The First Fifteen

As of today, the girls have been in school for fifteen days which means I have had 60 hours at home to tackle the tasks that are hard to complete with little ones around and also to take better care of myself.

I have spent these 60 hours largely giving our house a good top to bottom scrub.  I have dusted under the beds and washed some of the windows.  I have re-organized our hall closet and cleared off the fireplace mantle.  I have gone through the kids' wardrobes, sorted out what's too small now or will be next spring, and readied their fall/winter line-up.  As much as possible, I try to prepare our dinners in the mornings, so that I can give my full attention to Emilia and Ella when they come home at 1:00 and 4:00 - ish respectively.  That said, much remains to be done.  There are a few areas of the house that I haven't even touched yet (I'm looking at you, basement and garage) and plenty of special projects I would like to complete.

I devised a monthly schedule for the repetitive housekeeping jobs, so nothing falls by the wayside.  I am now in week three of a four week rotation and so far I really like my plan as it helps me prioritize and stay on target for each day.  I left enough flexibility in the schedule to give me some time for fun tasks like working on photo albums for the kids or decorating for holidays.  Thursdays are open for medical or educational appointments, volunteering at the school, etc.

As for taking care of myself, you know I hate exercise, but it's a necessary evil.  I have held myself to either walking one mile or biking three miles as soon as I put the girls on the bus.  I don't even go back into the house to make sure that I follow through with my fitness goals.  It takes me about 20 minutes to finish up my self-imposed daily exercise and I try to give myself 40 more minutes per morning to do what I enjoy: reading, blogging, crafting, emailing friends, etc.  You might also find me on the couch with a mineral face mask on or painting my toe nails or just taking a long and undisturbed shower.

I knew the start of the school year would be a change for all of us, but I feel that we adjusted well, as a family, to our new schedules. There have been a few bumps, especially for Ella who is facing increased expectations at school and at home, but overall, things are really good here right now.  Life at the moment feels like a long-awaited exhale for this busy mom of three.