I feel like I’m in a rut lately – like this blog is all wah wah wah all the time!

What it comes down to is, I started my new routine a week before school started - and I don’t feel like I have hit my stride yet.  It hasn’t become natural, and I hate that feeling.  I mean, barring nights with no sleep, I am back in the swing of things, getting up at 6, getting breakfast and lunches made, keeping up wtih cleaning and laundry, and keeping my 2-year-old reasonably educationally entertained through the day. 

The thing holding me back is my older kids, and I hate to admit it, my husband.  While I planned out our new schedule, and posted it for everyone to see, it has not been embraced by everyone!  Hubs still gets moving whenever he feels like it, which throws a wrench in the morning transportation plans since we have three drivers and two cars, and everyone’s needs have been SCHEDULED, PER MY SCHEDULE, but others are not following it. 

The ‘middle kids’ also aren’t getting up when they are supposed to, even when woken up, and that causes problems.  On mornings when I am baking or making a more involved breakfast, I do plan on their help for making lunches, or watching BonBon, or helping out with other things.  When they don’t get up, I get no help.  I also have stated the expectation to them that before they leave for school, they are to bathe if necessary, dress in CLEAN clothes (I ask SOOO MUCH), tidy their bedroom and make their bed.  Given that they are all SUPPOSED TO BE up at least an hour and 15 minutes before they leave, this should be no problem.  Alas, it is. 

So I have been really, really frustrated by this, and today, I kind of exploded.  I got up at 6, showered and dressed for the day (make-up and all!), and went out to the kitchen to make pumpkin scones for breakfast.  I needed help.  The trash was never taken out last night – which is NOT OK when it was overflowing the can, and we’ve had a mouse running around.  As the morning ticked past, and nobody got up, I got more and more steamed. 

At 6:45, kids started showing up – you know – once they could smell the pumpkin scones baking.  I decided at that moment – everybody who got up late did not get scones, and I wasn’t making their lunch!  (I am such a big meanie.)  That meant two kids had to scramble to get their lunches put together, and one didn’t eat breakfast.  I feel bad, but at the same time, I am struggling with how to get through to them that I am serious.  Their continued choice to ignore not only the schedule I have set, but also my expectations for what they get done before and after school feels like complete disrespect.

The thing is, I know they don’t MEAN to hurt me by what they’re doing.  They don’t really MEAN to be disrespectful.  They just don’t care. 

SO, I unloaded on Hubs this morning, and I think he gets where I am coming from.  He has set his alarm for tomorrow, and will be getting up on time. (I have explained to him that he IS setting an example, and it does make a difference when he doesn’t get up when he should.  Obviously, there are allowances for when he has to work all night, but on a day-to-day, he’s going to make a better effort to follow the schedule.)

Tonight, the kids will be putting together their cards which explain what they are supposed to do every morning before school, in the afternoon, and before bed.  Hubs thinks having flip cards, which they can go through and remind themselves, will help.  (He did this in the past when I was working out of town, and had success with it.)

So I am optimistic.  I want this house running like the well-oiled machine I dream of.  Will it be perfect all the time?  Probably not.  But…I just keep hoping we can get there.

If not, this rut is gonna kill me!

(PS, the supermommyness category was used just to counteract Ren’s dislike of the FAILMOM category!)

For some reason this didn’t post earlier!

I’m feeling a lot better today. Granted, we did pull a LITTLE trick this morning. My van keys happened to be in the bedroom, so I grabbed them at 6, and hit the panic button. It only got ONE of them up, but hey, that was an improvement over yesterday!

Homeschool-wise, we’re all caught up and on track. I’m managing, but I still sometimes worry that I’m going to miss some crucial point that he NEEDS TO KNOW! But mostly, I think we’ll be fine. Pez is going to the regular school each day for gym/music/art, so he is still getting some interaction with other kids. I’m torn on the value of it, though. It does disrupt our day, although truth be told, he could be completely finished with pretty much all of his homeschool stuff by the time he goes to school at 1, if he really focused. Alas, that’s his biggest problem – focus. The first few days, though – it really was a struggle to get him refocused when he got back, and I was feeling like maybe it was doing more harm than good. He has settled down somewhat, so we’ll see how the next few weeks go. The school has been AWESOME about working with us. He does gym/music/art, and he can check out books and such. I’m kind of wanting to ask whether or not he could participate in the standardized testing, to make sure he stays on track, but I’m also not sure how I’d handle it if his scores dipped! (He always tests very highly on the standardized tests – if he’s had his meds.)

Hubs and I spent a little time reconnecting last night, and it was really needed. It seems silly when I’m writing it out, to say that he and I can get disconnected in just a matter of a week or two, but it really does happen. The thing is, when we’re good, we’re great. So the slightest misalignment, and it just feels like life is crashing down a little. It’s like having a popcorn kernel stuck in your teeth…it’s just a little thing, but creates a lot of discomfort!

I have to say, though – I’m really impressed with him. Lemon Drop had a doctor appointment this morning that didn’t go the way Hubs wanted it to. He got all huffy and blustery about it, and then realized what he was doing. He took a minute off the phone to stop, pray, and redirect himself. In the past, that never would have happened. He was kind of known for his rants! It is so awesome seeing the changes God is making in him.

Anyway – that’s about all I have to blab about today. I’m looking forward to the long weekend. I’m hoping the baby might allow us to sleep in a little bit at least ONE day!

Hope you all have a great weekend!