Since I added another job to my Leading Mama juggling routine, I’ve found it’s increasingly difficult to stay sane. If it felt like I had no free time to myself before, I have less than no free time to myself now. I wonder whether mathematicians and physicists would support my contention that working moms have less than no free time – as a social (not rocket) scientist, I say, truly, it’s possible.
Frankly, I feel a bit like a magician. On the good days, I amaze even myself. On the not-so-good days, the furry white rabbit who’s supposed to pop magically from my hat never shows, and I pull out a ferocious dingo instead. (I know, you can imagine me dressed in a magician’s cape fending off the dingo with my dainty magic wand. The audience roars, but it isn’t so funny for the magician!)
Here are three tricks I’ve found for managing the madness.
Make music. Get a new CD, download new tunes (or old favorites) to your iPod, or pull out the mix tapes you made in the mid-80s and give them a listen. Music has the power to transport and transform. Sing along.
Run away. Even if you have to take your kids with you, get out of the routine long enough to miss it (if you bring the kids with you, you’ll be missing that daily grind in no time!). I traveled to San Diego for 46 hours this month. It was my first nights away from my son. And the longest two days of my life.
Freeze up. When you’re cooking this week, make extra portions of two or three family favorites and freeze them immediately. Put a sticky-note freezer inventory on the side of the fridge so you’ll know what to thaw on those nights when you simply can’t imagine cooking dinner.
