Being a Working Mother

At 5 o'clock today I was driving home from the grocery store. I had my earphones in, blasting Kenny Loggins '80s hits from my new iPod, and I could hear SpongeBob SquarePants in the background. SpongeBob was playing on the DVD player that folds down from the ceiling of my 2005 Dodge Caravan. My wonderful, creative, and rambunctious 2 year old was watching it with wide blue eyes. In his hands were a juicy juice and a bag of little dolphin crackers. Whenever I hit traffic or a stoplight I turned to the grocery bag on the seat next to me and began removing the packaging off of bulk packages of animal crackers and teddy grahams. I knew that the minutes that this would save me at home would be well worth it. My mind is also racing with thoughts of work: what the Euro rate is today, Policy Letter number 6 that I need to finish, and the award I must type up in the next 12 hours. I have my PDA ready on the floor in between the seats in case I need to use the voice recorder to remind myself of tasks.

I am a single mother. I work full-time. I am an officer in the United States Army. I am the Commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company for US Army NATO.

On this particular day, I had the Flu. This isn't surprising, since this is typical of how my life is: thundering rainstorms interrupted by brief and glaring rays of sunshine.

My days usually begin with a rainy cloud. My son or I wake up, and then proceed to wake up the other. I carry him downstairs and set him up on the couch with his blankie and a pillow. I put on whatever cartoon happens to be on the Armed Forces Network that morning. I am an expert on Blues Clues, The Wiggles, Elmo, Dora, and Barney. I then bring him milk or a juicy juice carton and something to eat. What I bring him to eat is whatever happens to be easy to make that morning, and whatever I think I can get him to take without throwing back at me. Today it was Town House crackers and some Fruit Loops.