Working at the weekend

For a few years now I have been able to plan my work around the weekend such that it was rarely necessary to head to the office even if there was work to be done- the internet makes working from home incredibly easy.  This weekend was one of those rare occasions when I had to do the commute, and on one of the days I did the commute with Baby as my husband was not available for childcare.  In my experience, the location of work and the availability of entertainment via the internet make all the difference.  I used to work very near the Natural History Museum so we visited the museum at lunch on the weekends when I had to take Baby with me.  The advantage was that we had a quiet place- my office- to escape from the madness that is the museum area, where we can sit down and have a snack on the sofa in the coffee space or use a clean toilet without having to queue for ages.

Work is now by Wormwood Scrubs Park and the park is a fantastic place for a lunchtime stroll with a kid.  TV programmes on the internet provided entertainment at the office and we brought a nice picnic with us so we could eat and chill out together.  Westfield shopping center was a good place to drop by after work for a bite to eat and a little treat (the latter is almost invariably Lego these days).  Yesterday (Saturday), we actually ran an errand while we were there after work- we went shopping for school shoes and came back with a nice pair that were on sale.  I very rarely pop into a shop these days and this was an opportunity to do something that I would otherwise have had to specifically dedicate time for anyway.  More importantly, Baby enjoyed being at the office.  He liked interacting with the other people who were there- it was the weekend and everyone was very chilled out- and asked if he could come with me when I left home this morning.  We decided that it might be better for him to vary things a bit and spend the day finishing his Lego build (his treat from yesterday) and chilling in the park with Daddy before we meet up with some friends later this afternoon.

I guess the important thing is to try to make the most of every situation, and instilling that attitude towards life from childhood may not be a bad thing.

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