Thursday, January 20, 2011

Step at a time.

I'm fully engrossed in the "back to school" schedule now, but all I can think about is summer at Silverwood with my boys. Swimsuits and sunburns and little boy giggles.



I am so glad that I'm able to finish my degree, and that I still get to spend more days at home with my kids than away. With a great deal of organization and remaining dedicated to the task at hand, I'm slowly chipping away at my "to do list" for my long term goals.

I have class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the kids go to preschool. That means packing three nutritious lunches and three winter coats and, three changes of clothes daily (in case of accidents). It also means that every Monday I have to pack three sets of mittens, three snow suits, three pairs of snow boots, and three blankets and pillows, and make sure that they are prepared for whatever special lesson they take part in each day. Just that aspect of my preparation alone can be overwhelming.

Plus, getting out the door can be an adventure in itself - I liken it to wrestling and herding greasy wildabeasts. Depending on the weather, I have to deter them from running amok in the yard exploring either the rain or the snow, and if it's sunny from dashing to their bikes in an attempted "quick ride" before we head off to school. They're getting big enough that they're too heavy to physically carry to the car, and very little motivates them to follow directions.

They have learned through experience that the "raptor" tactic of acting as a coordinated group works seamlessly every time they have a similar goal in mind. Wordlessly they communicate their plan, then immediately act. Running at top speed in three different directions puts me completely at the mercy of how fast my legs can take me. I track each one down, haul him back to the car, put him in his car seat. Then I run off to the next one, return to the car to secure the second offender, only to find the first detainee out of his seat and pushing the button that turns on the hazard lights. We play a "you can't get me game" and I secure detainee one, then run after the third escapee. By now, I'm gasping for air and questioning my decision to try to leave my house. The third one, William, always comes when he's called when he realizes he's been had. Thankfully. When we finally get into the car and I back away, inevitably someone has a "bathroom emergency" and needs to be rushed inside to the potty. We return to the car and finally leave.

We then arrive at the daycare center, which is where there is the inevitable fight over who can push the handicapped access button on the door, which typically ends in a screaming tantrum for at least one of the boys. After somehow managing to carry all their supplies in like a pack mule (the pile is easily bigger than I am), and getting them all inside safely, my intellectual day begins.

Parking is always a nightmare, but I show up an hour early to stalk my prey and secure a place well before I have to walk to class to ease my transition. I sit and read my Kindle for the entire hour, or study flashcards, or call a friend in silence. To be honest, this silence is a rare treat. Instead of being bored, I relish it. Especially at my school, which has no shortage of beautiful vantage points to enjoy the morning sun.

Then class, then home, then speed clean. Then pick up boys. Then begin the afternoon routine of getting dinner together and the BLESSED "Go Diego Go!". Then bedtime. Then sleep. Then wake again at 6am to begin a day of homework and study WITH said wildabeasts at my side, attempting to give them the attention they need as well as the schoolwork that I am required to complete and understand. No small task.

It's all a pretty little blur right now. I'm simply putting one foot in front of the other daily in order to arrive at my final exciting destination - self-sufficiency post-divorce.

What mountains are you climbing lately? Please share.

4 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh Erin, I can totally relate the kid wrangling to get to the car!! By the time we make it home I'm wondering what was so important to have left in the first place! Sometimes cracking up laughing is the only thing I can do when it gets too much, because at that point its just funny!
    -Angela

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  2. Working full time job.
    Husband on deployment.
    Two young children attending school AND daycare. (which also requires no less than a MOUNTAIN of supplies each day).
    Taking Grad. Classes.

    I look forward to bedtime every day!

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  3. I get you on getting in the car. Im usually yelling by the end of it. No one wants to get in the car and then i have to hope no one is running into the street while im strapping the other one down. Thankfully i do have one that listens but that also wants to talk while getting into his seat and cant talk and walk at the same time so it still takes awhile for him to actually sit down. I dread getting kids in the car some days. Im pretty sure thats why I never leave my house:)

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  4. Angela - I am absolutely in the same boat. I've given up trying to fight it for now - I'm hoping for a bit more "reasoning" to kick in. Will always gets a punishment for running around, but he rarely goes as nuts as the twins anymore. ;)

    Kristen - that's Mount Kilimanjaro. Eek! You're officially on my "mountain" prayer list.

    Lacey - I feel your pain! I hope the same thing regarding the runners. I just work as fast as I can and start moving as soon as everyone is in their places! I've started giving away tic tacs (today) for kids that climb right in and sit in their seat quickly - that was a good incentive! ;)

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