How "Working" and "Mom" are Difficult to Combine

With the winter storms these past few days in the East, I've been stuck at home with my computer and an extremely slow internet, trying to get some work done. My husband has been home, as well, but has taken these last two days to do some more remodeling work in our lower level. Needless to say, my 18 month old son, Mason, has been upstairs with me.

For the most part, Mason is very good. He will occasionally come over to me wanting to sit on my lap and press the space bar, but I really can't complain. However, the fact that he doesn't need my constant attention doesn't mean he just sits on the floor and plays with his toys. Quite the contrary - he's curious. He wants to see, touch, and most often taste anything and everything. That being said, I typically get up every 10 minutes to see where he's at and what he's doing; immediately if I hear a door slam or a minor crash.

Just recently, I took a walk through our upper level to discover:
• Spices scattered over the kitchen floor (luckily they are plastic)
• Clothes out of the clothes hamper and all over our bedroom floor
• Toilet paper rung off the roll
• Paper plates and plastic forks all through the dining room
• A plastic tablecloth on the living room floor (surrounded by countless puzzle pieces, wooden blocks, balls, books, and "little" people).

And...here's the icing on the cake: Dogfood thrown all over the living floor, mixed in with the plastic tablecloth and little people.

All within a 10-15 minute time period.

I just stood there staring at the living room floor. After my initial shock factor, I really could do nothing but laugh. And think that the phrase "Working Mom" does NOT apply to the woman who is trying to work at the same time she is being a mom. It is extremely difficult to do both simultaneously - at least with an 18 month old.

It also made me think that I may just not be meant to be productive today. With my slow internet that is being slower than usual, a very curious son, and my maternal instincts not allowing my entreprenuer instincts to win, I think I'm just going to shut it down, take Mace outside, and enjoy a walk.

And then this evening, after he goes to bed, I will try to put this house back together!