Fumbling Toward Motherhood
by Stephanie McCarty
A day in the life of a mom writer
7:00 a.m. – Sense toddler’s presence at side of bed; pretend to still be asleep
7:05 a.m. – Awakened by toddler tugging on arm; followed by persistent cries for juice; reluctantly climb out of bed
7:15 a.m. – Sleep-deprived, stagger downstairs for much-needed caffeine; pour cereal and milk for daughter
8:00 a.m. – Attempt to nap; daughter watches “The Wiggles”
8:30 a.m. – Facing reality, change out of pajamas
9:00 a.m. – Coax daughter onto toilet; spend half an hour reading stories on potty (the joys of potty-training)
10:00 a.m. – Time for morning snack: unwrap granola bar; pour juice for daughter; take opportunity to check e-mail
10:15 a.m. – Check calendar; realize column is due to editor today (have not yet started writing); flag e-mail about writing contest to enter — someday
10:30 a.m. – Warm weather: head outside with daughter to play in sandbox; perfect chance to grab laptop; start writing
10:45 am. – Pause to tell daughter that sand belongs IN sandbox, not all over deck; return to writing — one sentence completed
10:55 a.m. – Pause again to tell daughter NOT to take sand inside house; return to writing; realize first two sentences don’t work; start over
11:00 a.m. – Daughter pours sand on dog; put down laptop; time to close sandbox; find something else to play. Plan B: get out gardening set and watering can; daughter waters plants
11:10 a.m. – All is well. Plants watered (twice) — one paragraph written
11:15 a.m. – Daughter decides to water dog; put laptop down again; run inside to get towel for dog; put gardening set away
11:30 a.m. – Coax dog out of hiding place and into house; pick up toys strewn across deck; wipe sand off daughter’s face; realize it’s lunch time; close laptop to write more after lunch
12:00 p.m. – Cut peanut butter and jelly sandwich into various shapes with cookie cutters for daughter; scarf down own lunch while cleaning up dishes
1:00 p.m. – Read “Winnie the Pooh” to daughter; daughter lies down for nap; decide that sounds like a great idea; take a quick nap, too
3:30 p.m. – Awakened from deep slumber by daughter’s cries; realize I’ve napped the afternoon away, but needed the sleep, so it’s OK
4:00 p.m. – Potty time again (no story); prepare afternoon snack
4:30 p.m. – Take daughter and dog out for walk around neighborhood
5:15 p.m. – Dinner time, nothing planned or thawed; put in frozen pizza
6:00 p.m. – Eat dinner
7:00 p.m. – Clean dishes
7:15 p.m. – Bathe daughter
7:30 p.m. – Read story; lights out for daughter
8:00 p.m. – Realized never showered today; do that now
8:30 p.m. – Exhausted, veg-out with hubby; watch TV
10:00 p.m. – It’s getting late. Where did the time go? want to sleep; take out laptop; write
Midnight – Finish column; hope it’s not terrible; send to editor; go to bed
 Stephanie McCarty,
is a freelance
writer and public relations consultant. Stephanie worked in PR and media relations full-time
for more than a decade, before starting her own writing and consulting
career. She grew up in Florida, where she earned
her B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from The Florida State
University. Stephanie has lived in various parts of the country,
including Washington DC, where she earned an M.A. in Political Management from The George Washington University.
While in DC, she worked as a press secretary on Capitol Hill, and in
the public affairs departments of a national public relations agency,
a large university, and a major corporation. She has also served as
spokesperson for two political campaigns.
Stephanie says,
"During my professional tenure, I have worked on political campaigns,
in the halls of Congress, and in corporate PR – but nothing could have
prepared me for the roller-coaster ride that is motherhood."
Stephanie lives in
Central Ohio with her husband and daughter, who is the joy of her life. She credits her little
girl with inspiring her to find her true writing passion.
For more information, please contact her at
stephanie@fumblingtowardmotherhood.com and visit her Web site, www.fumblingtowardmotherhood.com.
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