Mama in the City

Things in our household are going quite well at the moment. There is more sleep for everyone and a bit of a new routine going on with me being back at work. Before I was a mum I worked the exact same type of schedule that I do right now and I was oh so very anal about the 24 hours leading up to my first shift. There was self ordered calm the day before and I would never plan any big activity or stay out past 7 PM. Then before starting the subsequent 2 night shifts I would try to get the most sleep possible and rest, relax and not do much more than that. I would watch a lot of CSI on PVR.

If you know a nurse you might know about this 'pre work ritual', that many of us do. The only sane reason that I have with why we do this is simple; 12+ hour nursing shifts are all consuming and they don't leave you with excess time to do much of anything else during work days. You leave very early, work very hard and come home just in time to have a bath and head to bed. You do this for two days and then you get a beautiful reprieve and have a bit of time off before you do the same thing but at night.

Well, now my life has changed a little bit and it is naturally fuller and I find myself tossing out that old 'pre work ritual' as I try to make more time in the day. So far it is going great and I am really living full. Of course this insight is something you get once you have had to change and I'm not sure if I would have changed had I not been 'forced' to (forced to in a good way obviously!). So, now before my first shift I do as much as possible and before my first night shift I will have play dates and take Ben to music class or just be out and about in the city. Work is secondary now and I want to make all these fun moments with my little boy memorable and special.

Of course I can already hear my own mother telling me to take time for myself..and I do (don't worry mum and dad!). I sleep and will take naps and see my girlfriends. I just spend less time worrying about upcoming long nursing shifts and I spend less time doing this 'prework ritual' that I used to let shape my time thinking that it helped get me organized in some funny way.

Do you have a prework ritual or do you go with the flow?