It's a really good thing that we had such a long, wonderful Christmas break because we were rested up and ready to hit the ground running on January 2nd. Life sort of exploded on that day and it hasn't calmed down since!
Rob went back to work and right into 50 hour weeks. Actually 58 because they had to work two Sundays during the month of January (which is now heading into mandatory Sundays.) The jobs he has been on have been frustrating so he's been stressed about getting his "rate" up. His rate determines bonuses, eligibility for overtime, and effects his yearly evaluation so it is important. He's also been adjusting to a new sleep schedule. The kids are pretty good about letting him sleep, but it's still hard. We fully stocked him with Isagenix products to give him his best shot and he's been fairing pretty well. It's hard not having him around as much but we welcome the extra income so we're able to pay off bills and work on purchasing items we need around the house.
Matthew unexpectedly started his paper route on Jan 2. We applied for a route awhile back but hadn't heard anything. He got a phone call the week before and he and Rob went to the office to get the list of houses so they could drive around and see the route. Monday morning he got the call that he could start that afternoon! The lady who had been doing the route simply would not follow the list and deliver properly, so they fired her. Matt and Rob headed about early that afternoon and figured it all out. Matt actually has two routes next to each other, both in our neighborhood. It's an afternoon paper, so no early mornings. By the second day he was able to do the smaller route alone and probably would have done the whole thing solo by the end of the week if the weather hadn't turned bitter cold. On Fridays he also has to deliver the Time Saver, which basically goes to everyone in his delivery area that does not subscribe to the regular paper. That's A LOT of papers! It took him a total of five hours to deliver those papers with Rob's help, then he had to do his regular route. Thankfully he has Saturday morning to finish, so he saved the smaller route for that day. (And there is no weekend paper.) He got the total time down to 3 1/2 hours working by himself the next Friday and I'm sure he will continue to reduce his time.
Matt has also been taking care of a puppy more often, as the owner is transitioning to a new job but still working the old one. He has so enjoyed playing with Gracie and she's been a nice stress reliever for him.
The other two kiddos have been anxiously waiting for all of their piano activities to start: group lessons, private lessons, and theory class. They should have started this week, but everything was cancelled because of the weather. We were able to reschedule the private lesson so they enjoyed that today. Otherwise they have been helping around the house, Anna has been sewing and baking, and Ben has been reading and helping pick up some of Matt's chores.
And me? I've just been trying to keep my head above water! I am back to my nutritional cleansing and it has helped tremendously with my health. It's been a bit of a three-ring circus to coordinate everything everyone is doing but I'm managing. The kids and I did get out for a couple of movies. I took all of them to see Sing and then just the boys to see the new Star Wars movie (Anna stayed with a friend). It was nice to just relax with them!
So we're adjusting to our new schedule, taking each day at a time and trying to stay happy, health and sane.
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