During the holidays, we had no routine to speak of. We had lots of liesurely brunches and unstructured playtime. But now that the holiday is over, I am trying desperately to get back to work. My husband does his best to help, but yesterday, we both just gave up.

The kids just can't seem to get used to mommy being back in her office again. I really have a lot of work to catch up on, and while in the middle of the workday, I'm usually not in the mood for Thomas The Tank Engine on video or Shopping With Barbie, yesterday, I just gave up.

As I left my office with the realization that I'd be up until at least midnight making up for lost time, I suddenly had an idea. While we were having a great Christmas season, the dirty clothes just kept piling up. "I have an idea, guys! Let's wash clothes!" So here you see us. We were supposed to be washing clothes, but alas, we just ended up making an even bigger mess.

It's still not cleaned up. Oh well. Making the Lifestyle CEO Choice comes with these kinds of strange balancing acts. When you want to work but can't, you go and play knowing that moments with your kids are precious and will never come again. At the same time, you're going to lose some sleep if you're going to get those customer orders taken care of. Yes, it has its challenges but in the end, it's the best life of all.

Now for a cuppa Joe and then back to work for a while, and then back down the hall to wash some clothes.