What A Difference A Decade Makes

Bob and I are in the process of redesigning our site, and ordering tons of fab new fashions and finds for fall (how alliterative!). In the process, I came across this gem of a Q&A from another mama:

Q: When I am going to get my life back?

A: When we stopped laughing, we realized how important this was to you. Sorry to tell you, but it’s going to take about a year. Yes, after a year as a mother you will realize that you’re not ever going to get your life back. This is not, however, a bad thing. Your new life will be better than you ever imagined. And harder, and more emotional, and filled with more love than before. I tried to act as if I was one of those women who could birth the baby in the field and keep harvesting grain like nothing had happened. I went back to auditioning (not the most confidence-boosting of ways to spend your time) when Cameron was three weeks old. Take my advice. That was stupid. Rest as long as you can. I spent the first six months of his life trying to get away, to do stuff I used to do. I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to be mid-bikini wax and get a phone call from the babysitter with a wailing infant in the background. But know what? I’m a mom now. And so are you. And the sooner you accept that fact, the sooner the life you have will be better. I promise.

Scarily, I wrote that in 1998! And it has taken the better part of that decade to get me back into the drivers seat here at One Hot Mama. Now, I certainly have been a little busy (four kids in eight years is a little brutal, especially when the last two are twins!) and I did manage to work in between, but let's use this week as an example -- my husband and I met a bunch of friends for cocktails at a trendy, no-sign-outside bistro, we had a series of meetings about our business, I filmed a (small) part for a show airing this fall, and all our kids are fed and happy. Those things haven't happened all at once for ten years!

My point is that you need to cut yourself some slack. Yeah, you -- whether you're on your first baby our your third, or even if you're a dad. Pay attention to your family at all, and other things may slide. But that's okay. It's kinda like Chutes & Ladders (or Snakes & Ladders) -- get near the finish line, get pregnant again, and you slide right back to the start.

Enjoy the ride. :)