School Starts Tomorrow!

Well Thomas and Gracie are starting at their new school tomorrow!

I'm a little bit nervous about letting them go to be honest. I don't know why. I guess because I've loved having them home all summer. Now I have to go back to the way it was before:

Wake them up, rush them around getting dressed & teeth brushed etc, try to make them eat something really fast, drive them over to school half asleep, and turn around and leave......

then at the end of the day.....

Rush in, pick them up (usually in a big hurry to be somewhere...) grab their stuff and jackets or whatever, run them out to the car, whiz out of the parking lot, dash to some place or another (Bible Study- always late, Mom's on Tuesday, Linda & Leigh's on Friday) get them to eat dinner, have maybe an hour together, brush teeth, etc, make them rush through bedtime "NO No time for books tonight, it's really late!" And finally at 11pm I get to have 30 minutes of time to myself, but.....

I've not spent ANY decent time with the kids that I wasn't fussing at them to hurry or get something done.....

This summer was so different.

We'd get up at 8 or 9am, brush teeth and get dressed. Come downstairs for breakfast, a lot of times together -All 4 Of Us!- and then Sam would leave for work.

Then Thomas and Grace would do some school work with me for about 2 hours. Usually ABCs flashcards first (they got really good at those) then some worksheets. We also read books together. Or did some projects like animals collages or making our own solar systems...

Then we'd all go in the living room to watch Sesame Street and then Word World.

By then it was time for lunch. Sam would come home about 1 or 2 for lunch and we'd make lunch and eat that together, before I had to leave about 3 or 4 for work.

Some days we even got to go on field trips to places like the park, the zoo, the pool, the library, etc.

Then Sam would put them down for naps after lunch.

When I got home from work about 6:30 or 7, we would trade again, since Sam had to go to Karate. The kids and I would go to Mimi's on Tuesday and some Thursdays. Some Thursdays we got to hang out with Derema and Lucas.

On Mondays, Sam stayed home with us and we had Family nights.

On Wednesdays we still get to go to church for Bible Study, but it's not stressful, it's nice. It's our big outing for the whole day.

Then on Friday nights, we go over to the Convers' and have dinner with them, and sometimes the kids stayed over, usually not though.

The weekends were about the same, but without the weekly stress, there was a lot less need to de-stress on Saturday, so we actually got to sleep in some and go out some.

Even going to Church seems nicer on Sunday because we have gotten used to the routine of getting up and getting ready, eating breakfast, and getting out the door together.

So, what can I do to make tomorrow, more like today?

That is the question......

It's All Back to Normal Mom

Well, we got back from the beach on Sunday night late, and here it is Wednesday and things are already stressful to the max.

Thomas suddenly looked at me on the way to church tonight (we go to a Bible Study - which I had to teach this week) and said, "It's All Back to Normal Now Mom."

So, here's to "Back to Normal."

That being said, Sam and I agreed that Thomas had a much nicer disposition while we were at the beach, with the exception of following "Uncle Bill" (sometimes "Uncle Billdee") everywhere and trying to do everything that Tyler did, which caused much brotherly fighting between the cousins.

We are thinking this was allowing to the fact that we got to spend soooo much more time with Thomas last week. By the end of the week he was markedly less aggressive and contradictory about everything. We are discussing ways to make more family time.

Here's our "Normal" schedule: {Keep in mind that they are up at 8am and then go to daycare from 9:30-5:30 daily}

Monday Night - Sam and I have Karate (kids are with a babysitter) then Dinner, home at about 10:15pm

Tuesday Night - Kids' Night with Mimi and Grandaddy (Sam is teaching Karate, I go to Mimi's), home at 9 or 10

Wednesday Night - Bible Study, they have a babysitter at church, the Dinner, home at about 10:15-10:30pm

Thursday Night - I go to a Ladies Bible Study at church while Sam teaches Karate and the kids have a babysitter, then straight home for dinner, by about 9pm

Friday Night - Our night with the Conver's, dinner at about 7pm, sometimes they spend the night, sometimes we come home about 10pm

Saturday Morning - Karate at 11am - kids with the babysitter at church- then lunch, and then home for naps.

Saturday Night - Up around 5-6pm for dinner, then the evening off.

Sunday Morning - Church at 11am - they're in Sunday School (Sam and I teach another Sunday School class K-5th Grade -2 of 4 weeks per month), then to lunch, home around 2pm for naps.

Sunday Night - "Free" but usually dinner with family around 6ish and home around 9pm.

I know what you're thinking, that's way too much. But that's only on "Normal" weeks. Sometimes we actually have something going on and actually make plans. {lol} Like tomorrow, Mom is picking them up at 4ish and taking them to the fair for the evening, and then possibly keeping them overnight...we'll see.

Solutions:

One thing we've thought of was for me to quit the Thursday Night Bible Study. Sam wouldn't be home until 9:15-9:30, but at least I'd be here with the kids. He discussed stopping the Karate class that night, but that would only leave Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. The big problem with that is the timing. We have our greatest influx of students at Back to School time.

Sooooo..... what then?

I could stop going to Karate on Mondays and be home then 2 nights a week (Mon and Thurs) but then I'd only be getting exercise once a week on Saturday Morning, and that's if we can find someone to watch the kids....but it is an answer.

Somethings got to give. And I'd rather it not be our time with Thomas and Grace, or any of the 4 of our sanity...

It's just too much for all of us.

I'd welcome comments on this.... maybe you see a valid "drop that" spot and I'll give it some extra prayer and thought. Also lovvvve some prayer in this area! This has been on going for a really long time.

I'll finish on a happy note:

Some cool pictures from the beach you may not have seen yet.....