This is absolutely my house right now….my boys are so messy! 😛

Our weekends lately are pretty predictable–homework, playtime, cleaning, and church. This is my last full week of classes, and I’m SUPER excited for summer break! It’s actually a little bit bittersweet this time though, because I just found out I’m going to have to take a few semesters off. Unfortunately between changing majors and the higher tuition of online university I’ve maxed out my federal loans, and unless I can find a way to shift a quarter of my hubby’s salary from bills to school there just isn’t any way for me to continue. Since I’m only 2 semesters from graduating this is super frustrating, but I can’t help but be a little thankful for the break.

The reality of college with three young kids is that I miss a lot more than I want to, our schedules aren’t nearly as regular as they should be, and my house and yard are an absolute mess. I try to get organized so keeping things clean is easier, but kids make messes and at least 2/3 of my kids aren’t great at cleaning up after themselves yet. I really believe that everything happens for a reason (even things I don’t like), and I feel like this is my wake-up call to re-prioritize life. A messy house stresses everyone out and makes it easier for the kids to get into things they shouldn’t; a messy backyard (read: lots of dog poop and waist-high weeds) means the kids can’t really play outside unless there’s time to go to a park; time spent on homework means I sacrifice either time with my kids or sleep. I’m missing far too many workouts, averaging 4 hours of sleep per night, and I’m constantly too tired to get up and really play with the kids (or do laundry, or clean the house…you get the idea).

Plus someone has been making it really clear that he doesn’t like me sitting at my computer… 😛

I feel like mother’s today are expected to be Superwoman — keep the house as perfect as a 1950’s wife while having a career, staying perfectly fit, and still spending quality time with the kids. I applaud the women who can actually do this, but the reality for me is that I’m trying to do everything and I’m not doing any of it well. Last semester is the first time I haven’t made it onto the Dean’s list and this semester isn’t looking much better, my weight-loss has totally stalled, and I can’t have friends over without a 2 hour intensive cleaning to make the house quasi-presentable. I want my degree and I still plan on finishing, but this may be a sign that while having two toddler boys is just not the best time to do this. I just can’t be sad about getting to spend more time with the kids while they’re still young enough to want me around all the time…

Plus seriously, is there really a downside to spending more time with this ridiculously adorable man?

Thursday was pretty interesting. We’re down to one car for a while and Jimmy Johns was doing a $1 sub customer appreciation day, so I had the brilliant idea to slather on some sunscreen and walk there.

Of course, the boys loved their sandwiches, but by the time we got there it was 95 degrees — sooo hot! The boys were covered in sunscreen, had sunshades, and each had a bottle of ice water next to them to keep cool, but they weren’t really amused by the heat. It didn’t help that it’s a 4-5 mile walk round trip and there isn’t a sidewalk for most of it, so we walked on loose gravel for the majority of the trip.

The gravel made it much more difficult, and by the time we got home my arms and back were killing me almost as much as my legs. The heat really took a lot out of me too, and I was pretty zonked for the rest of the night. I’m trying to learn to deal with living in Arizona though, so I’m going to force my body to deal with the heat this summer — just maybe in smaller doses to start with.

Even though it was hot it was still a ton of fun, and it was nice to get out with them. In Arizona most people just stay inside for the entire summer, but I want my kids to be able to handle the weather here within reason.

Friday started early. We had the kids packed into the car to drop me off at work by 7, and Kinsey off at school by 8:10. It was my most enjoyable sub shift so far! I got to teach Spanish, and it was really fun to teach something I actually know something about! The teachers generally just leave review work for a sub, but a lot of the kids needed help and I was actually able to help them. That might sound strange, but after teaching a bunch of Junior/Senior math classes, it was nice to have a clue what I was talking about for once.

After gymnastics we tried to have a movie night, but the kids all passed out early. We let Kins and Micah cuddle in bed with us instead, which was both sweet and SUPER uncomfortable! We definitely need a king bed if we’re going to keep having sleepovers, because the kids are getting way too big! Since they didn’t get their movie on Friday, we relaxed on Saturday and watched a movie together with brunch.

Micah was exhausted for some reason and passed out…

and Jonah tried to share cookie dough with Spirit, but decided she tasted better than cookies. He’s really starting to love playing with them, and they’re sooo patient!

After we dropped off Kinsey, it was time for baths and bedtime. As usual, Jonah was not amused. Poor kid needs to stop hating baths so much. He won’t touch any toys or play with Micah, he just cries and tries to climb out the whole time.

 

I don’t have any pictures from Sunday. I basically woke up, worked on homework, took a quick break for church, and stayed up until 2am doing homework. Not a super fun day at all. Thankfully the boys were very well-behaved and played nicely together while I worked, because I don’t know what I would have done otherwise. Days like that are part of the reason I’m having trouble being upset about the break from school. All in all a crazy but good weekend! 🙂