One thing about my new work schedule: it sure makes Saturday an important day. It was before too, but now Saturdays aren't just for fun. It's when I should catch up on errands and things the house and kids need, laundry, grocery-shopping, cleaning up....if I could that is. This weekend, a lot of that will have to spill over into Sunday too.
Last night (Friday night) the kids were on a sleepover, and Dave and I had a nice grownup dinner -- with wine, dessert, and complete sentences -- a good way to top off a decidedly grownup week. But though my bronchitis bout is nearly over, I was awakened numerous times last night with horrendous coughing fits, forcing me to swig some Tussionex around 5:30am. (That's my super-duper-uber prescription cough medicine.) It knocked the cough flat, but knocked me out too. So much for the rest of the day, despite all its new demands.
At least I got something accomplished today: I took Julian to Target so he could pick out new underpants. That had to do for bonding motherhood moments today too.
2/6/2010
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Thursday, February 04, 2010
2/4/2010 Schizo daze
Another torn day. Work itself is interesting and challenging, if in a tense and grim environment. Home is .... well, home, it's like Oz compared to Kansas, filled with life and noise and clamor and energy and trouble. But the most time I get with the kids is the worst time of the day -- right after we all get home and I'm at my busiest. And that's with leaving work at 4:30!
I know I'll adjust...the 3-week rule is always in effect. Give any change a 3-week cycle to get used to, and let the big problems reveal themselves, and tackle those. Today, though each component by itself is good, the combination of everything is overwhelming to a crush point. It seems like all it will take is a dentist's appointment to throw everything off.
And no photos of the kids. That by itself will make this blog worth dropping. If only I could!
2/4/2010
I know I'll adjust...the 3-week rule is always in effect. Give any change a 3-week cycle to get used to, and let the big problems reveal themselves, and tackle those. Today, though each component by itself is good, the combination of everything is overwhelming to a crush point. It seems like all it will take is a dentist's appointment to throw everything off.
And no photos of the kids. That by itself will make this blog worth dropping. If only I could!
2/4/2010
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
2/3/2010 Peace, not love
Gabriel asked today, "Why is Valentine's Day such a big deal?" I explained that it's about love. He answered quickly, "I think it should be about peace, not love."
Then he added that Valentine's Day was more for girls than boys, because they were more into the love stuff. "Oh really?" I asked, thinking back to his father's courtship. "Yeah, they're always writing hearts and stuff." Then he added with dismay, "Katrina's going to do that someday too." "Well," I consoled, "maybe she'll be writing hearts to you." That brightened him up: "I guess that's OK then."
2/3/2010
Then he added that Valentine's Day was more for girls than boys, because they were more into the love stuff. "Oh really?" I asked, thinking back to his father's courtship. "Yeah, they're always writing hearts and stuff." Then he added with dismay, "Katrina's going to do that someday too." "Well," I consoled, "maybe she'll be writing hearts to you." That brightened him up: "I guess that's OK then."
2/3/2010
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
2/2/2010 Adjusting
I'm exhausted. The cough medicine I have to take at night keeps me awake, so I wake up dragging and in need of many more hours of sleep. I absolutely hate going to work like that. If I'm exhausted because of medicine, then I need sick time -- but on my second day of work?
Work itself is mostly interesting so far, though it'd be a lot easier to do if I weren't so completely wrung out first thing in the morning. Then there's the guilt and fear about missing the children. My memory of time with them at home seems like a glorious, joyful one, even though I know in real life I often longed for adult company and a good challenging project to sink my teeth into. Ironically, even though Katrina's the one who misses me the least, and her stage of life is the one I miss the least, she's the one I keep thinking of and missing. She's the one I now spend the least time with, because our mad scramble when I get home with everyone doesn't include any time with her at all.
I know from experience that it takes a few weeks to settle into a new routine. Then the glaring thorns and their solutions emerge; the biggest problems will be clear and we'll start tweaking how we work things.
One thing that's not changing: I must leave work at 4:30 -- even ten minutes late is a big penalty in traffic -- and the kids must start the bedtime process at 7:30. The rest of the day can be worked around that.
2/2/2010
Work itself is mostly interesting so far, though it'd be a lot easier to do if I weren't so completely wrung out first thing in the morning. Then there's the guilt and fear about missing the children. My memory of time with them at home seems like a glorious, joyful one, even though I know in real life I often longed for adult company and a good challenging project to sink my teeth into. Ironically, even though Katrina's the one who misses me the least, and her stage of life is the one I miss the least, she's the one I keep thinking of and missing. She's the one I now spend the least time with, because our mad scramble when I get home with everyone doesn't include any time with her at all.
I know from experience that it takes a few weeks to settle into a new routine. Then the glaring thorns and their solutions emerge; the biggest problems will be clear and we'll start tweaking how we work things.
One thing that's not changing: I must leave work at 4:30 -- even ten minutes late is a big penalty in traffic -- and the kids must start the bedtime process at 7:30. The rest of the day can be worked around that.
2/2/2010
Monday, February 01, 2010
2/1/2010 First day of work
Back to work! Actually, the day was rather anticlimactic, since I already know everyone. Mostly, I spent the day cleaning out my cubicle and setting up my laptop.
Workplaces have become very very paranoid about sickness -- there are hand-sanitizing stations all over the place, and people acted awkward about handshakes -- so my persistent cough seems very antisocial. But this cough will last for weeks, I can't stay home that long. It's not like I have a cold. The paranoia about disturbing people, and the difficulty in talking more than a few sentences without my voice cutting out and bursting into a fresh fit of coughs, complicated the day.
Fortunately we've become well-practiced at our routine, so getting dinner on the table close to on time (6:15), and getting kids to bed on time (lights off 8:00 without fail!) went pretty smoothly.
Still, I have no idea how I'm going to keep momentum on any other projects I have going, like landscaping or some photo and framing projects. But if motherhood has taught me anything, it's that you keep learning and getting better at the juggle. I'll dig even deeper and find time for the rest of my life, somehow.
2/1/2010
Workplaces have become very very paranoid about sickness -- there are hand-sanitizing stations all over the place, and people acted awkward about handshakes -- so my persistent cough seems very antisocial. But this cough will last for weeks, I can't stay home that long. It's not like I have a cold. The paranoia about disturbing people, and the difficulty in talking more than a few sentences without my voice cutting out and bursting into a fresh fit of coughs, complicated the day.
Fortunately we've become well-practiced at our routine, so getting dinner on the table close to on time (6:15), and getting kids to bed on time (lights off 8:00 without fail!) went pretty smoothly.
Still, I have no idea how I'm going to keep momentum on any other projects I have going, like landscaping or some photo and framing projects. But if motherhood has taught me anything, it's that you keep learning and getting better at the juggle. I'll dig even deeper and find time for the rest of my life, somehow.
2/1/2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
1/31/2010 Housework Sunday
I said I'd write about Gabriel's party yesterday, though it's so out of my head already it's hard to get back into it. Very low-key, very entertaining for the kids, and with the time and people constraints, made for a very easy party.
They did gymnastics with Coach Gary (many of us knew him when he taught at the Cupertino Parks & Rec) for 45 minutes, then 45 minutes of party time.
The gymnastics was fun -- we had the whole place to ourselves, and the boys got to try some new equipment, including a 40-foot "tumble track" (trampoline. They loved that. First, a walk-through all the equipment, then the tumble track.
After the gymnastics part, Gabriel opened his gifts. He got some truly cool stuff he's looking forward to playing with at home. Meanwhile, the other boys took any object that could possibly be distorted to look like a gun to shoot it at each other (like a birthday hat)
Then, cake time. Or rather, cupcakes diguised to look like a cake. This saves the need for serving and eating utensils, though a spoon or two would have been handy.
A great group, a great size, a nice place -- So far we've scored best on the gymnastics parties!
Today, however, not so much fun. I'm starting my job tomorrow, nerve-wracking enough by itself. I have so so much I want to get done at home, but I'll have to figure out how else to do it.
One good thing came out of my absence last week: Dave had to get the boys to help sort their jeans after they came out of the wash, because he can't tell whose is whose. Then he had the boys fold their jeans and put them again. HMMM!! We're onto something here! Tonight I showed the boys how to sort their jeans (they claimed they didn't know), how to fold so it fits in the closet right, and then we moved on to shirts. There will come a day when they're all doing their OWN laundry!
Helping the boys help me fold laundry was the only good thing I have to say about running 127,000 loads today.
1/31/2010
They did gymnastics with Coach Gary (many of us knew him when he taught at the Cupertino Parks & Rec) for 45 minutes, then 45 minutes of party time.
The gymnastics was fun -- we had the whole place to ourselves, and the boys got to try some new equipment, including a 40-foot "tumble track" (trampoline. They loved that. First, a walk-through all the equipment, then the tumble track.
After the gymnastics part, Gabriel opened his gifts. He got some truly cool stuff he's looking forward to playing with at home. Meanwhile, the other boys took any object that could possibly be distorted to look like a gun to shoot it at each other (like a birthday hat)
Then, cake time. Or rather, cupcakes diguised to look like a cake. This saves the need for serving and eating utensils, though a spoon or two would have been handy.
A great group, a great size, a nice place -- So far we've scored best on the gymnastics parties!
Today, however, not so much fun. I'm starting my job tomorrow, nerve-wracking enough by itself. I have so so much I want to get done at home, but I'll have to figure out how else to do it.
One good thing came out of my absence last week: Dave had to get the boys to help sort their jeans after they came out of the wash, because he can't tell whose is whose. Then he had the boys fold their jeans and put them again. HMMM!! We're onto something here! Tonight I showed the boys how to sort their jeans (they claimed they didn't know), how to fold so it fits in the closet right, and then we moved on to shirts. There will come a day when they're all doing their OWN laundry!
Helping the boys help me fold laundry was the only good thing I have to say about running 127,000 loads today.
1/31/2010
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