LAUNCH DAY went well! I have the cutest picture but have not received approval for posting so you will just have to trust me. It was really nice to drop A & C off together.
(I mean, I guess it will be sad to drop G off by herself, but it just felt good that C had a buddy to show him around etc since he’s starting at a brand new school. I liked that it was both of them!)
This week is like soft launch week, though. There is no dance yet (A is taking 4 classes + G is taking 2; none overlap this year) and G doesn’t start until next week.
NEXT WEEK is full steam ahead with all 3 kids going, dance, gym, XC, piano. That is the current extent of everyone’s activities right now and actually — that doesn’t sound SOOOO crazy. Lest you think this means earlier evenings, be reassured that there is a dance or gymnastics class ending at 8 pm, 8:45 pm, or 9 pm every single weekday, plus 3.5 hours on Saturdays.
I still think our decision (made along with C) to skip travel sports this year was probably a good one. This way he can really lean into school sports and other less high-commitment athletic opportunities and see if he misses the travel stuff. In some ways I miss having such automatic structure (with built-in outdoor + social component) to the weekends but honestly I think we’ll find plenty to do!!
One of my goals this year was to streamline the mornings so that either Josh OR I are in charge of managing + driving the kids, but not both. Most weeks it seems like Josh will drive Mon/Thurs and I will drive Tue/Wed/Fri, with possible variations on this theme depending on call etc. Today was a “Josh drive” day and I actually went to a 6:30 AM pilates class without any issue! They left just as I was arriving home (we live ~5 min from the studio).
(It also happened to be a really good class, a little more challenging than some have been! So I was happy.)
SCREEN TIME SCHOOL YEAR POLICIES are . . . TBD. I want to make a sheet similar to the one above and put it up on the wall but I need to solidify said policies first. We will take the kids’ input into consideration, too. I think they do grasp the need for some limits here.
I do think we will limit video games to weekends. They suck everyone in way too much and I just don’t want them diving in so deep on weeknights.
I’m okay with some TV/chatting with friends (no one has any social media yet) on weeknights after homework and laundry is put away (A/C) and toys are put away (G). Whatever it is we decide I want it in writing so there is no “but you saiiiiiid” questioning of the rules.
AND, while I reinstate that, I’ll reinstate the “I have to pay kids if I use Reddit” rule because honestly, I need this right now and they will be thrilled. I have been going down several finance-related subreddit rabbit holes and — like other Reddit rabbit holes, I have learned a few things (such as: projectionlab for retirement projections/models to play with — anyone use it?) but have definitely hit diminishing returns and I am now at the point where there is MUCH MORE I am losing (time/opportunity cost, attention, rest) by scrolling on there than gaining.
THERE ARE STILL TERRIBLE THINGS going on in the world and I feel somewhat ridiculous writing about everyday goings-on, but here we are. My heart hurts and I will continue to donate.
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We went back yesterday and definitely need a refresh on am routines. We had a very mellow summer without any early mornings and my husband and I were still in bed with our cups of tea, and T was playing Lego 30 minutes before we needed to leave the house. Also realised we only had two pairs of uniform shorts, luckily the library has the uniform swap up so I was able to sneak in today. It’s uncharacteristically warm, so I was caught off guard.
I’ve made some checklists and reminders for things, and hope that will lead to less AM grouchiness. We also have a locksmith coming to see if he can install a digital lock on our door, which would make my life easier – I’m really bad at remembering my keys.
I don’t know anything about Reddit? I thought it was a gossip site but maybe there are some useful things about it?
We used a financial planner to map out our retirement and it has been very helpful. We have been retired for 3 years and it’s great!😊
Reddit can be a useful place to get info about things like… fun things to do on vacation, what’s going on in xyz city, etc. and potentially a source of community for some people as there are also interest/ profession-specific subreddits. However it can descend quickly into a cesspool of self comparison and if you ask the group a question there are usually 60-70% of the responses telling you how stupid you are (maybe this is just the personal finance ones… but I’m sure they all have their issues). Then Reddit will start giving you new posts from other subreddits to try and suck you in and get you to engage more, and this (for me) is where it gets really toxic, because none of these threads provide useful info and mostly comments are unpleasant. If you can confine your use to “what’s the best restaurant in x city” then it’s useful. Otherwise thumbs down.
agree with all of this. it’s also just (for me) bizarrely addictive and once I start I can’t put it down. I don’t even engage – like ever – I just read!!
Projection Lab is amazing. I was ok with the one week trial, but my husband is really into it and we’ve subscribed for the past two years. The visualizations, Monte Carlo scenarios, and ability to make so many adjustments are great features. Highly recommend.
Music rotation reminds me of what my mom did when we were kids. On a set schedule, 3 days each, one of us had the front seat and the other sat in the back. The person in the backseat could choose the music. It was genius from a fairness perspective, though my elementary-age sister went through a Rod Stewart phase (that my mom happily encouraged and of which I was not a fan).