Getting Used to Things
Stressful and unexpected *#$@$ aside, this year has taken some getting used to. However, I do feel like in general our transition to two schools (vs one for all 3 kids) and later activities (kids finishing at 8:45 most nights per week!) has gone relatively well.
Josh picked up A from gymnastics last night at 8:45 while I heated up her dinner and I think we were all still going to bed by around 9:30. I wasn’t sure that kind of quick turnaround would be possible, but so far it has gone better than expected. I have also figured out where its makes sense to do a shorter run (Wednesday mornings); just because I don’t have time to get in 8 miles doesn’t mean I don’t have time to run at all.
(WORSE than expected has been the morning drive; two separate drop-offs means the whole drive takes about ~70 minutes from our house to my office at work — I know it could be worse, but still it’s rather long. Our solution has been to share the load on most of my clinic days – Monday and Friday we each do one drop-off.)
We are also in the sweet spot of the year where the kids are still feeling pretty excited about their activities. A won a leotard yesterday in “gymnastics bingo” (complete a row of skills on a card, get a prize!). G actually seems to be having fun practicing piano (still with me, but cultivating this independence is a work in progress). C looks forward to soccer games. I’m not saying they always express disdain for their activities by April, but they definitely had different attitudes many months into things last year. I guess this means they got enough of a break and the fresh start feels good.
In other news
Little annoying things keep piling on top of the bigger annoying thing and I suppose WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS or something like that. Every day I wake up and try to have the best day I can under the circumstances and I think that’s going to be my playbook for a while.
7 Comments
Yay for kids enjoying their activities! I know the exact feeling of when the enthusiasm for music lessons/sports wanes. My daughter begins learning a new instrument this week and I’m hopeful she’ll love it, but also girding myself against future evenings spent cajoling her to practice.
I hope you get some relief from your metaphorical downpour soon — that’s such an awful feeling.
sounds brutal to finish activities at 8:45pm. I feel bad when Sofia gets home 6:30pm. But as long as they are happy, healthy, all we can do as parents is to support them.
70 min drive sounds long indeed. I haven’t drive for 7 years and really appreciate husband doing all the drops and picks up, spending hours driving everyday.
Just keep swimming SHU! I am in a season of stress in my own life that I think has an expiration date of somewhere in November but it is hard for me to think this is just temporary right. The mountain I am climbing based on a construction project at our home and court deadlines for a big case at work so I did something new to help me- I added something on my calendar for me (and me alone) that helped. I sat at a very spa like med spa my bestie owns and had a wellness IV. A large bag of fluids might have been just what my mental health needed. For one, I had to sit still and I think I did a decent job relaxing for 35-40 minutes. This was shorter than a massage or facial and I think it helped. I am sure I was dehyrated from not pausing and my body tends to get sick after a long push project because I will wear myself down. I am giving no medical advice about the actual vitamins but for calming effects, hydration and a mental boost- 5 star review! This is something probably not available for all readers but in Florida you can find many trusted places for an IV boost!
I can totally see how the act of getting it could be just as therapeutic as what is in there!! (Sometimes I think the same thing about other spa treatments, too)
I actually find donating platelets to have a similar effect! You’re forced to sit for 90+ minutes, they give you snacks, and you feel good about it. (I do platelets instead of whole blood because whole blood wrecks my running for weeks. With platelets I mostly just notice some light dehydration.)
Well I’m glad to hear the school and schedule related things are going well at least! Sorry about all the other crap. Your philosophy is a good one- just try to have the best day you can under the circumstances. I mean- what else can you do? I hope it all gets resolved soon.
Sarah, I can empathize with your change in routines. I am going through changes in routines as well; my oldest started middle school and my youngest started Kindergarten while my middle child is still in the same elementary school (3rd grade). With that combination, I have to make three stops to drop them off at their respective places (I drop off the younger ones at before school programs, which are in different places due to the fact that one program doesn’t take Kindergarteners). It takes me between 30 to 40 minutes to get it done.