Back to Work: My committment to my Boys

Well the day finally arrived.  After 13 short months as a stay at home mom with my boys, I returned to work today. 

I woke up at 5:30am, slid on my workout clothes with my eyes still closed, rearranged the living room so that I could roll out my mat, got my water, laced up my shoes and popped in the Upper Fix workout from the 21 day fix.

Immediately after my workout I made a cup of coffee. 

I then got myself ready for the day and even had a spare 15 minutes to hop on the computer and finish my first cup of morning coffee while everyone in the house slept. 

The boys woke up at 7am giving me 10 minutes to change a diaper, help get them dressed and give lots of kisses before I headed out the door. 

I've done this before, left for work after almost a year off when Asher wasn't quite one years old.  And I'll be honest I think the lead up to going back to work is more difficult that actually doing it.  Don't get me wrong I love my boys and my year at home was wonderful and precious and I wouldn't change it for the world.  But this feels like an old shoe.  It's still comfortable and it feels like I never had a break from this life. 

Sure now I have two children instead of one, and the logistics have changed.  But the actions haven't changed much.  I still got in my car, drove to our Carpool meeting spot, sat through traffic and chatted with my co-workers, walked in the same door and sat at the same desk.  This is the easy part. 

What is going to change for us now is really what happens after we all get home.  Dinner, SPORTS and ACTIVITIES, clean up, laundry, working my beachbody business and keeping up with those I'm helping achieve their health and fitness goals. It's going to be busy in those few hours between 5:15 and 7:30 (bedtime) and then 7:30 to 11pm after the boys are in bed when I'm able to get most of what I need to do done. 

PLUS I want to give them my time too.  It's important to me that I sit down and play and enjoy them still.  I don't want to get caught in the trap of running around all night and not enjoying each other. 

Yes Asher will be doing Swimming and soccer; possibly Beavers and Karate, BUT I need to set a daily goal to listen to them, talk to them, play with them and still be present in their lives and know them. 

You may wonder why set a goal is that not a natural thing?

Yes, it is natural for us to do those things but I believe that if I set a goal I become more aware of it and I know that it's a priority for myself not just something I do. 

Maternity leave is strange in that they days seem long until Gord gets home and we can have dinner and unwind after the boys are in bed, and yet the weeks and months just fly by.  You fill your days with laundry, dinner, activities, playing diggers, cars and transformers, grocery shopping, house work, play dates, baby groups, preschool drop offs, coffee dates and the like.  And everything that didn't get done today can probably wait until tomorrow because your home tomorrow and it's all good. 

But when your working and still juggling the house hold chores, dinners, lunches to be made, it can be harder to find the time to play and enjoy your children in the same way.

So in an effort to commit to being present for my children during this transition, I am going to commit to a minimum of 15 minutes each day of focused play. 

Hopefully I will find more than 15 minutes but in our two hours at night together between activities, dinner and bed time routines I am dedicated to 15 minutes each night to play or just do what the boys want to do. 

If I can wake up early to make 30 minutes each morning to workout I can make 15 minutes each evening to play!  If the house is messy during the week and only gets clean on the weekend it's OK.  Because I know what my priorities are and I will put them first. 

Here's to a busy but exciting time for us!