Friday, September 21, 2012

Where's My Vanessa?

I usually avoid reading 'working mom' magazines or books because it never seemed to be written for me, with sad stories of feeling torn between work and kids and how to do it all.  I'm not trying to do it all, I'm just trying to do enough. And truthfully, most sounded too boring to read.  Today at work, as I opened mail, I saw a magazine that caught my eye, with big words proclaiming it had a schedule for working Moms who are feeling tired and burned out.

Hmm.  I'm feeling tired and burned out and the dirty mirrors in the bathroom are proof.

I flipped the magazine open and read a short article on little boys and puppy love and I was hooked.  I know, it had nothing to do with working mothers, but I'm a sucker for puppy love stories.  I flipped further and started an interview with a mother of three kids, who is a real estate mogul and who is helping build some sort of sports complex.  

How does she do it?  

She gets up at 6 (I'm up at 5:45).  She drives 8 minutes to her spin class (I walk 30 minutes with three dogs).  She gets the kids breakfast of non sugar cereals (as I guiltily shove Lucky Charms at my kids).  She goes to work and works hard (I hear ya, sister).   But there are things that are out of her control and she has a hard time keeping up with (preaching to the choir).  So she employed Vanessa to do the cooking, cleaning, errands, and kid chauffeuring (wait, what?)

This brought my reading to a screeching halt.  This is the 'how does she do it and do it so well' interview the working moms magazine decided to highlight?  

Where's my Vanessa?  Why don't I have a Vanessa?

I sure could use a Vanessa.  Although, knowing myself uncomfortably well, I'd spend all my early morning hours putting a spit shine on the house so Vanessa wouldn't see how we really live.

4 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, that would make me do a double take too. I was my own "Vanessa" as you are too.

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  2. Oh my goodness, I hate all those articles about all those seemingly perfect people! And everyone doesn't even have the money for a Vanessa. I bet you're doing great being there for your kids even if you give them cereals with sugar.

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  3. Absurd. There is a big difference between "doing it all" and "paying someone to do it all." And I'm with you--if I had a Vanessa it would probably just make MORE work for me getting ready for Vanessa.

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  4. Ah ha, um yep and I agree totally ;-)

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