Wrap it Up- September 2012

Wow, when I went back to see what I wrote in August, July, June... uh I had to go back to JANUARY to see how I was doing with the four main goals I set for 2012.  Here's short recap for Sept only.

Family- Good:  3 date nights this month with Bill.  A record, especially since we didn't just talk about kid problems, we focused on us. Being proactive and moving ahead with helping Ben. Friday we met a new counselor and are moving forward with some testing and evaluation.  Also good is we seem to have gotten into a new fall schedule despite it starting at o'dark five thirty and most days running nonstop for the next 18 hours.

Bad:  Escalating anger issues and tantrums with Ben.  A good 3-4 nights we are dealing with full on meltdown mode. Getting Ben up in the am also is a testament of wills.  Did I mention we are knee deep in potty training land with Ian. Send reinforcements, Xanax, or both.

Time- Good:  Getting to work closer to on time, the am rush including getting Ben on the bus at 6:45 and avoiding an 1/2 hour wasted in carpool (for Bill, I have to be at work by 6:55).  The past two weekends I have focused little on work and instead on filling the freezer and extra time with the kids.  I've also continued to say no to commitments that are time wasters.  

Bad:   Start of school always requires extra time. I have been averaging around 55-60 hours a week when I add in taking work home plus the hours spent on Sunday when the building is open.  In the last couple of weeks I've been trying to set more firm boundaries about leaving before 5 and not working at night, regardless of how much it would help me stay on top of work.  I have no way around a 90 minute commute with double kid pickups on the way home, so I need to suck this up and realize that I must budget this time into the day and bring on some audiobooks.

Sleep- Good all around.  I'm trying to keep up with the earlier bedtime set in summer and block in 15-30 mins of reading before falling asleep.  Did I fall asleep on the couch Friday night in my work clothes only to wake up disoriented around 1 am, well yes.  Did I fall asleep Saturday night face down in the clothes I wore for our date and realized it was 4:45 am and my earring were permanently imprinting themselves into my face, yes again.

Exercise:  Good.  I got nothing.  Over the weekend I cancelled our gym membership.  Bill and I had been talking it over and number crunched that we were spending a whole lot for a handful of Saturday mornings.  I'm trying something for the month of October, a commitment to do something, anything each day and log it. Even walking the dog counts.  I'm trying, yes trying, to get up 30 mins early 3 mornings a week and using our elliptical.  We will see how long I can keep this up, but I feel like the reason I remain tired is not only falling off the exercise wagon, but letting it run me over.

Much on the October to do list including:  rolling out the fun family fall list, Halloween parties, decorating the house, pumpkin carving, starting Y Guides, finishing up soccer, and of course state fair fun.

Bring it on October, my favorite month of the year.