July is my month...

I love the month of July. This is the month that I officially begin my 11 week sabbatical and finally have the chance to spend some quality time with my boys!  Not that I can dictate the schedule...their sports' schedules seem to do that for me. BUT...I have the time to fully focus on my boys and not have to worry about missing a game or practice.

July is also the time my girlfriends and I head out of town for our Annual Girls' Weekend.  This is a time-honored tradition that we've done for years, and is one weekend I absolutely look forward to. For this bresboys mom, having to split my time between a professional life and being a mom, there is rarely time to devote just to "me".  I have always had issues with priorities...and I am not usually on the top of my list.  I am hoping during this "sabbatical" time I will refocus my energies a bit to devote time to "me".  Girls' Weekend is the start of that this year.

As a full-time professional and mom, I typically get up early to make it to the train, spend the day downtown hoping to inspire young legal minds, and then make that same, hour long train ride home...only to head directly to a rink or field to catch my bresboys in action. I hate missing them do what they do.  I have friends who don't make every game or event their kids participate in and I do envy them; but when I try the same, the guilt kicks in.  I believe it is the guilt every working mom experiences...and some are just better at balancing that guilt than I am.

My oldest son plays baseball, and after this season he will have played in more than 65 games since April.  You would think that if I had to miss a game, it truly would be no big deal, especially for a 14 year old who is beginning his teen rebellion years.  Surprisingly, he still asks me every time if I am coming to his game.  How do I say no?

Hockey never ends for my young hockey warrior...I believe he had 3 weeks off since August...and during those weeks he was in our basement practicing his shot.  And when I get to take him to his camp, which is nearly an hour drive away, he spends the entire drive home going over the various drills, asking if I saw this or if I saw that...

The point is, my boys do care if I am there--so my "mom-guilt" of taking time for me continues its challenge.  While baseball will be done in about a week or so, high school football has also kicked in and begins again next week. And gone are the youth football days where we all lined up at the field...moms & dads don't watch high school football practice...thank goodness!  So "me" time officially kicks in this month!

Now...let's see if I can adhere to my goal and focus some serious energy on taking care of me...eating better (stop the fast food madness!), working out (can't say I don't have time!), and spending some quality time with both my family AND my friends.