Once the kids are in bed I am a blogger for this personal blog, and the BVT Moms Blog. I get to have a voice on motherhood and environmental issues. I get to have a voice in the world outside my home.
As of this January I am also a co-founder of a Vermont chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby (VT CCL). Now I am an organizer and a leader. Someone with a clear stake in starting an organization and making sure it succeeds. It's thrilling and energizing to be part of a "start up" on an issue I'm passionate about. It's outside the mommy box entirely, which is refreshing.
The blogging and the organization start up have to occur after the kids are in bed. Their bedtime has crept back later and later, therefore my prime blogging and organizing hours are often between 9pm and midnight.
It's late, and sometimes when I'm done, I'm buzzing with excitement and it's hard to go straight to bed. After working extra on a particular post or after an exciting conference call about the VT CCL I can be awake until 1am or later trying to settle enough to sleep. The kids always get up at 7 and sometimes earlier than that, which makes for awfully short nights.
What's my work/family balance? I often burn the candle at both ends and sacrifice sleep, as lots of mother/parents do I'm sure. Of course there are nights I crash early or fall asleep as as I wait for my kids to nod off.
For now, it works. In a year and a half Big Bro will be off to kindergarten and Lil Sis will be entering preschool. That will mean 3.5 hours, 3 days a week to myself when they are both at school. I anticipate that it will feel like a luxury to write and organize during the day.
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