Small Steps

That's pretty rough what I said down there. It's true, that's how I feel...but it's not all sadness and desperation like I made it sound....

Really, this is how I feel about being a working mother. Sometimes I just have to remind myself of it.

And I'm constantly incorporating small changes into our family routine to help with the situation.

1. Sadie and I talk on the phone every morning. So, even though I don't see her in person before work, we get to connect that way at the start of every day. Phone conversations with a 2 year-old are a bit dysfunctional, but we're trying.
2. If I can swing it with my work schedule, I'll come into work 30 minutes late every once in a while so I do get to see Sadie when she wakes up (once a week, or so).
3. It's hard for me to not try to get stuff done when I get home from work (go through the mail, pack lunch for the next day, etc...), but I resist. That is Sadie's time, and I usually just plop myself down on the floor and get into her world.
4. As much as I can, dinner preparation is done after Sadie goes to bed the night before, so I don't have to do much (or anything) to get dinner ready.
5. We eat dinner as a family, and then Sadie and I go upstairs for bath/shower time. Brian is awesome about cleaning up every single night!
6. I say no as often as I can to after-work activities. I do have commitments that I can't always get out of, but I try to not add any others.
7. Weekends are NOT about cleaning the house or doing other chores that take me away from Sadie.
8. I'm hoping to be able to take a day or a half-day off, once or twice a month, to spend with Sadie at home. I think that will help both of us.
9. I'm breathing deeply and reminding myself that my career is a good thing for Sadie, for me, and for my family as a whole.