It has been a busy past couple of weeks. July is very different than June. June was the first 4 weeks of my summer vacation and it was very very nice and routine - there's that word again. I went to bed at reasonable hours and woke up 7ish, coffee and journaled while babies played and the laundry spun... remember that really motivated post I made about being the best "tourguide mommy ever?" Well then the HEAT set in and it became easier to just fill the kiddie pool in the back yard than load everyone up in the car and find somewhere to go walk around. July has felt... off balance. I can't seem to committ to a routine. I go to bed late. I wake up at different times every day. I eat whatever is in the fridge because it is easier to just make something rather than plan a meal and go to the grocery store to stock up. Also, Nick has been at a work conference all day and nights till midnight since Monday and won't be home until sometime Friday. I am a creature of habit and routine and don't like many surprises (unless they are wrapped in little boxes with big gold bows). The biggest thing that makes a difference in my mental health is SLEEP. My husband is a night owl and I am just the opposite. I would rather go to bed at 8 and be up at 5 than stay up till stupid ours and "sleep in." My 17 year old sister has spent of couple of night with me this summer and slept until 1pm!!! I let her do it because I want her to feel safe and rested when she stays with me but in the back of my mind I was thinking, "Good gravy what is wrong with this child!?! Exhaustion, alchoholism, depression!?" No- just teenaged. Recently we had friends spend the night on their way from Boston to Atlanta. I had a "you know you are out of practice when..." moment when we all stayed up till(only) 1 a.m. and I (only) had 3 glasses of wine and felt like "you know what" all the next day. When we first moved into our house 2 1/2 years ago and would have friends over we would easily stay up till 2a.m. sometimes later with no problem - sometimes on weeknights with work the next day (gasp). There is something about having kids and HAVING to get up every three hours for 2-3 months straight that just takes it out of you. And I am NOT complaining about this - I do however feel sorry for those people that are putting off kids or may not even want kids because they feel like having kids is the end of your life... that really isn't the case. Yes your life changes... but no it is not the end. I actually saw an episode of TLC Baby Story (which I used to love and now LOATHE) and a mother in labor was crying her face off saying, "my life is about to be over! Promise me when this kid is 5 you will take me to Disney World just the two of us! SOB" How sad is that!?!? Did she grow up AT ALL before she decided to get pregnant!?!? Anywho... so yea. If there is every a time when I wonder when did these bags and circles show up under my eyes I can probably say with certainty May 15, 2008... bags of joy is what I'll call them to make myself feel better... that and Boot's Under Eye Cream from Target.
On a lighter note...
Doesn't every new parent wonder why books are made with "newborn" printed on the label and think to themselves "What newborn is going to read? Does it really make a difference to read to your infant?" The answer is YES it does make a difference. We have several little picture books that we have read to the twins since they were teeny and Harper especially loves for you to lie on the floor with her and read to her. Now, I can walk away and do a few chores, come back in the room, and she has found it all by herself and is flipping through it. Lily, on the other hand, eats the book. Lately I have been telling people how different the two are... H likes personal space and L is my cuddlebug. L likes for you to build block towers so she can knock them down and grin at you waiting on you to clap and cheer her on. We have affectionately named her "demolition Lily." Harper studies the block towers and will poke at them as if she is "testing" how many times and with how much force she can tap each block before the tower crumbles.
It is fun watching their little personalities take their own unique shapes.
So that is about all I have to say at the moment. For those of you that like to leave comments, what are some of your daily routines that make or break your sanity if not kept?
4 comments:
I actually feel suffocated by routines. I do however have to have my bed made and kitchen clean every morning or I am irritable for the rest of the day. Everything else is just at the mercy of my sporadic mind that day. :) And you're right, reading books to kids regardless of their age is so impactful! Is that a word?
I cannot function without morning coffee. It's not even an option - I will even make coffee before we go out for coffee, if it's going to take us longer than 10 minutes to get ready.
I've actually realized lately that we have a very consistent flow to our day, but I'm not quite as type-A as I imagined myself to be. Still, morning coffee and one quiet hour in the afternoon is a must, or I'm going to be off-kilter all day.
And I enjoy having time at the house in general. Even though we may do different things with the time, I don't do well when all of my time is scheduled.
(Also, the children's section of the museum at Shakespeare festival is free and air-conditioned.)
I think we were talking about this at one point, but Lane is all about his routine. After about 4 days of vacation he is DONE. I could do vacation all year round :-) But, we are use to going to bed by around 10 or 1030 at the latest (eastern time!) so we've been out of our routine too. In college we would be at waffle house or steak & shake or whatever (usually with your husband) til all hours all every other night and now we stay up like that maybe twice a year. I hate to say it but I think, we're all kind of just getting old!! I can say that because I'm second in line to Nick in our stair steps of oldness.
I'm actually really looking forward to a much more regular non-school schedule starting in August for the first time in three years. I think even though I don't crave it the way Lane does, I am happier once I get into it.
I would love to get together sometime! Just send me an email when you have a free minute!
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