That is the way life goes here. The research on what changes as we all grow and evolve, and the all-important repetition may seem boring, but it is what allows a dream or a goal to take shape and flourish.
Monday morning at our house: T.and I up at 4:45, breakfast, out the door by 5:55 for our class at the Y, home by 7:12 to get ready for work and school.
A walk/run before school for those awake enough to come along, and lessons at 8:30. Somewhere in there, I throw in a load of laundry, start a loaf of bread, and take a quick shower. Today we are going to practice handwriting, read "Farmer Boy," have a little Spanish lesson, do some math practice and act out the story of creation (the animal and human bit) with puppets. The older two will work on their math lessons, complete a writing assignment, and practice piano.
Same gym class, same subjects, same old, same old. But we thrive on knowing what to expect when. It is what holds together a household of seven.
Of course, yesterday, after writing the above, one child started out the day with a melt-down that lasted all morning, disrupting our lovely, little, ordered world, in a big, noisy way. Did having a routine make it any easier on that child, or on the rest of us, suffering from the fall-out? It did in one way; by the time the rest of us had completed our lessons and were ready for lunch and a trip to the zoo, that one knew they would have to stay home and work on what had not been done that morning, and there was, finally, no arguing. I am not happy about these moments, nor proud of myself as a mother when they happen. I am sure though, that the structure helps things eventually return to normal, because it is what is expected.
I am not a planner, I like to live a little more spontaneously. I have to work at this. And the trip to the zoo yesterday? Zilch, stupid, nada, it was closing as we got there because they had changed to winter hours that day. We did, though, have tea with a wonderful friend who called as I was trying to decide how to distract everyone from the disappointment of locked zoo gates. Great end to the day, thanks, friend!
What are you going to repeat today?
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