I know I'm not alone...

I'm a Working Mom.  We all are.  No matter what you do, if you're a Mother, your work is never done.  I don't feel like I need to explain WHY I work outside of the home, 50+ hours a week, yet I do sometimes feel like people want an explanation as to "why" I do what I do.  "How can you leave your kids with someone else all day?" and "You miss out on so much!".  Yes, people have said those things to me before.  And let me tell ya, it's not easy to hear.  Especially after a particularly rough few weeks that end with your husband being gone for several nights in a row for his job. 
My phone also brings work "home" so I work, it seem's, all the time.  I can't shut my brain off.  I need to. I pray about "shutting work off" but...I can't.
Sunday afternoon, after working 2 hours in the office, I came home for some lunch.  Todd left for practice and his parents were coming over to pick up the boys so I could go to venue to set up for ameeting we were having the next day.  Ace was napping so Ty and I were cuddling on the couch watching Good Luck Charlie (yes, he still has a crush on Teddy...my little girl crazy boy!). 
He looked at me and said, "Mama, how come you and Daddy have to work all the time?" 
He was so sincere.  He had really thought about it.  And...he wanted an answer.

Moments like this...Ty Man giving me a concert.  They're my favorite.

I paused and tried to take the dagger out of my heart that his question just "jabbed" me with.  I didn't know what to say. 
I settled with a big hug and "baby, one day you'll understand".  And, then I asked him who loved him the mostestest.  His response..."Mama and Daddy.  And Acey too.  'Cause we're all the family". 
And, that made me feel all better.
I know I'm not alone.  I know I'm not the only Mom who works outside of the home.  I'm not the only Mom that has a hard time shutting off their work brain. 
I get up at the crack of dawn (literally, it's usually 4am), to start laundry and exercise, so I can do that when everyone else is sleeping.  We may eat out more than other's because it's kind of hard to cook a real "meal" when you're not even home until 6:15pm each day and you're baby boy needs "jammies on" at 7:30pm.

But, it's QUALITY not QUANTITY.
For the record, I like work. I enjoy it. I like being creative and the feeling of being successful. I like goals. I honestly do.
But any work outside the home Mama has their days. Guilt is the devil. I've been jealous of my friend's who spend hours on end with their babies all day while I pay someone to do that.
Don't get me wrong--I have friend's that do it all. Stay at home, stay at home but volunteer their ass of while their kid's at school, work part time, work at home, work full time...and there are days I daydream of how wonderful their day-to-day schedule must be.
But, this works for us.
And, that's all that matter's.