Wednesday, August 12, 2009

No Apologies!


Listen, this blogging thing? It’s not easy to keep up with! Easy? Easy is playing outside all day with Finn, getting up at 4:30 to pour coffee, growing veggies, baking brownies, reading, soaking up the sun, weeks at the beach, scheduling classes, securing money, and buying books. Warm days spent outside, splashes in the lake, conventions with the ocean, like old friends rushing to embrace, collecting shells, tossing one back as a thank you. Summer = Life. Summer = Happiness. Summer = Love.

But summer is almost over. In about 10 days, I’m going back to college full-time to finish a degree I’ve been picking away at for close to four years. My 3 year old will start full-time preschool, I’ll be working 25 hours, studying the rest; all these changes that I’m still so unsure of. My internal voice goes something like this:

It’s going to feel so great to finish my degree.

But I love having those special days with Finn.

You can still have great times together, you pick him up at 3:30 everyday.

But that means no impromptu weekday picnics at the lake, no Waffle Shop breakfast dates, no nap-time snuggles.

You can do all of those things over the weekend. Think about how amazing it will feel to FINISH school and how great of an example you’re setting for your son.

But, but, but…

*sigh*

Amidst the struggles, changes, and internal arguments, I’m concerned about our lifestyle, staying healthy while staying busy. Between classes and parking lots, I’ll be walking roughly 3 miles every day. While I’m still going to be active, I know that my time will be at a premium, but I don’t want my family to suffer by way of too much eating out or unhealthy cooking. So, I’m mentally compiling recipes, tips, and suggestions to use over the next 72 years… okay, 3… I hope.

The September issue of Whole Living Body + Soul Magazine had a list of 25 simple, healthy recipes. I plan to use the first few weeks of classes to test some of them out.

Do you have any tips, time management suggestions, good thoughts? Care to share? Please?

Thanks for reading,

Sara


5 comments:

Janna Leadbetter said...

Gosh, what endeavors! I admire you. And what seems so uncertain right now will soon be your new "normal," you just have to work through the transition period.

My advice? Remind yourself not everything has to be perfect. You're taking steps to make things better, and that's what counts in the long haul.

Good luck, Sara! I'll be thinking of you.

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Good luck Sara! I don't have any advice that's better than what you've already said. Finn knows you adore him, so even if you're not together as often, you both can cherish the time you DO spend together.

Hopefully the recipes work well. That's something we're constantly disagreeing about here.

Russ Painter said...

Nothing wrong with dinner at Otto's a couple nights a week.

amanda.bree said...

I'm in the same boat, 10 classes away from finishing my degree, but still working 30 hrs/week. It seems like its pulling nails to find time to actually finish it, without neglecting my time with Jesse :)

Sara Spock said...

Janna, thanks for the reminders. I know I tend to be overly controlling with my life and want everything to be *just* so. It's going to be a big transition, but I think we can weather it.

Melanie, you are such a sweetie! We do have some amazing times together. Lately, I've been focusing more on quality than quantity. Dan and I put our phones away when we're having family time, and I do the same when we're having a Mommy day so that Finn doesn't feel like second fiddle to an iPhone, or whoever is calling. It's easy to spend time with him and do other things, but it's so much more enjoyable when I just get down to his level and play whatever he is.

Russ, totally ;-)

Amanda, I hope you can find the balance with the changes you're making in the fall! Huggles to you and Jesse.