Going Batty!

The background I selected the night I wrote this posting is called "Going Batty". It's actually not my favorite of all the patterns I could have picked, but it perfectly sums up my state of mind lately. Besides, the boys really, really like bats.

Oh, I have such a full plate and I find myself asking what I need to give up to keep a better balance. Ryan's job assignment requires some really long hours, often pushing 60 or more hours a week. Ethan's going to kindergarten now at the local neighborhood school. We're really happy with how that's worked out, but I do have to be mindful of when I run errands so I can get him to school on time, via either the bus or as a drop-off. Luckily there's been no homework so far, at least none that I'm aware of.

I enrolled Andy in a little preschool program two days a week; I thought that sending Andy to preschool might give me a bit of a break a few mornings a week.Well, it sort of does, but then Ethan ended up in the afternoon session (Beavercreek is still clinging to its half-day K tradition, for which I'm very grateful. Most days.), so their schedules don't really match up too well. So the preschool will probably fall by the wayside eventually which kind of saddens me because I really love the program and his teachers. Andy likes his teachers too but I don't think he's too crazy about the whole preschool thing.

The reason I needed the extra time in my day is so that I can complete six hours of masters-level classes to renew a couple of teaching certificates, one of which expires at the end of this school year. So that keeps me pretty busy trying to squeeze that in. C.T. (as we affectionately call Caleb sometimes) takes a nice long nap in the afternoon, but the older boys just don't anymore.

I was asked over the summer to be part of the women's ministry leadership team at our church, which was very humbling and exciting at the same time. We are currently studying Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed, a study of the life of David by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur. It is an awesome study, but what Kay Arthur calls one day's homework I'd call more like two or three days worth!!! (Love her teaching, don't get me wrong. But 19 open-ended questions in ONE homework lesson??? Self, better plan ahead!!!) This has put me in an interesting situation. I never want to see Bible study as just "one more thing", instead of "the ONE thing" that has to get done in a day. So I have to watch my heart on that one. On the other hand, the accountability has been great because it's kept me consistently in the Word; I admit I'm waaaay to quick to let my quiet time go when I'm really busy.

To further compound problems I seem, lately, to be unable to fall asleep before 1:00 in the morning. I go to bed a few hours before that but actual sleep eludes me and I cannot put my finger on any one cause. I've thought about getting up and getting some stuff done but I actually feel exhausted so the thought of getting out of bed isn't all that appealing. So I'm probably not working as efficiently as I could during the day if I could just fall asleep. Now, once I drift off I sleep like a brick until morning... if I could just arrive at that point about 2 - 3 hours earlier!

And then there's this blog! I really need to get pictures of the remodeled kitchen posted, and those of some neat late summer/early fall activities we've done. So keep checking back!

Here's an irony. I was so looking forward to sending my boys off to some sort of school for awhile and letting someone else take over academic instruction for a year or so. But tomorrow, a Friday, nobody has school. MOPS met last week. There is no compelling reason to get up at any particular time; all three boys will be with me all day. Ryan was able to get home at 6:00 instead of 7:00. And so we went for a 2 mile family walk/run/big wheel ride after dinner. No rush to prepare for getting out the door in the morning, no need to have the two younger ones in bed by 7:30 p.m. Just the five of us enjoying the fresh air and each other with a whole tomorrow ahead of us with nothing but each other (except poor Ryan, he still has to be at work by 6:30 a.m.). And I felt happier and more relaxed than I've been in a long time now.