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| Photo from my photo shoot. Credits: Becky Thurner |
"The idea about having it all is a myth. And if you convince yourself that you can, you'll end up feeling guilty when things don't work out. My advice is to be realistic, compromise and be the best that you can be at that moment." Nina Jasinksi , Olgivy & Mather's chief marketing officer (CMO)
One of the reasons that I devote this blog to issues affecting working mothers is because they are my people! On the working front, I am an attorney, a writer, a speaker, and a law school professor. On the mom front, I am the mother of a finicky first grade student and a tenacious toddler. So, it is safe to say that I have the “working mom” thing on lock.
Summer is over. Gone are days with extended sunlight and warm weather beckoning us outside. Now, there is a chill in the air. The days are shorter. And everybody expects to work, and work hard. For that reason, I decided to post a list of support materials for those seeking work/life balance. Working moms especially need to carefully plan their lives so that we can balance everything. We're not so much seeking time to eat bon bons and get manicures as much as we are simply just trying to get everything done. As Atiya Abdelmalik, a speaker I heard recently, said, "Working women wear a lot of hats."
Last Week Things Got Real...
Last week, I had two sick kids, an awards ceremony, my regular work, and I was on-call. That means that I did not get one complete night of sleep because someone was waking me up, either the kids or my job. If you saw me, I was the one with slight blood shot eyes and bags so big they could carry the uniforms for all of the
Pittsburgh Steelers. I was the one who got a call that I had to handle when I was on my way to the ceremony (because I was on call) and rolled into the awards ceremony as they were reading my biography and had to grin and do a celebrity wave because a room full of people were wondering whether I'd show. They said it was perfect timing and I had on killer shoes. When your tagline is, "A working mom's quest for balance in stilettos," shoes matter a lot. I am the one who was beyond grateful that it was Friday because even though I was still on call, I knew that I at least didn't have to navigate the morning rush on top of everything else that was going on.
In case you're curious about the award, I was recognized as a "Women & Business" by Pittsburgh Magazine. It was definitely an honor and a highlight of my year. Here's a link to the article, Pittsburgh Magazine October 2016 Issue.
As most working moms know, we talk about "busy weeks". However, most of the time, that whirlwind is often our daily lives. We just like to package it differently to make us think things will be different at some point... The truth is, last week, I tried really hard in all areas of my life and did the very the best I could with all of the demands that I had. And somehow I made it work, even if if wasn't perfect. I also have the photo from the photo shoot that's posted above, and the plaque with my award, that reminds me that I'm getting it right a lot of the time, even when it might not feel like it.
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