Editorial: Balancing a hectic schedule

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I have three, no โ€” wait โ€” four calendars on the go at all times. One in my bag, my fridge, my phone and one that floats around all willy-nilly. Each day is separated into five categories; kids, work, school/homework, exโ€™s work schedule, and elusive free time. Subsequently, my brain is also subdivided into those same five categories. I am fueled by coffee and bagels on the go โ€”– plain, toasted with butter if you are asking! Hereโ€™s what an average day looks like:

6 a.m.: Alarm goes off, coffee steams and I wander through my cold house in search of a mug to help wake me up. I check the fridge to make sure Iโ€™ve got the right schedule for the day ahead before making my way up to my office to do some editing.

7 a.m.: First signs of life come from my oldest finding his way into my room and whispering something about being sick (heโ€™s not) and asking if he can play on the iPad (he canโ€™t). This wakes up my middle child who forever wakes up ready to rock.

8 a.m.: My youngest wakes up in a fit of hunger. We all wrangle our way downstairs and spill into the kitchen in a flurry of breakfast, making lunch and left shoe finding panic.

9 a.m.: Forever late getting my oldest to school, we pull up in the bus loading zone in a tuck-and-roll situation. If itโ€™s a weekday, then itโ€™s time to drop the kids off at their dadโ€™s house and get back home to get ready for school, answer emails and maybe shower.

11 a.m.: Throw the audiotape version of the book I was supposed to read before class today on the radio and continue to half listen and half mentally go over todayโ€™s to-do list. The daily hour and a half drives make for a quiet panic-induced ride to school when forgotten things that were on my to-do list suddenly reappear in my mind. I cross my fingers there will be a parking spot when I get there!

5 – 8:30 p.m.: Itโ€™s family time! Time to drive home, pick up the kids so my ex can go to work and make dinner. Iโ€™m not much of a cook (sorry kids!) anything that comes in a box is my specialty! Dance parties, dinner, baths, and cartoons end our night.

9 p.m.: Time to work! More coffee and back in my office. Editing, deadlines, essay writing. I split my screen into the homework side and the editing side and bounce between the two all night while Netflix plays Gilmore Girls in the background for the 2329078398th time.

1 a.m. – 3 a.m.: finish work, crawl into bed and wait to do it all again the next day!

Look, I know Iโ€™m not the first person to go back to school with a job and kids and I wonโ€™t be the last but, man, learning to juggle has not been a smooth ride! Things get lost in the shuffle all the time! But, I love it. Iโ€™m happier than Iโ€™ve been in years, this has been my favorite fall yet, Iโ€™m excited to wake up and do all that craziness!

So, what Iโ€™m really saying is, if you have kids, work and school and want to grab coffee sometime in that elusive free time part of the calendar โ€” I want to know you!


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