Today’s glimpse into the motherhood juggle comes from our own Mrs. Jacks!

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Describe a typical day in your life.

There is no typical in my business. When I’m on service, I can be in the hospital from 7 am to 5 pm (or later), and when I’m off service I can saunter in at 9 or 10 and come home at 4.  Some of those off service days I can even work from home.  On the other hand, I also travel for work quite frequently and can be away from home 3-4 days every 1.5 months or so.

Let’s walk through an on-service day first.  I wake up at 5:30-5:50 and hope that the kidlets stay asleep.  Shower and personal care done by 6:10.  Go downstairs, unload the dishwasher, make breakfast and lunch, pack for the day. Kids usually wake up at some point in the process, so I’ll change diapers and get Little Jacks fed while trying to give Mr. Jacks a few precious extra minutes of sleep (he deserves it!).  When I’m lucky, I get to check email before I leave.  I double check that I’ve got pager, phone, badge, and lunch and then race off to work.


I got myself ready… how’s my hair?

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At 7 am, the work day begins.  I get sign out from the overnight doc and begin to see patients, take phone calls, and write notes.  This continues until noon, where I try to sit down at my desk, eat quickly, sign notes and try to sneak a peak at HB!  Second half of the day is much like the first, except I typically also have meetings, conference calls or administrative work as well. In the afternoons when LJ was little, I’d try to squeeze in time to pump around 3 pm.  Usually there is also a phone call or text to Mr. Jacks at some point so that I know what nap schedules have been like, and what his thoughts are on dinner.

I drive home somewhere between 5 and 7 pm.  During the drive I try to squeeze in any social phone calls for the day (since it’s the only private time I really have).  I’ll also stop at the store if we need anything. Once I get home it’s a whirlwind of updates on the day, playing with the girls, feeding the baby, and preparing dinner.  Sometimes we’ll go for a walk or a run in the evening, but mostly it’s about chores and family time.


We wash a lot of bottles.

Once dishes are in the dishwasher and overnight bottles are prepped, we do LJ’s and Jack Jack’s nighttime routine with bath, teeth brushing and good night books.  Jack Jack is asleep by 7:30 and LJ is usually asleep by 9 or 9:30.

Then we can finally “unwind,” which usually involves putting on some political news (gotta keep up on my civics). Usually I multitask and also either blog or do doctor work.  Mr. Jacks is typically asleep shortly after LJ and only hears the first news story.  I try to turn the computer off by 11.  I let Mr. Jacks sleep through the 1-2 am feeding and then he gets up for the 4 am feeding.  The whole thing starts over again at 5:30!

When I’m not on service, we have a much more leisurely life.  We all try to sleep in until 8.  We cook breakfast together (LJ loves “cheesy eggs”) and try to tackle some bigger chore like taxes, errands or house and yard projects.  I try to get in to work by 10:30 and stay until 4 or 4:30.  When I come home, we’ll go for a walk, shop together, or work in the yard.  The rest of the evening routine is the same as during on service weeks.


I dressed myself and am ready to play outside.

Has your work schedule changed since baby #2 arrived?

It hasn’t!  3 days after Jack Jack was born, I was back in the hospital working.  I think I’m going to try and retroactively create a bit of a maternity leave in the coming months, but right now it’s not possible.

What type of childcare do you have?

Mr. Jacks would bristle at being called childcare ;), but this whole deck of cards works because he’s a stay at home dad!  Little Jacks is going to start preschool in June, which will help Mr. Jacks be productive at home and at work while also taking care of Jack Jack.


Look at me working in the yard!

How do you juggle work/family/spouse/personal time balance?

This is a big struggle because I’m a workaholic.  We try to carve out weekend time that is completely electronics free, and I try really hard to not bring work home for evenings and nights so that all my attention can be on the family.  We eat dinner together at the dining room table every night, and that’s a tradition I’d like to continue until the girls move out for college!

What advice would you give to other moms about work life balance?

My advice is to use every moment intentionally.  The reason I can work so hard and still maintain some sort of family balance is that we really focus on the time we have together.  My husband would tell you that I have no work life balance, but I think I do a fairly good job of leaving work at the hospital and being present when I’m at home.

Also, do yourself a favor and hire someone to clean your house twice a month.  It’s a lifesaver!  My heart is always so happy on Thursdays after she comes and through the weekend before we slide back into disaster.


Waiting for my meal, and how I hurt my head.

What do you like to do in your personal time?

On weekends we run a lot of errands and do “life care maintenance” as I call it… but we also try to do an outing to the park, museum, aquarium or another kid friendly activity.

What’s the hardest part of being a mom?

For me it’s the constant pull of work and my girls.  I want to be excellent in all facets of my life, but something’s always got to give.  I try not to let it be my family. Instead I try to take it out of my extra-curricular life like my political and social involvement.


Exploring at the Natural History Museum

What’s the best part of being a mom?

It is so rewarding when Little Jacks says, “Mama, I love you SOOOO much!” or when Jack Jack smiles as if the world just lit up when she sees me.  Everything else melts away in those moments!

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Thanks for sharing a glimpse into your life Mrs. Jacks!