Trying to do good.

Maybe I am not so good about taking it down a notch.  I am pretty worn out tonight. 

I tried to take it easy but the afternoons  and evenings are just tough sometimes.  I know people have it worse than me, but after running kids around for an hour, pick up school, bring them home, stay five Minutes, pick up school again, straight to swimming lessons, back home to drop off the kid not in swimming, back to swimming to watch swimming, glad I was there since Abby started crying in the lesson, decided it isn't worth it and plan to quit this week.  Back home to make dinner.  Kids ate bowls of cold cereal before the tortellini soup was done.  Oh well, that really is down a notch isn't it.  I thought my days of cereal for dinner were over.  

I let them have the hour of electronics.  I tried to get the dishes done early so I didn't have to stay up late.  After the kids were all in pajamas, I needed to deliver a welcome gift to our new neighbors from Sweden.  

After leaving embarrassed that the boys were wrestling in someone else's amazing house. It was nice to get this note from our new Sewdish friends. 

"Thanks for coming here! You made my day. 😃 I feel alive when there's people in the house. 

A little boy's wrestling was refreshing! 

Elvira was very happy to meet Grace! 😀

See you soon!"

Now that is a very nice new friend to say your out of control children are refreshing.  I have never thought of it in that light.  

Home to get kids in bed.  Iron school shirts for tomorrow.  Send some emails.  Post a blog post.  

Not feeling super confident in my endurance for tomorrow.  But it will come whether I am ready or not, so I might as well be as ready as I can.

(Epilogue:  only 8 more hours to Jamison is home.  Grace was able to go back to the new friend's house just by herself this time, and had a good time.  Elvira is a year younger than Grace and their family lived for 3 years in China, then 2 1/2 in Sweden and now Brazil.  Elvira has good English, but I feel bad for her 2 younger siblings who have to learn two new languages in school.

Now I just need to pack for a extra long weekend (Carnaval) and get a birthday party ready for Oliver the day after we get back.  Looks like the notch won't be down for long.)