Life As We Know It
Whoever said being a stay-at-home-mom and working part-time is the best of both worlds never lived my world. Don't get me wrong, my world is GREAT. I do appreciate being able to be here for the girls when they get home from school, as well as stay home with Aaron and Melina during the day. But working part-time, in the EVENING, is like going from one full-time job to a part-time job, when all I really want to do is go to bed. Furthermore, because I am not at home two evenings a week, on those nights, life at home is different. Just ask Tim.
Last week, I walked in the door at 8:45 pm to find 3 out of 4 kids in bed (but not all of them asleep), 1 baby on the floor of the family room (wide awake), some dishes in the sink (the babysitter usually puts most of the dishes in the dishwasher, to her credit), and the dining room table a mess. I threw my sweater and bag on the table, washed my hands, grabbed the baby and headed upstairs. After changing, nursing, and putting the baby to bed, I moved onto the girls room. There, I told them to be quiet and go to sleep. I tiptoed into Aaron's room, checked to make sure he was breathing (I'll probably do that until he goes to college; I usually do it for everyone), and then headed down the hall to shower. Following the shower, was the dining room table clean-up, then I packed half of the lunches for the next morning, grabbed a snack, cleaned up the rest of the dishes, and flopped onto the couch. I might have spoken a little with Tim before heading to bed.
This happens 2 times a week, and while we are only in the 2nd week of classes, I am already tired of the routine. Tim tries, he really tries to make things go smoothly. And I think if he had the ability to get into my brain and channel me, he'd notice that the dining room table still needs cleaning and that the socks next to the couch, well, they just don't belong there.
And so, this routine has me thinking. Is this worth it? Do I make enough 2 times a week to cover the cost of my sanity? Well, I have to think of the long run, and someday, probably within the next couple of years, I will need to go back to working full-time, outside the home. In order to do that, I should stay where I am, keeping my foot in the door, so to speak. And on the upswing, I do enjoy speaking with my colleagues as well as the students I teach. I've made a couple of really good friends by being their instructor first.
So, I think we will be stuck, dancing the dance 2 times a week until the end of November. If I can, I'll do 2 online classes next quarter (so I don't actually have to leave the house...but then, I bet I'll miss the escape!), and perhaps by the spring, Melina will be a bit more self-sufficient (if you can say that about child that won't yet be 2 in the spring), and the whole routine will be a little less hectic than it is now.
Stay tuned. If you don't see a posting before spring, you know how it is going.
P.S. Good news in our house this week. Aunt Teresa will be getting married! Congratulations to Teresa and Dave!
Last week, I walked in the door at 8:45 pm to find 3 out of 4 kids in bed (but not all of them asleep), 1 baby on the floor of the family room (wide awake), some dishes in the sink (the babysitter usually puts most of the dishes in the dishwasher, to her credit), and the dining room table a mess. I threw my sweater and bag on the table, washed my hands, grabbed the baby and headed upstairs. After changing, nursing, and putting the baby to bed, I moved onto the girls room. There, I told them to be quiet and go to sleep. I tiptoed into Aaron's room, checked to make sure he was breathing (I'll probably do that until he goes to college; I usually do it for everyone), and then headed down the hall to shower. Following the shower, was the dining room table clean-up, then I packed half of the lunches for the next morning, grabbed a snack, cleaned up the rest of the dishes, and flopped onto the couch. I might have spoken a little with Tim before heading to bed.
This happens 2 times a week, and while we are only in the 2nd week of classes, I am already tired of the routine. Tim tries, he really tries to make things go smoothly. And I think if he had the ability to get into my brain and channel me, he'd notice that the dining room table still needs cleaning and that the socks next to the couch, well, they just don't belong there.
And so, this routine has me thinking. Is this worth it? Do I make enough 2 times a week to cover the cost of my sanity? Well, I have to think of the long run, and someday, probably within the next couple of years, I will need to go back to working full-time, outside the home. In order to do that, I should stay where I am, keeping my foot in the door, so to speak. And on the upswing, I do enjoy speaking with my colleagues as well as the students I teach. I've made a couple of really good friends by being their instructor first.
So, I think we will be stuck, dancing the dance 2 times a week until the end of November. If I can, I'll do 2 online classes next quarter (so I don't actually have to leave the house...but then, I bet I'll miss the escape!), and perhaps by the spring, Melina will be a bit more self-sufficient (if you can say that about child that won't yet be 2 in the spring), and the whole routine will be a little less hectic than it is now.
Stay tuned. If you don't see a posting before spring, you know how it is going.
P.S. Good news in our house this week. Aunt Teresa will be getting married! Congratulations to Teresa and Dave!
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