Theme Thursday: Black and White

In the midst of all things recently, work has (finally) started to pick back up again.  For one particular project, I needed a head shot for a webinar.  Enter my tripod, the timer on my camera and a kitchen stool against the living room wall.......

Thanks to a link-up party at Clan Donaldson, I did a little editing to make it black and white for this Theme Thursday.

I like this picture because it's such a capture of me, especially if you know the details, like I'm sitting in my living room and my 3 y/o nephew was assisting me while the babies slept.  I'm wearing a sundress with a blazer thrown over the top of it for the picture and right after this was taken, my hair went back up in a ponytail.

That little bit of extra chin I see also tells a story about where I am right now, SB is 1 and I'm working my way through some baby weight (plus a little more) to get back to fertile ground again.  Working mom, from home, with all the juggling it contains....that's what I see.  I see the piles of toys around my feet and hear my nephew saying, "my turn!".  This is what my work life looks like, chaos just around the corners out of frame, cool and collected in frame. 

I could make a list of all the things I'm down about right now, but when I look at this picture, I'm reminded of one of the best things about my life.  I get to stay home with my kids AND do work that I love.  The mix can be chaotic and I might be sending files to a client at 10:30 at night when the house is still, but I'd just be watching something silly on tv, so might as well be doing something productive, right? 

The babies are down for a nap, I haven't showered yet today (because I'm trying to motivate myself to work out by not showering until I've put some miles on the treadmill), I'm sitting on my couch, barefoot and wearing a sundress.  I'm also about to start my morning work, editing some classroom materials before I assist with the training in July.  I have my laptop and in my view are a laundry basket, a Little People barn and through the next door, an unmade (mine) bed.  This is my balance and sometimes the scales tip a little too far in a single direction, but it's all I could ask for.  The toilet will get cleaned when the file is finished, and if my bed doesn't get made, I'll shut the door if someone stops by.

If I could get my toddler to stop getting up from her morning nap to dance and talk to me, I might get something done :)