The Not So Glamourous Life of a Working Mom

"You wear a lot of hats at your house" observes a co-worker. Indeed I do.

That is how I end up, several mornings per week, sitting topless and cross legged on the floor of my bathroom in front of a mirror after a shower, with a baby cradled in my lap, my knees supporting him as he nurses at 5:30 in the morning because gawd forbid the child should sleep more than 15 minutes in the morning without my warm body by his side, my hands occupied with a hairbrush and eyeliner.

I sometimes feel like I live in the Land of Too Much and Not Enough.

Not Enough sleep.... is what I'm getting.

Not Enough milk... is what I'm pumping at work.

Not Enough time... is what I have for each child one-on-one.

Not Enough attention... is what I am giving to my relationship with my husband.

Too Much mess and clutter... is all over my home.

Too Much stress... is what I feel.

Too Much pressure... is what I am under.

"We need lots and lots of Shanas" SchmoopyBoy tells me. When your three-year old thinks you need to clone yourself, you know you're in trouble.

I can't complain because, ultimately this is the life I chose (sort of). Just sayin'... sometimes I'm just hanging on by a very thin thread...

Ina May Gaskin on Rising U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate and More

Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman interviewed famous midwife Ina May Gaskin. They talk about the rising U.S. maternal mortality rate and midwifery in the U.S. in general. You can watch the interview here, where there are links to download the audio file and read the transcript as well.

A few choice quotes:

We don’t have feedback to our obstetricians, to our hospitals or maternity wards, to find out what we’re doing wrong and why the United States is one of four countries in the world where the maternal death rate is going up, not down.

and

Insurance has incredible power now, power that it didn’t have 70 years ago. It’s the reason that doctors aren’t learning to do breech deliveries anymore...it’s one of the huge reasons that we have very few midwives in this country. We need 120,000 more easily.

Yummy Octopus

I was talking to SchmoopyBoy about dinner, and he told me he wanted to eat an octopus. (Don't ask, I have no idea.) So, I made him an octopus for dinner.

Cucumber body/head, raisin eyes stuck on the head with short pieces of skewers, and 8 fried tofu tentacles all on a bed of couscous. (Please excuse the mess around the plate, I had a hungry kiddo so I didn't take the time to clean my workspace.)

The most awesome-tastic thing you will read this week

is by, of course, the always inspiring Karen Walrond at Chookooloonks. Go read her list of 10 things she wants her daughter, and all young people, to know on International Women's Day.

Go, be inspired.

Lil' Schmoo at 5 months

Lil' Schmoo is a delightful baby. Cheerful little fellow. Easy with a smile for everyone he sees. On his 5-month birthday he was sick. Nonetheless, when I put him on his tummy to take a picture, he pulled this happy face: 

Of course these days he doesn't stay on his tummy for long. He's been rolling over for over a month, and it's hard to keep him on his tummy for more than a couple of minutes before - plop - onto his back he rolls. 

And the toes - delicious as they are cute.

Now, if only the child would sleep...

Why I need to carry a tape recorder at all times

It's because the things that come out of 3 year old SchmoopyBoy's mouth are priceless.

Example 1.
We were listing colors. I have no recollection why we were listing colors, but nonetheless we were.

SchmoopyBoy: Clear.
Me: (mostly to myself) Is clear really a color?
SchmoopyBoy: Clear is a shiny color that lives in the circus!

Well, there you have it.

Example 2.
I am sitting on the floor with SchmoopyBoy and Lil' Schmoo.

Me: Are you my SchmoopyBoy?
SchmoopyBoy: I am a Schmoopy Boy. He is a Slobber Boy. And you are a Mom-er Boy.

I am one of the club, apparently. How flattering. And yes, as a matter of fact, Lil' Schmoo is indeed a slobber boy these days.

Example 3:
A bit of background information - We have been talking a bit about meat and vegetarianism because he has become interested in the show Dinosaur Train, which talks about carnivores and herbivores. He knows that our family doesn't eat meat, but doesn't fully understand it all yet.

Also, one of the imaginative games SchmoopyBoy likes to play is to pretend that he is Abby Cadaby and I am Mommy Cookie Monster and he is "poofing" me a cookie of my choice. After poofing me an imaginary chocolate chip cookie, peanut butter cookie, and oatmeal raisin cookie, he makes an announcement about the next cookie.

SchmoopyBoy: This one has people meat!
Me: (surprised, disturbed, beside myself, almost afriad to ask) What is people meat?
SchmoopyBoy: People meat is a special kind of food that is in this cookie!

Okay, then. I guess I'll just dig in to that cookie now. Mmm, people meat.

Funny or Disturbing?

The husband sent me this satire on the current women's health debate. It's basically a bunch of middle aged white men and one gratuitous black man mansplaining their positions on women's health and contraception. It's supposed to be funny, however I found myself wincing and getting a lump in my stomach a few times. While some parts are over the top ridiculous, I think a few too many men actually do think this way, which is why it made me uncomfortable in some parts.

Women's Health Experts Speak Out from Judd Nelson

What do you think? Funny or disturbing or perhaps a little bit of both?