Back to the routine...

Hydrangeas from  our yard, plums from the neighbor

In a house where all four individuals work at or attend four different schools, the start of the school year is more than a little hectic.  Between first days and open houses, Parent Association meetings, and school picnics, our evenings have been filled with events. Add to that soccer practices, CSA farm visits, library trips, and 4-5  gym visits a week, and that is where the time has gone.

But today was the day I've been waiting for.  The day when all the "beginning of school"-ness is over and our new daily routine feels like that - just our routine.  Today wasn't any less busy.  But instead of feeling like I need to have my eyes on the calendar and the clock at all times, we are able to flow from one thing to the next. 

The boys helping to wind yarn for Max's class

Getting up and out of the house has been going smoothly for a couple of weeks now.  Luke and I are back in our lunchtime/quiet time/chore routine.  Picking up Max from school is a highlight of the afternoon, and is often accompanied by a stop at the farm stand for fresh fruit.  We have snacks, we head to the gym.  Making a healthy meal isn't such a challenge, and the house doesn't always look like a tornado just touched down.

One thing that has made our evenings easier this week was the removal of screen time for the boys.  Usually they get 30 minutes a day, but as a consequence for some poor choices last weekend, it was taken away for the week.  It's amazing how much more we are able to fit in that 30 minutes - we've played games, had mini-music concerts, and lots of Lego building has been occurring.  The arguments between the two boys have decreased, also.  It is really causing us to question why we should ever add it back into our evenings.

All I can say is that today was the day.  The day when the world felt manageable again. And it's looking like tomorrow will be the same. There's soccer practice, meetings at work, tomatoes to finish canning, and a camping trip for which we need to pack.  But we've got this.  It's just part of the routine.