The day started slow. As I described in my previous time-tracking post, I was up from 2:30-4-something a.m. with the baby. I slept through my alarm, and got up just in time to nudge the 13-year-old up for school.
However, after moving slowly for an hour or so, and drinking several cups of coffee, I felt better. I worked productively from 8:30 to noon, with a short break for the daily rituals: a chapter of War and Peace, free writing, strength work. Those rituals took less than 20 minutes today, which is definitely the point. Little enough to inspire no resistance. Meaningful enough to add up over the long haul.
After lunch (in sequence, I sat at the table for 45 minutes with various older children and my husband) I ran the same trail run I did the day before. Then I grabbed a shower and was on Squadcast at 2 p.m. to record two episodes of Best of Both Worlds. This is always a highlight when I see it on my calendar — it’s fun to chat with Sarah and these two conversational episodes flowed really well.
We finished up at 3:30 p.m., at which point I fed the baby, did a little more work, and started to make myself a snack. Then my 11-year-old asked if I wanted to go for a walk with him. I am keenly aware that my teen and pre-teen children may decide I am terrible at any given moment, so I abandoned the snack, put on my boots, and we stomped around the backyard chatting for a while. Then I watched a little of Crikey, It’s the Irwins with the 13-year-old (who is trying to find a show I won’t hate) and then I drove the 5-year-old to karate (masked, socially distanced…and I was sitting in the car again so there would be fewer people in the studio). I was a bit more purposeful with this car time than I was on Monday night, and mostly used it to research birthday presents for an upcoming 6th birthday.
When we got home, I did some Legos with the 5-year-old, and then we all ate. As G left, I did some more kid shuttling, then home for the 5-year-old’s bath and group basement clean up. If 4 people do 15 minutes apiece, it’s like spending an hour on the project. Very efficient.
I put the baby down and I am writing this as he’s fussing. I keep hoping that the self-soothing thing will get easier but…it doesn’t. Five kids in. I hate the crying-it-out every time. I think he’s quiet now. I hope he’ll sleep through the night, even if I know it’s unlikely.
If you’re tracking time this week, the good news is that you’re about half-way through. I’ve been getting emails from people saying that the “reset” email to start the challenge next week did go through, so again, my apologies to those who signed up to receive time tracking emails this week and didn’t. The good news is that any week can work. Next week, this week. Start Thursday, start Monday. A week tends to be fairly representative of life, even if there are no typical weeks. They are all atypical in their own ways.
Photo: Screen shot from the Drew Barrymore show on Tuesday
I have a 12 yo daughter and I know that my being unemployed during COVID has been a blessing because I have so much lovely time with her now while she still likes me and wants to do all the things with me. I will treasure all these dinners and cuddle-reads and bedtimes forever.
Also – are you by chance doing Jeremy Anderberg’s War and Peace read along? You introduced me to his newsletter awhile back and now I’ve been inspired to tackle W&P this year.
@Jennifer- yep, I’m doing the W&P read along! It’s really a doable pace this way, and I’m getting to enjoy the novel slowly. I think when I first read it I felt such pressure to get through it and be done!
I loved the Drew Barrymore segment! I have been soaking up the extra time with my 9 and 15 year old this year, too. They grow up very quickly and it feels like a blessing among all of the challenges of this year to have gotten this extra time together.