A Week in the Life of a Working Mom: Government Attorney in the Midwest
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Thursday
Wake up to baby chattering at 5:30. She’s happy, so I leave here there for awhile and check emails while H sleeps. Rest of morning is a repeat of Wednesday. Work: conference calls, research, squeezing in a short yoga routine. Leave work, home with baby by 5:00. Try to decide what to do for dinner, end up heating up microwave tamales for me and baby since H is going to be late. He shows up in time for bedtime at 7:00, we clean up the house and watch TV until 10:00.
Friday
Repeat of Wednesday but with pasta instead of quesadillas, and a bath for baby before bedtime.
Saturday
Husband had to go into the lab; home alone with baby during the day. We play outside, she flips out when I tell her it’s time to go back inside, but is easily lured in by a nibbly finger. Husband gets home in the late afternoon, he’s on baby duty for the rest of the evening while I have a girls’ night with a large group of friends. I have dinner, go to a bar I’m too old for, and am home by 11:00 (with McDonald’s because alcohol).
We asked HSAL about her girls’ night, and she said:
This particular girls’ night was a bit unusual — a friend managed to get 20+ of her girlfriends out for dinner, drinks, and dancing, but I try to do something fun for myself once a month or so. Last month I went to a concert out of town with a friend and we stayed overnight and did some shopping the following day, and later this month I’m going to see a friend in a cabaret. I’ll see friends with the kid in tow, but I think it’s important to make sure I still some “adult” friend time in.
Thanks so much to HSAL for sharing a bit of her life as a working mom! Readers, what’s your biggest takeaway from her week as a government attorney and her work/life balance?
Picture credit: Deposit Photos / © Kzenon.
Love this series, Kat! HSAL: This might sound dumb but: how do you get ready and out the door in an hour? Even on the days that DH gets up at 6:30 with 14 week old baby, I struggle to get myself ready (as in, shower, wet hair in a bun, dressed: I do makeup at work) and out the door in an hour.
Thanks HSAL, and thanks Kat for this great series!
I’m a gov’t atty too and this all sounds pretty familiar to me. Best of all worlds – interesting job, normal hours, time for a life. Do you every have evening / weekend hours? Any work from home at all?
HSAL, who in your household does cleaning, laundry etc.? Who cooks? It sounds like you and Hubs have a pretty fair division of duties – would you agree? Also, what’s your back-up plan if you or DH can’t pick up baby from daycare?
I definitely enjoy these pieces – curious more about food. Am I missing something? I feel like I’m always prepping food for either our dinner (late bc husband works late) or the baby (and always running out of food to give him!) it stresses me out….HSAL do you cook? Any shortcuts?
I’m sitting here brainstorming who HSAL is. Because I’m a 35 year old govt attorney who has 7.5 hour work days but a flexible boss and she’s telling my story. Also the “out of town for a concert” narrative sounds like something people in my city do all the time – which tells you it’s not Chicago. ;)
Silly, the SEC does- if congress ever lets them hire again.
Thanks for sharing your story, HSAL. My stats are very similar to yours (30s, midwest city, gov’t agency gig, 37.5 hr week, flexible schedule) but no children yet, and you make having a child sound really manageable. I loved hearing that you find time for yoga and girls nights and tv! I hear some of the other posters talk about biglaw hours and nannies and working long hours from home in the evenings, but your story is more similar to my life and helped me visualize a bit. So – thanks. :)
Thanks for sharing this. I’m in my late 20s with no kids and wondering how people do “it”.