Minutiae

Monday is the one day of the week when Ben and I both work on our respective campuses a the same time (you hate us now, right?). On Monday morning, we both get up disgustingly early, him to drive $100-- I mean 45 minutes-- to work and me to do all the get-ready-for-the-week-crap I didn't do Sunday night because I was too busy eating cereal and sitting slack-jawed in front of Amazing Race (last night I was such a zombie that I forgot to fast forward through commercials, which totally defeats the purpose of DVR). Usually, when Ben raises and then lowers the garage door at 5:50 (told you it was disgusting-- that's the time he LEAVES the house, after running a load of laundry, so you can only imagine what time we actually get up), the kids spring out of bed like cranky little wind-up toys. By some blessed miracle (and I don't even know why I am writing this DOWN), they have recently started sleeping through the garage. But I would typically wake them up a few minutes later with my hair dryer. Today, despite a raging case of the Mondays (Ben's alarm sounds like really loud ducks quacking, and it is not a fun way to wake up. At 5:20), I figured out how to get a morning of coffee-dirnking, internet cruising solitude: LET MY HAIR AIR DRY. Sure I look like shit, but I am a cup of half-caf into my morning; my makeup is on; my bed is made, and the kids' breakfast is waiting on the table. Sure I could have done some work instead of wasting all my time, but this has been a fantastic morning! (And don't worry-- I still use my flat iron).

**Pause while I wake up the demons**
** Wow, that was crabbier than I thought it would be**

We had a hectic week last week. Jack left school on Monday with a fever, and he ran one EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. The pediatrician told us Monday night that his ears were not infected YET, and sure enough, by yesterday, he was the proud recipient of a double ear infection. Ugh,

Nothing like having a kid out sick the whole 3-day school week to remind you how precarious your balance is, huh? Even though Monday is the only work day we overlap, Ben and I still sacrifice quite a bit of prep and work time to trade-off sick kid duty. It makes me really glad that we have an easer fall schedule (H in all day kindergarten and J at preschool 5 mornings a week) and need no care for the baby because that? Would be a a giant juggle. Not that it will be totally easy to insert infant care into our work from home days, but I figure screw it, at least this time around I am not writing a dissertation.

So, last week, Jack did a lot of this:



In a frenzy of public or private (public, thank goodness, public!) school angst, Ben and I toured a ton of schools the past couple of weeks. At the lovely public school where Harry will go next year (!!!), the librarian told me about Starfall.com and recommended it as an alternative to TV once in awhile. Harry LOVES it, and I highly recommend it as some screen time for a kid who is learning to read. Plus he looks so cute on my computer:


I have felt a few baby movements (even though Babycenter assures me the baby is only 5 inches long and the size of a turnip at 17 weeks gestation), so I bought a "Dear Baby" book, which is just a cute journal I write letters to the baby in. At the hospital, I will record the details of the birth and have the nurse put the baby's footprints on the last page. I am not sure I have time to journal about the wonders of pregnancy to my fetus, but I did it for H and J, and I am NOT going to let this baby lack pictures and mementos just because he or she (oh, who are we kidding, HE) was born 3rd. Yesterday, Harry wrote a note, too: