Well, I guess it's been a minute....
School has started, routines are forming, Covid numbers are falling (and hopefully continuing to decline? Or at least stay lower for a good long while?)....
Here's life around here, lately:
The girls are back in school full time. We were planning to go back to public this year, but in our lovely red state that disallowed mask mandates, we were having a hard time feeling comfortable with the Covid risks and lack of school based precautions. Very last minute, we enquired about space/possibility of the girls attending a private school, and very last minute, that became our plan. The girls are VERY happy to be in the classroom with non-mom teachers, peers, friends to play with, "specials" throughout the day....They don't mind wearing their masks all the time indoors, eating lunch and snacks outdoors, and one has even survived a week of "connected learning" when a classmate tested positive.
"The baby" started nursery school two weeks ago, when the per-day numbers had just about lowered to 1,000 per day in our state. The only people who wear masks at his school are the teachers. We managed to time his start date to coincide with their re-opening the school after a school-wide quarantine. He seems very happy to be at school like his big sisters, and has been taking epic naps every afternoon after school. He had been begging to go to school every single day we drove the girls to their school.
It is a relief to finally have a tiny pocket of time to myself to plan for things that I need to do without children around -- trips to physical therapy (weekly), a counselor (every few weeks), tennis lessons (weekly, beginner level, so much fun to learn something new and be able to laugh so much with other moms while doing it), dentist appointments, etc. For the first two months of school, I had to ask for a babysitter for every single thing I wanted to do without children in attendance, and that was definitely getting old. I am happy to say that I have mostly been able to stick to my pre-Covid rule that child-free time in the house is not cleaning and cooking time: child-free time in the house is my time, to do as I please, be it sewing, reading, falling into the black hole of the internet, jogging, etc.
Did you notice I'm now in counseling? It was about damn time, I'm sure you are thinking! As the school year approached, somehow I decided that it is time to really take care of me, in body and in mind. So I have started talking with a counselor, and she keeps suggesting things for me to try. It is helping me grow in my awareness and helping to begin the process of healing my marriage, and so far seems to be a good fit.
In the sewing room, I've taken a big break....but I'm trying to push myself to start, in earnest, on the loveseat. I've already recovered the two free cushions; next is taking apart all of the attached upholstery and replacing it. It is a big job, requires lots of time and physical exertion, and will require hubby to help me; I think I've been partly holding back because I'm not sure he's really enthusiastic about helping me with my project. My goal is to finish it before Christmas; that gives me about a month and half of usable time to get it done.
Having the kids back in school, in schools where you feel comfortable, is such a wonderful blessing! So happy for all of you! Love that you are taking tennis lessons -- that's definitely something I would want to try, although I have zero hand/eye coordination.
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