Working Mom Blues

I would never in a million years say that a stay-at-home mom has the easy life.  But there are days, like today, when I really wish I were one.  Working full-time with little kids is so complicated and frustrating.  I'm really blessed to have a job as flexible as I have, but even then things get tricky.  I try really hard most of the time to look at the positives... but sometimes it's tougher than others. 

I have three sick children.  Olivia started running a fever on Sunday and it's still going.  She was peppier today, though, so hopefully we're on the downhill slide.  I took her to the doctor and she said her throat and ears were fine, which were my main concerns.  It's just some random virus.  The other two decided she was having way too much fun being sick on her own.  Isabelle woke up with a fever this morning, and by this afternoon Zoe joined in.  Unfortunately, based on the way I felt like utter doodoo earlier (freezing and hot at the same time and just completely ran down) and now feel better after taking some Excedrin, I have a bad feeling I'm an unwilling participant in this junk.  I'll probably hit the sack a little early tonight and just hope I wake up A-OK.

The past two days, with all three kids home, have reminded me that I need to get an action plan in place for summer - PRONTO.  Bill works nights.  He has to sleep during the day.  If I'm at work and the kids are home... things get a little crazy.  I swear the man is borderline narcoleptic sometimes, but even if he couldn't fall asleep at the drop of a hat, the little bit of sleep he gets isn't enough for him to properly supervise our little angels.  Last summer was insane and I eventually went to working half-days so that he could sleep and the girls could not burn the house down or go run the streets.  And you think that's an exaggeration, but it's not.  They did get out of the house.  Twice, if I remember correctly.  My boss tried to get me to enroll them in summer camps and activities, but Zoe is too young still for most of them.  I don't want to have to put them in an actual daycare - that would most likely run me about $200 a week, which is about double what we pay now for Mother's Day Out.  I don't know anyone who could babysit (plus I just find it kind of uncomfortable and inconvenient to have a babysitter here with Bill asleep.... ).  I guess I need to just really sit down and figure out my options and the costs involved and see what will work best.  I just don't want to use up every little bit of my vacation time.  The perfect solution would be for Bill to get offered a really nice job making twice what he makes now so I could just stay home.  At least for the summer.  =)  I can dream...

Tomorrow is going to be another snow day.  School has already been canceled.  Of course, working where I work, I still am expected to go in.  Which is yet another day of Bill being home with all three kids and no sleep.  I'm really on the verge of just saying I will not be in until the girls are back in school.  I hate doing that.  There are people there who don't have that option - it's a medical facility and someone has to be there if there are patients.  But my job is not critical to the daily operation of the place and while I hate playing that card, I can't in good conscience put my kids in jeopardy because it's "not fair" that I don't have to be there.  And yes, there are people there who would say just that... But the fact remains that I can always replace my job, but not my kids.