Too swamped to write

Well, I have been meaning to post here for months and after several good-natured nudges by our organizer I finally made it! I am amazed that you all have been able to share so much and maybe that's what I am here to share- that I've felt so swamped the last year I haven't even felt I had time to write about it. I have definitely found that as our 3 children get older I have felt that although there is a certain freedom that I appreciate in them having independence like getting bathed and dressed alone, keeping track of homework, playdates and sleepovers and reminding me about birthday parties, I also dread other aspects of their independence- like my nine year old daughter insisting on walking a mile to school without a parent when I have to race out the door to work, leaving me feeling very unsure about her safety and wanting to hold her hand all the way to school. Another whammy that came recently was when she cried so hard at bedtime saying "why do you always have to go to work and just leave us with babysitters our whole life"-- wow, that one was unimaginably painful! Like many of us I presume, I alternate between periods when I feel quite happy and satisfied w/ work and home life and then others when I feel I am drowning- this is one of those drowning times so I'll spare you all any more of this debbie-downer post and look forward to returning when I'll have something more cheerful to write about :) Go moms!