Keeping my sanity!

I am not feeling very successful at being a stay at home mom with my only child at school, I think I miss the schedule that comes with having a child at home.  After a couple weeks of feeling like I have accomplished very little I think it is time to create myself a schedule (Thanks Kelli K for the idea and inspiration!).  This will hopefully keep me motivated and help me feel like I am using my time wisely while Delaney is at school.  And if I get a job, it will hopefully help me balance it all (the job market is not looking so good though, surprise, surprise!).
My plan for today is to get all the laundry done and put away!  I would also like to put together a menu for the week, and thanks to a day of freezer cooking this should be fairly easy!
Tuesdays I am hoping to devote to volunteering in the media center at D's school.  This may change as they just hired a new librarian and she may have a different schedule that she wants to go with.  I am also planning on going to the gym in the morning after taking D to the bus stop.
And that is as far as I have gotten on my planning....obviously I need days for cleaning, shopping, and errands!

Nothing new, just plugging along.....

D is having a great time at school!  I have been to her class a few times to do a few things for her teacher, it has been nice to put faces to names and see how the kids are interacting.  Her teacher said it is a great group of kids and they have really picked up the routine fast. 
D is still doing karate, she now has a friend in her class with her and really likes that.  She is itching to swim again, so we will sign her up for lessons in November.  We also need to take her to family swim times at the gym, hopefully this Friday we can go.
Fall is in the air around these parts!  The morning air is crisp.  I am hoping we can have a rain free weekend soon so we can go pick apples and find a pumpkin.  I also need to get some mums planted!  I have some bare areas in the flower beds and it would be nice to have some flowers that bloom in the fall.
I am slowly getting used to being home alone all day.  It is such a strange feeling.  I have tried to stay busy with some volunteering at the school and some MOMs club events.  I need to create a routine for myself, as I am horrible without one!

Weekend Recap

I headed to Boston this past weekend to spend some time with one of my good friends and her family.  It was a wonderful birthday gift from my husband!  J and I had a great time shopping, decorating, and visiting the beautiful library she works in.  We are looking forward to going back as a family to visit next year.
D and Big Daddy had a fun weekend together.  Daddy took D shopping, to a local park event, and they also did a little pizza baking.  I am glad they had some time to spend together.
Now begins the first full week of being a SAHM without having a child at home.  It doesn't sound very fun, but hopefully I can fill the week with some cleaning and organizing.  I have also signed up to volunteer in the library at D's school.
First up today was cleaning D's room and organizing her hair things!  I made a simple bow holder with an old curtain ring, ribbon, and a glue gun!  Big Daddy will be happy to read I didn't have to go buy anything!

September 8th

Why we love September 8th:

A special person was born on this date in 1977 (is it okay to call myself special?), that same special person started kindergarten on said date five years after being born!
Fast forward 29 years and this date became a special date for our D (as well as the rest of our family) when her adoption became official.  The judge was kind enough to hold the hearing on my birthday, what a great present.

And now five years since that court date our baby is headed to Kindergarten!  She also lost her first tooth!  So many things to be thankful for on this special day!



Adoption Day 9-8-2006







Me!

Getting ready for our new routine!

D has been under the weather for the last few days, I think the high pollen count has bothered her sinuses once again.  Hoping that at her yearly doctor's appointment on Thursday I can get them to refer me to an ENT for a second opinion on her sinuses.  Since we can't go to the pool we decided to get crafty.  I have been looking for a morning routine poster and couldn't find anything I loved, so after talking to a few moms I decided to just let D make her own.  Hopefully this will help us have smooth, stress free mornings once school starts!  It has been a long time since we have had to have a morning routine.
Here is some pictures of D working hard on her poster!

A summer of accomplishments!

We have had a great summer of swimming, playing, and travelling!  It is hard to believe we are in our last week of summer vacation, it is making us a little sad. We will try to pack in some last minute fun this week and end our summer on a high note.

Last week D decided she wanted to get her purple band at the pool, I was a bit nervous as this required her to swim a lap lane down and back with only a 5 second break at the half way point.  I didn't want her to get discouraged if she didn't make it or feel embarrassed in front of the lifeguard, but I was worrying for nothing as she jumped in the pool and began to swim.  About half way she realized she had forgot her goggles (she likes to swim under water), I encouraged her to keep going and I would put them on her during her 5 second break.  I quickly put them on her and instead of taking her full 5 seconds she headed back to the other end, eyeing her reward (the diving board).  She was actually faster on her way back and only slowed down right at the end and we cheered louder as she reached the end!  That girl never seizes to amaze me.  She spent the rest of the day enjoying the diving board and deep end at the pool.

D also met her teacher last Wednesday at a playground meet and greet, she seemed very nice and we look forward to getting to know her.  So far we know at least 3 children in her class, and we are hoping we know a few more once school gets going.

D is currently having another allergy attack, hopefully this does not turn into a eye, ear, and nose infection as it did a few weeks ago.  I am thankful that it happened this week and not next week.  I am hoping a day of rest will help and we can spend the rest of the week at the pool or playing with her friends.

The countdown begins!

We have two full weeks of summer vacation left.  I am both happy and sad; I will miss my sidekick but I am so excited for her to learn new things at school and make new friends.
We have a few things we want to do before this summer comes to an end:

• Visit a new playground (or two)
• Go to a water park (thinking of going to the Aquatics Center in Troy, anyone interested?)
• See Untangled, The True Story of Rapunzel on stage with D's friends
• Attend Dragon on the Lake
• Get a few more days of swimming in at the pool
• Have a play date with some of the kids going to D's new school

If any of our Michigan friends want to join us on these adventures, let us know!