I'm trying to accomplish more, so I'd planned out the day in detail, especially what I'd do, alone, during the 4 hr. I'd have a babysitter. But my babysitter didn't show up. I called after 15 min., to no avail. This was the stumble, the question was: Was I going to recover or fall to pieces? Could I go through with my plans for the day with kids in tow? Uh . . . I guess so. That's the "recovery." It's psychological: I had my plan, which included 4 hr of "alone time." Without the babysitter, then what? It's the same when someone gets sick: Do you throw all plans out the window or "recover," modify plans as needed, and continue with the day?
The same is true of living the SWEET Life: If you stumble, you need to recover, not fall. If I miss Sleep too many days, I need to decide to either take a nap or drink some caffeine to wake up, rather than slogging through the day unproductively. If I Eat junk food for lunch one day, I need to eat a healthy dinner, rather than thinking my eating plan is ruined and continuing to eat crap the rest of the day. If I don't Exercise, I need to plan ahead to exercise the next day, rather than dwelling on what I didn't do. In short, I need to "recover," not give up, and not fall to pieces.
Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Getting Organized
Sleep
These days it seems I don't get enough sleep Sunday - Thursday nights, but I do on the weekends. By Thursday or so, I'm ready for a nap! Over the course of a week, that doesn't add up to enough sleep. :-(
Water
With this hot weather, I'm really trying to stay hydrated, and the heat makes me thirsty, so it's pretty easy.
Eating
I was taking an exercise class yesterday and realized I'm kinda bulky. It's muscle, but I'm bigger than I want to look, and the #1 key to bulking up is to eat more than you burn off. For that reason, I need to eat less, so I'm taking advantage of the lack of appetite brought on by the heatwave and trying to really cut down. I eat balanced, healthy meals, but I just need to trim the serving sizes.
Exercise
I was going to exercise first thing, at 6:30 a.m., but I didn't sleep well, so I was going to take an exercise class at 9:00, but I had a hard time getting up after not sleeping well, so I was running late and didn't make it. Then, I was going to exercise by riding my bike to pick up Zoe, but I needed to get her quickly, so I drove. Then, I was thinking of going to the gym after dinner, but I had to help get the girls to bed and it was too late. How many times have we told ourselves the same story? I suppose most people don't have as many opportunities to exercise in one day as I have. It's pitiful when the end of the day comes and I haven't exercised and I have no good reason why not.
Tranquility
Today was a backyard pool day. I filled both of our inflatable pools, a 6'x10' rectangle and a 5' circle. I started them just 1/3 full of water, which heated quite nicely during the hot mid-day. In the afternoon, I filled them up to 2/3 full, mixing the heated water with cool, refreshing water. That's a lot of water! I also stuck our little play structure slide into a pool. Then, we had at it! First it was just me and Maya; later, a couple of her friends came over with their moms. We ate popsicles, drank mint lemonade with coconut rum and ate strawberries and little cookies. It was wonderful! I look forward to playing in the pools all this hot week.
How did I do, and how do I feel?
Today, I had a _WE_T Life.
I feel good (except for the lack of sleep and exercise) ever since I finally sorted out my desk mountain of papers. I did that last weekend and have felt better ever since. I feel less overwhelmed, mostly because, in merely sorting the papers, I realized there wasn't much that required immediate attention. The biggest sorted piles I ended up with were trash, magazines, filing, and mail to open. Most of the mail was stuff to file. There was very little To Do in that huge mountain. I recycled the trash, stacked the magazines in a magazine rack, and told myself I was going to spend 15 min/day filing papers. Now, 2 days later, my filing stack is very small; I should finish tomorrow. In addition to filing, I'm spending 15 min/day tidying up my house, and I'm making sure to wash one load of laundry and spend some time completing things in my To Do file. I just feel more clear-headed and in control. :-)
These days it seems I don't get enough sleep Sunday - Thursday nights, but I do on the weekends. By Thursday or so, I'm ready for a nap! Over the course of a week, that doesn't add up to enough sleep. :-(
Water
With this hot weather, I'm really trying to stay hydrated, and the heat makes me thirsty, so it's pretty easy.
Eating
I was taking an exercise class yesterday and realized I'm kinda bulky. It's muscle, but I'm bigger than I want to look, and the #1 key to bulking up is to eat more than you burn off. For that reason, I need to eat less, so I'm taking advantage of the lack of appetite brought on by the heatwave and trying to really cut down. I eat balanced, healthy meals, but I just need to trim the serving sizes.
Exercise
I was going to exercise first thing, at 6:30 a.m., but I didn't sleep well, so I was going to take an exercise class at 9:00, but I had a hard time getting up after not sleeping well, so I was running late and didn't make it. Then, I was going to exercise by riding my bike to pick up Zoe, but I needed to get her quickly, so I drove. Then, I was thinking of going to the gym after dinner, but I had to help get the girls to bed and it was too late. How many times have we told ourselves the same story? I suppose most people don't have as many opportunities to exercise in one day as I have. It's pitiful when the end of the day comes and I haven't exercised and I have no good reason why not.
Tranquility
Today was a backyard pool day. I filled both of our inflatable pools, a 6'x10' rectangle and a 5' circle. I started them just 1/3 full of water, which heated quite nicely during the hot mid-day. In the afternoon, I filled them up to 2/3 full, mixing the heated water with cool, refreshing water. That's a lot of water! I also stuck our little play structure slide into a pool. Then, we had at it! First it was just me and Maya; later, a couple of her friends came over with their moms. We ate popsicles, drank mint lemonade with coconut rum and ate strawberries and little cookies. It was wonderful! I look forward to playing in the pools all this hot week.
How did I do, and how do I feel?
Today, I had a _WE_T Life.
I feel good (except for the lack of sleep and exercise) ever since I finally sorted out my desk mountain of papers. I did that last weekend and have felt better ever since. I feel less overwhelmed, mostly because, in merely sorting the papers, I realized there wasn't much that required immediate attention. The biggest sorted piles I ended up with were trash, magazines, filing, and mail to open. Most of the mail was stuff to file. There was very little To Do in that huge mountain. I recycled the trash, stacked the magazines in a magazine rack, and told myself I was going to spend 15 min/day filing papers. Now, 2 days later, my filing stack is very small; I should finish tomorrow. In addition to filing, I'm spending 15 min/day tidying up my house, and I'm making sure to wash one load of laundry and spend some time completing things in my To Do file. I just feel more clear-headed and in control. :-)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A New Start: New Schedule, New Rewards
Last week, I lived the SWEET Life pretty well:
Sleep 5
Water 6
Eating 5
Exercise 4
Tranquility 6
Sleep
I've been making a point to sleep long enough so that if I don't sleep well, I still come out with at least 7 hours sleep. I'm hoping things will change starting tonight, after Zoe's annual Dr. appointment. Her pediatrician gave me some good advice about getting my girls to sleep in their own beds and stay in their own beds! Their middle of the night wakings are what prevent me from sleeping well. This week, so far I'm 2 for 2 on sleep.
Water
I'm finally remembering to take water with me to the gym and to my ESL class. That helps. I'm filling my pitcher with water at home, but it's important for me to be drinking when I'm out of the house too, especially if I'm exercising or out of the house for several hours! So far this week, I'm 1 for 1 and we'll see how the rest of today goes . . .
Eating
I've set up a new schedule where I cook Friday-Sunday, and we eat leftovers or frozen, quick cooks Monday-Thursday (when I work at night). So far, so good. I'm 1 for 1 this week, and doing pretty well so far today . . .
Exercise
I'm back in the habit of exercising Mondays-Fridays so that I can take off the weekends. I prefer that to having to "catch up" on the weekends. I'm 2 for 2 this week.
Tranquility
I've been able to rest and relax. It always helps when the girls nap. That's also part of my new schedule and pediatricians's advice about getting my girls to nap.
How did I do, and how do I feel?
Yesterday, I had a SWEET Life.
I feel a bit more organized and in control, even though my schedule just got much busier. I started working 4 nights a week last week, so I took some time to figure out what my new schedule needed to look like: (1) I wanted to get us ready sooner in the mornings. (2) I needed to make sure to have play time with my girls. (3) I needed to make sure I had time to eat an early dinner before work. (4) I needed to make sure I could get to bed early enough to sleep long enough and still get up to exercise in the morning. (5) I needed to be more consistent about "quiet time" so that my girls could get their naps in and not have to be woken up, and at the same time, I don't want them sleeping so long during the afternoon that they were up late at night.
The pediatrician gave me advice about having a reward system to encourage the girls to behave how I want them to. I figured out a way to do it in an eco-friendly manner (i.e., without consumption or waste). Now I just have to really encourage it and become consistent with it.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
The Organizational Time of the Year
Sleep
Last night I slept horribly! It was musical beds: Maya refused to sleep in her bed so she slept in ours. I couldn't sleep well because I couldn't move freely due to her presence. Then, Zoe woke up screaming for me at 3:40, so I got up to get her. She and I slept in Maya's empty bed, but Zoe rolled around for a bit before falling back asleep, keeping me awake. I'm 0 for 3 in good nights' sleep this week. :-(
Water
I've been drinking enough water lately. Since I have easy control over that, compared to sleep, I just fill up my pitcher with 2 quarts and make sure to drink it all by dinnertime. I'm 9 for 9 this month so far.
Eating
I've been focusing on eating better since the post-New Years lull. It helps to plan meals and go to the store. I got a crock pot for Christmas, so I've been throwing food in there to cook all afternoon, which makes for an easy, healthy dinner. Since it's winter, root vegetables abound, which cook well in the crock pot, and stews and other comfort foods smell and taste wonderful, which are also crock pot-friendly. I'm 6 for 6 since Jan. 3.
Exercise
This week I've gotten back into my old exercise routine of early mornings: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 30-minutes of cardio, and Tuesday, Thursday 30-minutes of toning exercises. That worked quite successfully for me last September - November, but I burned out in December and experimented with other, less successful routines. I'm 3 for 3 this week.
Tranquility
Tranquility has been the easiest part of the SWEET Life for me. However, that didn't use to be the case. It's really good that I think about getting some stress-relief every day because I didn't use to think much about it, and I used to be much more stressed out, especially as each week wore on. Now that I spend time each day, when my girls nap, asking myself what I'm going to do that will make me feel good about myself today, I realize my stress is in much better control. I don't stress "out" because my stress isn't allowed to build up. I'm 9 for 9 this month.
How did I do, and how do I feel?
Yesterday, I had a _WEET Life.
I'm in organizational mode. Why do we all organize in January? All the stores have organizational products on special this time of year. Part of it is that we have to pack up the Christmas decorations; hopefully, in an organized fashion. Part of it for me is that my husband got a "valet" for Christmas; it's a small divided box for his wallet, coins, keys, etc. At first I thought it was a recharging station for small electronics like cell phones, MP3 players, cameras, etc. But that made me think that perhaps we could use a recharging station. I also saw a tidbit on a show about reorganizing a small office without a lot of extra space. The organizer took advantage of the wall space and put a lot of the desktop stuff on the wall, which would be a good idea for me, too. Then there was our New Year's Eve party when Nick cleared a bunch of stuff out of our office s0 that people could put their coats and purses in there. The office looks so much better without all that stuff in there, but, of course, it's all in boxes up in our bedroom now. We, unfortunately, have a lot of "homeless" stuff which sits in boxes in various places around the house (because we don't have a garage). I told Nick I want us to work on one, small, organizational project each weekend. Last weekend was putting Christmas away. This weekend will be finding homes for all the stuff that used to live on the floor of the office and is now in our bedroom.
Last night I slept horribly! It was musical beds: Maya refused to sleep in her bed so she slept in ours. I couldn't sleep well because I couldn't move freely due to her presence. Then, Zoe woke up screaming for me at 3:40, so I got up to get her. She and I slept in Maya's empty bed, but Zoe rolled around for a bit before falling back asleep, keeping me awake. I'm 0 for 3 in good nights' sleep this week. :-(
Water
I've been drinking enough water lately. Since I have easy control over that, compared to sleep, I just fill up my pitcher with 2 quarts and make sure to drink it all by dinnertime. I'm 9 for 9 this month so far.
Eating
I've been focusing on eating better since the post-New Years lull. It helps to plan meals and go to the store. I got a crock pot for Christmas, so I've been throwing food in there to cook all afternoon, which makes for an easy, healthy dinner. Since it's winter, root vegetables abound, which cook well in the crock pot, and stews and other comfort foods smell and taste wonderful, which are also crock pot-friendly. I'm 6 for 6 since Jan. 3.
Exercise
This week I've gotten back into my old exercise routine of early mornings: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 30-minutes of cardio, and Tuesday, Thursday 30-minutes of toning exercises. That worked quite successfully for me last September - November, but I burned out in December and experimented with other, less successful routines. I'm 3 for 3 this week.
Tranquility
Tranquility has been the easiest part of the SWEET Life for me. However, that didn't use to be the case. It's really good that I think about getting some stress-relief every day because I didn't use to think much about it, and I used to be much more stressed out, especially as each week wore on. Now that I spend time each day, when my girls nap, asking myself what I'm going to do that will make me feel good about myself today, I realize my stress is in much better control. I don't stress "out" because my stress isn't allowed to build up. I'm 9 for 9 this month.
How did I do, and how do I feel?
Yesterday, I had a _WEET Life.
I'm in organizational mode. Why do we all organize in January? All the stores have organizational products on special this time of year. Part of it is that we have to pack up the Christmas decorations; hopefully, in an organized fashion. Part of it for me is that my husband got a "valet" for Christmas; it's a small divided box for his wallet, coins, keys, etc. At first I thought it was a recharging station for small electronics like cell phones, MP3 players, cameras, etc. But that made me think that perhaps we could use a recharging station. I also saw a tidbit on a show about reorganizing a small office without a lot of extra space. The organizer took advantage of the wall space and put a lot of the desktop stuff on the wall, which would be a good idea for me, too. Then there was our New Year's Eve party when Nick cleared a bunch of stuff out of our office s0 that people could put their coats and purses in there. The office looks so much better without all that stuff in there, but, of course, it's all in boxes up in our bedroom now. We, unfortunately, have a lot of "homeless" stuff which sits in boxes in various places around the house (because we don't have a garage). I told Nick I want us to work on one, small, organizational project each weekend. Last weekend was putting Christmas away. This weekend will be finding homes for all the stuff that used to live on the floor of the office and is now in our bedroom.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Post-Holiday Mess
The past few days, I've had a lot of Tranquility, and I've Exercised. Some nights I've Slept well, but others I haven't. But I haven't been Eating healthy or drinking Water enough. But that's a usual unSWEETened life: most people accomplish a couple of the components easily, one of them sometimes, and a couple of them with difficulty. Living the SWEET Life involves paying attention and incorporating all five elements into your life consistently.
Sleep
Here it is 5:21 a.m. I've been up since 3:48 when Zoe woke me up. She fell back asleep quickly, but I did not. This has been happening a lot in the past couple months, and it's very discouraging for me. Why can't I get back to sleep? I had always prided myself in being able to sleep so well and so easily but not lately. :-(
Water
It's interesting how I can know in advance what and how much I'll be drinking, depending on where I will be. At my sister-in-law's house, there's always lots of free flowing wine. At my mother-in-law's house there's always wine, but no one drinks very much, despite it being the same group of people! There's also always tea and coffee. At my husband's aunt's house (my aunt-in-law?) there's always tea and juice and coffee in cute little cups. It seems the older generation uses small cups and the younger generation uses big tumblers. In an effort to drink 8-10 cups per day, I tend to use big tumblers and can't seem to get my fill of cute little cups. So, being at various people's houses for holiday meals and at Ano Nuevo yesterday hiking with a kid on and off my back, I haven't been drinking enough lately. It's hard when I'm out of the house so much.
Eating
I'm glad to know that I've gotten past stuffing myself silly at holiday meals. I used to, to the point where I'd notice I was the last one still eating. To the point where my dad, who was a large man, asked, "Why is Suzanne the only one who inherited my appetite?" I stopped stuffing myself silly because of . . . a combination of factors . . . for another day.
I didn't eat enough yesterday because we came out of the Christmas fog and realized we were short on food. Then, we were running late ("having a relaxing morning") and missed our friends having brunch before going to Ano Nuevo. We hardly had time to share a sandwich before getting to the "no food" zone there. We finished the rest of our lunch on the drive home from Ano Nuevo ~4:00, and I had to go straight to work, where I had my usual energy bar. Knowing Nick was going to the grocery store, I thought he and the girls would have a good, healthy dinner, but he just picked up a few things and dinner came from the freezer: potstickers and taquitos! Many would say those are just appetizers, but, sadly, that was our dinner.
Exercise
I have taken my own advice and exercised every day that Nick has been home, except Christmas day. Actually, his family usually takes a walk or hike on Christmas, and it was a beautiful day for it, but we hung out and enjoyed oursevles at the family home. Let's see, Sunday I think I went running, Monday I did a quick toning workout at home, and yesterday we hiked at Ano Nuevo where we saw the elephant seals. That was short but exhausting because I was with Zoe, and she was up and down and in and out of the baby backpack the whole time. I'd say not to take toddlers (1-4 yr.) there because they're heavy to carry so much, they want to get down and run around, and they're too young to understand what they are looking at.
Tranquility
I've had a lot of tranquility lately. Nick even gave me a Tranquility bath set for Christmas! It's been great having Nick home; that always relieves some stress of parenting. Spending time with friends and family for the holidays is always relaxing and wonderful. However, I feel like I never get enough time to catch up with people because I'm also watching the cute things my girls are doing and taking care of their needs.
How do I feel?
I want to get back to a regular schedule, which is strange because we've been in, I guess, vacation-mode and I don't like it?! We've just been so busy with various events that I haven't had time for the basics, like drinking water, eating healthy, grocery shopping, doing laundry, watering plants, keeping the house tidy, working on the SWEET Life business, etc. It's been great to have Nick around so much, and he does help out with those basics. I feel like I'm floating in a netherworld, but having to plow through my messy house to get in and out of it! It's hard to believe it was all clean and beautiful just 2 days ago on Xmas eve!
Sleep
Here it is 5:21 a.m. I've been up since 3:48 when Zoe woke me up. She fell back asleep quickly, but I did not. This has been happening a lot in the past couple months, and it's very discouraging for me. Why can't I get back to sleep? I had always prided myself in being able to sleep so well and so easily but not lately. :-(
Water
It's interesting how I can know in advance what and how much I'll be drinking, depending on where I will be. At my sister-in-law's house, there's always lots of free flowing wine. At my mother-in-law's house there's always wine, but no one drinks very much, despite it being the same group of people! There's also always tea and coffee. At my husband's aunt's house (my aunt-in-law?) there's always tea and juice and coffee in cute little cups. It seems the older generation uses small cups and the younger generation uses big tumblers. In an effort to drink 8-10 cups per day, I tend to use big tumblers and can't seem to get my fill of cute little cups. So, being at various people's houses for holiday meals and at Ano Nuevo yesterday hiking with a kid on and off my back, I haven't been drinking enough lately. It's hard when I'm out of the house so much.
Eating
I'm glad to know that I've gotten past stuffing myself silly at holiday meals. I used to, to the point where I'd notice I was the last one still eating. To the point where my dad, who was a large man, asked, "Why is Suzanne the only one who inherited my appetite?" I stopped stuffing myself silly because of . . . a combination of factors . . . for another day.
I didn't eat enough yesterday because we came out of the Christmas fog and realized we were short on food. Then, we were running late ("having a relaxing morning") and missed our friends having brunch before going to Ano Nuevo. We hardly had time to share a sandwich before getting to the "no food" zone there. We finished the rest of our lunch on the drive home from Ano Nuevo ~4:00, and I had to go straight to work, where I had my usual energy bar. Knowing Nick was going to the grocery store, I thought he and the girls would have a good, healthy dinner, but he just picked up a few things and dinner came from the freezer: potstickers and taquitos! Many would say those are just appetizers, but, sadly, that was our dinner.
Exercise
I have taken my own advice and exercised every day that Nick has been home, except Christmas day. Actually, his family usually takes a walk or hike on Christmas, and it was a beautiful day for it, but we hung out and enjoyed oursevles at the family home. Let's see, Sunday I think I went running, Monday I did a quick toning workout at home, and yesterday we hiked at Ano Nuevo where we saw the elephant seals. That was short but exhausting because I was with Zoe, and she was up and down and in and out of the baby backpack the whole time. I'd say not to take toddlers (1-4 yr.) there because they're heavy to carry so much, they want to get down and run around, and they're too young to understand what they are looking at.
Tranquility
I've had a lot of tranquility lately. Nick even gave me a Tranquility bath set for Christmas! It's been great having Nick home; that always relieves some stress of parenting. Spending time with friends and family for the holidays is always relaxing and wonderful. However, I feel like I never get enough time to catch up with people because I'm also watching the cute things my girls are doing and taking care of their needs.
How do I feel?
I want to get back to a regular schedule, which is strange because we've been in, I guess, vacation-mode and I don't like it?! We've just been so busy with various events that I haven't had time for the basics, like drinking water, eating healthy, grocery shopping, doing laundry, watering plants, keeping the house tidy, working on the SWEET Life business, etc. It's been great to have Nick around so much, and he does help out with those basics. I feel like I'm floating in a netherworld, but having to plow through my messy house to get in and out of it! It's hard to believe it was all clean and beautiful just 2 days ago on Xmas eve!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Returning to Work
Sleep
Let's see, if I saw part of Letterman (a very old one at that), and I woke up to my 6:30 alarm, then I couldn't have slept 7 hours. But I was close, perhaps 6 1/2 to 6 3/4 hours, which I think I do often.
Water
I donated blood yesterday, so I had to drink extra water to make up for the loss of blood, or is it to help produce more blood?
Eating
I ate really healthy yesterday too because I donated blood and didn't want to pass out from lack of energy.
Exercise
I couldn't exercise after donating blood, and I didn't have time to do it beforehand, so I took the day off. Now I'm taking advantage of my girls' nap time, but I've decided to exercise after work at the health club tonight. I'll already be there, surrounded by exercise equipment. Too bad I can't exercise during work.
Tranquility
I got tranquility in the form of organization. I don't live well in chaos, though others do. I'm organizing my time and reprioritizing my daily things to do. Hopefully, I'll feel more satisfied with this reorganization of my time.
How do I feel?
Next year I'm going to embark on a grand adventure, so I'm a bit nervous about it but also excited. Well, no, it's not a really adventurous type of adventure, it's just uncharted territory for me. I'm going to work more than I ever have since becoming a mother. I definitely feel the need to have intellectual stimulation, and I'll be happy to earn some more income on my own. I think that's a big difference between today's Home Executive (a.k.a. stay-at-home-mom) and those of the past: In the past women might have gone to college, then married, had kids and raised them. Today, it's much more common for women to have careers, not just jobs, but careers of their choosing where they have built up a reputation and standing, before having kids. I think it's a great and difficult choice for mothers to change careers, mid-career, and decide to raise their children instead of earn an income. At the same time, I feel that the most important "career" I could have is to raise my own children and not have a nanny or daycare do it for me. So why am I going to work more? Because, sadly, mothering doesn't pay the bills. I'm trying to keep the most positive spin on this that I can: intellectual stimulation, income; those are good things. Spending less time with my kids will make me treasure the time we spend together more, right? Fortunately, it's only for 18 weeks; I can re-evaulate the situation after that. I tend to get more done when I have more to do, so I'm hoping that'll work for me.
Let's see, if I saw part of Letterman (a very old one at that), and I woke up to my 6:30 alarm, then I couldn't have slept 7 hours. But I was close, perhaps 6 1/2 to 6 3/4 hours, which I think I do often.
Water
I donated blood yesterday, so I had to drink extra water to make up for the loss of blood, or is it to help produce more blood?
Eating
I ate really healthy yesterday too because I donated blood and didn't want to pass out from lack of energy.
Exercise
I couldn't exercise after donating blood, and I didn't have time to do it beforehand, so I took the day off. Now I'm taking advantage of my girls' nap time, but I've decided to exercise after work at the health club tonight. I'll already be there, surrounded by exercise equipment. Too bad I can't exercise during work.
Tranquility
I got tranquility in the form of organization. I don't live well in chaos, though others do. I'm organizing my time and reprioritizing my daily things to do. Hopefully, I'll feel more satisfied with this reorganization of my time.
How do I feel?
Next year I'm going to embark on a grand adventure, so I'm a bit nervous about it but also excited. Well, no, it's not a really adventurous type of adventure, it's just uncharted territory for me. I'm going to work more than I ever have since becoming a mother. I definitely feel the need to have intellectual stimulation, and I'll be happy to earn some more income on my own. I think that's a big difference between today's Home Executive (a.k.a. stay-at-home-mom) and those of the past: In the past women might have gone to college, then married, had kids and raised them. Today, it's much more common for women to have careers, not just jobs, but careers of their choosing where they have built up a reputation and standing, before having kids. I think it's a great and difficult choice for mothers to change careers, mid-career, and decide to raise their children instead of earn an income. At the same time, I feel that the most important "career" I could have is to raise my own children and not have a nanny or daycare do it for me. So why am I going to work more? Because, sadly, mothering doesn't pay the bills. I'm trying to keep the most positive spin on this that I can: intellectual stimulation, income; those are good things. Spending less time with my kids will make me treasure the time we spend together more, right? Fortunately, it's only for 18 weeks; I can re-evaulate the situation after that. I tend to get more done when I have more to do, so I'm hoping that'll work for me.
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