Annual leave not enough

For 6 years I have mentioned to my friends that I will always have at least 5 days of annual leave to be brought forward to the following year.  I have always been able to set aside at least a week in December to spend time with DinoBoy, bringing him out for some fun.  This is because besides the annual leave entitlement of XX days, I also enjoy 6 days of Child Care Leave which I was grateful as on many occasions I have to take urgent leave when DinoBoy falls sick suddenly during the night and have to stay home instead. I would have exhausted my annual leave fast if not for these extra 6 days.

So the day DinoBoy enters Primary school is also the day I "lost" this Child Care Leave entitlement.  We are only near end May 2013 and I have about 10 days of annual leave left!  And with so many things happening at home I am afraid that I will use them up before the end of the year.  I am already seeing that its impossible to take a week's leave in December as usual, am so not liking it.

In case you are wondering its not as easy for DinoPapa to apply leave plus I would want to be with the boy looking after him.  If I leave him with DinoPapa I will be worried the whole day; did he give the boy medicine on time, how's the fever, did he prepare nourishing healthy food for the boy to eat etc, its the Mothering thing that is making me a worrywart.

Anyway, besides taking leave to attend to DinoBoy who was feeling under the weather, I have also taken 3 days when school starts just to visit the school during recess time to make sure he is OKAY.  And on the few occasions I have listed below we need to make a trip down to the school; the last one below is optional BUT you know you would not want to miss it for ANYTHING!

* Chinese workshop
* Maths workshop
* Parents Teacher Meeting

* P1 performance 

All the above events only takes 2-3 hours, you can take half day's leave but I usually take a day as it's a bit rush for me since my work place is in town.  I will make use of the extra time for house work, groceries shopping and preparing for the day's dinner.

Photo Credits

There you have it, with the above its already 5 days (DinoPapa attended the Maths workshop and we couldn't take leave to attend the P1 performance), add in the days where DinoBoy was sick and urgent leave for some important matters, half of my annual leave is gone.  It's very frustrating especially when I planned to take some days off during the June school holidays to go for some interesting activities with DinoBoy.  Looks like its not going to happen too.  It breaks my heart when DinoBoy expressed disappointment after I told him that he is unable to go for some holiday workshops as they fall on weekday - a working day.

I just hope that next year it will be better.
That next year I will have time to bring him to where ever he wishes to go.
That next year we will have the budget and time to go for an overseas holiday, I know DinoBoy wants to go to Penang again.

Next year...

Damn you This Year!  GGRrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!

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