One Secret to Success as a Working Mom: Keep Your Arms Out to Receive Blessings

Greetings from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ! Things have been busy. I am still a working mom of three, working full time who is trying to make a difference. I do a lot of things and try to be present so that I can learn from them. I share them on this blog so that we can learn together. Below are some thoughts, hacks, and/or lessons that I have learned from navigating my world. The lesson I have learned recently is that the universe has reminders of the goodness that exists, we just have to look for them.  Life can test us in the most intense ways — and recently I have experienced that intensity. It’s been a season filled with emotional strain, logistical juggling, and moments where I question the laws of physics and fairness. But in the middle of this chaos, I have experienced some extraordinary, blessings that embodied grace-- when I least expected it.

Wordless Wednesday (not really): What Dinner Looked Like Tonight


I saw on Facebook that a high school friend (Jennifer Balonek VanRy) made Cold Sesame Noodles for dinner. I made chili. Jennifer's dish was inspired by a New York Times video. Mine was inspired by necessity and a little guilt.


The Liberty Bridge is Closed and My World Has Been Rocked


We got home late tonight after driving an hour and a half to make a 20 minute trip in sweltering heat. The baby an I made this trip to pick up his sister only after taking a tour around the city of Pittsburgh, in search of a street where the traffic was actually moving and would take us to the South Side. The Liberty Bridge is closed, which is apparently clogging many of the traffic arteries, especially those going South. We owe the bridge closure and traffic jams to a debacle involving fire, delinquent behavior and an inadequate response by the City.  

Let me be heard, when you have three rivers running through your city and a bridge is closed that transport 55,000 people a day, you owe it to your citizens to do whatever it takes to keep the traffic moving, lest the children will be forced to eat canned chili for dinner.  The horror!!!

When You Foul Up, It's OK to Bribe Your Kids


Our daughter requested Wendy's Chili for dinner as her consolation prize for being the last child picked up at her school's post-care program. Yeah, I was that mom today. And because the dinner gods had no mercy, Wendy's was out of chili. Yeah really. When asked when they'd have more chili, the cashier responded, "More chili? Um, I don't know. Not today. And I don't work tomorrow. So, it don't really matter to me." The Universe wasn't giving me any breaks today!

Without the leverage of chili tomorrow, I wound up buying a Wendy's Frosty and making canned chili. Glad I got over this hump. Bring on Thursday!

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