Happy Family Day!

Thank you Dalton McGuinty for adding a holiday to break up the miserably cold winter.  I grimace at the cold.  I slump my shoulders at the dark skies.  I sigh loudly at bundling Adam up just for a 5-min outing.  I don't quite know how much of my contempt over the last few weeks is aimed at Winter and how much is aimed at being back at work.  It's a blurry line.

My last post was on Adam's one-year birthday...and that was six whole weeks ago.  Since then I've been consumed with unpredictable and disappointing nanny issues (which we've finally sorted out), feeling disoriented or overwhelmed (or both) back at the office, and bitter about every day being go-go-go with no time to sit, breathe, enjoy.

I knew going back to work would be a tough transition but I didn't think it would be quite like this.  I certainly hadn't expected to be working overtime from home on weekends and evenings this early into my return from mat leave.  Bad timing.  Bad timing for schedules at work, bad timing for weather, and bad timing with Mike in San Francisco all of last week for a conference.  

Well Adam and I have survived. And the long weekend is my saviour.  Adam took his first steps without help only last Sunday (just half an hour before Mike left for the airport) and this weekend we took him to Ikea just to walk around and have some fun.  He loved it.  I loved it.  We also had my family over for dinner last night and I even caught a glimpse of the Sochi Olympics.  Four years ago I was glued to the screen when they were held in Vancouver but this year I've only heard updates on CBC radio on my marathon drives to and from work in the cold.

Starting tomorrow I am not going to do work overtime. I am not going to put Adam to bed at night and then stare at a computer screen until midnight or 1am.  I am going to create balance, and I am going to spend some time on myself. 

This coming weekend I am joining Kelly at her Winter Weekend retreat and we're going to eat delicious foods, create beautiful things, and enjoy the company of women.  And I'm going to ask her if she could maybe share some secrets for how to hold it all together.  It will be my first nights away from Adam but I think he'll understand.