Me "sleeping" before getting up to do my makeup at 11:30pm.
If you think about it, it’s the perfect job for a mom: Leaving your baby in the middle of night. No babysitter needed (assuming you have a spouse at home). No need to provide eating/napping instructions to anyone. No need to go through the rigamarole of saying ‘bye-bye’ to baby and sneaking out the door to avoid a ‘don’t leave me mommy’ moment. This has been my week this week.
This perfect little TV gig came about for me almost a year ago, thanks to a friend who is the Entertainment Anchor for the UK’s popular morning show “Lorraine.” When he goes on vacation, they call me to fill in…. allowing me to make a few extra bucks and legitimately claim that I am an ‘international television personality.’
My view from my "workspace" in-studio... LIVE to the UK in 3, 2...
The catch is that I go to ‘bed’ around 9pm, get up around 11:30pm, do a quick hair/makeup job in my bathroom, leave my house at around midnight to drive to the studio, do a short prep on the phone with producers in the UK (with their fabulously-fun accents!), then go LIVE on the air for about 5 minutes around 1am LA-time (which is 9am UK-time). Done. I’m then back in my car and home in my cozy bed by 2am… is this crazy or fab?
I’m claiming fab… for as long as I can handle it. Why am I doing this? Because it’s just another opportunity to prove to myself that – as a mom – I can still swing certain unconventional workloads (and I love making my own paycheck, no matter how big or small). I used to be the twenty-something that left my apartment with girlfriends for a night on the town until 2am… so what’s the difference here, right?  🙂
Me and my "script"... and the greenscreen behind me that looks like Hollywood if you're watching in the UK!
Maybe my actions are example of some deep, desperate psychological need  to hang on to my youthful energy? I don’t care. I would’ve leapt to do this job before having my baby, and I’ll continue to leap to do this job after having my baby. It’s fun and it gives me an adrenaline rush… something that every mom needs to have every so often. I’m excited to one day tell my little girl this tale of mommy’s lady-of-the-night shenanigans. She will most likely say I’m lying, but that’s ok…. I’m not doing it for her. I’m doing it for me. And I’m doing it again…. tonight!
WHAT DO YOU DO TO KEEP YOUR INNER SPARK LIT?
[…] drive back across town to do a live satellite appearance for the UK’s popular morning show (explained here). At least my hair and makeup were already done. 2am-ish  (now Tuesday morning): Back home after […]