Gracie is screaming. I have clocked out after a full day of parenting. The girls journaled and sketched, found leaves and did rubbings - all in their bound books which I hope to have dozens of over the years. We jogged around the block twice today and did sprints, and we went for a bike ride on the trail - beautiful weather. They played Twister and read books and Eleanor did the lunch dishes. We ate minnestrone again. I spent almost two hours gathering family photos and uploading them for the girls' personal timeline projects and thank you cards and burned them to disc.
We drove to Wolf, where the disc didn't work and the girls wouldn't stop pushing buttons and I started to lose patience. Tried to find some (patience) in shared Steak n Shake milkshakes. Went to Hobby Lobby. Don't like Hobby Lobby. Went to Target. Officially running late now. Met friends at park for dinner picnic. Fun. Ever the sucker for late afternoon autumn sunlight. Came home, hosed down each girl, started reading Fair Weather by Richard Peck for their book reports next week. Girls in bed and done reading by 9.

9:30: Gracie is still crying but not actually leaving the bedroom, so that's not half bad.


Yesterday we did the journals and jogged and showered and ate lunch all by 12 to go to a baseball game. Wendy and John met us there. We went to a park afterwards, which I thought was more fun than baseball.

So far, we have set into motion no TV M-F, jogging, journaling, sketching, showering, teeth brushing, picking up after selves, and bed at 9 all daily. I see this as the base of our homeschool workings. The house is unrecognizably clean. I have vaguely familiar, yet foreign feelings of happiness occasionally wash over me.

This will all mudslide back to a state of constant pressure and overwhelm-ed-ness when I go back to work next week and can't quite juggle it all, all week.

My job may or may not phase out at the end of the year. I was first very sorry for the other people involved, but then surprisingly relieved to imagine just focusing on the kids and the house. I am trying to brainstorm how to live with less or make a little another way or maybe just keep going as is.

9:40: Gracie quiet