Morning Splash Pad Adventures

Today I took my 4 year old to a downtown splash pad park.  This park has climbers, a large splash area and lots of trees and grass.  I took a blanket and staked a claim in a nice shady area and unloaded our gear.  (I didn't take as much stuff as it sounds - just her towel and clothes, snacks, water and a book for me)

Little Miss walked all around the splash part - she watched the kids shrieking and playing and getting soaked, then she came back and told me she was going to the playground area.  Okay, whatever.  Play over there in your bathing suit.  Just don't get hurt.

I actually succeeded in reading some of my book.  I'm struggling with the joy that comes with that as I feel I've neglected to watch my kid while I was immersed in a book.  However, nothing untoward happened with all the other kids and parent and school groups around.

Little Miss did finally get almost wet, but she is so hesitant to play in the various streams of water.  She talked to some of the bigger kids, stuck her arm through a water jet, but would not really go in and play.

Little Miss in the Splash Pad

My miss is the one in the hat.  She got her feet wet, but that's about it.  And she was so excited this morning to go to the Splash Park!

Next time we go we will have to bring more kids along (including older Sis who is still in school until tomorrow.)  I suspect she's more likely to play in the water with someone she actually knows.  She loves the sprinker at home - how is this any different?!

I know it's the 4 year old mentality I've discussed in other posts, but it can be frustrating.  At least there were climbers for her to exhaust herself on as well.  We had a good morning anyway.

Toodles!

Working Mom Stress

I am currently quite content with my work life/home life balance.  I work 4 days a week with my day off being Wednesday, which breaks up the week quite nicely.  I use my day off for fun things like laundry, groceries, vacuumming, general tidying and sometimes (only sometimes mind you) a haircut or waxing appointment. The kids are at school and daycare, but I usually collect them early so we can get homework done and have some time together.  It's been working out very nicely.

Now one of the girls at work has given her notice and we will be short staffed on Wednesdays.  Logical that I would jump back into the Wednesday shifts I worked a year or more ago.  But I don't want to - and I have a boss who asks your opinion (usually) before big changes are made, which is great, but saying I don't want to work Wednesdays does not mean I will not get scheduled on Wednesdays.  I've already given a list of days I'm unavailable, based on appointments and plans made earlier under the assumption that I wouldn't be working those days - and that actually turned out to be almost half the Wednesdays of the summer.  I do hope boss-man does think about hiring someone part-time.  I'm feeling serious anxiety about the whole thing.

To top it off, eldest daughter is enrolled in a modelling/acting/talent course at an agency, and when she completes that (at the end of July) they will be marketing her for jobs in that arena.  That means there's the potential for auditions and such in Toronto or other areas that we would have to plan around with short notice.  Also not looking good for short-staff problems at my workplace.  I did inform boss-man of this as well, in hopes of enticing him to think seriously about hiring other help.

Toodles!