Week two
Well we have been in Bluffdale two weeks now and I guess its about time I let me fans (I use the term loosely) know that I am alive and well. It has been a bit crazy trying to settle into a good routine for the family but I think we are just about there. I am grateful the kids got into the local charter school but man…I broke my budget this month. Completely annihilated it. Uniforms for 6 rugrats and school supplies to boot…I’m ready to just hide until October.
A Typical Day
Although nothing for me is typical, here is what a typical/ideal day looks like. We wake up at 6:30 and spend the next hour … getting dressed, changing diapers, eating breakfast, brushing hair/teeth, doing dishes, family prayer, individual scripture reading. Whew…did we get it all?
The older kids head to school while the younger 3 and I do chores, stories, and play time. This is the time for me and the three boys. Jax is having a hard time getting me to slow down and enjoy life. I see too many projects all around me, too many things that need to be cleaned, organized, finished, etc. I need to improve these 3 hours and focus on the needs of the ones at my feet.
Lunchtime comes all too soon and Andrew heads to school. The 2 boys left at home take their naps while mom gets to do some serious work. I’ve got 3 hours to tackle any project I choose. But don’t get too involved because from 3-4:30 it’s a rat race trying to pickup kids from 3 different campuses (thankfully all here in Bluffdale) while getting two of them to and from cross country practice.
Let me tell you, ironing out the wrinkles in our pick-up routine was rough. The first day, Caitlin waited for over an hour at the high school, because I had to pick up Kristie and get her to the Jr High and I was sure it would be faster than the shuttle. The next day we tried the shuttle, but that meant the little kids waited 30+ minutes for Caitlin and we still had to head over to the Jr High. It took some playing around but I think we are finally all satisfied with the pickup routine.
Evenings are nice, dinner, more playing together and enjoying family time. The kids are always wanting to play with friends but I’ve missed them all day and I don’t like to share much.
Reality
Alright, so I mentioned that was an ideal routine. In reality there have been a lot more projects to make this move comfortable. I have made endless trips to the store for clothes, school supplies, groceries, etc. (And I mean endless both in the quantity and length. Truly it is ridiculous.) There have been multiple trips to PG to get beds, furniture, food, etc. It took me an entire day to set up bunk beds, the daybed, and the crib. Not to mention having to run to the store for a new bolt for the trundle bed. Jax and I spent an entire day cleaning up the driveway area to make room to park. I had to re-caulk the bathtub before bath night. We blew in the insulation at night but painted the whole addition in a 24 hour period.
Thankfully the library isn’t too far away (Riverton – Why doesn’t Bluffdale have one?) because I think I have been there 10 times in the last 2 weeks. I am extremely grateful that we have internet up and running here now and I really feel that things can simmer down from this rolling boil to a gentle rhythm. I still can’t sit still, I am going crazy sitting at the computer instead of wiring outlets. But things improve each and every day.
I choose to enjoy this adventure called life…It’s a journey worth taking.
