I’m so glad we rested last week because this week was definitely a test of all of our endurance. The kids struggled with the early wake-ups. By the end of each day, they were both exhausted. This work week was about as bad as I feared it would with no day less than 11 hours in the office. Jim put in long hours this week as well as he had some issues to work through with his employees. It was one of the longest four-day work weeks I think we have collectively faced. The important part is that we survived!
Connor got the pleasure of diving right into the school year with homework on the very first day. We kept warning him it would happen one day; it only took the tenth year of school before we were finally proven correct! He also had his regular schedule of practices plus a meet on Saturday. Jim and I knew this year would be tough for him given his course load and activities. At least he discovered it for himself right away and hopefully can keep everything in check this year. It’s time to see if all of those lessons in time management and organization sunk into his brain!
Holly came home from her first day of school full of news and excitement. I think she has fallen hard for her teacher, who is a born tech geek and is teaching that love of technology to her students. They received their iPads on the first day of school and have already made a collage, read a story, made movies, and written a poem using various apps. She posts pictures on Twitter of the class doing their work or having fun in an activity, so it has been fun to see if I can spot her in any of the pictures while at work. She starts her dance classes this upcoming week – seven in all this year, so I know she is going to have some adjusting to do to fit in dance class around her homework. Neither Jim nor I are worried though. She has more common sense than her brother these days, and I know she will find a way.
Because there is no rest for the weary, Jim and I finally decided to tackle our landscaping. We have a beautiful yard, one of the reasons we bought the house in fact, but the yardwork involved to keep it looking good is more than we can handle. Besides, the previous owners were hosta-happy, and I really am not fond of those plants. So, after two years of debating what we are going to do, we decided it is all going to go, and we are going to go back to a minimalist landscaping pattern that suits us and our limited free time. Of course, this is going to mean a lot of back-breaking work pulling out full-grown, very well-established plants and bushes, filling holes, and replacing the empty spaces with landscaping rock or grass depending on where it is in the yard. The whole family started the project yesterday; we will finish up the front yard today. The next few weekends we will tackle the big back yard. Hopefully, we can get everything pulled and the new areas seeded with grass soon. I don’t know how many more weekends of such labor we can manage before the kids mutiny on us. Besides, is anyone else hearing rumors about another early, long, and cold winter? We might not have that many more weekends left in which to finish this project!
Reviewed this week:
- City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett – my Bloggers Recommend selection for September
- Don’t Touch by Rachel M. Wilson
- The Greyfriar by Clay and Susan Griffith
- Neverhome by Laird Hunt
Okay, those hostas are not going to pull themselves. It’s time to put my aching muscles back into action and get it done so we all can rest and finish up the rest of the chores/homework/work brought home. I hope everyone is having a much more relaxing weekend than we are! Have a great Sunday and an even better week!
