the office to finish up and send off the issue of the ezine that is due to hit Email boxes by morning.

Breathe. I hear the door. Great! My husband is home! As I go to greet him, I see that he is noticing the unwashed dinner dishes still in the sink.

"Hi, honey, I'm home!", followed by "Can't you find time to get the dishes done in the 15 hours I'm at work? I mean, you're home all day."

"Hmmm...no, I can't." I think with a small bit of hostility. Seeing my look of frustration, he quickly gives me a warm hug, and says, "I know. You were probably really busy today."

You could say so! But I guess that's all a matter of opinion.

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