“So there’s no problems with that weekend? October 14th to 16th?” I asked Mark.
“I don’t see any issues,” he said as he looked at his calendar.
We were looking at our calendars trying to decide if I could make a weekend away work. I had been asked to help with Mom Camp in Squamish. It would be three days and two nights of “connection, community, and support – helping you go from overwhelmed and exhausted to energized and engaged in your life.”
“You’ll be okay doing all the kids’ activities that weekend? You’ll have to leave work early on Friday…”
“No worries. I’ll make it work. You go and have fun.”
“Great!” I said. “It’s going to an amazing weekend.”
October 14th to 16th. I marked it down in my calendar and I told Gillian from Mom Camp to put me on the guest list!
Days later, I was telling Lucy, Sam, and Stanley about Mom Camp and what a great experience it would be. “It’s going to be a weekend of moms and nature and talking and eating and writing and wine and hanging out. I can’t wait! I’ll be leaving on Friday, October 14th and I’ll be back on the 16th.”
Stanley perked up. “The 16th! That’s the day after my birthday!”
I froze. Stanley’s birthday. October 15th.
Oh. My. God.
In all my discussions about the weekend away, I never once thought of October 15th. I kept thinking October 14th to October 16th. October 14th. And October 16th. Never once did it dawn on me that October 15th was included in the 14th to the 16th.
Epic mom fail. (To be fair, let’s call it an epic parent fail because Mark apparently doesn’t grasp how a calendar works either.)
I immediately messaged Gillian to let her know I couldn’t make it. I couldn’t miss Stanley’s 9th birthday.
She suggested that I still come up for the Friday and Sunday sessions, if I was up for the driving. Hmmmm… could I make it all work? I decided to try.
I drove up to Squamish on Friday afternoon to help set up and take part in the evening Mom Camp sessions. Then at 5:30 Saturday morning I snuck out of my cabin, walked on high alert to my car (there were a few bears hanging around the camp) and was back in Vancouver by 7:10am. We partied all day for Stanley’s birthday (presents and soccer and a virtual reality party and cake and dinner and donuts). I went to bed early, set my alarm and was back in Squamish by 7:15 Sunday morning. After a full day of Mom Camp and tear down, I started the journey home and walked in my front door at 6:30pm.
It was one weekend where I managed to do it all!
Consequently, I did nothing on Monday because I had to sleep all day to make up for the exhausting weekend. But… at least I didn’t miss my kid’s birthday or Mom Camp.
(Note to self… and Mark… let’s work on our calendar skills in 2023.)
