Being a working woman, a student, a mother, and a financee certainly has its limitations. My day has the same 24 hours that we all get. Except for 5 out of 7 days, I spend 8 hours at work. I work a "low paying" retail job to help make ends meet while my fiance is between jobs. Then, because my shift changes every day, and week to week- so do my days off. It's hard to plan to go grocery shopping. As a student, I am taking three classes this semester. One blended course, which means its mostly online but we have occasional evening classes... I am currently supposed to be doing research for my speech which is due at the end of this month. The other course is a weekend-only class that meets for 3 hours every Saturday. There goes half my weekend. The last class is online-only, and gets the least of my time. I am lucky to spend 2 hours doing my homework for that class, and it's just because the 9am Monday deadline comes around too quickly. Somehow, I am pulling A's in all three classes so far. As a mom, I deal with my kids whenever I can- I try to have fun with them whenever I can- and I try to help them grow whenever I can.... and the one who comes last is always my finance, Matthew. By the time him and I are done with our days, we usually sit down and watch some TV together, before we head to bed- only to catch too little sleep and get up and do it the next day. Actually, I guess what I should say is he's not last- I am the last person I take care of. I want some "me" time to do the things that I want/need to do- to do what things are important to me- but they always get pushed to the side.
Being a working mom means prioritizing and sharing the load...and carrying other loads for other people and above all, making sure my kids are #1- whether that means making sure that my dear fiance is giving them their vitamins and brushing their teeth, or making sure that the daycare provider has enough pediasure for my daughter... it has different meanings. Above all, through all the struggle, I am thankful to have something to be fighting for.
One more semester until I am done with my associates- and then I can decide where I want to go next. I can work until Matthew lands his dream job, and I'm able to go back to being a frugal stay-at-home Mom. I miss being able to hug and kiss my kids good-night every night. But this fight is leading to something- something just out of reach- and I can't wait to grasp it firmly.
