underway

Our school year is underway!

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted, but an explanation of our new fall schedule might help to increase understanding here. :) We are all back to school--Orilus and Jackson hop on the bus at 7 am each morning, and get off at 3:00 pm each afternoon. On Mondays and Wednesday, I'm in the YMCA pool at 6:00 am, then walk to work (at my new job, which I am loving!). On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jason rides his bike for an hour plus, and I take the boys to their bus. Fridays we are all togther in the morning (and, as found out yesterday, Jason and I are quite tired by then!).

Our afternoon schedule is a little full, too. The boys get off the bus at the school where Jason works, so Jason brings them home every day, stopping to pick me up from work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I'm off to classes in Boston. Thankfully (and this is a HUGE thanks), I've been able this week to catch a ride there and back with a member of my cohort, who VERY graciously brings me even though she lives a town away. It's a HUGE time saver, and has helped me not to feel completely exhausted after a long day.

Thursdays nights I take a Zumba class now (my first one was this past Thursday, and I laughed the ENTIRE time...I had no idea Latin dance was so much fun!), and Saturday mornings I'm either back in the pool or (as this morning) doing homework (read an entire 200-page book on writing a dissertation this morning).

The boys are liking school as much as fourth and fifth graders do (which is to say, sometimes not much). :) Jackson told me today that he feels "really comfortable" at school, which is an amazing and new sensation for him; he's really come a long way in his ability to navigate transitions. Orilus struggles to NOT need to be the center of attention :), but he seems to be settling in. Jason and I have volunteered as room parents for each of the boys' classrooms (me for Orilus' again, Jason for Jackson's), making Jason the first "room dad" at the school. I think that's very cool.

As our next few Saturdays are booked with family obligations, we're celebrating Jackson's 11th birthday today with his friends at a party in a nearby park in Lynn. This morning the boys and I decorated some cupcakes (footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, and baseballs)--you can see those above.

I'm finding the secret to staying sane in all of this is:

1. Commit to do just one thing at a time, and tell yourself that's all you can really do. Because it's true.

2. Transition quickly between roles as necessary. Move from reading a dissertation book to decorating cupcakes without a second thought.

3. Pray a LOT. Learn to pray while working.

4. Embrace God-moments when they happen. Write them down. Last Sunday morning I stepped outside very early in the morning to let Kobe out, and it was a beautiful breaking dawn (after a day of hard rain on Saturday). The sun was rising over the ocean (which we can see from our yard), and falling on the skyscrapers of Boston, and it was breathtaking. And I felt God's beauty all around, and so I just stood, and worshipped.

Remind me of all these things later, should I become overwhelmed and stressed this semester.

Off to eat some lunch and gather things for Jackson's birthday party!