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Having an infant is difficult. It's a lot of work, and I didn't hire any help because I overestimated my own abilities.

It's not difficult to take care of a child; it's difficult to do anything else while taking care of a child. Trying to clean up the kitchen after you've had a baby is a nightmare because you have to wait for the baby to be asleep, you're exhausted, and you really don't want to clean up the kitchen now.

I come from a working-class family, and I've been working since I was 13, from babysitting to blueberry picking to factory work to bookstore work. And of course, being a mother and homemaker, the hardest work of all.

I work very regular hours, roughly 9 to 5:30. I think I have it much easier than a lot of parents. I just sit at home, I have a very flexible timetable, and I'm very fortunate in that I don't have money problems. I have lunch with my wife at home. I don't have to commute, so I have much more time with my family.

It's easy enough to plan jobs, to plan a lot of work.

I will absolutely say that whatever job I was asked to do, whatever schedule I was asked to work, it is never going to be as hard as looking after a child.

I really feel that most things are difficult at the beginning and they become fun, something you love, only after you've worked at them. Making children do something hard can, in the long run, be a great parental service.

When I had my first child, I started to try and make fresh food for him daily, and I became frustrated with the amount of work - and time - involved in making baby food at home.

Being a working mom is not easy. You have to be willing to screw up at every level.

I don't have to be working every moment. Why turn something good into a hard job? It's more special when it's not a daily occurrence. It doesn't cheapen it so much.