Sundays: Break or Breaking-Point Day?

On a typical Sunday I wake up feeling achy and tired.  The immediate choices before me include getting myself and the four kids ready and out the door for Church which starts at 9am or tackling the overwhelming and endless endeavor of tidying our apartment.  I am also inevitably aware that I need to prepare for another week ahead: work, daycare and other obligations concerning nannies, doctor appointments, school activities and other projects such as my Parenting Plan which I'm in the middle of drafting.

Usually I try to stay under the covers as long as possible, not because I believe it will help the aches and tiredness go away, but out of paralysis caused by fear.  But I get over it.  I employ the classic Nike motto "Just Do It" which I adopted as my new mantra in February of this year.

In February, a week or two after returning to work following maternity leave, my boss gave me that clear directive, "Just Do It."  At my job, the workload is high and the pace is smoking.  I have the skill set necessary for the job, otherwise, it wouldn't be mine.  It's a challenging position but it's working well for me and my family.

I am happy to leave the matter of childcare to the childcare professionals.  I was home with my children for 6 weeks after my baby was born and I concluded that we all will benefit from the routine and structure which work and daycare will provide.  My daughter is enrolled in before and after school care program at the YMCA and I've hired a Nanny to take care of her between noon and 3pm through the end of the school year (since no programs - or they are extremely rare and hard to find - exist to fill the gap between AM kindergarten release time and the standard school release time).  My two older boys attend preschool at the YMCA and I've just started my baby at a new home daycare.  What does all this cost?  The last time I looked it took 41% of my income; my budget is very out-of-balance, but that doesn't mean I don't want it (the budget AND the childcare).

I recently moved my computer to the little bar that stands between the nook of a kitchen and the living room in my apartment.  It keeps the keyboard out of reach of my toddler and allows me to multitask (at times) between taking care of my kids and doing work (or now, blogging).

Today, we didn't go to church and I've tidied just a little.  The laundry, dishes, Parenting Plan, work-to-do-for-my-job remotely from home, and packing the bags and lunches for daycare still await.  If you see my previous post, I have also managed to complete one tickle-fest and it's only 10 minutes after noon!