Settling into a New Schedule

It is so nice not to be the only parent in the house again.  It was really nice to have a week and a half off after my husband made it safely back from India.  We did not get a lot done beyond putting 8 of our meat birds in the freezer and celebrating a daughter’s birthday.  Just reconnecting was really what needed to happen.

 Hubby is back at work this week and then we have the three day weekend thanks to Labor Day.  Some of the schools have started back up locally and some are starting on Tuesday. My Facebook feed is covered in first day back at school photos which make me cringe.  Because we homeschool, because it seems like a stupid reason to take a photo, because so many of the kiddos are smiling because they have to not because they want too… because it’s like Mother’s Day and I wonder how many Maine kids realize how lucky they are not to have to wear uniforms.

 We are slowly getting used to a new schedule.  I have been working on reading practice with my girls and we will bring in Math and other subjects in a few weeks after we have settled into our routines again.  

 Girl Scouts starts up again in about two weeks and that will feel a lot like the start of fall in our house.  The start of needing to be someplace on time on a regular basis. The start of really needing to think ahead in terms of dinner as we get home late at least one of those nights.  

 I usually try to get up before my kids.  But being pregnant this fall and knowing one of the few guaranteed times I can sleep most days is between 5 am and 9 am I am not getting up early unless I need too.  Which means less alone time for me in the morning, but also more energy later in the day because I actually got some sleep.

 I am really looking forward to soup season in a few months as that makes dinner prep so much easier.     

 Hubby and I can feel our youngest squiggling around in there, but she is still too small for her sisters to really feel her yet.  I am sure that will change in the next month or so as she makes herself known to more of the family. She’s been opinionated since the start, at least for me.

 I always feel a great sense of drawing in when I am pregnant.  It is also not a process I really enjoy, even though I have healthy daughters at the end of it.  I just don’t enjoy very much of the process. I know I may look glowy and other women seem to think I should be happy or excited, but honestly I am just trying to figure out how to make it to the next meal and/or chance to sleep.  That’s really most of my goals these days other than maybe listening to my audiobook and doing some sewing. I’m pretty boring when I am pregnant.

 It’s also super hard to predict what next year this time will be like.  Because I really don’t know what personality is coming to join us in January.  So much of parenting is unpredictable and even more so for those first 3 years.  So far newborns have been pretty easy for us. But that doesn’t mean this time around it will be.  I am grateful that my 3rd child will be a year older than my eldest was the last time we had a newborn so I should have more arms to hold this child and my kids already do more chores than what they could do last time around.

 I am looking forward to winter squash being ready at the farmers markets.  I am looking forward to making soup with whatever is in my fridge and having it taste yummy.  My kids like whole eggs dropped into the soup and it is an easy way to add more protein to all those yummy veggies.

 I am looking forward to having a fairly slow fall outside of the normal Girl Scouts/Midwife and holiday schedule.  We have a few more home improvement projects to get done before winter, but we still have a few months before the first snowfall.  Depending on climate change of course.

 How are you settling into a new schedule?

PS. To read more from Chase and to feel like you are not alone on your parenting journey, check out The Mommy Rebellion book.