Routine Return

Monday Morning ...

Monday mornings are tough by definition -- but make that a Monday morning after a nearly two week holiday break, and you're talking a whole new level of tough ...

I realized -- belatedly -- that I too was given a vacation these past many days ... the gift of being able to sleep in. Each morning I registered a blissful 7:30 a.m. before my noisy kids woke me up. That's an hour and a half extra hours of sleep per day ... almost 10 extra hours of sleep per week ... No wonder my mood was greatly improved!

So you can imagine that when the alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. this morning, right in the middle of a dream, my mood was anything but happy. It was still dark and cold; I was sorely missing that extra hour and a half. It didn't help that Don couldn't get up either -- not that he ever "sleeps in," but I guess subconsciously he knew this Monday triggered the return to our routine.

Next came the tough task of rousing the kids. Poor Aidan -- my Routine Boy -- had gotten so used to his new schedule that this came as a brutal shock, a shifting once again. The breakfast table was one of miserable chaos, with each child crying that whiny cry of "I'm just so tired and I can't do anything about it" ... I get it, sweet ones, I do!

The house is quiet now -- relatively, anyway. I do still have one child left at home, after all, who is watching the Little Einsteins at the moment. Don's schedule has changed a bit -- one more thing to get used to as well. During the holiday break, he was actually given a promotion at his job (yay!) -- a wonderful nod of "well done" that ironically came with a major pay cut (boo!) ... gotta love how this economy can really mess with you. But his hard work was recognized, and that's a good thing -- lack of compensation or not. But with this promotion -- and salary cut -- comes a tremendous amount of more responsibility and more work, which means more time clocking in at the job. He has to leave earlier in the mornings now, which has shifted our routine a bit this morning. Too much dancing around each other this morning in an already tight kitchen -- something's gotta change, as soon as we figure out a good system.

But my boy is back at school, and I miss him already. Sure, the kids had their fair share of spats during the break, but overall those two do love each other and get along beautifully well. I'm going to miss his helpfulness -- clearing the table after lunch, helping his sister reach something, getting snacks for the two of them. I'm going to miss his chatter, his inquisitiveness, his nearly grown-up conversations, his insights and observations. His presence certainly adds such a different, and wonderful, dynamic to our daily goings-on. He'll be happy at school, though -- his mewing protests this morning of "Mommy, I just don't want to go!" weren't convincing enough, for either himself or me. He thrives there in that environment; I'm glad for it.

So we're now slowly, creakingly, returning to our routine. Laundry Load #1 is already swishing, Grace is fed and dressed, the dishes will soon be tackled, my week's responsibilities (more or less) will be planned out. Soon ... soon ...

Happy Monday to all.