Tip #1 for working mothers (and mothers-to-be)

OK, when I started this blog I did mean to offer up some tips to other working moms, based on my experiences (note I didn't say "successes") as a full-time working/ part-time business-traveling mom. Here is the number one tip I can offer to you:

When someone suggests you stock up on sleep either before baby comes or while the grandparents are borrowing your child, smile and nod. Then move on because there is no physical way to stock up on sleep. You could sleep from now until next Thursday, and then your child could keep you up all night for exactly one night, and you'd still feel like crap and like you hadn't slept in a year.

So here's what you do instead: Stock up on paid time off so you can call in "sick" one day when your child has day care, and then you can crawl your tired behind back into bed and get some uninterrupted sleep. Oh, don't forget to keep your cell phone nearby for emergencies but to turn off the ringer on your home phone (assuming that yours is like my household and many others in that if the landline rings, you automatically know it's someone who doesn't know you).

For those of you who crave time with your day-care bound child(ren) more than you crave sleep (God bless you!) the same "sick" day can instead be used for a day full of time enjoying your children. I have done this in the past, too, and it can be a lot of fun. Or it can be really exhausting, leading me to wish I had enacted part A of this tip instead.

Happy working/parenting!