Even if it were, it would be full of continuity errors. My hair would be wilder from scene to scene, the circles under my eyes would be darker or lighter, the kids would be either dressed to the nines or wearing jeans out of a Charles Dickens’ novel (if there were jeans in Victorian times) frayed at the hem with permanent grass stains on the knees. The only constant would be my husband complaining of neglect and, really, I am luckier than other women in this respect. My husband does the laundry.

Yes, I am a working mother and this is a typical lament of my tribe. We are a time-starved people. I have a fantasy/stress dream typical of my generation. Just before the alarm goes off, I happily discover that there is an extra hour in the day, an extra day in the week(end) and/or extra month in the year. And then, that blaring beeping starts, the red light on the clock flashes and my heart starts racing with the need to rush, rush, rush.

My only goal for 2008, the only one that matters, is to somehow make time move more slowly.

I guess my slogan for ‘08 should be READY, SET, DON’T GO!

I am always doing something. My children have everything that they need, but my five year-old frequently stomps out of rooms yelling “I don’t have time for this” and I know exactly where he learned that (I used to be a laid back kind of person). My almost two year-old struggles out of her stroller as we walk between the day care and the car in all weather because she knows it might be her only chance to be free out of doors for the entire day. My husband engages in attention-seeking behavior, like buying cars without consulting me, because negative attention is better than no attention (or so I assume, I only know child psychology, adult psychology is out of my realm of expertise depth). I am not unaffected by this time shortage either. It takes me weeks to make a doctor’s appointment let alone go to one.

So, what do I do? Do I set the alarm even earlier to make sure we get breakfast together? Do I attempt to reduce my work hours and our household budget? Do I just, finally, learn to say NO to people who ask for favors they’ll never be able to return? Should I figure out why there are extra kids running around our house so often while my kids never get invited anywhere? I know I shouldn’t give up my job because, if there is one thing I have learned from reading blogs it is that stay-at-home parenting is even more stressful than working and parenting in tandem.

I don’t know.

I don’t know how this happened.

I don’t know how to respond.

I just know I need to figure it out now. I don’t want 2008 to pass in a blur. I’d like to actually see it while I live it. I think some of the plot is actually pretty interesting, the characters are amazingly well cast and the events are truly unique while maintaining a hint of the every(wo)man. And, I am not just talking about the misbehavioural art.

All it needs is savoring. All it needs is time for laughter in all the right places.

**

Please vote for this post in Week Five of Project Blog.

In this week’s challenge, Allison asked us to define our goals for 2008. In case you haven’t guessed, the end of the year is actually here surprised me completely.

I am competing in Project Blog for:

• An autographed picture of Jackie Warner, courtesy of Sky Sport and Spa (Jackie Warner’s gym from Work Out)
• A pair of shoes from the newest line from Jonathan Kayne (one of my favorite Project Runway Alums)
• A Soffe college hoodie, courtesy ofBCS Frenzy
• Gold-plated earrings from Aurora at Between the Sheets
• A pet portrait, courtesy of Intricate Art
• A set of bud vases from Top Design’s Jonathan Adler

And as a reader of Project Blog posts, YOU CAN WIN TOO! Every week, Reality on Bravo is teaming up with some awesome sponsors to offer prizes for lucky readers. Anyone who leaves a comment on Monday’s Reality on Bravo post or on the voting post will be automatically entered to win the astrological reading from Beth at Astrology Explored.

The blogtestants:

1. Winnie, Watching the View: “I can almost picture it now…”
2. Kate, Babylune: “Here’s to a Slower 2008″
3. Sally, Style Fix: “Hunger Pains Drive My Goals for 2008″
4. Jodie, “Big (Dinner) Plans for 2008″
5. Kara, Colorado Review: “2008 – Bring it On!”
6. Mark, Get Incensed: “The One Habit of a Moderately Successful Person”

Post from: Babylune

You may have guessed that I have been having a week of overwork. This happens a lot when several part-time jobs, instead of one full-time gig, make up one’s 40 60 hour work-week. The lowlight of my week came yesterday when the day care called the language school where I teach because my daughter had developed a fever.

Reception told the day care I was unreachable. I was in a classroom down the hall and it was 15 minutes before the end of class. They didn’t even pass along a message. Once I arrived, all I knew about the situation was that there was a distinct “bad mother” vibe in the atmosphere.

Today, I decided to take a rare day off.

I don’t usually teach on Fridays, but I schedule writing and editing work, blog promotion and we attend the English language mother-baby group. Then, this morning, my son and his father started the day with an argument. My boy came out of the experience so upset that he’s “too sick to go to kindergarten.”

Hence, my decision to take the day off from everything. I am writing this blog, but mostly for my own benefit (please bear with me).

So, when my little girl was napping. I put on my favorite yoga DVD. I love doing yoga. Nothing else makes me feel as good. Nothing else relieves my physical and emotional stress to the same degree. And yet, I haven’t done yoga in almost a year. I know because I blogged it.

Throughout this 30-minute break my son whined.

“I don’t want to watch this. I don’t want to do yoga. I want to watch Little Bill and Dora.”

At one point during the Upward Dog pose, he even sat on me.

I can’t even get half-an-hour to myself after working more than 48 hours in the last 4 days, I thought.

It’s my own fault.

While I was working days and evenings; I still scheduled special time with the kids, I still took care of a few details for a volunteer commitment, I still wrote this blog, I still took late night phone calls about editing work I’ll start this weekend.

Is it any wonder my 5 year-old has the opinion that his mother’s needs for personal time and interests are unimportant?

Obviously I have to change things. I might even know where to start. I once did a personality profile test and the result said that the first thing I should do in the mornings is decide what I am not going to do.

I also think I can start using words my 5 year-old and toddler can understand. You might know this phrase too:

“It’s my turn.”

Post from: Babylune

I’ve never thought of just leaving the blog without an update, even when I am away. And yet, I know that if I did, if I just let everything slide for a while, nothing would happen. I think I’ve confused what is essential to do due to other demands (the baby’s diaper needs changing, for example) and what I am supposed to do as a hobby (blog).  As a result, I never just relax and I don’t think the pressure I put on myself is good for me or anyone else.

Do you ever confuse your essential tasks with your less essential ones? How are you trying to get the balance back?

Post from: Babylune

According to an article on the BBC Parenting site, this is the single quickest way to combat a stressful moment:

1. Take a slow deep breath in and let it out again. Keep breathing as gently and calmly as you can.
2. Drop your shoulders and let your hands flop down to dangle at your sides.
3. Release all the tension in your face. Relax your forehead, let your jaw drop slightly.
4. Pay attention to your mind relaxing as your body softens up. Notice all the positive changes.

Other methods that work to give me a bit of immediate relief:

• Stepping out onto the balcony or go into the garden for just a few moments of fresh air and weather.

• Drinking a large, cold glass of water.

• Telephoning or instant messaging a friend

• Thinking of people in the world who have real problems, like not being able to afford medicine for their sick children, or not having enough to eat

Don’t despair. The anxiety and tension of stress can rush through your body, making you feel like you’re under attack, but even those extreme feelings can be managed with small actions. Sure, it won’t solve every problem permanently, but all you really need to do is improve your outlook for today.

Post from: Babylune