Five on Friday: We're Baaaaaack

Friends, I've had a bit of a week . . . nothing emotionally draining, just hectic. Just a good, old-fashioned, pre-pandemic-feeling marginally-controlled chaos sort of week.

 

While it has me feeling a bit depleted, the "pre-pandemic-feeling" part of it also simultaneously makes me feel sort of energized, excited that things are moving towards normal.  It's sort of like exercising after a long hiatus--it feels good but then you ache because you haven't built your stamina back up yet.

So what contributed to the "this feels sort of crazy but also kind of normal and good in a way" stamina-building I've felt all week? Things like:

1. The overwhelming sensation that we'd absolutely need a flow chart to get through the day.

2. Dropping a kid off at practice and using the waiting time to purchase shorts that a different kid informed me he'd need for an event a few days later.

3. Making sure two kids were appropriately dressed and ready for additional events that would take place after the appointment we were rushing out the door to get to*. Twice this past week. (*And arriving late to both appointments! Way to go, fam!)

4. Realizing (in the nick of time!) that the carefully laid plans would end up leaving the 10-year-old home alone and having to fend for herself for dinner.

5. Saying screw it all and letting the 15-year-old be that kid with no parent with him at the sports banquet (actually banquets--two in one night, back-to-back! Stamina building, people!) so that I could stop running around and have a private dinner with the 10-year-old.

Honestly? The "saying screw it all" part is what really made things feel normal. Plus it was totally worth it.

Did I mention we're also having a stone spring house on our property restored? I've barely been able to walk outside and check progress this week but as our leftovers were warming up, the youngest and I just took a few minutes to go check it out.