Yes, it’s me, Elle.  Where have I been?  Well, I guess that statement could best be summed up as where haven’t I been?  While I love to wax poetic about the ever elusive work life balance equation, lately I certainly haven’t embodied it.  Being a working mom is proving to be the hardest challenge of my life.  While the obvious answer would be:  Quit and stay home with your children, I am unfortunately not in a financial position in which to do so.  So where does that leave this busy mommy? 

Well let’s see, sometimes it leaves me in a plane, in a lonely hotel room, in a boardroom, in an office, in traffic, but more often than not, it leaves me EXHAUSTED and ALONE!!!  This is not the mommy that my little ones deserve. 

When you picture motherhood, you imagine yourself being there for you children every step of the way.  Yet in my scenario, I rush from one scene to the next.  Gather the troops in the morning for 5 mins of cuddle time, two warm sippy cups, and then I’m dressed and out the door leaving my husband behind to complete the morning ritual.  Before you say ”ahh…” wait.  This arrangement was something that we agreed upon in order for my employer to accomodate their version of so-called flex time.  In other words, I’m now supposed to arrive in the office at 7:30 am in order to be able to leave at 4:30 am.  Seems doable, right?  So how often does this little scenario play out as planned?  I guess the fact that I’m whining about it, uhhh…I mean writing about it, means rarely!

So then what?  Well, I started sending out my resume and campaigning myself from interview to interview.  Trying to find some employer out there who understands exactly what it is that I am looking for.  A bit of a tall order when you consider the fact that not even I truly know the answer to that question.  Yup, I’m 35 and still asking myself, “what do I want to be when I grow up?!”  What a time to have an identity crisis. I thought we were supposed to have all the answers by now.  BTW on a side note - Can I just say how much I hate interviews?  Just the process alone makes me want to jump ship!

Anyways, while I normally come up with a solution by the end of my blog posts, today I am at a loss.  They say that if you do what you love, then the rest will follow.  So let’s see…  I love being with my family, travelling, writing and eating.  Now how many jobs are out there for a Family food critic?  Or how about a Family Travel correspondent?  Or maybe I could be the next Tony Bourdain for the family set?  Oh sure, all of these jobs exist, but they’re not exactly a dime a dozen.    

Consider this my shout out to the world.  I want to land that dream job that lets me have it all! 

Reality check: Okay, I’ll be satisfied if I can just have a little more time with my family and the finances with which to support them.  Come to think of it… I just want what any responsible parent wants. 

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