The working mom balancing act is complicated enough without contradiction and irony littering the path. Today, without childcare, I was reminded of a recent unsettling discovery: the household is in much better shape on days when I am home with Laurel.

Perhaps this is just a function of a unique window in our lives, where we only have one kid who now enjoys independent play, or who is at a stage where we can chat and I can entertain her even if she isn’t sitting right on my lap. Or maybe Laurel’s penchant for stirring tuna fish and helping dump laundry out of the dryer has something to do with it. Whatever the factors, by lunch, a few days worth of tuna was made, the laundry done, the sink cleared, the living area straightened, and I even prepped some veggies for dinner while Laurel finished up lunch. Come to think of it, we also did a quick grocery and birthday present run this morning. Bizarre.

I don’t want to give up my work or Laurel’s school pals right now, so I guess I’ll just enjoy the tidiness today; no doubt the chaos will be back in full force tomorrow.