Working Mom

Phew.

Made it through the first couple of "prep" weeks at work. The real down-to-business work starts this coming week. And it will be my first three-day week. The last two weeks I have worked two days a week and even that was exhausting and required some scheduling forethought and planning.

I have not yet found my work groove. The transition back to work is harder than I had thought in some ways, although I do have a significant amount of support and help in making it work. At times I question my sanity over my decision to become a working mom. Having two girls in school full time makes it more doable but it still requires orchestrating the day so that there is coverage both in the early morning and in the late afternoon. My work schedule does not allow me to be here at both ends of the day - and on some days I can't be here for either time and need to rely on Rick and his mom to fill in the blanks. And I need to make sure we are all on the same page so everyone knows who is responsible for what. I am hoping that it is just a matter of time before we become accustomed to the busier pace and the schedule is just part of the fabric of our lives with only a little stitch here or a patch there to keep it going smoothly.

And please God, don't let anyone get sick. I have already suffered a head cold this past week and actually went into work thereby potentially infecting my coworkers. In my defense I was unsure whether I was suffering from allergies or a cold but now that Eldest girl developed the exact same symptoms I can be reasonably sure that I spread my 'joy' throughout the work environment last week. Anyone who is sick this week is going to blame me for it (rightly so). But me being sick is one thing - having to decide how to manage a sick kid (or two) at home might get a bit dicey because it will be the double edged sword of mommy guilt vs. work guilt with a sprinkling of guilt over leaving my sick kids in the care of another. Here's hoping they continue to be the hearty and healthy souls that they have been in the last few years.

I had other reasons for going in to work last week even though I felt like absolute crap. I am still unclear on my itinerant work schedule and was waiting to find out about a particular classroom where I might (or might not) be working. I had waited a reasonable amount of time for someone to get back to me on the issue and I had left her a voice mail message on her cell phone. But, if you followed my previous blog posts about this workplace you can probably already guess that the message went unanswered. So, I was left still wondering about my schedule and figured the best way to get the information I needed was to show up and get the answers face-to-face. It seems the only way to get any answers from certain individuals. Upon arrival I found out from a different source that I would not, in fact, be working in that classroom. I was relieved to hear this answer but a bit annoyed that someone else was given the information days before and yet no one felt it necessary to clue me in. I am still unclear about just what my third day of work will eventually entail but it is looking promising that I will be in a school district not far from my home. I will hopefully find out more this week.

The girls seem to be mostly adjusting to the fact that mom is working more now. It actually hasn't impacted the older girls greatly. Sometimes I am not here to get them off to school but usually I am the one getting them off the bus on those days. Youngest girl is having the most difficult adjustment because she is spending two days a week with my good friend/neighbor/walking buddy/daycare provider Lauri (just how many hats can one woman wear?). She is being very brave but she has let it be known that she is not thrilled with the arrangement. She becomes easily upset when people unexpectedly arrive at the daycare (even Lauri's daughter coming off the bus was seen as an unexpected intrusion by Youngest girl. Lauri explained that her daughter LIVES in the house so it's OK for her to be there which seemed to help Youngest girl calm down a bit! LOL). I am hopeful that this year her adjustment will increasingly improve (as opposed to last spring when things started out great and deteriorated over time). Last spring she was only there sporadically whereas this year she is there twice a week so the regularity might help the situation.

Today is Monday and one of my days off. I think I will like having this day to hang out with Youngest girl and get some errands done for the week. It starts the week off on a good note.

Speaking of getting started, I really need to take a shower and get dressed so Youngest one and I can make the most of our day together!

Middle Girl Gets on the Bus

Middle girl had her first full day of kindergarten yesterday! She was so excited to get on that big yellow bus right along with Eldest girl. Unfortunately, I had to be at work early so I was not there to witness the big event. I made sure that Rick took a few pictures for me and consoled myself with the fact that I did get to bring her to orientation last week and I would be watching her climb on that big bus for many days...and years...to come.



When she arrived home she had a big happy smile on her face and the first thing she said was "I love kindergarten!" - awww... I recall Eldest girl coming home from her first day with the same teacher and she said the same thing. (I love Ms. W.) The next thing she did was show me her scraped knee and told me that she had fallen on the pavement on the way in from recess. Ouch. She was no longer wearing her tights which had taken a beating in the fall and the nurse had patched her up with a bandaid and some medical tape. I joked with her that although I showed her the nurse's office and introduced her to the nurse last Friday she really didn't need to make her first visit there on the first day of school!

Later in the evening I received a very nice phone call from Ms. W. letting me know that Middle girl is a delight and that she had a very successful first day of school. (Have I mentioned how much I love this teacher?) I let her know that Middle girl loves kindergarten and thanked her for checking in with us on the first day. We also got a sign-up sheet for a 'home visit' so that Middle girl can welcome her teacher to our home and show her where she lives. I remember Eldest girl being very excited that her teacher was coming for a visit so I know Middle girl will be just as excited. I love that this teacher values the home-school connection and makes such an effort to foster that relationship from the very beginning.

After school yesterday Middle girl had her first gymnastics class of the year. Even with the scraped up knee she did a great job and had a ball. Eldest girl was upset that she was going to have to come and watch because she thought she would be bored. However, once we got there she was enthralled with watching the class and even said it looked more interesting than she had remembered. I had offered to let her try gymnastics again this year - she attended for a few sessions in preschool but gave it up in favor of art classes the last few years. But she insisted that it was Middle girl's "thing" - not hers. Now that she's seen it in action she is actually excited by the idea. I checked with the gymnastics school and found out that there is room in the older kids class that meets at the same time as Middle girl's class. Perfect! I waited until this morning to be sure she wasn't going to change her mind and this morning I will be calling to sign her up as well. I've also decided that in the best interest of everyone's sanity that I am going to cancel the Monday afternoon swim classes. Between work, school and gymnastics once a week I think our plate is full enough. Swim classes might just put me (and them) over the edge. And as depressing as it feels I am going to drop the Y membership as well. I just can't fathom when I will find the time in my schedule for the two hours I need to drive there and back and get in a workout (20 minutes each way, changing, working out, showering and changing again translates to almost 2 hours!). I am going to have to step up my efforts to use my "home gym" of videos and treadmill. I really like the idea of "getting away" to do my workouts but it just isn't in the cards right now.

Off to get showered and dressed and run some errands with Youngest girl. On my list is a big ole box of tissues to get me through this stupid head cold I picked up somewhere. Ugh.

In which I finally get around to sharing some pictures I've been meaning to post...

I'm obviously not participating in NaBloPoMo this year since I haven't posted a damn thing yet this month. But there are a few participants I'm rooting for this year and will be stopping by to check on them daily (just giving them fair warning....if they happen to stop by here).

I have yet to post pictures from my October girls' birthdays! Horrors! And then of course there is Halloween. I'm slacking off around here. I guess I've been a tad busy with other things - sewing for the church fair, reading The Outlander (instead of the book I'm supposed to be reading for my book club**), failing miserably at learning to crochet (OK, so I did teach myself the basic stitch but the 'square' that was supposed to 13"x13" came out as 11"x12" and I decided to just ditch that project for now...I don't need that kind of stress! I want my projects to be fun and I use them to reduce stress, thank you very much), and just generally surviving our crazy fall schedule (I'm happy to report that this was the last week for session one of swim class - I have the girls signed up to take their swim lessons on the same day at the same time for session two - Phew!).

So, without further ado, here are a few shots from October that I wanted to share...

HALLOWEEN

R dressed as Violet from The Incredibles. Her personality changes completely when she dons this costume.

A as a Barbie...gag...cheerleader. Not my choice for a costume and I made her wear a leotard underneath for warmth and modesty. She was originally going to be a pink fairy but then found this evil lovely get up and decided to spend some birthday money on it. Her personality was not a whole lot different, just notched up a bit when she put this costume on.

Little Miss E dressed as a Ladybug - but hard to tell since all she was willing to wear was a pair of wings clipped to the back of her jacket. The cheesy grin speaks volumes about her personality.

The Thrilling Threesome ready to go get CANDY!


E's 2nd Birthday!

The birthday girl - see? there's that cheese-factor going full force again.

However, since we are talking about a 2-year-old, that cheese-factor can swiftly change to Major Meltdown in mere seconds.

E has never seen a single Dora episode, but thanks to the whacked-out world of preschool marketing she can certainly recognize a Dora figure 13 aisles away. So, I figured she would appreciate a little Dora-themed family celebration this year.

Happy Birthday, E! She did a great job blowing out her candles this year...even if she did try to actually eat the wax Dora candle later. Notice the wine in the foreground - I was not to be outdone by E's earlier whine, you see. Mothers have a way of getting by. Seriously!

Sisters three.


This year - as compared to last - there was no question in E's mind about what needed to be done with the brightly wrapped packages. Riiiiippppp!!!

A's 5th Birthday!

A chose a puppy theme for her party this year. I found a dog bone cookie cutter and the gingerbread doggy bones were a big hit!

Pink being A's favorite color, the pink poodle cake was a must-have for the party!

Oh yeah, and there isn't much of it left in this shot but I also made the girls pink poodle pancakes for breakfast that morning.
At five, she is a pro at blowing out the candles...

And she certainly knows how best to rip into the brightly wrapped packages. She had a total of five friends at her party and they all had a great time. She was thrilled with all her gifts and she is already thinking ahead to next year and coming up with party-theme ideas!

OK, enough is enough. I think I've got the October celebratory pictures covered now. I'll be back soon and next time I'll try not to inundate the blogosphere with so many pictures at once!

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**Update on the book club comment! I'm glad I put my book club book aside because I just received this email from a fellow book club member:

At church today several of us were discussing the difficulty in getting ahold of this book/as well as not being crazy about short stories. The suggestions we came up with was to change the book to another one of Sena Jeter Naslund about Marie Antoinette . How does the group feel about that? Is it too late to change (believe next meeting is 11/19). Reply all with your thoughts,

Inger

I had only read the first short story in the chosen book so I'm glad I didn't invest too much time in it! Now I just need to get cracking on whatever book they decide on because Inger was wrong and our next meeting is actually scheduled for next Monday (the 12th)!

Which way did she go? Which way did she go?

Things have been busy, you could say.

The last few years I have not felt the need to keep a schedule book handy at all times. I've been able to keep tabs on our schedules by sporadically writing things down on a wall calendar in the kitchen, but mainly just keeping track of who needs to be where -- and when-- in my head. I've kept the few numbers I've needed handy in my cell phone. And although I've been caught unawares by a phone call or two reminding me of a dentist appointment that I'd completely forgotten to write down when it was scheduled six months prior, on the whole been I've able to get by just fine.

Now? Not so much.

The two older girls are involved in two extracurricular activities this fall (gymnastics and swimming for A and art class and swimming for R). Not too hectic, you might say, but I am also dropping off and picking up A from preschool four days a week, doing a childcare swap on alternating Thursdays with a friend, and my in-laws are taking the girl at various times to spend some quality time with them individually. To help R with some social issues (real or imagined) that seem to be bothering her (she can be painfully shy and feels like she has no friends right now) I am also working on scheduling semi-regular play dates with a few choice classmates in the hopes of nudging along a friendship or two. And A refuses to be left in the dust - she's the social butterfly of the family with a social calendar to match!

Oh yeah, and I've decided to spend Tuesday mornings at R's school volunteering in the library and as needed in her classroom. It's a worthwhile investment of my time as I like to be aware of what is happening at school, and recent budget cuts have reduced the support in the library and classrooms to nil or almost nil. Luckily, R is still of an age where parental visits to the classroom are encouraged (by her and by her teacher). I'm sure there will come a time when mom's arrival at school will be a complete embarrassment so I'm getting my time in while I still can!

And then there are the evening meetings - preschool board meetings (not very often, but still can't forget!), book club (a monthly "me time" that I hate to miss), school events like curriculum night and the welcome back picnic that happened last night (the kids had a ball!), helping with fund raisers like bake sales, and so on and so forth.

To add to the mix, there is also church, choir practice for the girls, teaching Sunday school (luckily I just have to show up and teach - the lesson is all organized and prepared for me ahead of time), and a host of fall birthday parties on the horizon (including the party planning and prep for my two October girls).

A couple of weeks ago I started to feel the weight of the scheduling nightmare -- and a bit old and addled at the thought of trying to keep everyone's schedule straight in my head -- so, I went out and found a nearly perfect planner. If I could tweak its contents a bit I would, but it serves me well enough and it is certainly helping to keep me sane (relative term indeed...it is keeping me from jumping off the cliffs of insanity anyway). I also purchased a new bag ("Hi. My name is Jeanne and I'm a bag-aholic.") which has a handy outside pocket into which my bright and shiny new planner fits perfectly! (Thank you, mom, for the birthday money that financed the new bag purchase!). The bag also has end pockets with mesh bottoms that are perfect for a bottle or sippy cup of milk or water for the wee lassie as well as what should be my ever-present bottle of H2O (working on that daily goal). And the main compartment is big enough for my wallet, a diaper or two, a travel wipes container, and I bet I could even fit my latest book in there in a pinch if it is paperback and not too thick.

So, armed with my life in a book and a bag (and all neatly labeled with a few different colored pens and highlighters), I'm as prepared as I am ever going to be for the crazies of the season! If you are the praying type, just pray that I don't lose my portable brain planner or I'll be sunk!

It's Fun to Stay at the Y-M-C-A!

Sing it with me now...

Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to be unhappy.
Young man, there's a place you can go
I said, young man, when you're short on your dough.
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

(Village People)

Today I took the leap and paid for a membership to the local Y! Actually, I signed up the girls for swim classes and in doing so realized that the cost differential to becoming a member and getting membership rates for the swim classes differed by not a whole lot. So, we are now proud, card-carrying, sweatband-wearing members of the YMCA!

Hmmm....

I guess that means I should actually USE said card to get my butt in gear this fall and achieve the results that have been eluding me this summer. I have been backsliding over the course of the last few months to the tune of about 5 pounds. I also know my fitness level has dropped off since May because I have not kept up with the sculpting and aerobic sessions. I have been walking quite a bit some weeks but not so much on other weeks. I am still fitting, mostly, in my clothes but they do feel a bit more snug than they did back in May. And I just don't feel as good as I did back in the spring.

Time to get back on track. Hopefully, the new gym membership will be a good way to get some of that motivation back that I had at the start of the new year. I am going to try to walk in the mornings, per usual, with Lauri and then at least a couple of times a week I hope to hit the gym while R and A are at school. E can come along and spend some play time at the FREE childcare center (what a bonus!). I need to look over the classes schedules and see if any will fit the bill - they have a ton of different styles of workouts which is great. I think having a scheduled class time will help with the follow through and it will be more fun working out with other people rather that in front of the TV screen.

While we were there today getting signed up (which was not a straight-forward process due to the fact that I did not bring a canceled check to sign up for the automatic checking transfer payment method....) we got a tour of the facility and it seems great! Aside from the (free!) childcare rooms, they also have a raquetball court, two studios for fitness classes, two pools, and the usual exercise room with weight machines and various cardio machines. There were plenty of machines and I imagine I won't be waiting to use any of them if I go during weekday mornings. And in the "over 18" locker rooms they also have a sauna and hot tub. Once I get the kids safely checked into child care rooms I can utilize those facilities as well. I might have to visit there more often for some basic R&R as part of my "(mental) health and fitness" regime....

As for the main reason for getting the membership...the swim classes! I had hoped to sign R and A up for classes on the same day at the same time if at all possible. Even back-to-back sessions on the same day would have been okay. However, I was so late in signing up that I ended up with A in a Wednesday afternoon session and R in a Saturday morning session. Sigh. It will be a hectic eight weeks -- but it is only eight weeks -- and perhaps for the second fall session I'll be lucky enough to consolidate their classes into one trip.

Between swim classes and exercise classes, I have a feeling that the Y is going to start to feel like my second home...at least I'll be getting my money's worth!