In order to help the many brains in my family I decided to color code and frame our schedule. This is an outline of our schedules for this fall:In order to fight back the anxiety that it will never work, I am using my favorite psychological technique to convince my brain otherwise: reframing. I am actually surprised at how quickly I can improve in reframing a situation.

Joe is really good at this, when he practices it. He will replace his assumption that people are jerks when pulling out in front of him or driving terrible, with images of people balancing hot coffee in their car. He is suddenly sympathetic and laughing to himself.

I am learning that my perspective (after my Wed. melt down following the kids return to school) makes the biggest difference in the world. My friend Pilar has often echoed in my head as I am making school lunches. She has shared how rather than see the task as mundane and terrible, I can be grateful I have little ones to make a lunch for. I can cherish their dependence on me for this season. They delight in a sandwich and some fruit, which I can delight in as well.

I am reframing my job as gift and a calling, rather than a chore. A chore would be any of those jobs I had before being a teacher: working fast food, waitressing, or a cashier at the natural food store. I am reframing my dirty dishes as the opportunity to practice silence and to scrub out any frustrations on the food chunks. Rather than the seeing the dishes as an obstacle that I have to overcome.

I am reframing my days and routine as the seasons change. It is not a permanent schedule or a “rat race.” Life is the moments we decide to focus on.

A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Joe and I both had our moments this morning.We remembered when Paul started TK (Transitional Kinder) and we had a toddler and a baby in our arms. I fought back tears all morning.I could tell from these photos they were nervous and excited and just wanting to be there already.I am grateful for a job and an administrator who supports my choice to miss work today. It was a last minute decision but I have a reliable sub contact and I didn’t want to miss this milestone.I love that side by side, their backpacks are such a reflection of their personalities. Paul’s is a bit more stylish (even the inside is striped) and Henry’s says “happy camper.” If my investment pays off, these should last longer than this year (fingers crossed). Plus, I really don’t like cartoon backpacks, shoes, or clothes. These were a summer search, because naturally my kids gravitate to those unmentionables.Paul hardly needed a hug. He just wanted to be with his friends. While Henry became suddenly very shy.His eyes watered up, we reminded him we would be back. Joe had to nudge me out the door. It was hard but so good. He was all smiles when we picked him up. He even has a friend Charlie (a girl, whose name I love) that he has known since he was three in his same class (a pleasant surprise). I am anticipating an awesome year, he has teacher whose name is Mrs. Love. She even called on Monday to welcome Henry to class. We are all back in school. It’s official, we are busy!

A crowd of friends in the shade with balloons.
I like low key
although Mimi does make some pretty fabulous cakes:
 These are friends from school and so it felt like a last hurrah before school starts on Wed.with climbing in trees
 and kite flying.
They played for hours this afternoon
I almost hated making them leave when they were having so much fun.

My paternal grandmother has a genealogy in Missouri that is fairly detailed and yesterday we were introduced to family we have never met. I love that Joe knows how to use the timer on his camera.I was most intrigued by my grandmother’s aunt (in her nineties) who has a memory full of names and dates and moments. I could listen to her stories all day long.
The boys ran around in a pack.Olivine found plenty to keep busy.We were outside most of the day, which is what I am craving as I adjust to going back to work. The outdoors in large doses is what I am already missing from summer.

We stayed until it was bedtime.

Joe took the boys (and a friend) to an end of summer, Friday night game.And I can promise I have been hearing about the details for weeks.Grammy bought them hats just in time.They ate veggie dogs, drank lemonade, and cheered loudly (or so I hear).I waited up and they came home after ten pm with sleepy eyes wanting to recount the details of a cracked bat and a player stealing bases.I helped them change and brush teeth all the while talking about how the Angels beat the “loak-land A’s.”  Looks like after all these years of marriage Joe has some people to go to baseball games with. I really can’t sit still that long and watch a sport move slow in scores and innings. But I love listening to the enthusiasm of my boys and the light in their eyes. Once again, I am learning to look with fresh eyes at the world and see baseball in a new light. If they love it this much, maybe I can.

Joe has been waiting for the waves to get big. We talked about going to The Wedge many times this summer, but the waves were never that great to go watch the surf. That was until this last week when some hurricane happened out in the Pacific.
Of course, I was at work all day while my family went around town looking for the waves.
It was a day to envy. Was I the only one at work?These kinds of moments make me wish my ji’chan was around.The waves were as high as the pier in Seal Beach.
He would have loved to listen to all three of them talk over each other to describe how big and loud and high the waves were.

Last night I was asleep by 8 pm, after twelve hours at work. Grateful Grammy could help watch little ones while Joe went to class. Grateful Pilar was comfortable having Paul at her house swimming, without parental support.

I am slowly taking advantage of ideas I see on pinterest (it’s easy to be overwhelemd). So I made a treat for each student.I have thirty kids and thirteen families showed up. Not even half, but I am always happy to see who does show up and hear their insights into their children. I have more girls this year. A couple who have been retained and one who skipped first grade, this means I have the ages of 6 through 8 (going on 9) in one room. Besides age, I have the range of skills in reading, writing, and math. Let’s just say, my work is cut out for me this school year.

It feels strange to already fully be back and my little boys haven’t even started. Next week! And this year two will be in uniforms with backpacks.  Meanwhile Joe is really getting to the “good stuff” at school. He is taking four classes and they are all focused on special education. I can tell he already loves it.

I have looked up to find myself parenting three kids. Not one needs a diaper, so I emptied and donated the bag. I know that I should feel relief. But with each growth spurt I am left in shock. The fine art of flexibility I have yet to master because I am a creature of habit and routine.They will never again be needing bottles or bibs or any of those “baby” items. Instead my baby is suddenly talking a mile a minute and we all like to giggle at her invention in speech. “Yestertime” is yesterday. “Dinner egg” is gatorade. All her l sounds like y. She says “yeg” for leg and “bayon” for balloon which sometimes gets confusing. She can’t say all her blends so “spoon” is poon. We have squeezed her into the same shirts I put on Paul and Henry. Although they were so chubby they could have never worn it past one years old.

Here she is making an “Ollie bridge” and calling out for anyone and everyone to go beneath her bridge.

She is stubborn (like her momma) and silly (like her papa). She has been feeling the effects of our back to school routine. Sometime around 2 am I can expect her, her “yum yum” (blanket), and two baby dolls to end up in my  bed. I love it. I cherish it. I know she won’t always be crawling in with us. So for now, this final reminder of a baby snuggled in the crook of my arm is too sweet to pass up.

I found this card to give him for our anniversary today.I still can’t really believe that we went from a couple to a family in what feels like a short time:
We were lucky enough to be given this cake by my mom:
and to spend lunch at our favorite vegan sushi places- Shojin.
They opened a second location with a prix fixe brunch menu.
And yes, their crunchy pirate roll has corn flakes on top.
We had the place to ourselves for talking and laughing and even singing.This is the way we bond best: food and conversation. Also, this location in Culver City is around the corner from a delicious cupcake place
 which was perfect for saying thank you to Mimi (she watched our three rascals who were pink faced and sweaty bragging about their homemade popsicles). They hardly noticed we were gone.