Juggling- its not just for clowns anymore

I had written this before getting laid off. It'll be interesting to see how it changes when I finish out my time.

My daily schedule is a bit arduous, but I think fairly typical for working moms who go to school. A given day during the week is as follows:

6:00am - up and out the door
6:30am - work
2:30pm - time for school!
3:00pm - MCAT studying
5:30pm - Class until 7:45
8:00pm - home; dinner, family time, tv time, catching up time, etc.
10:00pm - Mechanic Jr bedtime
10:10 - 12:00 or later - more homework

Rinse and repeat. Except for the days that I have no class, which in that case I take Mechanic Jr to school and work about 9 to 5. I come home, spend time with the family, and am immersed in school work and MCAT stuff for most of the evening. Weekends I play catch up with schooling and house work. I do laundry and bathrooms, Mr. Mechanic does dishes and other chores. If Mechanic Jr. has swimming, band, etc, I do those on my evenings off if I'm not in class.

Mr. Mechanic is also a student and a stay-at-home dad. I am the only breadwinner in the family, hence my reason for not quitting work and persuing school full time. My job survived the economic downturn- his did not. I couldn't do what I do without him. He cooks all the meals, makes lunches, does homework with Jr., picks him up from school, drops him off on my class days, etc. If you are a mother thinking about med school, you need a support system in place. You cannot do this alone. Even if you are a single mom, you need someone who is always there for you, who understands your needs, and is wholly supportive of them.

One of my favorite blogs is married momof3 medschool2004 by TexasRose on MomMd. She has long since quit blogging, but her story covers medical school through the near end of her residency. She shows just how hard and possible juggling a family and school can be.