I think I’ve finally figured something out. I’ve had an epiphany of sorts.
In July 2006, I started writing this blog. Caroline was a month shy of her third birthday and so our lives were essentially chaos from 5:30 a.m. until she went to sleep at 6:30 every night. That’s right. She went to bed at 6:30. And that was fine with me because she was a child who never understood how to take a nap so, by the time 6:30 rolled around, she was just shy of her head spinning around and spitting out green pea soup.
This meant that by 7:00 p.m. most nights, P and I could sit down and enjoy a nice dinner together, have a real conversation, watch some T.V. and then I’d write a blog post around 9:00 p.m. to kind of wind down my day. But, over the years, Caroline’s bedtime has gotten later and later because it’s hard to convince a second grader that they need to go to bed while it’s still daylight outside and she can still hear the neighborhood kids playing kickball.
Which brings us to now. I guess really our schedule started to shift some last year, but this year has really taken us to a new level. Between soccer practice three or four nights a week, plus her homework load (I’m looking at you, Algebra) and a later school start time, there are some nights she isn’t in bed until almost eleven. I vaguely remember parents of teenagers telling me this would happen but I blew them off because we were going to be different in that way you always think it will be different for your family until reality slaps you in the face.
And so my blog writing time in the evening has become nonexistent unless I either stay up until the wee hours of the morning or write in my car while I’m waiting for soccer practice to be over. And, to add insult to injury, Caroline ends up needing to use my computer a lot of nights to do her homework because our old Mac has finally circled the drain and we are basically living like The Flintstones with one good laptop.
Essentially, I kept waiting for our schedule to get back to normal and it dawned on me last night that this is our new normal. It only took me the first nine weeks of school to figure it out. To translate that into those of you who appreciate an algebraic equation that means if X is my brain and Y is common sense then X + Y = WHY ARE YOU SO DUMB?
(I don’t even know if that’s how an algebraic equation works. Which is why I stay up late with Caroline as she finishes her algebra homework and merely serve as a cheerleader who occasionally offers a snack and/or a word of encouragement. While I drink wine.)
Anyway, I think I need to train myself to write more during the day. But daytime has always been when I work on books and other projects so I’m not sure how that’s going to go. All I’m saying is my life has changed and I’m bad at change and it’s going to take me a while to adjust.
In the meantime, here are a few things I thought I’d share today.
1. Homework wine pairings
Yes to all of this.
2. Georgica Pond by Johnny Swim
This new album by Johnny Swim is so good and has saved my sanity as I serve as Caroline’s chauffeur. I was going to tell you my favorite song but realized they are all my favorite. Just gorgeous.
3. Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams
This is the third book by Beatriz Williams that I’ve read in the last couple of months and it might be my favorite of the bunch. I’d mentioned at the beginning of the summer that I was really wanting just a good old fashioned beach read with a love story and some glamour and these books fit the bill for all of that. They are full of twists and turns and keep me turning the page.
4. Dylan McKay on the cover of AARP
What is even happening here? My friend Alison put this on her Facebook page and I almost had to put my head between my knees. Remember when Kelly Taylor chose herself over Brandon and Dylan? Wasn’t that just like two years ago?
Please discuss this because I don’t even understand.
Have a great Tuesday!