All Things At Once

Previously, I wrote about my avid interest in news and news media.  I wake up every morning early enough to catch a hour of my favorite news show, Morning Joe on MSNBC.  Since we only subscribe to the newspaper on the weekends, this is how I keep up with the current news and  political viewpoints on all issues.  Mika Brzezinski is one of the cohosts, so I wanted to read her new book she wrote about working moms and choices we make.  While we strive to have All Things At Once, it's difficult to balance.

She writes about choices she has made and how they are right for her family.  She tried staying home for a while, but her family was miserable. She cannot cook, clean, or fold laundry very well.   She shares her struggles at being a woman in the media and trying to always prove herself worthy of every story, every promotion, and describes her constant feelings of self-doubt.  The one line I remember when she was describing her climb and fall up the journalistic ladder was..."Keep your head down and let your work speak for itself."  Her daughters realized being a journalist is who their mom is.  They understand that the news stories complete her.  Her daughters are seeing a strong women compete in the media world and succeed.

As a mother myself, I am constantly fighting that working mom guilt.  I try to be balanced all the time between work and school, but one always wins.  I even tried to make jello jigglers in the letter A for my daughter's birthday treat instead of the quick Kroger ones.  A week of nightly jello making, 10 pans wasted, and we ended up buying the cutout bears at Kroger, which she wanted in the first place.  The kitchen may never be where I succeed in life, yet it's not for lack of trying.

BUT, my children will see a woman leave for school everyday with books in her bag.  My children will have a love for learning because they see me researching online.  My children will learn from experimenting because I try my school ideas on them first.  My children will have a passion for reading because their mother is always reading, going to the library, and buying books.  My children will see someone who is excited for those one or two weekends where I can attend professional conferences to become better at my practice.  My children are loved and know that being a teacher is who I am.  While I am a wife and mother first, being a teacher is the other third that completes me.  For every woman out there, All Things At Once is a motivational book to read, to think, and to celebrate your choice and place in this world. 

The more you praise and celebrate your life, 
the more there is in life to celebrate. 

Oprah Winfrey