--R started "real" school yesterday. It's in the mornings (9-12) which means slightly earlier days for both of us (she is a late sleeper and almost never wakes up before 8 am, often sleeping in even later). One hour of school is Mandarin immersion. I was nervous about the change, but she had a great time the first day, even though she had all new classmates and mostly new teachers (there are 3). Actually I think she likes the bigger class (she's very social)!
--If I sign R up for the school "bus", I will have 8:30-12:20 or so free three days a week! I haven't had that much free time during the day since she was born. Now that I have reliable childcare (as opposed to occasional help) I can start thinking about pursuing other projects. Some possibilities: yoga/pilates class, studying Mandarin... Hopefully I will start making progress on the 101 in 1001 list again (has been in a slump as of late). R will probably start going 5 days/week early next year, at which point I'm going to look into part time work opportunities (exciting!!!)
--We have to move out of our apartment into the just-completed University housing complex. I hate moving. Luckily we don't have a ton of stuff, but it's still a horrible and time-consuming process (and I will have to do everything as B is too busy). Move-out/move-in date is probably around 20th December (and directly afterwards we will fly to the US, for extra chaos). Our lease here isn't actually up until mid-January, so a lot of finagling is going to be required. At least no international moves are involved this time.
--I signed up for a cooking class with a friend of mine. First one was last night: I made carmelized onion goat cheese tarts, which were actually really good. I might even be able to duplicate them again at home. It's a lot easier to make things when someone is there to tell you exactly what "blanching" and "carmelized" and "julienne" mean.
--My sister is still pregnant (the baby is a week "late" now). I'm sad I can't be there :( but excited, for her and to meet a new member of our family. I hope everything goes well for her and that the adjustment isn't too bad. Sometimes she has a hard time with change.
What's going on with you?
I am in my 5th week of my 12 week maternity leave with #2, and this week I started keeping my older one home from daycare part time (she has stayed at daycare full time since #2's birth). It's an experiment in SAHM territory. It's funny how this small experiment thrills me (typically a full time working mom), and the prospect of returning to work next year excites you! Is the grass always greener?
ReplyDeleteDo you like being a (temporary) SAHM? I wonder if it's harder because everyone isn't used to it (and has a comfortable routine), or if it's easier because it's more "fun" (like a vacation)?
DeleteIn general I like change a lot, so I bet if I were a working mother I would want to be a housewife, just for variety's sake if for no other reason.
P has been in daycare since she was 12 weeks old so I have no idea what it's like not to have school. But my activities during those hours are not my own...but I guess at least they make me $$ :) and I do love my career so there's that. I really want some time to take yoga or Pilates, but that ain't happening. There aren't enough hours in the day...and even if there were more I think I'd choose to spend them with P (since ours are so limited right now)
ReplyDeleteHaha, that's true! It's not as if working is exactly a vacation!
DeleteIt does depend on your job I think, because when I was working I had certain tasks to complete, but was able to decide when/where/how to complete them and kind of create my own rhythm and schedule for the day for the most part. This is definitely not true with being at home with R (one of the things that makes it hard for me sometimes): even bathroom breaks have to be determined by her needs. I think that if you worked on an assembly line or something very regimented like that though, staying at home might seem so carefree!
In Singapore I have seen baby yoga classes offered, though the timing/place has never worked out for us. Maybe they have something like that in the US, and then it's bonding time for both of you?