Teaching the kids basic camping skills

I have been so busy lately! Even on vacation, I have kept myself too busy to really blog. I’m sorry about that, but there is just not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want and need to do.

http://youtu.be/7K2zdDxM82o This is a little video I put together. The kids are getting older now. My biological children have been camping and learning survival skills their entire lives. I had my oldest son at Algonquin park in Ontario when he was 6 months old. When you can hear wolves howling while you are sleeping, you have arrived!

I want to do a backcountry trip with the kids and dogs. The problem is that my step kids really don’t have outdoor experience. Their bio dad is more of a “sit on the sofa and watch hockey” kind of guy. The camping they have done was at a trailer park. Basically a field with trailers parked. When you have electricity and running water: you are not in the backcountry. This is not a criticism of their upbringing, merely a statement on the difference between my partner’s kids and mine.

This year, we went camping close to home and I started to train the kids how to do real camping. How to build fire. How to set a tent. How to use a cook stove. How to canoe. We were close to home in case anything went wrong. We also taught the dogs to go in the canoe. The last thing I want is to be loaded with supplies, ready to paddle to my island get away and the dog won’t go into the canoe, or even worse, tips the canoe.

This September, my partner Heather and I will be heading up to Algonquin to ensure she also is very skilled in a canoe and we will paddle around with the dogs. By next summer, we will be taking a trip so far off the grid! I can hardly wait!

Sporadic Schedule

Today I had a shorter day. I attended a labour arbitration for one of our members. It kind of makes up for the 14-16 hour marathon bargaining sessions we are planning for Thursday and Monday. It doesn’t really make up for it, but I knew what I was running for when I got elected. Note to anybody looking to do union work: if you like a consistent schedule, don’t do it!

Arbitration occurs when a grievance goes to the final step and is still not settled to the satisfaction of the union or employer. In this particular case, while I cannot provide details, I can say that we felt this individual was disciplined far too harshly. Whenever you bring an outside person in to solve an issue both parties will walk away not totally pleased with the results. The best solution is the one that the parties can come to on their own.

So I have not blogged at all due to the long days and nights I have been working. I also have a personal life which needs attention or she will get angry. Yes I meant to say she! My spouse tells me that I do a fantastic job keeping work and home separate, but as the stress of bargaining (on top of other duties) increases, that becomes more difficult.

I have rules that I follow for my own personal balance. Unless it’s a dire emergency, I don’t answer the phone after 6pm. I do not do union work from home whenever possible. The exception would be replying to emails. I do not talk about what I am doing at work except for the broadest of strokes. I generally get home early because I start early, so I may do a little work before the family arrives, but only upstairs, away from the kids when they arrive home.

Work life balance is the most important thing that I cherish. I put work before my family in my first marriage and it failed miserably. We all make mistakes. I am now happier than I have ever been and I intend to stay this way. Work used to be my escape to happiness, now it’s the time I spend with my family, which includes 2 dogs.

Don’t let work, whatever work you do, take priority over the things you love and cherish. You will be a more balanced and happy person in the long run. It will give you the energy to fight for what is right.