A Horrible Week At Work and Great Week At Home

This week was one of the worst weeks I have had at work in a very long time. I have been staying up late at night almost every night trying to get everything done on time. I always seem to be more emotional whenever I don't eat or sleep enough so let's just say I have been struggling at work. Thankfully, the week is almost over and next week is looking better. Life at home has been wonderful. I can't figure out how to upload pictures right now but the boys looked great for their first day of school. Matthew wanted to be "fancy" and insisted on wearing a dress shirt and tie. Jacob wore his new Packers jersey. They both really like their new teachers and have done well their first week of school. I wrote about Matthew's first week in another post. This week has been very relaxing at home. We are finally getting back into a consistent routine. I can already see Matthew and Jacob beginning to settle down and getting used to having me home with them every night. My parents are on vacation so it really is just the 3 of us most nights. While I love my parents and everything they do for us, it has been nice to be able to pick up my kids myself and just spend time the three of us. Of course, we are looking forward to my parents' return in a couple of weeks and miss them terribly. Here is the summary of this week. I apologize if Blogger makes it harder to read by not accepting my spaces when I post it. Someday I will get a newer computer that Blogger likes better. Monday: Monday was Labor Day. We had the privilege of watching our friend Aidan during the day. I took all of the boys to Devil's Lake where we met up with some other single moms and dads. It was great seeing our friends and everyone had a great time. I loved watching Jacob and Matthew make sand tunnels and build dams in the sand. Jacob practiced his swimming as well. Tuesday: Jacob had his first day of swim team try-outs. I was really worried about whether or not he would be able to make the team. He swims well enough to swim with the 6 year olds but I wasn't sure he would be able to be with the 7 and 8 year olds. Jacob turns 7 in just a couple of weeks. Jacob did great in swimming. I have never seen him work that hard. Whenever he would start to get tired, he would take a deep breath and push himself harder. He was determined and nervous (even chewed through the strap on his goggles). His hard work payed off. Jacob not only made the team but swam well enough to practice with the seven and eight year olds. He is very excited. We learned it was a free trial week at the Y and there were many classes that people could try for free. Matthew took a mini-karate class and loved it. I told him I will sign him up for karate if he continues to do well in kindergarten and his after school program. Wednesday: Matthew rode the bus home for the first time. I wasn't sure what time he would get home so Jacob and I anxiously waited in our driveway for half an hour until the bus pulled up. Matthew got off the bus with a huge smile on his face and waved by to the driver. We spent Wednesday evening doing laundry and just relaxing. Matthew had a headache (probably from the stress of starting a new school and learning so much) so he went to bed early. Both of the kids were very well behaved especially since they were both really tired. Thursday: Jacob had his second day of swim team try-outs. Jacob didn't seem to have the energy or nerves that he had on Tuesday but still swam hard and tried hard. I turned in the paperwork (and fees) so he is now ready for regular practices starting next week. We ran a couple of errands after swim team and bought a very large bag of dog food. Then it was home to relax for a little while and get ready for bed. The kids and I have really enjoyed being able to relax at home more and not be quite so busy or always worried about getting to our next program on time. I really think being home more and just able to relax and follow a general routine will help all of us do better at school and home. So far it seems to really be helping. It's still early but we are off to a good start.