Superwoman Has Left the Building!
By Alana Morales

I recently had a major meltdown. Not quite a land you in the hospital meltdown, but more like permanent PMS, entire family needs to walk on eggshells or I'm leaving meltdown.

I am trying to do too much, but I don't really have a choice. I work for a company from home, which I enjoy, plus I have my business, which I also enjoy, plus I get to be home with my kids (which I almost always enjoy). How many working women would jump at a chance to be able to work from home, make a decent salary, have health benefits and not have to pay for child care?

Unfortunately, with my meltdown, I have come to realize that I do need to have a little childcare help. I have learned that it is not necessarily a good thing to feed your kids microwave chicken three nights in a row or go running back to your office the second your husband sets foot in the driveway. It's not good when your son asks, in a very loud voice in a crowded store "Mom, what's that for?" when you are holding a mop. It's not good to have to switch from your daily work time Pepsi to a daily and nightly Red Bull. (You know how they say it gives you wings? It's actually the buzzing sound you hear from all that caffeine flowing through your veins. Trust me. I know.)

I was so stressed out that I was actually trembling. This made me realize that it was time to take action and bring in help. Sure, I will have to pay for it, but at least I will be able to get work done while it is still light and maybe even get to sit on the couch for a few uninterrupted minutes with my husband in the evening every once in a while without feeling like I am doing something wrong.

Surprisingly enough, my husband was all for me having the sitter come over a few days a week. Apparently, he likes the idea of me being able to go to bed at the same time that he does. I don't like the chink it puts in my superhero armor, but it's time to suck it up. A mom who is a few bucks lighter per week is a much better alternative than a mom who is a few fries short of a Happy Meal, if you know what I mean.

So, beginning today, I will have the sitter here watching the kids while I work away. Since I now have an office door I can shut (and lock!), I will have several uninterrupted hours to get some work done. My big challenge will be to ONLY do work during that time frame. I may have to lock myself in the office to resist the temptation of accomplishing "Mommy tasks" without kids hanging off my pockets. Earlier, I caught myself daydreaming about running errands without the kids. Maybe, just maybe, in a few weeks I will loosen my own leash a little and allow myself to take some ME time while the sitter is here.

For now, I will settle for working while my kids are in the other room screaming and playing. Maybe I should throw a few extra bucks to the sitter and let her figure out what's for dinner? At least then I would know they would be eating something other than my meal especial - microwaved Dino chicken.

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Alana Morales is a former high school English teacher and owner of The Write Decision, www.TheWriteDecision.com, which offers business copywriting and marketing assistance and specializes in working with small businesses. You may read more of her writing at her personal site http://www.alanamorales.com. She is also a sucker for email and can be reached at [email protected].

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