A Sarah Palin Kind of Mom

(If you don't follow my flagship blog, Breakfast at Tiffany's, you may not be aware of my political leanings. This post ought to give you a clue...)

I've been watching the news media swirl around Sarah Palin, as they've spent the past two weeks trying to figure out how they were going to attack her. And it intrigues me that one of the areas they have chosen to attack is the idea that Palin returned to work only days after the birth of her last child.

Quite honestly, folks, if this is the biggest concern they can find about this woman, they're trying waaaaay too hard.

First of all, Palin had the flexibility in her job necessary to be able to facilitate caring for her child while attending to her duties as governor. What's wrong with that?

Second, Palin has a terrific family and supportive husband. It's not like she's in this baby-raising business by herself. If a man returned to work earlier than what society deems as the norm, would he be similarly criticized?

And finally, this is Palin's fifth child. She certainly knows her own body well enough by this point to know what she can physically handle. And I'd have to say that she's one tough cookie from all of what I've seen.

I think I'd like to be a Sarah Palin kind of mom. I won't be heading back to my full-time job right after Spoiled Baby arrives, but I do intend to return to my writing commitments within about a week. There's no reason why I can't balance nurturing my child with sitting at my laptop for a few hours a day. My own husband is betting that I will end up cutting short the time I've planned to take off from my full time job, knowing full and well that I prefer to be on the go, but also trusting in my ability to balance that versus caring for my child.

And you know what? No matter how soon I return to my writing, or to my full time job, I am not a bad person...or a bad mother. Life is about finding the right balance for your own circumstances. Sarah Palin obviously realizes this...and so do I.

Preparing for Leave

Happy Monday, ya'll! Thanks for stopping by, and make sure to see the reader response questions below so you can respond with your opinions!

On this Manic Monday, I'm hyper aware that I only have a few weeks left to wrap things up at my job and transition my projects and on-going duties to the folks who will be backing me up while I'm on maternity leave.

Things have not exactly gone according to plan. My major project is running behind - by a lot! I just got more news today that will impact my progress. ACK! My overall transition plan as well as my plan for my leave as a whole is still in development. When my father passed away at the beginning of the month and I subsequently missed 1.5 weeks of work, I came back feeling like I was way off track and would never catch up.

But Spoiled Baby isn't going to wait for her Frazzled Mommy to catch up at work!

So I'm interested in hearing what all of your BTDT (been there, done that) parents have to say!

• What did you do to prepare for your maternity/paternity leaves?
  
• How did you draw up your project plans so that the work of your positions would continue while you were out?
• Did you do any work from home or any part-time work while you were still technically on leave?
• What other advice can you share?

Thanks for participating! For another chance to share your opinion, scroll down to the previous post or click here to let me know what aspects of your life you gave up when you first started your families!