Summer has finally arrived, and with it, the complicated family, work, camp, daycare puzzle gets even more complicated.  (Yes, I did just write “work”; more on that in a moment.)  With the warmer weather, we also get to deal with different start/end times for a variety of camps, vacation planning/packing/re-entry, later bedtimes, later wake times, bug bites, sunblock application (and multiple re-applications), additional camp/daycare equipment (towels, swimsuits, water bottles, hats, water shoes), all the while continuing to make sure that everyone gets breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a bath.  Just seeing this in print makes my head ache.

Naturally, the first day of camp/daycare after a late night arrival from Montreal would yield a host of forgotten items: water shoes, towels, sun hat, water bottle, daycare check.  Bleh.  Luckily the kids took it all in stride while their mother appeared more harried than usual, barking orders into a cell phone to get missing items from Mr. No Nom and Mrs. Next Doors as I navigated rush hour traffic to make a 9:30 conference call.  My transformation into crazy-working-mom is complete.  Sigh.  And so begins a new chapter in life.

This new chapter includes my position as Director of Development at a dynamic, young nonprofit working to address the shortage of primary care providers.  (If you need a primer on the bumps and doubts of my 9-month job search, click here.)  In an attempt to keep my personal and professional lives somewhat separate, the details of this new position won’t make it onto the pages of this blog.  All I will say is that it’s a part-time position that affords me a high degree of flexibility while also satisfying my need to be a part of something big for the common good.

What I will share is how being a working mother of two will affect my family life, including my ability to cook those complicated and time-consuming Vietnamese dishes.  Alas, I haven’t had much time to add to my recipe file and I’m afraid that my weekly repertoire will be dictated by the juggling of pick up times. Four weeks into life as a working mom and most of the ambitious cooking has been confined to the weekends, but I promise to keep trying and will get some new recipes up in the coming weeks. In the meantime, take pity on this working mom and be patient.