Another working Saturday for my hubby today so it's day 6 in a row that I am on my own with the munchkins. It's really no different from another work day for either one of us except I don't have to get up at 6:15 and by day 6 the kids are restless. They know it's been too long without their dad and sometimes by Saturday afternoon things get a little hairy. The benefit of Scott working every 3rd Saturday is that he gets the following Friday off, a built in 3 day weekend at least once a month. This week he also has off on Monday for Columbus Day - one of the benefits of working for a Bank is that you actually get to have Bank Holidays off.
This particular week has the added bonus of giving us Tyler at home too for a couple of days. He has his annual fair day on Monday (for the benefit of my fellow yankees - State Fair of Texas is in October and all public schools give kids a day off for the fair and a free ticket) followed by an inservice day on Tuesday. This has the makings of a great long family weekend together once we get through today. However, as things go around here most of the time - it's not that easy.
First of all, Tyler isn't here. He's gone to his dad's in Denton for the weekend and won't be home until Sunday night. It's supposed to be my weekend, but we traded so that Tyler and Scott could go on a cub scout campout last weekend. I am grateful for the switch, but I hate that it turned out we don't get Tyler for most of our long weekend. Still, at least when he comes home he doesn't have to turn around and go to school the next day. He still gets to have a couple of days with us too which is a bonus.
Second, I'm actually going to work this week. I usually do a little consulting work during the month that can either be done from home or I am free to take the little ones with me when I go into the office. The office is actually a 20 acre ranch populated with horses, goats, dogs, a favorite auntie and a grandma. Plus a resident grand-baby that is now 8 months old and getting fun for Scooter and Riley to play with. Or at least he is trying to play with the older kids. Work is work, but it's not really WORK if you get what I mean. It's also fun - especially when I get to take a break and rock the baby - because I can take the kids and not feel like I am sacrificing anything while I help out my friends and make a few dollars on the side too.
This week is different though. Through a former associate and friend, I had the opportunity last spring to work a sales conference for TI at a hotel in Plano. It was a long week with long hours, but the work was easy. Mostly I helped people check in and find classrooms and bathrooms. Free lunches and great pay - it was a lot of fun. I worked with another friend of mine that I met at my last job and really miss. It was fun to get out of the house even though by the end of the week I was really ready to be home again. They have asked me back for their annual Tech Day this week at a hotel right down the street from my house. This time it isn't a full week, it's just a half day for set up and one long day of work.
I really debated if I should take the assignment this time because there are so many variables at play this week. After all, my family is off. My brothers baby is overdue and could make her appearance any minute. I pulled the kids out of day care so I don't have the automatic child care for the long day of work and my parents are kind of on call to run to Austin any second - makes it hard to plan child care. Plus Monday is Fair Day and my hubby is actually off and some friends from Fort Worth will be there all day as well. That could have been cool.
I really didn't want to commit to the assignment knowing that if the new baby is born, I would want to drop everything and run to Austin. But I don't do this kind of thing often and it's fun and a great opportunity. It's a good networking environment should I ever decide that I don't want to be a stay at home mom anymore. It's good money and if I go to the fair, I'll spend as much as I would have made taking the job. And if I do it Monday and Tuesday this week, then I will probably be asked back in the spring again which is well worth it.
So I lined up back up child care for Tuesday (God Bless my mother-in-law) in case my parents are out of town. I committed to the dates knowing that the baby could be born those days. I know that my sense of loyalty and work ethic (thanks Dad) will not let me bail out at the last minute even if Tara's labor begins. This is particularly hard because it would be really convenient to make the trip when everyone is off and I wouldn't have to pull Tyler out of school for a day. I'll just have to miss the main event if that happens and go down after. Sigh. (Maybe she'll be born today and make this a moot point!)
Maturity bites sometimes, but life is all about choices. This is a choice I am making because of maximum benefit to my family. Even though I would rather be at home or the fair or Austin holding a newborn, I am delaying gratification so that I can meet other needs for us as a family. Grumble, sigh, grumble. I can be mature and do the right thing, but I don't have to like it! I'll just pretend to like it so that I am modeling the correct behavior for my kids. Ick.
As I take Scooter to his soccer game today, I will be diligently hoping that Tara's water breaks sometime this morning or early afternoon so that I can take my trip and be back in time to work at noon on Monday. I have already bribed Scooter (okay not the best modeling, but it's working!) with another light saber if he takes the next step in his soccer journey. Two games ago, he played the game without holding my hand the whole game. Last week, he didn't just let go he got into the game and ran well away from me leaving me in the center of the field while he chased the ball. This week, the goal is to let me leave the field. He was determined to have me on the field for the game but the thought of getting a blue light saber just like his neighbor friend Noah has is giving him the courage to let me stand on the outside of the gated-off indoor field. If he succeeds we will go directly from the game to Target and then home for (hopefully) nap time.
And by the time Scotty gets home tonight I will be more than ready for him to be home for a couple of days, knocking off a few items on the house to-do list and entertaining the kids for a bit. It'll be a novel thing to leave him on Monday with 3 boys while I go to work for a few hours. I will try not to cry when the baby is born not on my schedule, but her own and I can't be there for the main event. And when I am done working a 12 hour day on Tuesday, I will be ready to haul down south and hold my new niece (if she's here) and not worry about not being there as soon as she's born. I will be glad I made some extra money for my home improvement projects and I will have renewed my appreciation for having the priveledge of staying home with my kids every day.
Maturity - delaying gratification for the greater good, the greater benefit - isn't easy some times. Most times. Sometimes I wanna just be like my kids and demand what I want when I want it. Sometimes I wanna stomp my feet and yell 'It's Not Fair!' too. But I won't. I'll suck it up and do what needs to be done. And then I'll grumble about it to myself the whole time and sulk within my mind about what I am missing.
Thanks and God Bless!
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