New Year, New Schedule

 

When we moved across town a few months ago, one of the things we were looking forward to the most was having less stress in the mornings, since Ben's elementary school would only be 5 minutes away (as opposed to 15-20, when we had to drive across town and over the freeway).

I hadn't really thought much about Janae's preschool being practically next door to our old place, since her school is only three times a week, and in the afternoons when there is less traffic.

 

Just before Christmas, though, we found out that Ben had been accepted into a math and reading program at another school--just around the corner from Janae's preschool.

The program provides a great opportunity for Ben to learn reading and math in a class of only 8 students (with two teachers!). It starts a little earlier, though, and meets Monday through Thursday. At 11:00 I pick Ben up and take him to his regular school.

 

So . . . our new schedule looks like this:

Wake up extra early.
Take Ben across town to the new school.
Come home for 30-60 minutes.
Take Janae to ballet or both girls to story time (if it's Tuesday or Thursday).
Pick Ben up from the new school and take him back to the old school.
Come home for an hour.
Take Janae to preschool (try to get her to stay).
Come home for an hour.
Pick Ben up at the old school.
Pick up Janae at preschool (if she stayed).
Come home.

And that's without mentioning all of the buckling and unbuckling of the girls, or the grocery shopping, etc. that is just part of life.

 

I know there are many other moms who keep up much more demanding schedules, but I seem to have reached the limit of what I am capable of . . . or gone just beyond.

After half a week, I have to admit I am getting a bit mixed up. For example, yesterday--as I was driving back to our old neighborhood yet again for story time at the library--I passed an elementary school and thought about Ben being out for recess at about that time.

But when I pictured my son, there was a confused moment when I couldn't remember which school he was at. Was he playing outside at the new school . . . or the old school? It was a bit unsettling.

Today is Friday, which means I just take each child to one school--with no story time, lessons, or other appointments in between. It kind of feels like a day off (or would if I didn't have so much housework to catch up on . . . ).

It is really nice, though, to see Ben halfway through the day--something I will miss today.

I just have a bit of a paranoid fear that I am going to miss a class, or misplace one of my children, in all of this.

 

Since my good memory used to be one of my most impressive traits, I can't help but feel that this lack of mental functioning is a sign of my quickly approaching entry into much-older age.

I guess I should have done more crossword puzzles over the years . . . or maybe had more sleep.

Since it's too late for any of that, I will just have to--once again--ask that you wish us luck :)