Big sigh of relief

Yes, three weeks into school and the routine of things is getting back to being normal. There are new things on our routine. New school schedule, new work schedule, new schedule of being home/away for B.D., drum lessons, swim lessons, a pay schedule for Jellybean.

Yes, she is watching her brother for the hour between the end of the school day and the end of my work day.  I am not about to ask her to do it for nothing but, given that she is a part of the family and is helping the family out by doing it, she is getting paid cheaply but it is "a lot of money" for someone her age - according to her. 

I like routine and that is why Fall usually brings me comfort.  You can rely on your meal plan because the weather will, 99% of the time, cooperate with your meal plan.  You can rely on Tuesday evenings being drum lessons so a quick easy supper is needed and Saturdays being swim lessons right after lunch so an early, lighter lunch is required and a planned snack brought for the car ride home.

I love Summer, very much but, I find by the end of it I have lost all motivation for meal plans, cleaning schedules, and have all but lost control on the ins and outs of running a smooth household.

This year has brought new challenges with schooling,  New school. New school system. New dynamic of children and new mindsets of children at the school.  Jellybean is experiencing racism and I think, although not substantiated yet, that that is the root of the issue with Bug being beaten up 3 times (that I know of) since the beginning of the year.  The biggest challenge for this mama is to not run to the school and feed the guilty boy to his parents on a nice platter and to just keep in contact with teachers and principal and documenting EVERYTHING... Ev-ery-thing...even if it is miniscule by itself to take to principals and school boards, if needed.  I have pictures of bruises and cuts and scrapes at the ready should this become a pattern and not a simple growing pain of getting to know a new school, the new kid and a bunch of new students who all ready have a natural order to their friendships.

It is also hard doing it without B.D. because I am doing this all alone but I am learning to adapt.  He has been gone 4-5 weeks out of the last 6 and will be gone the next 2 on top of it. I'm used to it though....it doesn't bring any more help when he is here.

So, here I am BIG sigh of relief escaping my lips as I sit, realizing routine and normalcy is beginning to settle into the walls of this house again...although we are a bit on the excited side with a countdown going to the day my cousin, Svein, comes to visit from Italy!  The countdown is at 16 days!