Being a Working Mom is Hard...

I read the other day, on a message board, that the writer felt that working mothers take the "easy way out" and spend 40 hours a week at work to get away from their family.

As a mom, who works...not because I want to, but because I am sacrificing what I can for the betterment of our family's future, and allowing my husband to go through school, and working on my highest level of licensure, so that I may not always have to work full time outside of the home...I want to say to that writer, that being a working mom is not an easy way out.

A day in my life goes something along these lines:

5:30am- Get up, say prayers, read scriptures
6:00am- shower
6:20am- Get Brody up, showered, dressed, fed, prayed, and spiritually fed
7:00am- Get Brody to the bus, make my lunch, make Nick's lunch, put dinner in the crockpot or prep as much as possible so there is not much left to do when I get home at night.
7:30am- leave for my 25 minute "commute"
8:00am-4:30pm- paperwork, provide emotional support to patients and their families, paperwork, offer bereavement support to families in need, paperwork, support nurses and other staff, paperwork, assist with admissions, paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork.
4:30pm- drive home
5:00pm- clean up living room and kitchen, change out of working clothes
5:30pm- cook dinner, serve it, eat it
6:00pm- clean kitchen
6:30pm- clean kids
7:00pm- family time, books, games, TV shows
8:00pm- get kids ready for bed, tucked in, prayers said, scriptures read
8:30pm- husband time, watch a show, say prayers, read scriptures
10:00pm- go to bed

As you can see, there is not much time for "luxuries" that this writer felt working mom's get.  My goal as a working mom is to provide my children with the same quality of affection, care, and attention as they were given when I was staying home part time, but in a condensed amount of time.

Let me tell you...IT.  IS.  HARD.  I am beyond exhausted each day, and sometimes feel like I am just rolling through the motions.  I have to remind myself that life is to be enjoyed...not just endured...because there are definitely days where I feel like I am just enduring. 

I'm really not trying to complain.  I love my job.  I love the work I am doing.  It is not just a job to me, it is a chance to be able to connect with, love, and support my brothers and sisters on this earth.  I just feel the need to defend working mothers everywhere...this is not an easy way out, and is by no means a "vacation" from real life. 

That being said, I would like to also apologize to my readers for my lack of posting.  You may have noticed in my schedule there is no "blog" time or "read a book" time or "sit quietly alone for 10 minutes" time...but I'm working on it.  I'm working on tweaking my schedule...whether it be to get up a little earlier, or stay awake a little bit later at night...I am going to find the time to do some "me" things sooner or later.  Until then, I am going to enjoy life...enjoy my job AND enjoy my family, as much as I can.