Diary Of A Work-At-Home Mom

Hey y'all - 

You two go to school three half-days a week. I'm not sure how we arrived at this schedule, other than it felt like the right balance between having a few days to work with no one else in the house, and still having you home enough days that I didn't worry you were being raised by your school. Also, it's what we can afford. So, two days a week, I try to accomplish a normal work day with two small children at home. 

4:58am - Hagen wakes up. Wants to read books. 

6:30am - Laney wakes up. Wants cartoons and cereal. Not that cartoon, the other one. Doesn't like the round cereal, just the flake cereal. Mom makes breakfast while checking her e-mails on her phone to see what the day has in store. 

7:15am - Mom starts ridiculous research & writing projects: Can she find a producer who's willing to go to Turkmenistan and leave tomorrow? Can she convince a furniture company to give us free stuff for a separate cabin-building show? Can she come up with ten ideas for scenes that could be filmed inside a Shell gas station, since they're already a sponsor?

8:15am - Laney and Hagen set up camp behind Mom's desk. Sleeping bags, toys, iPad for watching a movie. Our house is 1500 sq ft, but the whole family is camped out on the landing at the top of the stairs. 

9:30am - Everyone wants a snack and something to do. Mom pushes Laney on the swing for 5 minutes, changes Hagen's diaper. String cheese for everyone. Hagen gets to water the yard with his garden hose. 

10:00am - Mom listens in on important conference call, but just like every other call, she has to do this one on "Mute," because:

12:00pm Lunch for everyone. Mom sets up picnic, then heads back up to her desk: Has to find a company that will give us 30 pair of free waders so our build crew can work in a swamp. 

1:00p Start load of dishes, load of clothes. Back upstairs to respond to an e-mail, which gives Hagen just enough time to do this to every single wall in the living room:

etc etc dinner, bedtime, repeat.

What's amazing is that if you ask Laney, she'll say she likes "Mom days" better than "school days." How can that be? I feel like all I do is keep the train barely on the track - an endless cycle of neglecting you or neglecting the job. 

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, other than I think everyone in America should have to do his or her job in the company of a toddler and a preschooler at least once, just like everyone in Israel has to serve in the Army. Same level of danger, more tears. 

Love,

Mom