Back in the saddle

I am talking about the end of another era - the stay at home mum... has returned to work proper and is back in the saddle and ready for the ride! It feels better than expected and so far the horse is behaving. I know I have already dabbled with working by using my KIT days to keep in touch (which I gather does as it says on the proverbial tin), but this is the real deal, full shifts and three of the beauties every single week. Yee Ha!

I'm not the Sheriff in town anymore though, I shall no doubt find it hard letting the new one get on with her work without feeling the need to look after the corral. But one things certain, my new office is well within spitting distance and so I'll be right on hand to step in to oversee any shoot outs that may occur.

Talking about bluetac at twenty paces, I had a good few hours yesterday shuffling my desk space around and sticking up pictures of Gracie-wiggle. It's starting to feel like home and after just two shifts I have a smile on my face and I'm ready for the long haul. Working hard is guuuuuud!

So if I'm not the Sheriff, what am I? Well, time will tell. Thus far I have worn several hats and I have room on the rack for a few more. And the more the merrier in my book. Why be dull? And what's more I've been offered some overtime which a) is great because I'm chaffing at the bit to clear the backlog of stuff that's been accumulating and idling while I've been away and b) I may now be able to provide Grace with nutrition other than beans on toast. I'm joking.....
We can't afford bread. Ha Ha!

Anyway, this isn't strictly a developmental milestone for the baby bear, but it is in a way, as from this week, Mummy is bringing in the bacon again and good times are on their way. And it's Grace's first step in becoming a proper little independent person, spending real time on her own in the world with others.

So will it affect her? Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on your school of thought, and there's a prolific amount of research out there to support you in them, whatever thoughts they might be. My personal feeling is that by being at work a few days, Grace will ultimately benefit. She gets to spend time with her Grandma regularly, and she gets to start to mix with other children every week at nursery and everything else that goes along with it. Apparently the use of good quality childcare while Mum is at work can help offset the negative effects of non-paternal childcare (i.e. when mum 'abandons her child to pursue her career' - their words, not mine). But seeing as I only have one child and one option I feel I can't really contribute to the research base on this issue, as clever Grace might be, but she can't be in two places at once. In essence, I feel a lot more laid back about it compared to when I first went through my options of returning to work full-time, part-time or not at all. Now I'm happy to go with the flow.

As for other benefits of being back in the saddle. The dog is happy. She gets to come to the office with me and hang out with her 4-legged friends. Good times.

Is it wrong that I still think this is cute even though H&S is now my bag?!