My son asked me to bake some cookies for his half birthday at
elementary school. He has a summer birthday so being able to have a half birthday
is a big deal. He was excited and asked
me to make my “famous” chocolate chip cookies. I’ve been baking these cookies
since I was a kid so it’s not rocket science – normally not rocket
science. It turned out it was rocket
science! It was way too much for me to do after work, dinner, laundry, homework
assistance etc. It was a complete
debacle- total loss - a big FAIL. Give the mommy an F.
Somehow during the process and all the help I was getting, we
ended up putting an extra cup of flour into the mix. The cookie dough was
more like a hockey puck then a cookie. Sadly, the big batch of dough went in
the trash.
I ended up at the local bakery at 7:45 a.m. before school
started to pick up sugar cookies for his party. It all ended up being OK and my
son entertained his teacher with our antics – I got a funny email from her
today telling me that we are hilarious. I have to agree. It just goes to show that that work life balance everyone is
always talking about is never easy – for me it doesn’t exist. It’s the 60/40 or
70/30 or the 90/10 days that I have accepted. There is no 50/50 and no chance
of perfection. There are just days where you attempt a cookie and make a hockey
puck! But those days are great memories.
Heidi, this are the stories that will weave the cloth of your family into the next generation...let me tell you about the time Grandma made hockey pucks for my birthday! As a mom who has worked a job outside the home for 23 years, I can confirm your findings - balance doesn't mean 50/50 on any given day. You strive for overall balance over the long run. Days the job needs 99% and days the family needs 99% and fight to keep from both needing the 99% at the same time!
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