Tails of a Working Mom: Busy Busy Busy

I'm not gonna lie: things have been pretty busy lately. And when things get busy it also gets tough. There are some days that balancing a full time job and two small children is easy. Then there are weeks like last week where it all seems overwhelming. And last week was a short week!

First off, this is a very busy time of year because we are in the middle of our volunteer training. Also, my coworker is still on maternity leave so we have been running non-stop covering for her. That means not only do I put in my regular 40 hour shift, but I put in a lot of extra time on the weekends to train our volunteers. I do enjoy it to some extent. Getting to meet new people who are passionate about animals is pretty awesome. But the extra work is hard on me, the kids, and the Weatherman. Once a month we also have a volunteer meeting in the evening, which just happened to fall on this past week. So even though I didn't have work last Monday due to President's Day, I worked Tuesday evening, had church on Wednesday evening, Thursday night I was scrambling to get baths in and get things ready for Friday because on Friday I had a meeting for regional zoo educators 3.5 hours away so I had to be at work at 5:45 so we could get there on time. We didn't get home until 10pm. Then Saturday I had to pick up a cake for a zoo birthday party and then there was our training in the evening which I had to come in early for because some of the volunteers were doing a make up session. So I am only a bit ashamed to admit that we stayed home from church today because I really believed the kids needed to spend time with mommy more than they needed to go to nursery or Sunday School.

Lately I have noticed my patience beginning to wear thin. I am frustrated easily and feel like there is not enough time in the day to get everything done that needs to be done. I have been praying a lot and trying to remind myself to enjoy these moments, because all too soon the kids will be bigger and while they won't be quite so demanding, they won't want to spend time with me anymore either. Frog Face (who we are starting to call "Bubs" more often so I may soon change his name on this blog) is going to be 8 months old next week. 8 months! That is crazy! I have no idea where time is going. He sits like a pro (but will still often throw himself backwards and bonk his head on the ground), is starting to pull up, still isn't crawling (thank goodness for that!), but eating solid food well (including things like cheerios that he can feed himself). He is drinking less milk so I am considering moving to only 2 pumps a day at work. But as any pumper knows, you spend so much time trying to maintain your milk supply, you are always a little reluctant to reduce it intentionally. Plus, we have an Ipad now so pumping time at work is actually almost enjoyable. He has also slept much better the last two nights in his own crib. We will see how tonight goes, I am not holding my breath.

Goober is still being her Goober self. She is out of her sleep-in-the-tent phase and has been sleeping better these last couple nights too. She still has nightmares and will want us to come lay down with her every now and then, but I'm glad that is over for now!

So that's all for now. Finding a balance has been challenging. I often feel like I am torn in two different directions. On the one hand I love my children like crazy, but they also drive me crazy. On the other hand I get great fulfillment from my work and I am proud of my accomplishments, but sometimes work seems to demand too much. I am so very grateful for a secure job that I enjoy and for children who are (mostly) healthy (Bubs is catching a cold). I know many people would love to have what I have. But sometimes I also just get tired. So even though I feel guilty about not going to church, we all needed today to recoup.