Bringing home the bacon, and never leaving the house

It's been a year since I started my work from home schedule. Four days a week I work out of my home office, and I commute in one day a week. It took a bit of adjustment in the beginning, but now that I've gone through a full twelve months, I have to admit that I wouldn't have it any other way. My working arrangement hasn't affected my performance, and more of my teammates are working from home at least two days a week. With Blackberries, virtual meetings, conference calls, and associates located all over the country, our work can really be done from anywhere. Some face time is good, and I really enjoy my time in the office. But I am more productive and focused at home, my day starts much earlier and I don't lose time commuting. More than once, I've sat in traffic, looking at the clock and thinking, "I could be working right now."

Some things I've learned in the last year:

- Stepping away from the computer is good. Because my office is steps away, I find myself drawn back to my desk, rather than taking breaks. Now, I close my door at the same time every day, spend time with my family, and go back to my home office later if I need to do anything additional in preparation for the next day.

- Responsiveness is key. I am lucky enough to have a company-issued Blackberry, which means that I can be in touch with the office at all times. My schedule is flexible, and I have school meetings, orthodontist and doctor appointments that mean time away from my "office." My work phone rings through to my Blackberry, and I always check and respond to email as soon as I can. I never wanted to hear that "she couldn't be reached because she works from home." I probably err too much in this area, because I often find myself checking and responding to emails during off-business hours as well. But if a minute out of my time means a quick answer to a teammate and less work the next day, it's worth the extra effort.

- It's important to get out of the house. There were times when I didn't leave the house for several days, and that's not healthy. I've rejoined our local gym so I'll go work out during lunch, or I'll run errands during that time. I need to remind myself that folks who commute into the office do the same thing, so it's ok to take that break.

Today was a beautiful, warm September day. I logged in around 7:00, got Sweet Pea on the bus at 8:10, and then worked until lunchtime. I went to the gym, had lunch and then participated in several conference calls. At 3:30 I picked up Sweet Pea at school, took her to her riding lesson at 4;30, and later checked email and did a bit more work. Another typical day.

Before I left to pick Sweet Pea up at school, I sat on the front steps in the sunshine, listening to Princess practice her guitar. I took a moment, warm, content. So lucky that I can work and still be there for my family.

I think I've found a balance. For now.

It's a different world we live in

We survived the first week (well, two days) of school. Princess made it safely to the bus stop and arrived at school with no problems. The first day had its share of schedule changes, a homeroom switch, and catching up with friends she hadn't seen since June. She came home with a huge, bracey smile both days, and is actually looking forward to school next week.

Sweet Pea started fourth grade, her last year at our elementary school. She loves being the oldest in the school, with her classroom in the new air-conditioned wing. This year she can participate in the chorus and will be presenting several plays to other younger classes. The first day she came home tired, but a good night's sleep made Friday much better. She is also looking forward to school next week.

So I started to relax a bit. Everything was working out fine. Then the story broke about the 11 year old girl who was abducted at the bus stop, who was found after 18 years. This story is what my nightmares are made of. But I realized that all I can do is say a prayer each day when my daughter leaves the house, and hope that she will return to me safely at the end of the day (thank you, FADKOG, for your comforting words!).

And then, there was this conversation with my 8 year old:

Sweet Pea: "Hey, Mom! Guess what we practiced today?"

Me: "Your times tables?"

Sweet Pea: "Nope! What to do in a lockdown!"

Sigh. What a different world my girls live in.

Leap of faith

Princess,

School starts this week. For seven years it's been the same. Standing outside, watching for that familiar yellow bus to come lumbering up our hill. Then, when the weather turned colder, and the sun came up later, sitting at the living room window, watching for those familiar yellow lights flashing at the bottom of the street.

That familiar call:

Me: "Bus is at Kathy's!"

Seconds later: "Bye, Mom!" Front door slam. You standing at the end of the driveway, as I watched from the window. Boarding the bus, a familiar wave, and then you'd be gone for another day.

Not this year.

This year you start middle school. The bus will no longer stop at our driveway. You can go to the stop at the bottom of our hill, or meet the bus around the corner. But I won't see you get on the bus. No familiar wave, no brief flash of a smile as the bus pulls away.

No daily reassurance that you're safe.

We live in a safe neighborhood. There will be other kids waiting with you. And when the weather turns colder and the sun rises later, we may make other arrangements. But for now, you'll be leaving me every morning, and the most I can hope for is a wave before you turn the corner.

My head knows you'll be fine. But my heart is having a tough time letting go. Which is why I'm up at 2 am two days before school starts, wondering, worrying.

Knowing that each morning, watching you leave will be a tiny leap of faith.

Best vacation ever ....

We've been back for about 2 days from our vacation in Vero Beach, and we had a fabulous, relaxing, fun time. Last year we went to the Cape, and while it was nice to be away, a beach house vacation is still work for parents - cooking, picking up, driving to the beach or other places. This year, doing a resort vacation meant someone else was cleaning or cooking for us, and the pool and beach were just steps away.

This was the third time we'd stayed at Disney's Vero Beach resort. The first time was in 2003, when Princess was 5 and Sweet Pea was 2. We brought our sitter, and had two adjacent hotel rooms. Having the extra help was wonderful, but we still had to watch the girls every minute. Princess was petrified of the water, but Sweet Pea loved the water slide. We were also dealing with potty training, naps, picky appetites. We managed to have a good time, and I know our sitter still looks back fondly on that trip.

We came back in 2005, without the sitter, and had only one hotel room. Princess was 7 and Sweet Pea was 4, and we had a good time. No sitter, but the girls were comfortable in the water, and loved the beach. What's nice about Vero is there are activities of all ages, so there were craft activities, treasure hunts, and other things to do when it was time to take a break from the sun. Still, being in one room got very confining, and bedtimes were a challenge.

This time was a whole new ball game. Princess is almost 12 and Sweet Pea is almost 9. We had two adjacent rooms, with views of the beach and the resort. Vero is pretty self-contained, so we felt safe letting them go off on their own, within limits (no beach or pool, but could go anywhere else with permission). The girls also had charging privileges to the rooms (also with permission), so they could get food or other items on their own without waiting for Mom or Dad. They've become little fish, learning how to snorkle, swimming all over the pool, and hundreds of runs down the waterslide. We took two side trips, to the Kennedy Space Center and Sea World, and one day they wanted some time out of the sun so I took them to the movies. The girls were great travelers, patient during flight delays and long car rides. No, they weren't perfect, and we had some tween drama, but overall they were really good.


For me and CT Dad, this vacation was the best combination of relaxation and variety. Other than the two side trips, we spent our time at the pool or the beach. We went to Publix when we first arrived and stocked the rooms with drinks and snacks, but otherwise we let the resort do the cooking. One night Sweet Pea and I sat poolside and watched "Enchanted" on a huge outdoor screen, enjoying a perfect Florida night while CT Dad and Princess rented a movie in the room. We had casual dinners and breakfasts at the family restaurant, lunches by the pool, and a fancy dinner our final night there at the "dress-up" restaurant. Not having to watch the girls constantly gave them some freedom to do as they liked, and gave us some downtime from daily parenting.

It was really hard to leave. We can't wait to go back ...

Leaving on a jet plane ...

We're heading to Florida! If you're reading this after 12:30 pm, we will be at DVC Vero Beach:


and enjoying this:
and maybe a couple of these:

When I told folks where we were headed for vacation, more than one person commented, "But Florida is so hot in August!" Yes, it is, but I would rather be relaxing at the pool or the beach in Florida in August, than be home where, instead, I would be doing this:

See you in a week!

I'm honored!

In the midst of the pre-vacation craziness, I received something very sweet and unexpected, from my blogger friend Sharon:

"The Humane Award honors eight certain bloggers that I feel are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn’t for them, my site would just be an ordinary blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendships through the blog world. Link back to the person who gifted you with the award and share the love with other bloggers.”

First, I'd like to thank Sharon at Musings of a Midlife Mom, who has followed me and encouraged me since I launched my blog almost 2 years ago. Sharon's writing is honest and warm, and her comments always make me feel like I have a supportive friend, telling me "you can do it" every step of the way.

In keeping with the spirit of the award, I would like to recognize:

Patty at The WingDangDoo
Kevin at Home and Uncool
Canadian Saver at Saving4Later
Mapgirl at Mapgirl's Fiscal Challenge
Jodi at Jodifur
FADKOG at For a Different Kind of Girl
Grace at Graceful Retirement
Heather at Cool Zebras

To these blogger friends, and to all of those folks who visit me every day, I say, "thank you!"

The vacation countdown begins ...

Four days until vacation! On Friday we leave for a glorious week of sea, sun, and surf in Vero Beach, Florida. Our usual vacation week goes Saturday to Saturday, but this year I screwed up our bookings and flights, so we're leaving a day earlier than usual. I don't care, though - I actually like the idea of starting the weekend early, rather than flying out on a Saturday and not really having our first relaxing day until Sunday. Coming home late Friday also means we have a full weekend to regroup before CT Dad has to go back to work and we start back to school preparations.

So this is how the week will go:

Monday: The laundry triage. What's clean, what's dirty, what stays, what goes. Ultimately everything gets washed, so I still don't know why I even bother with this step.

Tuesday: The initial packing. We're only going for a week, so this should be easy, but with a fashion conscious tween and an 8 year old that seems to have shot up 6 inches in one month, figuring out what makes it through the laundry triage to the actual suitcase will be a challenge.

Wednesday: Packing part deux. This is the part of the process where all the girls in this family change their minds about what to bring, which leads CT Dad to wish he'd had boys, or at least had flown out a few days earlier.

Thursday: The final packing. The problem this year is the airline now charges for checked baggage, so final decisions must be made that will fit in one suitcase, amidst whining, complaining, ultimatums and threats that if you don't bring it down now, it's not going! Period!

And by the way? The girls and I share a bag. CT Dad gets his own.

Friday: Out the door at 5 am to catch a 7 am flight.

You can stop laughing now. Your prayers are appreciated. Thank you.