CNN iReport

Hey, the sandbox is FUN at 7am!

I am a working mother of a 2 year old little angel. I work about 45 hours per week with a 30 minute commute. My husband works as well so Clara spends her dyas with a fantastic babysitter. BUT we spend "special time each day."

This morning: We rearranged her bedroom at 5:30am. Took an extra long bath including about 20 squirt toys (after all what's a bath if all you do is get clean?). Enjoyed a quick pre-breakfast (babysitter makes breakfast). Picked out our best play clothes and headed out the door.

The little things had made a huge difference. The SPECIAL TIME is really important and if Clara wants to go for a walk or play in the sandbox at 7am why not? We're up anyway. I try not to waste my time iwth house work when she is awake. She has a strict 8pm bedtime so I work on the house after she is sleeping. We sit as a family and eat dinner every night. Well, Clara eats and Daddy and I talk to her about her day.  We eat later. I have found that if I cook when I get home I don't get my time with Clara. I feed her whatever I cooked the night before. Her dinner is ready in less than ten minutes and after she goes to bed we cook dinner for the next day. I used to feel bad about feeding her leftovers all the time but she rather play with me than watch me cook.

On the weekends chores become games. We make a game out of everything. Who can get teh most clothes out fo the dryer and to the couch to fold fastest, who can stack teh most dishes out of the dishwasher (careful with this one), who can find the purple dinosaur or the most green blocks to put away. At the grocery store we find things that are a certain color or shape or we "race" down aisles if there aren't too many people. Every second counts with my little girl adn I try not to waste it.

I don't know if Clara even realizes I work. I think she just assumes I'm the greatest mom in the world for letting her play all day with her friends. She begs to leave at 7:30 every morning and at 5 when I pick her up it is often a struggle to get her to leave.

I work on about 5 hours of sleep a night with a few interruptions still with calls for a drink or a new diaper.  I'm tired, sure. I never get a day off but you know what? I wouldn't trade it for the world.

We manage just fine and we cram alot of love and attention into the few hours a day we get. We get up early to play before work. The weekends are a constant activity. We snuggle, we laugh, we have a blast.