One of my main goals in continuing to have a career and raise a family is to have “balance” in my life. It’s one of the main reasons I decided to leave the corporate world of television many years ago- long before children were ever in the game. Career and workload alone can suck a lot of life out of you- if you let it. And let’s face it - we all let it sometimes. But when you add kids to the mix, things can get really whacky. 

Well I’m here to tell you this working stay-at-home-mom of two is out-of-balance. The only thing I could think about today was the idea of checking into a hotel. Literally, at least 4 different times today, I almost turned my car around to seek the nearest room key. It was all I could think about. I did NOT want to go to the grocery store and buy milk. I did NOT want to call Bank of America to find out if my identity had been stolen. I did NOT want to call Terminex about the critter we found in our kitchen. I did NOT want to pick up the kids from pre-school and beg them to take naps. I did NOT want to cook the turkey breast that’s been thawing in my refrigerator for 5 days. I did NOT want to water my flowers- the same flowers that made me so happy when I planted them earlier this week. NO- I did NOT want to do any of those things. All I wanted to do was turn around and check into the Westin downtown, take a bath, get into their fluffy bathrobe, crawl into their 2000-thread count sheets, and lie still in the silence. I would have even thrown in a workout in their gym for good measure at some point. And room service? Oh man, did I want room service tonight!!

But here I sit, at the kitchen counter, typing this. Two kids sleeping so peacefully in their beds. The hum of the dishwasher reminding me of the good meal I had at home (yes, it was that Turkey breast). My own bed calling me, waiting to envelope me in my not-to-shabby 600-thread count sheets. My good and faithful dog, Oscar, waiting patiently to go upstairs when I do. The only thing missing is my wonderful husband, who is out-of-town to run his 4th half-marathon of the year. (He’s the one getting the hotel treatment tonight!!).

So, yes, I may not have wanted to do all those “things” today, but I still see the beauty in the mundane. That doesn’t mean I have ruled out the idea of checking into a hotel. I’m still thinking that one over… It sounds like a really great idea. And it might just be the trick to getting this busy mom the balance she’s so desperately seeking.