Answering Big Girl Questions

You guys! I was gone for two weeks. It was a (nearly) blissful vacation! They went by entirely too fast but fortunately for me, I got to see EVERYONE on my "must-see" list. That never, ever happens. So- I'm back to the grind. Anyway, it's good to be back. Hello world! I did receive some emails while I was gone from my lovely girlfriends wondering what it's like to be a Ruby- a young, working mother. Here are some of the questions:

1. How do you balance your time?

Uh- well you see... I'm learning how to balance as we speak (as I type?). I wake up, go to work, pick up Max, go home and take a 1-2 hour nap, make dinner, bathe the Max, watch tv, and go to sleep. Sometimes I read. I don't really break out of this norm because it has become comfortable. I do make sure that I get some real one-on-one interaction with my boy. For awhile I was studying, exercising, and meeting up with all of my friends for moral support. I finally realized that I can be on my own and handle it pretty well. I have a set schedule and sticking to it has been great. Except now I need to add exercising to this list and I'm not sure where it will fit because I don't want to give up my naptime. It's a must in my book.

2. Do you really like working outside the home?

I really like what I do and so this makes working outside the home a lot easier. If I hated my job, it would be much harder to get out of bed. I mean, who am I kidding?? It's hard getting out of bed anyway! I like the independence that comes with working outside the home and the knowledge that I am a sole breadwinner. I wouldn't have it any other way because I know for a fact that I'm good at what I do and that I'm doing all that I can to keep my family financially afloat.

3. What if you had a million dollars, would you then decide to stay home?

I don't know that I would be able to stay home even if I had a million dollars because I would probably be super frugal (after buying my range rover and house... I'm human people!). I have a boy to send on a mission and college to pay for and those things aren't cheap. I think I would need to do something with my life in order to just keep the ball going.

4. Since you claim to be a feminist, why all the rants on wishing you could stay home? Doesn't that go against feminism?

Feminism encompasses many subjects. Feminism may not be what you think it is dear. I am a feminist in the sense that I think men and women should be equal in the workforce and should receive the same pay. I know for a fact I make less than men in my profession and that is infuriating! I won't go on my feminist tangent because that is a whole other post (I'm working on it, don't worry). To answer your question: I rant about staying home because I pay for childcare, which is very expensive. I wish I could stay home and watch my little man grow. I wish I was there 24/7 to see his first hand experiences with life. I mean, I was home for two weeks and kind of went a little stir crazy but sometimes I do wonder what it would be like on the other side. However, at the end of the day, I think I would be here- working. I don't know that I'll ever have the luxury of staying home because life is so darn expensive these days.

5. Are you dating someone?

Not currently... I dated this handsome Brit (please be jealous) for a little bit and he was quite the darling guy. Due to a series of unfortunate events, we are no longer dating and since I really kinda liked this one I'm taking it easy on that front. **If you want to see a picture of him, he's in my "Moddest is Hottest" post from back in September. Or find me on instagram: rubydesantiago.** I have my hands full with Max, school applications, and getting audited by the feds. However, if any of you guys know another handsome Brit, I might have to recant this whole "I'm too busy to date" answer because we all know my infatuation with all things foreign.