Road to the White House - What A Mom's Gotta Do

Michelle Obama with "the girls," Malia and Sasha

"My ability to get through my day greatly depends upon the relationships that I have with women: my mother, my aunt, my girlfriends, my neighbors, the mother's in my children's school.  I have this wonderful network of women where we rely upon one another for emotional and practical support.  In these women I find a place of comfort and sanity and peace like no other.  We ground one another."

Michelle Obama - Campaign Speech, July 8, 2007

How many of us can honestly say that we have an intact network of support around us?  Just last week, I wrote about how my village has fallen.  After writing that blog post, I began working on rebuilding it.  How ironic is it that the week after my village fell, I received an invitation to the White House.  Had I wallowed in my sorrow, I would have had to pass on this opportunity.  Instead, I began rebuilding it immediately.  What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger.

We now have a First Mom in the White House who is a model mother to those of us who are trying to "figure it out" as we go along.  Unlike FLOTUS, I cannot call upon my mother or aunt to care for my children.  I live 500 miles away from my nearest retired relative. However, I can call upon my neighbor and my girlfriends who are also SAHM's.  This is the network that is making it possible for me to join the other 100+ Mocha Moms across the country for the White House Mom's Briefing and VIP Reception.  I have a few friends who haven't found their network yet and as a mother who needs an occasional breather, I cannot express how important is it to establish that network.

I do admit that I have not been able to establish many mom friends at my children's school.  I do have a few good friends nearby, but after living in Brooklyn and witnessing how they value networking prior to the start of school, I have discovered that does not occur here in my community.  During pick up at my son's school, parents jump out of their cars, pick up their kids and keep it moving.  I too am guilty of it now because in the beginning of the school year, I was rarely spoken to or felt awkward attempting to join in a conversation.  With the exception of an in-class project, I rarely see the parents of my daughter's Kindergarten class.  The kid goes on the school bus, and the kid goes home.  There isn't any opportunity to meet and socialize with the parents of my daughter's classmates except the occasional birthday party and to date, there has only been one. There were more social opportunities in Catholic school but hardly any in public school. You know, this is what Mocha Moms is all about.  This is a dynamic group of women who share many of the same ideas of parenting as I do. I'm so glad I'm a member.

This post could go on forever, so to wrap it up and to make my road to the White House a smoothe one this is what needs to happen:

Tuesday
Wash my daughter's hair and style it in a way where my husband doesn't have to do ANYTHING to it
Lay clothing our for my daughter.  Dressing a boy is very easy compared to a girl.
Pack lunches (to make things easier for hubby)
Make dinner for the following evening (yay crockpot!)

Wednesday
School bus drops off my daughter
Neighbor watches kids until hubby gets home from work
I leave for Washington, DC

Thursday
Hubby gets kids ready for Thursday morning routine
Hubby puts Kindergartner on the bus
Hubby gets in P90x workout
Hubby takes nursery schooler to neighbor's house for 6-hour play date with her daughter
Bus drops off Kindergartner at friend's house (whose son happens to ride the same bus, YESSS!)
Hubby picks up kids from friend's house and anxiously awaits my return
Wife (that's me) kisses hubby and graciously thanks all who helped make this possible

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