Life, Interrupted

Hello! I have been away since April 1 from this blog, from my social life, and barely keeping my head above water because my 19 month-old grandson came to live with us unexpectedly.

Now, I raised five children so I have at least a few child rearing skills up my sleeve. And I had those five children in eight years so I got pretty adept at juggling my time. I haven't lost any of the knowledge I gained...

So, I find it quite interesting that I am not getting much done with Liam living at my house. First, the lack of sleep derailed me because he didn't sleep well when he first came to us. Thankfully, now he often sleeps an entire 8-9 hours at night. This means that I get to sleep at least 6-7 hours uninterrupted which has improved my productivity and clarity of mind immensely!

Rearranging the house to keep Liam safe from harm and from harming our things took a bit of work as did figuring out what he liked to eat, when his nap time should be, how to get him to sleep, and so on. Getting back into the swing of shopping with a small child was also a skill to reincorporate!

Coming up on a month of having him, we are all adjusting well and thriving. We are climbing out of survival mode into a daily routine. When I was raising my children I did not work like I do now. Coordinating child care with my husband for our grandson was another challenge to be resolved.

I had a lot of emotions to work through when my life changed 180 degrees upon the receipt of a phone call. It was April 1 but it was NO April Fool's prank that would be over before the end of the day.

I was angry, disappointed, and mourning the loss of my freedom. Don't get me wrong- I am glad to be in a position to be able to help my grandson and his parents but it is still not at all what I envisioned doing once my children had all reached adulthood.

Thankfully, my grandson will be returning at some point (sooner rather than later we hope)to live with his mother. Until then, hubby and I will continue the juggling act and find some suitable sitters so we can get out together once in a while!

Adulthood, part two

My youngest son is graduating from high school in May! I feel like I am graduating too!

I am on a quest to get my home back into an adult status. I feel somewhat like when I moved into my first grown up place and wanted to decorate and organize it for my maximum enjoyment. I think I am entering Adulthood, part two.

I find myself eradicating the Captain Underpants books that are somehow still showing up on the bookshelves in unexpected places. I am not as patient when my daughter leaves my grandson's rattles and baby seat strewn all over the living room.

Just today I turned a bookshelf that was housing some home school curriculum that hadn't been used in four years into a storage for my exercise equipment. My kettlebell, jump rope, free weights, exercise videos, yoga mat, and more are now all housed in one place.

I don't want tons of responsibilities these days...I have elected to work part-time instead of full-time (see my previous post Full Time Job No Thanks). I want to take French classes, write and submit articles, and enjoy an adult beverage in the evening.

Don't get me wrong- I love my five kids and two beautiful grandsons. I just want to enjoy time with my husband and time for myself. Adulthood, part two is something we all should aspire to enjoy and explore!