A Secret to Success as a Working Mom: Turn Burn Out Into Bliss and Embrace Joy

Last weekend my youngest was committed to going to the "Water Steps" a man-made water fall in Pittsburgh by the rivers. (Fun Fact: Three rivers converge in Pittsburgh--The Ohio River, The Monongahela River, and the Allegheny River.)  He kept asking. I knew he was serious when he said, "If you won't take me, I'll ask  daddy!" Given that it was highly unlikely that would happen on an unscheduled day, I relented. So, we went. It wasn’t planned in the way most things in my life are. No calendar block. No checklist. No “productive” purpose attached. And, so in some respects it was uncomfortable. And yet, it seemed necessary. It was the idea of my 8-year-old—offered with the kind of urgency only children possess when something is profoundly important to them.

Mardi Gras, Working Mom Style!

mardi gras
mardi gras (Photo credit: patrix)
Today is Mardi Gras. That means that it is time to live it up because tomorrow is the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is a time of reflection and sacrifice. In contrast, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is a time of gluttony and excess.
 
In my mind, I am in New Orleans on Bourbon Street celebrating the holiday by drinking hurricanes, eating po boys, and lifting my top to earn beads from revelers.
 

Mardi Gras, Working Mom Style!

 
 
In reality, I am a working mom in Pittsburgh, Pa. I got up this morning early to wash dishes and make my daughter's lunch. It was just one big party!
 

I will be going to work today. Like most days it will be jam packed with meetings, challenging questions and problems that I will have to fix. At the end of the day, I'll likely enjoy a glass of red wine at dinner, but won't have a po boy because they're too high in carbs and calories and since I breast fed my daughter for an extended period of time lifting my top would not earn me any prizes...
 
Despite being caught in the rat race today instead of partying or attending a Mardi Gras parade, perhaps I'll still bring some of the Mardi Gras spirit to Pittsburgh. Maybe I'll wear some long beads to work and later the toddler and I will watch Umi Zoomi and do the crazy shake!

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