This Working Mom’s Fantasy

What you are about to read is a sequence of events that is completely a fantasy. A dream. A hope. In this optimistic crafter’s eyes, perhaps one day, a reality…

The alarm starts to buzz at 6:45 am. Russell sleepily hits the snooze button while I barely wake up and then drift back to sleep cuddled up next to him. It’s too cold to get out of the warm bed just yet. The next 20 minutes are a mix of the alarm clock and my tired desire to just stay in bed. Finally around 7:10 I decide I must get up.

The boys are dressed and ready for school. Good job guys. I love and hate how independent they are. I scan them over to make sure they have on proper school attire while I make coffee. The coffee is brewing and I am very impatient. Why didn’t I set the pot up last night so that I could have a fresh cup as soon as I enter the kitchen? The cats are meowing and circling my feet. They’re hungry. I feed them, or Zoe does. She likes feeling important and having little responsibilities. God bless her tiny heart. The big yellow school bus arrives and the boys hurry out the door. My coffee is ready. Hurray!

(Enter loud crashing noise as all reality stops and fantasy begins)

My work day begins. I sit down with my coffee at the computer desk and check all the usuals. The newspaper. G-mail. Etsy. Forums. Site Meter. The weather. MySpace. Project Wonderful. I start answering emails, convos, and start on any graphic design orders that came in while I was asleep. Zoe is watching Playhouse Disney beside me. Russell kisses me and Zoe goodbye. From 7:30 – 8:30 I do all of the above and update my blog if need be and if time permits.

I shower and get myself and Zoe dressed. We sit down for breakfast and talk about all the silly things we usually talk about. Even at such a young age we have our little gossip circles together talking about our “boys” since we are outnumbered in our home, unless you count the cats. By this time it should be around 9:30. I grab another cup of coffee and it’s off to the sewing room. (my dining room)

Zoe follows to see what I’m working on, or she goes to her room to play. Usually she’ll watch me, or grab a book, or coloring book and sit on the floor near me. We continue our talks as I work. She models and touches everything I complete. She’ll usually ask me to make something for her, and I do. Her Dora the Explorer purse and matching skirt are her favorite. I wonder when I’ll be able to teach her how to sew. I can’t wait.

I sew for as long as I need to to complete whatever project is at hand. We break for lunch. Maybe we’ll eat out today. Maybe we’ll picnic outside. Maybe we’ll just stay in for soup an grilled cheese sandwiches. Maybe Zoe will take a nap. Maybe we both will! After we decide what we’ll do we’ll take pictures of the sewing projects and post them in my new Angelalala etsy shop. We take fantastic pictures with my new camera. Zoe loves to model for me. I make at least one sale a day. This keeps me busy and I love it. I’ve said goodbye to bartending, waiting tables, and daycare centers! I’ve turned every single work apron I had into a fashionable purse and set myself free when they left my home for their new owner in the repurposed form- making sure the buyer knew the story behind them. My Freedom purse, that’s what it is.

We do a few chores around the house. Run whatever errands there may be. We maybe even stopped off at the park or spent an hour fishing at the lake. It’s time to hurry home for the boys though so we can meet them when they get off the bus. Everything for dinner is ready to go, just gotta cook it. We ask the boys about their day, check their bookbags for important papers, etc and then go shoot some hoops or ride bikes for a little while.

The kids stay outside to play while I start dinner. They come in after a little while and start their homework and chores. They finish up just as dinner is almost ready and then Russell comes through the door. We all sit down to the table and talk about our days. Dishes are cleaned up and the night time routine starts. The kids get their things ready for the next morning, maybe watch a little TV, if their chores are done, or play a board game. I check emails again, or talk to Russell for a bit. I always show him what I worked on that day. He always has encouraging things to say. Teeth are brushed, baths are taken, pajamas are on. The kids are in bed.

Russell and I either part ways, him to the basement to play guitar and sing, an work on that CD I’ve been begging him for, and I start sewing another project or, if we feel like we need some time together, we’ll cozy up on the couch for a movie or a favorite TV show. Soon we’re off to bed. We drift off as the cats rummage through the house being noisy. Eight hours later… repeat.