In a Kindergarten funk...the flip side.

Call me George Washington, but I cannot tell a lie.  This Kindergarten adjustment has been pretty hard core.  I knew it was going to be tough but I thought it would be because Jude would be going crazy without Penn around all the time and I would be worrying about him all day.  That has not proven to be the case.  The really difficult part has been when Penn comes home.  Exhausted.  Cranky.  Mouthy.  Yeah...it's been fun (not really).  I can't really blame him.  When I was teaching, my students and I all left school at the end of the day feeling the exact same way.  School is work.  But as a mama, I expected that my baby would come home at the end of the day, run into my arms and just want to sit and hug on his brother and sister, read books, and tell me every detail of his day.  Once again...wrong.

So we're really having to look at our afternoon and evening time with a fine-tooth comb and figure out what is working for us and what isn't.  Here are a few of the changes we've made to help make life a little easier for now.

1.  When Penn gets home from school, we stay outside as long as possible.  The wonderful swing in the front yard has a magical affect on our boys and they seem to be satisfied swinging on it for hours on end.

2.  We are buying LOTS more fruit.  Penn is starving when he gets home...STARVING!  Even after eating a PB&J, apple, banana, raisins, celery and ranch, yogurt and anything else I throw in his lunchbox, it comes home empty every day and he eats and eats until it's supper time (at which time, he won't eat anything, of course).  I'm thinking of getting a part-time job just to support our fruit-junky.

3.  When he gets home from work, Pack watches all three kids for me for at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted kitchen time.  The meals we make can't always be prepared ahead of time, so this gives me the time to get it all ready and in the oven and sometimes even do some light clean-up and table setting.

4.  Everyone has a laundry day now and I only wash diapers twice a week (and I look forward to diaper days since they are so low-stress.  Somehow, I'm still ending up washing two loads a day most days, but having specific laundry days for each person helps me find a reasonable stopping point without feeling like I have to keep all the hampers empty.

5.  We stopped doing anything "scheduled" in the evenings.  We aren't meeting with a couple's small group right now (Pack is doing a men's early morning small group once a week, and I am starting a SAHM's small group that will meet one morning a week also).  I also had to stop kickboxing (hopefully temporarily) and I replaced that with a walk/run around the block most mornings after walking Penn to the bus stop (while pushing two kids in an umbrella stroller...WHEW!)

6.  We (I) try to go to bed as early as possible.  For most nights, kids are in bed by 8 and I'm trying to be in bed no later than 10.  I'm still exhausted in the morning and I could probably go to sleep at 8:30, but hey...the kitchen doesn't clean itself;)

7.  I'm finding myself getting super-stressed and upset really easily lately so I'm going to try to start focusing on what IS working instead of what isn't working.  Hopefully, it will all work itself out in another month or so and I'll be able to feel a little less tired and a little more in control.  It's hard give up a routine that worked so well for us for so long, but seasons change and kids grow up:-(  On that note, I'll leave you with a few pics of my little weeds...

Teething face:-)

Walking to the bus stop!

My little helper!

This swing only cost $1, but it's worth my sanity (which isn't much right now)...

Bath buddies!