Confessions of a Single Mom

The responsibilities of being a single mom can sure be overwhelming!  We’ve lived in our new home now for 2 months and our routines are setting in.  We are settled now and getting into the swing of things, but that doesn’t mean our fair share of challenges are behind us.  Single mommyhood is tough!  I am taking on running a household all by myself, paying the bills, being the sole breadwinner, work travel, maintaining the house, cleaning, cooking, and spending time with Taylor.  All the while trying to stay fit and workout and maintain some sort of a personal life.  Whew!  It can be overwhelming to know that it all rests on my shoulders.

This is the first time that I am really parenting on my own – for the first year and a half of Taylor’s life, we were living with my parents.  Taylor has two very doting grandparents who are always willing and able to assist whenever I needed it.  Anytime I needed something, they were always just a holler away.  I have a wonderful support system that I know I can call on anytime I need help, but still it is different now living on our own.

The fact that I work from home and set my own schedule is a huge blessing, but it can also be a challenge – my work is never over, so putting it down, turning off the computers and muting the phones to enjoy some quality time with Tay is challenging.  I’ll have things on my mind that need to get done, but I have to remember that it all can wait.

I am SO not a night owl…. I love my sleep!  So, I have been trying to train myself to operate on less sleep so that I can get the housework or emails done at night after I put Tay to bed.  It’s tough, because by the time 8 o’clock rolls around, I just want to curl up on my couch with a glass of wine and catch up on my DVR’d shows.

Working out and keeping fit is also a challenge.  I have to get creative as to when I work out.  Sometimes, I toss Tay in the jogger and take her with me down the jogging trail.  She loves going for the ride!  Other times, I try to get a quick workout in before I go to pick her up from school, but then again, the mommy-guilt starts to set in for taking a hour to myself while she hangs at daycare.  I know she’ll never know the difference, and it if makes for a less stressed, happier, healthier mommy, then I know it’s nothing to feel guilty about.

Never in a million years did I picture my life as a single mom, but I am happier than ever!  At the end of the day – it is all SO SO worth it.  Nothing has ever been more rewarding than that sweet kiss or cuddle from Taylor.  And now – the best of all is her telling me “I love you”.  The messy bathroom, the dishes, the work emails, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills can all wait while I’m spending my time with Tay! :)