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| { First Lunch Box.} |
Yesterday was the first day of school. We literally made it to the room on time by [ ] this much, and I was more on top of things than I have been in a very long time. It made me realize something. This is a life changer (duh!). This is one of those milestones that requires you to totally change the way you parent. We are totally going back to the scheduled/rigid routines we had when parenting infants. Only I am totally not organized enough for that anymore! Really!
When I became a mom for the first time I had been handling the scheduling and filling of transplant patients in three states. I could juggle files, phone calls, emails, and more all at the same time and at the end of the day I knew what I accomplished. It took many, many months for me to accept that sometimes (many times) as a mom there is nothing tangible that you accomplished at the end of the day. I relaxed into parenting and we were cruising along nicely on the take things as they come road.
When I became a mom for the first time I had been handling the scheduling and filling of transplant patients in three states. I could juggle files, phone calls, emails, and more all at the same time and at the end of the day I knew what I accomplished. It took many, many months for me to accept that sometimes (many times) as a mom there is nothing tangible that you accomplished at the end of the day. I relaxed into parenting and we were cruising along nicely on the take things as they come road.
No more!
Yesterday went like clockwork, and I was exhausted at the end of the day. I also accomplished almost nothing on the list of things that I need to do an want to, and oh thank goodness we had just had a party because there was virtually no house cleaning to be had.
School starts at 8:30 and it’s about 15-20min away. So my plan was to leave at 8, I knew the route I would take and I figured I would have enough time. I showered on Sunday night (first impressions people!) I made most of his lunch the night before. I had ate my own breakfast and was dressed before 7 with the oven on to make a special breakfast I was on fire. Problem number 1: My kids were still asleep at 7:20, These kids have been getting up before 7 for weeks, of course they are still asleep today! I wake up a very reluctant 5yo and try to get everyone moving. Problem number 2: My children cannot be rushed.
While they are eating I make his sandwich and pack up his bag, the zipper on his school issues bag breaks, great. I set up their toothbrushes, I am grateful I made him set out his clothes. I am like a Drill Sergeant (probably not a good thing) move, move, move! We manage to eek out a picture on the porch and get to the car pulling out at 8:03, a little late.
I turn on tho the major East-West road I need to take, it’s bumper to bumper and not moving. Seriously? I want to bang my head on the steering wheel. There is no other way to go because it’s two lanes and surrounded by farms, I am stuck. Note to suburbia: you are growing up, two lanes roads don’t work anymore please expand. Which is why we managed to get to school [ ] this close to the start. Drop of went well, I didn’t cry until his sister did and all was well.
Well until I tried to return something to Toys R Us (with a gift receipt), I will never shop there again, end of story. We got home and the little miss had no idea what to do with herself. We played ponies:
Yesterday went like clockwork, and I was exhausted at the end of the day. I also accomplished almost nothing on the list of things that I need to do an want to, and oh thank goodness we had just had a party because there was virtually no house cleaning to be had.
School starts at 8:30 and it’s about 15-20min away. So my plan was to leave at 8, I knew the route I would take and I figured I would have enough time. I showered on Sunday night (first impressions people!) I made most of his lunch the night before. I had ate my own breakfast and was dressed before 7 with the oven on to make a special breakfast I was on fire. Problem number 1: My kids were still asleep at 7:20, These kids have been getting up before 7 for weeks, of course they are still asleep today! I wake up a very reluctant 5yo and try to get everyone moving. Problem number 2: My children cannot be rushed.
While they are eating I make his sandwich and pack up his bag, the zipper on his school issues bag breaks, great. I set up their toothbrushes, I am grateful I made him set out his clothes. I am like a Drill Sergeant (probably not a good thing) move, move, move! We manage to eek out a picture on the porch and get to the car pulling out at 8:03, a little late.
I turn on tho the major East-West road I need to take, it’s bumper to bumper and not moving. Seriously? I want to bang my head on the steering wheel. There is no other way to go because it’s two lanes and surrounded by farms, I am stuck. Note to suburbia: you are growing up, two lanes roads don’t work anymore please expand. Which is why we managed to get to school [ ] this close to the start. Drop of went well, I didn’t cry until his sister did and all was well.
Well until I tried to return something to Toys R Us (with a gift receipt), I will never shop there again, end of story. We got home and the little miss had no idea what to do with herself. We played ponies:
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| {I was on Ponytail Duty- is is till a pony tail on a pony? A girl tail?} |
She was literally standing on her head while we did this, she was seriously lost with out her brother telling her what to do!
We ate lunch with daddy and I was excited to have an afternoon of peace and quiet, I was going to take a nap. Peanut had different plans. After an hour and half of her kicking, singing, screaming (all happy) and talking I realized it was about time to head back to school. Holy cow where did this day go? I was going to be so productive?
All and all by the end of the day I managed to wash, not put away, three loads of laundry. Hubs did the dishes and the kids were really good about loading the dishwasher after every meal. Seriously, if the kids didn’t do their chores (clear the table, feed the cat, plus one house chore- yesterday one picked up toys the other folded and put away laundry) not one household item would have been done. I collapsed into my chair after we put them to bed (almost 8) and my brain was mush. I tried to write this, couldn’t, I read a little, and was in bed by 8:30.
We ate lunch with daddy and I was excited to have an afternoon of peace and quiet, I was going to take a nap. Peanut had different plans. After an hour and half of her kicking, singing, screaming (all happy) and talking I realized it was about time to head back to school. Holy cow where did this day go? I was going to be so productive?
All and all by the end of the day I managed to wash, not put away, three loads of laundry. Hubs did the dishes and the kids were really good about loading the dishwasher after every meal. Seriously, if the kids didn’t do their chores (clear the table, feed the cat, plus one house chore- yesterday one picked up toys the other folded and put away laundry) not one household item would have been done. I collapsed into my chair after we put them to bed (almost 8) and my brain was mush. I tried to write this, couldn’t, I read a little, and was in bed by 8:30.
That’s when it hit me, crap I need a schedule.
So this long babbling posts brings me here. Eating crow.
So this long babbling posts brings me here. Eating crow.
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| { Image via Google Image Search } |
Remember this post where I make fun of Jen for her cleaning schedule. Yeah, it appears that I will now need to come up with some kind of schedule. Thankfully Erin shared her schedule and it’s not so intense (she doens’t mention cleaning baseboards). So this week will become trial and error week as I try to find a schedule that works, and I adjust to this whole schedule concept again. Then, just maybe I will be in a better place to handle the 2 hours I will have to myself twice a week when Peanut starts school. You know by being productive instead of spending those two hours on twitter amazed that a) both my babies are old enough for school and b) my house is so quiet I should be sleeping.
Have you started school yet? How are you adjusting to a new routine?
11 comments:
We start on Friday. I need to get a schedule going so that I can actually be productive. I have big plans of actually getting organized, but we will see how that works!
What a day! I have to admit, when my girls are both away from home, I have grand plans for productivity, too. Why am I so soft-willed that I can't ever get anything done?!
Definitely going to look at Erin's schedule :)
I hope the rest of the week is good!
A schedule sounds like heaven after the last couple of weeks at my house...maybe I will brainstorm on this today at work. Your first day sounds a lot like mine.
Well, I'm of the opinion that you need to schedule in those baseboards. And also, fridge cleaning. And spider web removal. And weeding. And cleaning out the oven...
KIDDING.
You're going to find your groove, lady. I just know it.
It takes time (from what I hear!) Good luck :) It sounds like the first day went really well!!
I not only need a schedule, I need someone standing guard with a cattle prod to make sure I stick to it! Day 2 of back to school and I hate afternoon preschool already. Give me back my morning preschool! Who eats lunch at 11? TOF cannot be rushed either. I should be doing something more productive, but the whirlwind morning has me exhausted!
I loved this very honest post. I agree, for me one of the hardest things about parenting was getting used to that feeling of having accomplished nothing much at all at days end. But also over time realizing that this was not really true, because every day my daughter learns, says and does something new.
We start preschool next Monday at 8:30am and I am wondering how this is to be accomplished as yesterday morning we were still eating breakfast at 10am!
Well. You will be pleased to know that I allowed my schedule to completely go to pot this summer. My house is now a complete wreck, my baseboards are embarrassing.
I'm so looking forward to next week and getting my kids back to school and me back to my cleaning schedule!
Yeah, I like to pretend that baseboards don't exist. Whenever someone mentions cleaning them, I pretend that it's written in Russian and I can't read it.
I big fat heart that you were on pony duty. Just sayin'. :)
Try taking Algy down to Peterson and then sneaking over to Butterfield. Usually, we don't hit back up that way.
I'm tired just from reading...glad I saved it until bedtime so I can just flop down and snooze. :) We don't start real school until next year, but I worry so much about this. I don't know how we - who have loved lazy mornings for going on 5 years - are going to do it. But, like you, I guess we will. :)
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