In an effort to look for things which I actually want to find instead of focusing on the things I wish would go away, this entire post will be about the things which are going well.
The before school rush has been chaotic and often frustrating for years. This year it settled right into a regular routine. I do have to expend effort to get Link out of bed, but the other three are getting up fairly quickly and pleasantly. They’ve each picked a breakfast food which they eat every day, removing thought from cooking. Gleek takes a bath every morning without requiring assistance and then gets dressed. In fact all the kids are getting themselves dressed without prodding or intervention from me. They often have significant time to play before it is time to go. This leaves me free to focus on backpacks, lunches, and dishes.
Link makes up for the extra help needed in the morning by requiring no extra help in the afternoon. He comes home and does his clarinet and typing practice. Most days I don’t even have to remind him. He short-cuts on German practice, but is willing to work harder when I point this out.
Gleek has been requesting an earlier bedtime because she wants getting up to be easier.
Kiki has been loving Japanese class and constantly comes home with tales of fun Japanese treats she got to eat. Today she came home with a handful of seeds. They come from a Japanese pear tree and she wants to grow one.
Patch came to me one day and declared that he wanted to buy some lego accessories from an online store. In an effort to earn money, he combed through all his belongings to find things he was willing to get rid of. He also sorted and cleaned. He earned all the necessary money and is now eagerly awaiting the arrival of a package in the mail.
I went out for the evening last night and only got one phone call from the kids at home. They had no major arguements or disagreements. They followed instructions and the two younger children were both in bed asleep before I got home. To top it off, the house was in approximately the same state that it was when I left. They did not make a mess.