Work & other complaints

Work has been so....worky lately. We have a big meeting starting next Friday, so I've been consumed. Much to the detriment of my family and my sanity. I have been missing (first and foremost) spending time with my 3 favorite people, having a clean house with clean clothes, having healthy food, and doing things I enjoy like crochet, knitting, reading, walking, and not thinking about work.

Things are starting to get a bit balanced again - the bulk of the work is done. I am coming up for air. It feels good.

I am so appreciative that I have a job, that I can work from home. but. BUT. It's hard. Balance is ever elusive. I think that's my problem no matter what - even at my slowest work times when I was working part time, I found making sure all was in balance was a challenge. And whose balance am I responsible for? Well, everyone's. Dinner on the table, laundry in the drawers, healthy lunch, clean home, not too much tv, good bit of activity - these are MOM balances. And of course they are important to me because my family and their overall well being is important to me. But if I'm going to be honest here, they don't create an overall sense of balance for ME. Balance for ME is having fun and joy with my family (the GOOD stuff, not the work stuff!), having time for myself (reading, knitting), bike riding with the kids, puttering around with recipes that I want to do (not making another dinner that gets eaten quickly or talked about how disgusting it is). The time for all this will come - I see my brother with his daughter about to go to college, and how his life has changed over the years with his responsibilities as a dad. And I'm not wishing this time away, but I would wish for more time for what I want to do. I suppose that's the real balance that I want. 

As my mom often said while I was growing up, I need a wife!


On a lighter note, here are some happy pictures - Tate and friend painting the box the new air conditioner came in, joy on a swing set, and our tomato bounty! I also picked 3 new sugar pumpkins that I will roast later today or tomorrow morning - see puttering above.