A Woman’s Work is Never Done

Almost a week back into the daily grind and I’m shattered. I’m not sure if I’m burned out or just lonely for my sailor, but the transition has been particularly tough this year.

I have a wonderful, amazing job that allows me to make a real difference in the lives of children and their families. I should be the happiest, most fulfilled worker bee around. Maybe I’m just too busy to appreciate it.

Tonight after putting in a full day at work:

I rode my exercise bike because I didn’t have the energy to go for a jog.

I made a healthy, wholesome dinner then cleaned up the kitchen.

I baked cookies for lunch boxes and snacks. Even though I know butter, eggs and sugar aren’t the healthiest things going, these real ingredients have got to be better for us than all the artificial stuff in commercial baked goods. Best of all–my fussy eater loves my homemade cookies.

While the cookies were baking, I did a load of laundry. Am I the only one who notices that if you don’t keep on top of your laundry it goes crazy?

Then I worked on my novel and my blog. (I was ready for bed at this point, but didn’t have the heart to cut out the only part of the my day that’s just for me.)

Next week, Tae Kwon Do starts so we’ll be rushing out of the house three nights a week. Oh–and the homework wars will likely begin. I hate homework!

How do people with busier jobs or more children than me manage? Less than a week into work, and I’m counting the days until my next holiday.

One Out of Three Ain’t Bad

I make my resolutions in September rather than January. The day after Labour Day is when everything is new again in our little house containing one student and one teacher. This year we’ll be adjusting to a new school year without our sailor, which will bring its own unique spin to the experience.

While you’ll never hear me complaining about getting a two month vacation, there’s a downside to long holidays like that. (You’re thinking: some people will moan about anything, but hear me out.) It’s really hard to get back into the swing of working fulltime after all that time off.

To add extra stress to the September situation, I don’t handle change well. (You’re thinking: she doesn’t like change and she married a man in the military??? Well, if you met him you’d understand. He’s calm and reassuring. He can talk me through turmoil like an international move or making the switch from dial-up to high-speed. He’s like the Nanette Whisperer.)

For a teacher, September is all about change. Every year feels like my first day on the job after being a stay at home mom when my boy was little. (Funny, but I never have to adjust to NOT working at the end of June. What if I’m not a delicate, change-resistant flower after all? What if I’m just lazy?)

Everyone needs resolutions, which are really just a blueprint to becoming a better version of yourself.

Here are mine for the 2013/14 school year:

1. Yoga! I did yoga Friday evenings through May and June. The first couple of classes were really hard, but I could feel myself loosening up and becoming bendier as the weeks passed. Each class included two short meditation periods which surprisingly calmed my racing mind. The instructor was easy to follow (important for someone uncoordinated like me) and she moved like a ballerina. That grace of motion is something to which I aspire. An unexpected bonus to yoga is the gear. Yoga clothes are so cute and having my own little mat really appeals to me.

2. I will NOT count the weeks until the first long weekend of the year. (Oops–it’s six until Thanksgiving. I guess that resolution is shot.) So the new year hasn’t even begun and I’ve already failed at one resolution, but I can still abide by its spirit. I’ll try to appreciate each new day as a gift to be cherished rather than wishing the time away in my hurry to reach each new holiday. This one will be especially challenging as every long weekend isn’t just an extra day off, it brings us closer to my sailor’s return.

3. Stop worrying so much. Honestly, I don’t think I have a hope in hell in achieving this one as there’s so much to worry about, but aren’t resolutions about grand, life-changing transformations?

At least I’ll be able to achieve one out of three this year.