Let the games begin! Today is the first day for my kids to be out of school. I lucked out with the day off, which is great as I need to get so much done to be ready to travel to Vegas tomorrow!

I’m hoping our summer will even out and transitions will go well. June shouldn’t be too bad, but July may get ugly and I’m not just talking heat! I hope the transition of mom being at work won’t push dad over the edge with kids home while he’s trying to be productive. Hopefully a pattern will be found by then that will make it all work well.

I’m really enjoying being back in the work saddle. That sounds sick and twisted but it’s been fun. Things are just gearing up to start getting crazy, but I’m looking forward to the challenge and the finish line. I’m especially excited to find that so many skills have been building not dwindling in my years as a stay at home mom. Yay for motherhood!

Bring on the madness.

While walking out front the other day, I spied this tiny little nest sitting in my guava tree:

The entire thing would have fit neatly in the palm of a small child, yet the warmth and protection emanating from it would fill an entire heart. I couldn’t help but think about the representation it is of parenting. The time spent weaving a protective, safe, warm and nourishing environment for our children is a labor of love. Like these little birds, we make use of every available resource to protect our treasure inside. I don’t know if you can make it out in this photo or not, but the entire edging of this nest is a soft cotton like substance. I don’t know where it was found, or even what it is, I just know it added a layer of protective comfort that was almost tangible. How like a parent to creatively weave a little extra love and warmth into their efforts!

To pull down the branch and spy the contents was awesome. How cute are these adorable little jelly bean sized eggs? Kind of like our kids when they’re so tiny. Would that we could remember and retain this image in our heads when they try us as they grow! And try us they do and try us they will - some may even fall out of the nest. But one day they will be the parents, building their own nests of protection and love for their posterity. What will they have learned from us?

I hope I’m like these little birds. I hope I’m as diligent and dedicated to my job of protector and nurturer, that I’d give anything and everything to give my little ones every chance at reaching their potential. Some days it feels like I can only relate to squawking mouths! Then I see this visual and everything comes back into focus. No labor is too small, no element unimportant when it comes to parenting.

I survived my first week of work in the office! It’s been kind of fun to have a change of pace. I don’t mind dressing up, but I sure am missing my flip flops! Those dress shoes are killer on the feet.

The transition has been pretty smooth. I’m so grateful for years of keeping up my computer skills, it makes all the difference. Taylor’s decided that this is probably going to be okay because I’m home when he leaves and home when he gets home. June and July will be harder for the rest of my family with school out, but Cid’s doing summer math school in June which really only leaves one month with really different schedules.

The hardest adjustment so far (and I expect it to continue indefinitely) is balancing the hours I have left with all the other responsibilities I have. There’s never enough time. On the bright side, I managed to get my bedroom carpet steam cleaned this afternoon (why oh why did I agree to a puppy?) and made some cookies tonight. Oh, and this post! The icing on the cake was that I found a six bottle pack of Mountain Dew on my desk this morning with a thank you note full of compliments. I think that’s a good sign that they’re getting to know me pretty well and I’m on the right track. Now if I can just find the right shoes…