After a lovely trip to NC and a SAHM-ish day off, I’m headed into a tough week. Our nanny is away, and I am on call. My parents have graciously and generously agreed to watch A&C for the week. Hopefully this will not make them rethink their current plan of spending a yearly chunk of time in south FL, because A&C are definitely enjoying the time with their faraway grandparents.
Even though I am confident things will go well, it’s not the easiest time for a break in the routine. Call weeks are stressful (to me) for several reasons:
1) I am constantly interrupted all day. With random things, some urgent some not.
2) I always seem to get behind on things (notes/calls/etc), and I can’t stand that.
3) Sleep interrupted at night. Often for very legitimate reasons, which I don’t mind (but it does make me tired). Once in a while for other things, which feels infuriating.
4) Being unable to take a break (even for an hour) during that 168 hour stretch. The 24/7 availability gets just really draining.
Usually I end up in a really sour mood and regress to teenager mode; I also tend to eat like $(@*&# and skip things like meditation and strength workouts.
This week I am determined to do better! I am going to really really try to practice better self-care and mindfulness, both at work and on call at home.
3) Respond kindly to phone calls – both with my inner and outer voice. I am very good at being incredibly nice on the phone. I just need to stop the (Pavlovian) cursing and (irrational) anger that usually precedes the forced gentility.
4) Write something here daily, because getting into the flow of writing does feel like a break to me.
5) Go to bed early (even if it means being woken up.)
Here we go!
Other highlights:
– hanging out with my sister! (Aunt Rebecca)
– lunch @ Parker & Otis
– attending the 20th reunion, although we only stayed until around 10:30 (Josh was done)
– seeing Raleigh friends & spending time at Pullen Park — A and their 5.5 year old son had a blast
– celeb spotting: Shane Battier was on our flight both ways AND at Parker & Otis, and reggae/R&B singer Jah Hem was checking out at our hotel as we were leaving (note: I have never seen anyone particularly famous in Miami Beach despite what US Weekly says)
3 Comments
MLS and Pullen Park are favs for my kids as well. (Even though we live here and they get to go multiple times per year). Hope you had a great NC trip!
Good luck during your call week and I hope all goes well with the grandparents. My family lives far away as well and my kids always enjoy when Grandma and Grandpa come to visit (which is usually only two long weekends per year. I am hoping maybe grandparent availability will increase once my parents are retired. Also hoping I can someday have the grandparents come watch the kids so DH and I can have an overnight trip sans kids. A girl can dream- right?).
I have never heard of either celebrity…sports person? I like your list, #3…yes!!!!! So hard to do though. And very happy about #4. I’m trying to do #5 this week at my conference which means it’s bedtime
Good luck this week!