Friday, November 25, 2011

A simpler holiday season?

Even though our lives might be frantic, they are familiar and change takes effort. For example, celebrating holidays by buying expensive gifts for friends and relatives may be stressful to our health and budget. But because the exercise is familiar, it seems easier to just do things the way we always have. Routine- even a hectic routine- gives structure and order to our lives that can be difficult to give up. Thus, simplifying initially is more complicated than the way we do things now.

David Heitmiller and Jacqueline Blix

Friday, November 18, 2011

Constant Corrections

Where to begin? I can't believe it's been so long since I blogged, but then again, I am so busy every day that I can believe that I haven't found the time. So many times I've thought "boy, I really need to catch up my blog", but it just kept getting put off in favor of other things.

The post graduation job hunt- I applied for a total of... three jobs. I interviewed for... two jobs. I was offered...two jobs. Yep, it really was that easy for me. I now have the job that I set as my goal when I first decided I wanted to go back to school. Some days I can't believe I actually work there now.

With the new job comes lots of hours, like 40 hours a week plus commute time where I also have to drop off two kids at two different locations. I am on my feet and working with patients all day long. I am barely even in my office to check my work email, let alone blog like I used to do. I find my job alternately amazing, fulfilling, frustrating and overwhelming. But I am making my way.

My home pursuits have become limited due to time factors. My day goes something like this:
5:50am     Wake up
7:00am     Leave house with boys
8:00am     Arrive at work
4:45pm     Leave work exhausted but happy (usually)
5:30pm     Return home with boys in tow
6:00pm     Feed babyzilla, then clean him up and put him to bed by 7pm
7:00pm     Make dinner and finish chores and prep work for next day
8:30pm     Kidzilla hits the hay
9:00pm     Lights out for Kidzilla
9:15pm     Collapse in bed
9:16pm- 5:49am   Attempt to sleep and wake up 4-6 times to nurse babyzilla

As you can see, not much time for leisure in there. Weekends are filled with swim lessons, trips to the library and errands, punctuated by naps for both me and babyzilla. It's a brutal schedule, but we're working with it. My one caveat for A was that when I went back to work full time we had to hire a maid service. So we did and it helps. If I could just now hire a dinner fixer, laundry folder and email checker... This is really a new chapter in our lives. For the first time since Feb 07 we are both working full time jobs. We are constantly refining our home standard operating procedures, checklists and timetables as we work things out. So many of those things that I had planned are out the door, lost to the wind. But I still try to make time for the things that really matter like snuggling with the boys in bed and surprising A with treats when he arrives home. Even when it means I have to put off blogging.