Today is dh's first day back to teaching after a couple week break between summer school and the regular school year. Between him being home, summer parties, commitments, etc... I have been feeling a little out of sorts and have been falling behind. Though I was feeling a bit bummed, last night, because this means the end of our summer I am completely joyful this morning because it means I can get back to my usual routines. Our boys are very effected by food, inadequate sleep, and routine as well so I am hoping that getting back in our groove will help get them back on track as well.

I have only been up for about an hour and fifteen minutes and I have already cleaned the bathroom and kitchen, made all the beds, made breakfast, unloaded the dishwasher, and I am on my second load of laundry:thumbsup: All I have to do now is hop in the shower, dress the boys and we are off to the grocery store and the park.

It is definitely a good day! Thanks for listening to my goofy ramble.

Wohoooo! You are kickin A$$ mama! I know what you mean though. Alex is starting school again next week and I can't wait. Same thing here... routine. I like having a few set times I need to be places and a few set things I need to do. When he is home, it is great, but man, I miss needing to be out of the house sometimes! I have spent many a summer day in my PJ's and that was great, but I am ready to be forced to wake, dress, and go out of the house.

Dh is feeling it too... he is working out today (after work for him) and then he will come home and sleep. I get to start my Yoga class three days a week, and Don will be working out every morning. Ahhhhhhh... I really do LOVE fall.

Love Val :)

Oh and another thing I am really looking forward to. No TV on weekdays anymore... just started again today! YAY!

Here too...dh was teaching summer school but had some time off, got home earlier, etc - all in all, no set routine for the summer and I hate it!

We went back Aug 9, then got sidetracked by Charley...I love being back in a routine this week! It's awesome. :)

Val, how are you doing no TV on weekdays? By decree? Do you have cable? Just curious...we have cable till Sep 7...then bye-bye unless they, um, give us another free month, in which case I will have to set some major ground rules.

Well I have just started it again. Last year it worked for a while, but dh was not behind me and kept doing "special" movies with them on weeknights when he was home. It was not often, because he was home so rarely... but this year I really want to stick with it. I started talking about it yesterday, and how I was really hoping that would work again, and this morning I asked Don to stay up with the kids so I could see about getting Alex in Lincoln. So I left, knowing that the tv would be on when I got back... but it wasn't. He was reading "Hope for the Flowers" to Alex, my favorite kids book.... and Cyan was happily playing with her doll house. When I said that I was surprised and knew he was really tired (He has just gotten home from working out after working all night long), he said, "Well you didn't want it on on weekdays I thought?" I said that was right and he said he was going to bed right after the story. The kids have been happily playing all morning.

I am sure we will do some special things like "Dinner movies", which is when we eat Pizza, Burittos, or other easy finger foods I allow them to eat dinner and watch a movie... but I am really going to try to make this decree this year. I want to be tv free, but that is not realistic. So this is close, and I think it will work now that Don is behind me. :)

I love my dh... :heart:

Love Val

PS one thing I failed to mention the first time around is that this is mostly for Alex and us... Cyan can still watch ONE Dora or Blue the mornings she is home becuase that gives me a shower. :p But I want to cut out tv for me and Don, because we get more done. Yoga videos are a exception.

And yes we have cable. We got that mad good deal.... and could not say no. BUT I do not pay attention to when shows are coming on. I make a point of NOT paying attention. If we are board (waiting for something or someone most often) I turn it on, and if there is nothing good on we watch a video. We were cable free for so long that none of us are really tv watchers... more movie watchers. lol... Commercials are so annoying to me that I have turned off a really good show just because I can go online and see the end results with out the commercials. I HATE them. I actually have had cable for over a month and know 4 channels... TNT, Food Network, HGTV, and Nic Jr. I am perfectly happy in my ignorance. :D

We were supposed to be completely TV free this summer but when we found out that a video was the only time dh and I could have any alone time we relented and let them watch an occassional video.

During the school year I limit the boys to 1 30 minute program per day or every other day. I am not big on TV but that 30 minutes gives me a little time to focus on myself or get a task done that may be hard to do with little ones under foot.

Ahhhh, I hear you, mama.

Due to our move, and then Hurricane Charley, John hasn't been working. While in some respects it's nice to have him at home, we had completely fallen out of any semblance of routine...and it's shown in the messy house, my crabby kids, and the crabby mommy, lol.

He went back full time today. Finally. It's so nice.

Michelle