If you are on Facebook, you may remember seeing “25 Random Facts about Me” notes going around last year. This is my “working mom” response. Here are 25 random facts, tidbits, and tiny nuggets of wisdom I have learned over the last three years. Some will make you laugh, some might make you cry.

1. You get up early and stay up late 365 days a year.

2. Mornings are a maddening rush of showers, clothes, and lunches, and if you wake up 5 minutes late, that will throw your entire household’s morning off.

3. Caffeine quickly becomes a trusted ally, and your body will betray you if you don’t get your daily dose.

4. You are ALWAYS doing something for someone else.

5. Eating out happens more often that not, especially when you realize halfway to work that you didn’t take anything out of the freezer for dinner.

6. Some days the only time I see my child is when he’s asleep and that makes me sad.

7. Getting to the bank or the post office during weekday hours is virtually impossible.

8. The only time you can listen to what you want on the radio is after you’ve dropped everyone off in the morning.

9. Forgetting your calendar means you will literally forget every single step of your day, even if you’ve done it a thousand times.

10. You have to grocery shop on Sunday afternoons when EVERYONE else is at the store.

11. You carry a toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant in your purse because driving to work you can’t remember if you used any of them before you left the house.

12. You have a love/hate relationship with your email, you love hearing the little ding from your inbox saying “you’ve got mail,” but it’s usually someone asking you to do something.

13. The only way you can communicate with your significant other is by email. ☺

14. You cherish the time you spend with your family, even if it’s in the car driving to your next stop.

15. You feel like you should cram every single activity you can possibly do into one single free Saturday because you don’t know when you might get another one. This may include a trip to the zoo, park, science museum, and train museum all by naptime.

16. Weekends are rarely restful.

17. Weekend naptimes (for the children) are the only time you have to catch-up on all the television you missed during the week.

18. The only shows you watch on television are either shows that are in syndication (because you have no idea what new shows are actually on anymore) or shows that are tailored to children under the age of 10 (you secretly like these shows).

19. You see your colleagues at work more than you see anyone else.

20. You have to schedule all of your appointments on the same day because you can’t take more than one day off work.

21. You will go hours before you can get a break to use the restroom (which doesn’t help the “caffeine is your ally” problem).

22. Your social life depends on someone else’s (i.e. your babysitter).

23. Date night is dinner and a trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for new kitchen towels and a dish drainer.

24. The thought of this above mentioned date night excites you…even just a little bit.

25. You love your children, and no matter how busy you get, your family is number one.

One thing I love about my friends, who are also parents, is that no matter what path we’ve chosen for our families, whether it’s staying home or working, we all have the same common goal: to do what’s best for our children. While our day-to-day routines may look different on paper, we all love our children and want nothing but the best for them. We all learn from each other’s experiences both good and bad. And when you can laugh with your friends over the latest episode of Phineas and Ferb, you’ll realize you are more alike than you thought.

Claire Johnson Claire is a 29-year-old working mom. She has a son, Wesley, who is almost 2, and is in her fifth year of teaching elementary school. Along with teaching, she also works for a local sports team, a part-time job she has enjoyed for 11 years. Her hobbies include reading, scrapbooking, and working on crafty projects. Read More >>