On a good day, I spend on average 1 1/2 hours with my son in the morning before I drop him off at full day pre school and another 3 1/2 hours at night. Yes, you're adding that up correctly. As a full time working mom, I typically spend 5 hours a day with my child during the week. Breaking it down this way did initially create some anxiety for me and it took time (and more than a few deep breaths) to get used to the numbers. As a family, we've worked with this math for nearly five years now. Here's how we make every moment we spend together count:

1. Start every day with hugs, kisses and kind words.
2. Breakfast (even if it happens to be in front of the TV watching a favorite show like Oswald or Little Bear) is shared with mom and/or dad.
3. Engage in one small project or learning activity before we leave for school.
4. Make car travel time count for learning and sharing. On the way home from school we review the day, share feelings and often a lot of laughter.
5. Dinners are simple during the week, but everyone is involved in the preparation.
6. Reading books and learning are at the forefront of our evening time. We have a Junior talking globe, anatomy books and children's classics and encyclopedias and we keep them where we can use them - not tucked away neatly on a bookshelf.
7. TV time is limited in favor of talking time or outside play time (weather permitting).
8. Bath time and bed time doubles as quality time.
9. Structure in our household is negotiable when it means squeezing in a little more kid/parent/family time. It just works for us. Even if it means bedtime gets pushed to 9:00 pm.

That pretty much covers the way it's supposed to go anyway. In the spirit of full disclosure, though, here's a challenge we face as a working family:

Although we've attempted to institute technology "black outs", it simply hasn't worked. My husband's job is Global, so he needs to be accessible after hours and my job is connected with a daily newspaper that prints nightly. It's just not possible to turn them off. Our commitment is to "control the controllables". We choose when to check our mail and try to set aside designated times to work in the evenings and on weekends. That way, we don't feel constantly tethered to our smart phones and laptops and don't have to deal with interruptions from an active preschooler. It's important to be honest as a working parent. Pretending that it's perfect doesn't serve anyone in the family - least of all your child.

Embracing where we are at this moment makes it possible for us to be just that. In the moment.

This past week has been humbling as a working mom. I started my week attending a funeral and memorial service for my dear friend and next door neighbor. Not the way you want to start any week.

Arriving at work just after noon on Monday, I began review of month end commission statements, held a sales meeting to kick off the new month, and worked with our online sales manager to confirm our digital numbers - our best month ever! I was happily getting into the swing of things when at 3:45 PM when I received "the call" from my son's daycare provider. "Your son has a fever", the director shared. This was the beginning of what would be a week of balancing a sick little one, a hectic work schedule, a husband out of the country, and the loss of a close friend.

My son started feeling under the weather with stomach issues on Saturday, but once the fever hit I knew we were in trouble. And after nursing the new symptom of a croup-like cough all night long, we headed straight to the pediatrician first thing Tuesday morning in an attempt to nip whatever it was "in the bud". The pediatrician confirmed my fear: Coxsackie virus. She said they call it the "summer flu" because it's quite often spread in warm weather and, in particular, pools (Um, we have a pool). Thankfully he didn't get the accompanying mouth sores, which can be incredibly painful. Daycare was out, so Tuesday became a sick day for him and a missed day of work for me. I'm one of those lucky working moms who usually has a lot of support. This week was the exception rather than the rule and I was lacking back-up big time.

I attempted to find a new groove on Wednesday and Thursday spending half days at home in the morning with my son (including a SECOND trip to the pediatrician) while the second half of the day my parent's watched him while I hustled into the office trying to squeeze in conference calls, meetings, deliverables and other sales management duties. At home on the couch in the morning, emails and voice mails piled up on my BlackBerry while I stroked my little boy's hair as he lay his head on my lap. Afternoons spent in the office were interrupted by daycare and doctor and concerned granparent calls centered around on my son's health. This was not going to be easy.

As Friday begins - my first full day back to work - my to-do list is a mile long and my fingers are crossed that my son will make it through his whole day at school. My husband is simultaneosly making his way home from South America and tomorrow we'll be one happy - and (hopefully) healthy - family again.

I'll be spending a few extra hours in the office over the weekend in an attempt to not start the week at a deficit, which is just fine. As a working mom it's never possible to give 100% to two separate endeavors. Each day, as hard as you try, you inevitably come up short somewhere. This week, both work and motherhood suffered as I tried desperately to keep the balls in the air. Once I finally acknowledged the truth that they had fallen on the floor, I took care of each the best I could knowing that there isn't a playbook for the working mom. If there were, mine would most certainly be dog-eared.

Just before the holidays, I decided it was time to get back to a regular yoga practice. Of all the exercise regimens I've had in my lifetime, yoga was the only one with real staying power. I took my first class in 1993 and never looked back. In fact, I found a studio in Atlanta the day they were hanging their sign out front. My friend Lindsay and I were students number one and two respectively. In 2000, I completed my first yoga teacher training and later went on to own a yoga studio. When I was pregnant with my son over a decade later, I took prenatal yoga right up until my due date. I can vividly remember that class trying to balance in tree pose with what I can only describe as a giant pregnant belly. What I didn't know then was that our son would arrive two VERY LONG weeks later.

After I received the 'all clear' to exercise post c-section, I began my daily yoga practice. In a matter of weeks I felt myself gaining strength, flexibility and balance. At the time my son was ten weeks old, I went back to work. Working full time with a baby (or any age child or children for that matter) is a challenge in both time and energy management. In my case, something had to give and that "something" was my yoga practice.

It took me more than three years to find my way back to a regular practice, but I'm happy I did. It has what I'm seeking - balance of body and mind, life and work. You get the idea.

So after four hours straight of sitting in meetings, I left the office and headed straight to Hot Yoga Saratoga for 90 minutes of heat, stretching and well, more work. I took a deep breath and followed our teacher Judy's careful instructions. This form of yoga is a quite challenging and tends to attract type-A personalities, which explains why I'm routinely surrounded in class by what I suspect are high performance athletes. While my post-yoga routine is to arrive home, shower, (work), watch Monsters vs. Aliens with our son, read books and head to bed, I picture some of these folks leaving yoga, running 20 miles, drinking a power shake (or eating a wholesome vegetarian meal) and then working on their novels or renovating their homes until dark. In truth, they're probably a lot more like me, and at least one of them has two kids, a husband and a business to run. Some still look like they could accomplish a home renovation after 90 minutes of intense yoga practice.

Tonight's practice was especially rewarding for me. After a day filled with meeting and talk of new product launches, website re-launches, and new and existing strategic partnerships, I was ready for some exercise that could meet me where I was. And Hot Yoga (also called Bikram yoga) did not disappoint. The same series of 26 poses or postures and two breathing exercises is practiced in every class so you can really get a sense of where you are. Although the balancing postures kicked my butt tonight, the really deep back bends felt amazing after sitting in a conference room for most of the day. And the intense heat - we practice at 105+ degrees - felt great today although some days I do want to leave the room screaming for fresh, cool air.

I left class feeling invincible and ready to face another day of more meetings and whatever challenges come my way. In fact, at this very moment I'm perfectly content basking in post-yoga bliss munching on popcorn. As I listen to my son call for me from the family room, I smile knowing it's family time now. It's about balance after all.