School started Tuesday, August 14, 2023. I was not sure how I was feeling about this. I think I could have been okay with maybe two more weeks of summer. But ready or not, it was here. Brynn has the earliest start time so we'll start with her. 7th grade, Timpanogas Middle School. She has Team Sports, Facs (cooking and sewing) and art as her electives. She is so good at being kind and making friends. She has cheer Tuesday and Thursday after school so I pick her up on those days and take her right to the gym. She rides the bus home on the other days. She packs herself a lunch every day. She will have a great year because she is just a happy, go-with-the-flow kind of gal. I love her.
Stockton, 9th grade, Wasatch High School. Freshman. Stockton is not much of a talker so I wasn't sure how he was feeling about high school. I do know he was not excited for school to start but he was maybe happy to get back to seeing more friends. I'm sure he was a little nervous as well, this is a big step. He has weight lifting (for baseball) and seminary for his electives and he seems to be enjoying his biology class as well. He is really enjoying being at the high school and says it is way better than middle school. He likes to hang out with his friends and I hope he gets involved in the school activities and makes lots of good memories. He is playing a lot of baseball but he is happier when he is playing baseball so it's really good for him. The baseball coach doesn't want them wearing hats to school so this is the first time in a long time he has had to get up and comb his hair every day.
Ivy, 3rd grade, Daniels Canyon Elementary. Ivy's first three years of elementary are behind her and she now looks forward to her last three years. It's so strange to think of it that way. Ivy was the only one of my kids who was really looking forward to getting back to school. I think 99% of her friends are in the same class as her and she is just really happy every day after school so I know she is loving it. She rides the bus morning and afternoon. She is trying clogging this year and I found her a piano teacher so she is getting that started as well. I love the stage she is in but, man, she is growing up way too fast.
Molly, 11th grade, Wasatch High School. Molly got an extra day of summer since high school's first day is freshmen only. So she went back on Wednesday. She had been throwing up on and off at her game the night before and wasn't feeling 100% but she went anyway. Junior year is a big one and she has been gearing up for it all summer but still didn't feel ready. She has a heavy load of college classes...AP English, Concurrent Enrollment Finance and Biology. She will do great, I have no doubt. I'm happy to see her getting involved-through soccer, of course-but hopefully in other ways as well (dances, friends, activities, etc.)
Now, for me. I am still teaching piano. I have 18 students this year. I enjoy teaching piano although the timing is hard a lot with kids and their schedules. We manage though and I rely on flexibility from students as I try to be flexible with them. I am done teaching preschool. That was good while it lasted but I had a hard class last year and a hard December with Ivy being sick so much that I decided to be done. I still wanted to fill my days with something though....it's a lot of hours to fill and I can only clean and organize so much, ha! I have fallen into some office management/bookkeeping work for two different construction companies. It's something I can do at home in the morning and is super flexible so I am happy doing this for now. I love being home in the day to prep for the crazy that comes each afternoon and evening.
Justin has bishop stuff, work stuff (managing his branch and two, soon to be three, other branches, participating on the Heber Chamber of Commerce committee, heading up some project that he's been put in charge of), helping me with running kids when he can and attending games when he can, and now his school project. I won't even mention house projects because that is only happening in whatever time is leftover (read: not often).
I am not one to wear my busy-ness on my sleeve and I try very hard not to "brag" about how busy we are. Everyone is busy in their own way and we all are able to handle different amounts of busy and that is okay. However, Justin and I do feel like we are at a stage of life that is possibly the busiest we will be and I wanted to document it here so that when all the kids are gone and life has slowed down I can look back and wonder how we did it all. Most afternoons find me teaching piano then driving one or two or more kids to their various activities.
Monday: Early out day. I have piano lessons for 3 hours. Molly has practice. Stockton typically has baseball games Monday nights, usually all in Utah County.
Tuesday: I pick Brynn up from school around 2:25 and take her right to cheer. We wait in the parking lot until 2:45 and she goes in 15 minutes early so I can get home for 3:00 piano lessons. I teach 3-4 and then have a 30 minute break to get Ivy to her 4:30 clogging class. She has to go in 10 minutes early so I can get home to teach one more lesson from 4:30-5. Brynn needs picked up from cheer at 5 and Ivy from clogging at 5:15. Stockton also practices baseball with the high school team from 5-6:30 so I either drop him off really early (4:15) and he hangs out at the field until practice starts or I use Justin if he's available...or I have hired Jake Webb to get Stockton where he needs to be and pay him $5 for his time and gas. Molly has games on Tuesday nights, usually at 7, so depending on where the game is, I am leaving to drive to an away game or going over the Wasatch stadium to cheer her on. Justin tries to go with me as much as he can and, with the later start time, he's been able to get to most all the games.
Wednesday: I teach piano 3-4:30. Ivy has piano at 4:55-5:55. Stockton has baseball at 5 so I usually drop him off 15 minutes early and then take Ivy to her lesson. Then I pick her up at 5:55, take her home, go get Stockton around 6:30 and then go home. Ivy and I are usually home the rest of the evening while all the others go to Young Men or Young Women activities. This is the night I breathe a little.
Thursday: similar to Tuesday. Get Brynn from school and get her to cheer. Come home for piano lessons. It's an easy day with only an hour of lessons from 3:30-4:30. Go get Brynn from cheer and bring her home. Whatever baseball is that day-get Stockton to and from or find some help with this. Soccer game that night.
Friday: We don't have anything after school on Friday. I have piano from 3-4:30. Then the kids are almost always hanging out with friends so it's a lot of driving them where they need to be or having other kids here. I am happy to do either. Justin and I don't plan a lot on Fridays because it is just so nice to relax after a long and busy week.
Saturday: Baseball games are typical for Saturday. The kids are expected to do chores. Justin works on projects or other house maintenance. He usually works one Saturday each month.
Sunday: The best day! Justin has long days. We have church at 11:30 and that is a great time...not up to early, breaks up the day so it's not as long. Unless something else is going on that day, we eat at 5 and do Come, Follow Me at 6:30. We usually are able to talk to my parents on Sunday afternoons as well.
This schedule will change as the year progresses, as soccer ends and baseball takes a break and cheer competitions and club soccer starts. We will roll with all schedule changes and figure them out as they come and go. The kids each have their one thing but individually they are not too busy and I am glad they still have plenty of free time. My favorite thing is cheering them on. Life is full but full of blessings and we are grateful for all of them!
Comments
Post a Comment