The Workplace vs. The Home

I have been working part-time now for 2 months. I really enjoy it. I get projects done, I'm learning new things, I'm remembering computer skills that I haven't dealt with for over 6 years. It's a very good company I work for, with a beautiful work setting and buildings. Anyway, it's all good.

I'm always amazed how happy people are every single Friday. It's a "Happy Friday!" here and a "Thanks goodness it's Friday!" there, etc, etc. They say things like, "This week's been exhausting, I can't wait to get some sleep!" Or, I'm so glad I can just relax this weekend or go to this restaurant or see this movie or go to this show or whatever it may be.

Well, a huge part of this may be the fact that I only work 25 hours a week, not 40 like everyone else here. BUT I don't look forward to the weekend NEARLY as much as everyone else, it seems. First of all, the term "sleeping in" whether it's on a weekend or not, left my vocabulary on Nov. 24, 2003 when Cory was born. And things like "getting away" and "having a fun night out" pretty much left my vocabulary as soon as we moved to San Diego where we don't have family to babysit our kids so we can go on dates. The going rates for babysitters (if you have 3 kids) is $12/hour here. Okay, so we've been out ONCE in 4 months.

Also, what exactly is relaxing about a weekend anyway? Is it our plan to purchase, cut, and hang 5 window blinds tomorrow? Or the fact that we're planning on making homemade pizza to feed the missionaries tomorrow night? And cleaning our whole house?

Or no, maybe it's Sunday, where we get to sleep in until 7am (during the week I wake up at 5:30 on the days I go running, 6:30 on the days I don't go running), frantically get 3 tired kids out the door for 9 am church, after preparing my primary lesson late Saturday night and gathering all my materials, object lessons, and treats for my 8-9 year-olds that I teach. Then attending choir on Sunday afternoon, only to be followed by trying to entertain my children by doing activities in the Friend, singing songs, playing games, reading books, and providing endless hours of stimulating, yet reverent Sunday entertainment in order to keep the Sabbath Day holy and try to keep them from wanting to play soccer outside with the neighbor kid. (Which lately, btw, I have been failing miserably at.) Why is it so physically (not spiritually or emotionally), but PHYSICALLY exhausting trying to get your kids to keep the Sabbath day holy?

Maybe because Cory's idea of a "regular day" is going to Sea World, the beach, the pool, or going to the park and playing soccer with mom for an hour, followed by a rousing kite-flying session with Hailey, followed by an exploration/walk with Sophie around our neighborhood, followed by playing with them outside until 7pm. So Cory's idea of a "down" day is maybe taking out one of those activities. He is so incredibly active and has so much energy that Sundays are SUCH a struggle. He actually does really well (now that he's 6) to sit still and make it through 3 hours of church. Mostly because his best friend, Spencer, is in his class. But after those 3 hours, he can barely sit down to eat lunch much less be expected to reverantly watch a movie (HA!) or quietly play games or read or do other appropriate Sunday activities. Seriously, am I expecting too much from him? Do I wait until he's almost baptized to really start stressing the importance of the Sabbath Day? See, I don't think I should wait, because children can learn when they're very young, but there is a reason they get baptized when they're 8, and not 6.

SO back to my point. What is more draining--emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Being at work where I get PAID, recognized for good work, and get to engage in competent, adult conversation? Or being a mother in the home, attempting to provide an emotionally, spiritually, physically-enriching environment, while at the same time providing healthy meals with lots of variety, a clean living environment, (which includes spraying Lysol on my kitchen tile counters 3 times a day to keep the darn fruit flies away-gross! We keep our doors open pretty much all the time here) and providing intellectually-stimulating lessons--all while engaging in a regular exercise regime, paying the bills, clipping coupons, dealing with occasional sick kids, teething babies, and nightly homework. Well, all I can say, is at least I love my children and Sophie is so dang funny (and adorable with her leg rolls), because that job is not paid. Well, at least not temporally paid anyway.

I do love my kids and being a mother, I'm just saying if people here can say "Happy Friday", then I think on Mondays I'm going to start saying "Happy Monday!"