Back At It

I think I’m getting my groove back. I’m trying anyway.

We’re back to our regularly scheduled programming. Even though I’m working for a different company, my hours are the same as they were for the past eighteen years. I leave just before the girls get on the bus, I get home at 5ish, I work Monday through Friday.



I help Liv with her homework each day when I get home. On the bright side, I’ve only made her cry once since we started our homework sessions a week and a half ago. On the other hand, I’ve made her cry once during our homework sessions. I try so hard to remember that she’s not being difficult on purpose but in the moment, it’s so frustrating.



I often just want to do the work myself but I know she won’t learn anything if I do that. She’s so smart, it’s just so hard to get her to show it. Her teachers are amazing. They reach into her (figuratively, duh) and find ways to connect. But I know she can frustrate them too. Last week we got a note home suggesting that she wear her gym clothes to school rather than take them and change while at school. Apparently, last Friday, it took her thirty (30!) minutes to change from her gym clothes back into her regular clothes. She only has gym two days a week so I’m good with sending her in clothes that might get sweaty that day. Apparently, fifth graders are supposed to be self-sufficient enough to change from their regular clothes into gym clothes and back again each day they have gym class. Ha!



When I asked Liv what took her so long when changing, she informed me that the bathroom where she changes (as in, she refuses to change in the locker room with the other fifth grade girls) there were too many other kids who wanted to use the actual toilets and she had to wait for a stall in which to change. Huh. Her aide and I (we communicate via direct messaging on FB) were skeptical as to this excuse. But what do I know? I’m not there.



Liv gets herself dressed each morning and it takes her less than five minutes. But like I said, she’s smart and she hates gym, I wouldn’t put it past her to take her sweet time in changing just so she can miss half the class. I’d have done it too back in the day if I’d thought of it and thought I could get away with it. She’s a smart cookie and tends to be a little sneaky, is what I’m saying.



Lyss tried out for the school play yesterday. I’m so proud of her for doing this kind of thing. It took me until my senior year to be brave enough to do that.



School is in full swing. The first home football game is this coming Friday. I don’t actually enjoy high school football so I will just go in time to see the marching band’s half-time show. I still pay full price to get in for all of fifteen minutes, so the school is getting their money and I save myself some boredom. Sorry parents of kids who play football, it’s just not my thing. Heck, to be honest, I don’t really enjoy track meets but I go because my kid runs/jumps. I stay for the whole thing to, because, well, because it’s not quite as boring as football. *shrug*



Since Labor Day weekend is considered the end of summer and the beginning of fall, I will be taking down all our outside summer decorations this weekend. Down will come the flags and up will go the pumpkins and black cats. I love the decorations of fall/Halloween even if I don’t enjoy the actual weather that fall brings. I don’t care if you get to wear sweaters/sweatshirts in the fall, I don’t like the cold. Whatever.



This working thing is tough to get back into. I have to work on my stamina. I can go to bed at 9pm and still sleep until 10am on the weekends. What can I say, I’m a sleeper. I’m doing okay with getting up at 6am on week days, though I will be the first to admit that I don’t actually enjoy it. I know there are people out there who like mornings. My husband is one of them, bless his heart.



I shouldn’t be surprised that not working for almost nine months would lead me to being kind of out of shape, tired, etc. I mean, add in cancer treatments and no wonder I’m having to rebuild my stamina, my strength, my will to get out of bed. I know that each week, each day will get easier and better. I have faith and know that I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.



This is why I went through treatments, right? Because I wanted to get back to my life.



I’m so very lucky this is my life and that I get to live it.