Monday, September 8, 2008

Back To Normal--Whatever That Is!

*Breathes huge sigh of relief*

Finally, a normal quiet day with kids in school and no noise! It's been a terribly busy and chaotic few days. Thursday and Friday I had a construction crew here replacing hail damaged siding on two sides of our house, so there was loud pounding and much doggie nervousness and doggies-cooped-up-in-the-house-ness for two very long days. But it is done now, and they did a great job, and cleaned up after themselves nicely, so that's all right.

I spent the weekend at my parents' house; my auntie, whom I had never met, flew over from England, and she was visiting my parents for a few days before going on to visit her daughter on the east coast. She is very intrepid--84 and flying off to America all by herself! She is my father's sister, and they hadn't seen each other in over fifty years, so it was quite the reunion. She's a lovely lady, and I only hope I'm as sharp as she is when I'm 84!

Little Mouse and The Barrister both had good experiences their first two days back at school. The Barrister is quite excited and very positive about school this year, which is a big change, and Little Mouse is feeling very grown-up now that she is in middle school and has more responsibilities.

So now I am by myself in a quiet house for the first time in months, and I am planning to enjoy my day...once I get the laundry and the shopping and the vacuuming and the tidying up all done!

Writing Prompt: Some of us are more comfortable in a regular routine, while others seem to thrive on chaos. What does "normal" day look like for you? Do you enjoy being in a routine, or do you prefer the excitement of having no particular schedule? Why do you think your preference falls where it does?

10 comments:

susan said...

Hi Jazz.

Ah quiet and an empty house. I hope you and the dogs are enjoying the solitude.

Motherhood and parenthood in general is the hardest job in the universe. Anyone who can do it as well as you do is number one in my book.

It's great your Aunt can travel at 84. So many people cannot do that at half her age.

I love the writing prompt. I must confess I am a typical Virgo. No surprises, and routines rock.

Yeah, boring.

Jazz said...

Susan,
Thanks for the vote of confidence on the parenting thing...sometimes I think one of the hardest things about it is that you aren't really going to know if you've done a good job until they are all grown up!

I'm a Virgo, too, and yes, routines do rock!

Monica Cassani said...

hi dear jazz,
sorry for my long absence...I've been reading you, but too exhausted to write much...or even think half the time...

I have always liked a routine that allows for maximum spontaneity. That means some structure is good, but too much feels oppressive.

right now I could use a little more structure, but being I can't make commitments due to the status of my health, I have to sorta wing it for now...most of the time I do okay without the structure, but I know I'll do better once I can make some regular commitments again...

enjoy the quiet!!

and yes you are a awesome mom!

Jazz said...

Hi, Gianna, nice to hear from you! I've been reading you, too, and thinking about you and hoping that things are going smoothly for you.

Like you, I like a sense of structure, but not too much. I've found that children definitely do better when there are some routines in place (regular meals, bedtime routines, regular homework rituals and that sort of thing), and sometimes it feels like my whole life has turned into a routine! As the children have gotten older, I've found that I can be a bit more spontaneous without rocking the boat too much. It's a balancing act, that's for sure! Too little routine and it just feels chaotic...too much and I feel suffocated.

susan said...

Jazz,

I tried earlier today to post.... my computer is dying.

Anyway- Happy wonderful birthday to you fellow Virgo- I hope I havent missed it , but if I did, happy belated birthday!

sbwrites said...

Jazz,
Glad to have you back, and glad your kids are liking school. I like a routine of my own design. I'm highly organized so I like writing lists, and feel good about getting things done in a timely fashion.

Having said that, I also like the freedom to do what I want when I want to.

Is that bipolar or just quirky?

Susan

Jazz said...

Susan--
Actually, I suspect it is "writerly"!

Jazz said...

Susan with kitties--
Thank you for the birthday wishes...it's not til next week, and it's hard to believe 43 is coming up. I don't feel any different than I did at 19!

Pigtails said...

HI, I just visited your blog from BPD in OKC and I really like your writing promts. They really make me think and make me want to write.

Jazz said...

Hi, Pigtails! Thanks for stopping by. Glad you enjoy the writing prompts. I'm using a lot of them in my own journaling right now, too!