Take Time Off for Field Trips

I missed a field trip this school year.

One field trip.  Out of the three field trips Flanna's class has been on so far.

So, those stats aren't bad, right?  For 66% of field trips, I was present and accounted for.

But then Flanna's teacher sent out photos from her field trip to the airport.  The field trip I just couldn't make.  And poor Flanna looked so distraught that I thought I might have to just quit my job right then and there and move in with my parents and become a homeschooling unschooling never missing anything in my child's life ever again type of mama.  (By the way, save the moving back in with family part, that's my ultimate secret dream, so please don't think I'm making fun of homeschooling unschooling mamas.)

Breaks my heart into a billion pieces.  

But then I took a deep breath.  And told myself the lessons I am teaching Flannery about how women can be super strong AND nurturing.  And remembered how much I love my job and am passionate about what I do, and how it brings me such joy to do what I get to do each day, plus getting paid for it!  And the crazy thoughts subsided.

And then I immediately requested off for the next 2 field trips of the school year.  Because I will never, ever, ever miss another field trip again, ever.

(By the way, here's a cute photo of Flanna on the next field trip--the one to the puppet theater, where I was happily in attendance.  And just look at that smile!  Thank goodness preschoolers don't  hold a grudge!)

What mommy guilt pulls at you the most?  

Do Not Eat the Bread of Idleness

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." - Proverbs 31:27 (regarding a "virtuous wife")

If you haven't noticed, I've been remarkably absent from the blogging world this past week.  I've so missed it, and hope to have more time to reflect on life soon, but for now, I'm just chugging along getting my work and housework done and trying to spend some quality time with my kiddo.  Tonight, I had lesson plans to check and e-mails to respond to and phone calls to make and dishes to do and birthday invitations to mail and laundry to fold, and then, don't you know, Flanna ended up not feeling well.  So all that went out the window while I snuggled and took her temperature and gave her snacks and medicine.  And then, after she finally fell asleep, I was able to steal away to check lesson plans and e-mail and get to the dishes and the laundry. 

You know, in the middle of the night.  Like a crazy person. 

But I need to be at work super early tomorrow, and Robi is going to be amazingly wonderful and stay at home with her tomorrow, and I just didn't want to leave him with a sick kiddo and dishes and laundry to top it all off. 

So, the verse in my head tonight is, "She does not eat the bread of idleness."  Other verses from Proverbs 31 apply tonight, too, like:

"She experiences work as a good thing, and her lamp is not quenched all night."  (Prov. 31:17)

I do typically experience work as a good thing, but I have to say that this lamp is about to be quenched for a bit.  Goodnight, all!


What little quotes or mottos keep you motivated when you have a lot of tasks on your plate?
 

When guilt creeps in

It's not a pretty picture, when guilt creeps in.

As a mom who recently returned to full-time work after working part-time since my daughter was born, you can imagine that Mr. Guilt has pretty much taken up permanent residence in my psyche these days. He's unpacked his things, put them away in closets and drawers, and started leaving the cap off of my toothpaste.

And then my daughter came home today reporting that she'd been in time-out during nap time at school. For the gazillionth time this month. Given, she's 3, and could just be remembering a day last week when that happened. But Mr. Guilt points a finger at me, reminding me that if I weren't working my full-time job, the afternoons of difficult nap times and time outs would not be an issue. Instead, we would've been having perfect picnics at the park in the afternoons, celebrating the wonder that is my creative and energetic kiddo.

Sigh.

I think I take it too hard, the idea of my amazing daughter suffering the slightest bit. But on a day when I was at work from 7 a.m. to almost 5 p.m., when I left before my daughter woke up and came home when it was almost dark, to a daughter whose delicate self image was suffering... it was just too much. Guilt flung wide the door and stomped around with muddy boots.

I talked to my mom on the phone and actually cried. But she made me feel better, and then my hubby encouraged me to e-mail the school and try to figure things out. It's a wonderful school, with amazing and caring teachers who will completely work with me to make things right.

So I wrote an e-mail, a small positive action, which helped a bit.

Tomorrow will be better, I'm sure.




How do you deal with lousy days? How do you keep yourself from feeling guilty about the zillions of things that you can't make perfect in your life? Today I could use ideas.


By the way, Gretchen Rubin posted these ways for getting through a lousy day today. I thought it interesting that her post was so timely. Maybe it's universal to have rough days just before the time changes?