I was making mental notes throughout last week since we lost internet and won't have it fixed until this week.  I called off sick on Friday last week and my mental notes grew into this huge massive list and I couldn't wait to share some of the items on my list with you. What do working women, and especially mothers really want? I can only speak for myself right now, but I am sure your list won't be any different. Here are some simple things I want and I swear my list is not even that long ( I think)

:: 20 Weeks Paid Vacation like they have in the Nederlands. My co-worker is pregnant and I threw her a baby shower last week. Just last night at the Superbowl party, we were discussing with a manager who just relocated from the Nederlands on how tight the 6-weeks maternity window is. He was apalled that women had to come back to work just 6-weeks after giving birth. I want to know who made that rule here in the U.S because clearly, they weren't thinking properly! And why are companies so blind to the fact that in other to keep ambitious women in the workforce, their maternity leave policy needs a major overhaul.

:: An Aupair - I was reading a piece on The Juggle via WSJ last week and it seems the most modern and cheapest way to get in-house help is through the Au Pair program. We are considering this as a possibility but being from Africa and all, I am probably better off hiring a nanny from my home country who has a cultural flair to add to our mix.

:: Frequent Date Nights - My husband and I have been doing this a lot lately. I really applaud him for getting me out of the house more. We've been to couple of dates with our daughter in toe and some without her. The reality is that, we just can't wait for all for our ducks lined in a row before scheduling these date nights, worse case scenario if you cannot get a babysitter, bring the kid along.

:: Spa and Massage - I rarely do massages but I am dying to get some deep tissue massage and some spa treatment. I think every woman deserves these treats once in a while and for working professionals, its so hard to find the time.

:: Spend More Time with our Kids - I am guilty of this and we all are. And I believe we've had enough conversations around the benefits of being a working mother and the benefits it holds for the kids. But, I still love to think that one day, I will be able to spend a whole week with my daughter without worrying about some milestone, reports, conference calls or meetings. One can wish right? By the way, I absolutely look forward to the weekends with her, we enjoy going to the park and cooking together.

:: A Live-in Chef - I love to cook but it would be nice to have a live-in chef to cook me up some delicacies that I would rather not spend time doing. On average, I spend 10hours a week cooking, I would like to spend that time reading, bonding with my family or even getting more rest.

::  A Housekeeper - We talked about the Au Pair but for some reason, I feel like there needs to be a housekeeper who does the laundry, cleans the house, waters the garden and all other miscellaneous activity. This is probably the #1 wish for every working mother.

:: A Fat Bank Account - Oh well, all of those things won't happen without the cash right? Well, the bad news is that there still isn't equal pay for working men and women. Instead, women on average earn 79 cents for every dollar a man earns. It would be nice to get a raise to pay for stuff on my wishlist right? Oh well.