Fall Rhythm Wish List

 We have a very graduated start to fall. Dorothy and Minnie had their first days on Tuesday, and Coop and Jack joined them on Wednesday (our school district has a day where the youngest kids at each level get a whole day in the building by themselves. Dorothy’s 6th grade class spent the day learning each other’s names, decorating their lockers and binders, meeting the school chickens, and sampling produce from the school garden. Minnie goes to private preschool).

 Next week, Cooper starts dive, and the following week, we add in dance. Then, we have a few weeks to figure our stuff out before Minnie’s tap/ballet class begins. Jack is trying out for the fall play this week, so that could add another layer. My own class is hybrid, so I have my own rolling start before my first in-person lecture, but my course admin duties started a few weeks ago.

As we slow roll into the swing of things, I can see a couple of hiccups on the horizon that I want to work on smoothing out.

1. Dinner. 

Dorothy and Cooper get out of school at 4:25pm (!!!!!) and then go straight to their stuff. 

On Mondays, they get out a tad earlier, and Ben is having them ride the bus home (I would pick them up if it were me, but I will be on campus), so he will figure out their food situation, and I will pack for myself to drive the dive carpool home. 

Tuesdays, we will go straight to diving, so Coop will eat in the car, have a snack in his bag, and then eat at home. Dorothy and Minnie and I will eat somewhere out after we drop him and then hang out at the dance studio because Dorothy only has tap class.

 Wednesday is dicey. I think Jack takes Dorothy while I take Cooper and then either Jack stays at dance and brings her home after one single jazz class and the 4 of us eat while we wait for Coop to come home OR Jack does some other thing after he drops her off, and Minnie and I do a loop and pick Dorothy up from dance after we drop Cooper off. Again, he will eat a car snack, pack a snack, and eat his real meal at home.

 Thursday is bananas. Dorothy has dance five minutes after dismissal (SHE WILL BE LATE, OBVI), and I will take her to dance and then Coop to dive after (HE WILL ALSO BE LATE, OBVI) (Another snack in the car, snack on the deck, real food late night for him). Minnie and I will have dinner with Jack (his schedule depending) and then go get Dorothy. (Maybe Thursdays Jack can cook?) Ben drives the dive carpool home. Maybe Minnie can chill with Jack during the dance collection leg?? Maybe Thursday is late night date night for Ben and me and everyone else (besides Minnie) puts themselves to bed? 

Friday is a ballet night over the dinner hour, so “late” pizza Fridays at like 6:20? Fam dinner out night? 

2. Mornings

I need to hit my times in the morning to meet all my goals:

• Wipe down all 3 bathrooms
• Make sure all bedrooms are tidy, beds made, etc (I don’t have to do this all over the house— it’s a managerial role, mostly)
• At least 45 minutes of cardio
• At least 15 minutes of yoga
• Spot check breakfast clean up
• Leave the house dressed and made up, with a water bottle
• Laundry prepped for folding and putting away (this means Nighttime Sarah needs to run a load or two) (and prepped means mostly all washed and dried and thrown on Ben’s bed with a load in the dryer and maaaaybe some sheets in the washer) (Much easier without Ben midweek and with Harry doing his own (or not!) a couple hundred miles away).

By “hit my times” I mean that I outlined a perfect routine and time stamped it, so if I see myself taking too long at certain points, I can try to course correct before it is 8:15, and I am still in my jammies and preschool is waiting. I also had to build in time to lay in bed with coffee and play Spelling Bee.

Jack leaves before 8 to pick up a friend on the way to school. Cooper and Dorothy catch the bus at the same time Minnie and I need to leave for preschool (and the bus has a tracker app, so this should work out OK), and then I am freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Until the pick ups begin.

I need to try a bunch of different commute routes (ALL SHITTY) and then figure out the one that is the best of my bad choices. Today's made me stabby.

3. Library

I have been forgetting to get my holds before they expire. And these are holds I got on the list for months before release so I could get them right away and now I am like number 300 again.I just cannot find a way to make library time work because Minnie gets sick when she hits up the kiddie room. Maybe she and I can do a look-but-don’t-touch book grab one afternoon a week? Saturdays solo? This is occupying too much brain space, so I gotta figure it out, but maybe not soon because it feels like I will never have time read again anyway.

4. Nutrition

Not really related to dinners, I am not happy with my eating habits lately but also am not changing them. THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING. I have no ideas about how to fix, but I am flagging it as a problem.

5. TV.

I have completely stopped watching TV in the middle of our Hacks season 3 binge, our fam Dance Moms marathon seshes, and Big Brother. What the heck! I really want to get back in the habit of family viewing, but there just isn’t any time (that I want to waste in front of the TV). I think we need to find more leisure generally, but this will happen, I think, with NO HOCKEY and a really really low-key tournament baseball team that is on hiatus until January.

Here are a few things I am NOT making time for this fall:

NO LIST

Coffee out (except the one day a week I drive C and D to school)

Packing lunches (Minnie is not doing lunch at school this year, and the big 3 can fend for themselves or buy lunch)

Social media in the morning/getting sucked into the scroll

And, finally, here are a few things I am looking at adding to my life:

THINKING ABOUT

Resistance band at home arms

Weights

Campus gym

Barre class