Things have been crazy since I got a job outside of the house, in a good way. I knew schedules would be a juggling mess until the dust settled and my family got used to the new routine. But man! Crunching all the routines together has been a lot. Here is a glimpse of our schedule… I wake up at 6am, wake my boys at 6:15am, get my daughter up at 6:30am, we leave the house at 7am, I drop the boys at school at 7:15am, start work by 7:45am, get done with work around 4:30pm- sometimes later and pick up the kids from school.

Then my weekly schedule looks like this:

• Mon- Free (meaning groceries/errands)
• Tues- Swim lessons for Mr. L in another city
• Wed- Swim lessons for Little Miss A
• Thurs- Gymnastics for little Miss A and double karate for Mr. C
• Fri- Homemade pizza night
• Sat- Morning swim lessons for the boys
• Sun- I have been helping teach adult Sunday school class

So basically anything extra feels super extra, including grocery shopping or any other errand. It’s been good though. The boys are doing well in their after school program and Little Miss A’s teachers always have wonderful things to say about her and how she is doing in their classroom.

And I’ve already seen growth. For instance Mr. L happily asked for a hard boiled egg AND ate the whole thing… For those who don’t know, Mr. L never requests new foods and especially nothing outside of his cheese/bread/ dessert preferred diet. But not only that; he also accepted a Turkey, cheese and Mayo, toasted sandwich within the same week as the egg and I just couldn’t believe it!

I mean I’m always offering different foods and even put a bite or two of new foods on his plate regularly. But for him to just casually accept and request healthier options brings pride, surprise and joy to my soul. It’s the years of hard work that can bring about the littlest of successes and it is so exciting and rewarding when it happens.

The growth hasn’t just come from Mr. L though. Little Miss A demonstrated outgoing communication skills, empathy and compassion today when she was playing on a children’s play structure at a neighboring YMCA. While playing with her brother, Mr. C, Little Miss A noticed a little girl who wanted to play on the indoor playground. The girl was shy and timid of Mr. C and his bigger play style. So Little Miss A went over to her, asked if she wanted to play, asked Mr. C to give them some space, because he was “scaring her” and then after encouraging this new little friend to play with her, she eventually had to go, and when her new little friend was leaving Little Miss A asked if the little girl wanted a hug bye.

Little Miss A has always been a bit of a social butterfly, but it has been more of a join in, or telling others what to do. Today, she showed skills of seeing other’s needs and figuring out how to help them. Not only was she helpful, my daughter also enjoyed working together, and asked for a hug at the end. It was so fun to sit back and see the new skills my youngest has already picked up from her new school experience.

Sure the days are packed full, but schedules will fluctuate and I like getting out of the house. I like talking with adults in a work environment, I like learning new skills, and I like being useful outside of folding laundry, making dinner, and keeping track of reading schedules.

Of course no success outside of the home can make up for the successes within a home. But my kids are showing that they don’t need me every second of the day, and it’s nice to make a monetary contribution to the family for a change.

It’s also nice to see years of hard work paying off. I have been teaching my children how to be successful little humans and they are doing just that. I am teaching my kids with intention; to be good people, to be kind humans, to be independent, to be brave, to be smart, and to have fun. I know the teenage years are creeping towards us, but for now I’ll take the wins and I’ll keep growing their foundations to be happy and capable adults. Wish us luck!