Would love to share some wins over the past week and a half as well as some things I am struggling with…
Struggles
😮💨 Before/after care for L when she is in kindergarten. T is away for a week in September and it’s just me. My first class starts at 7:50 and I can drop L at 7:30 the earliest. Then it’ll be “pedal to the metal” style of driving to my work. UGHHHHH. I like to get to work an hour or 40 minutes before. On weeks that he is traveling I will have to go in and maybe go straight into lesson. That means that… I will get that lesson ready from the day before. That’s okay-I can handle it. All I do is let the students in, plug in the tablet and it’s show time. I’ll be fine. Deep breaths.
😮💨 I am grieving the fact that neither T nor me have family around that could help with such things as school pick ups and drop offs (especially for L). I admit I am openly jealous of moms who have reliable, mentally healthy, and financially stable parents/grandparents/relatives living *next door* or in the *next town* or even in the *same state*. BUT- read on for some silver lining below. More deep breaths.
Morning glories as seen out of our bedroom window.
Wins
🥐 Consistent Yoga Routine since coming back from Poland – I use Yoga with Adrienne and Yoga with Kassandra on YouTube. Additionally, I discovered foot reflexology and hand yoga and been doing a self-soothing massage every evening to help myself wind down.
🥐 An under-buyer like myself invested in a little care package from Nordstrom’s for myself: an eye cream from Bobbi Brown, a night cream from Fresh, a foundation from Armani, a body cream from Laura Mercier, and a collection of small fragrances from Bobbi Brown. My soul was dying on the inside when I paid but oh well. Treat yo’self!
🥐 My current book called My American Life by Francine Prose. I am flying through it! More later.
🥐 This year I have a classroom all to myself! As a language teacher I am used to teaching Spanish in English classes, science labs and even cafeteria (my first school). But this year I have my own classroom! It will do wonders for mental load.
🥐 I seriously committed to a cleaning lady that will come once a month to deep clean the house while we maintain in between. She is from Slovakia so I feel a kindred spirit. I wanted to outsource the cleaning for the longest time but the Eastern European guilt was preventing me from doing it since “real women do everything themselves, they work, raise kids, clean house and make pelmenis from scratch.” Shut up, mom.
🙏 Although I don’t have family in the US I do have friends and neighbors that are willing to help. I have two local Russian friends who have their moms (babushkas) living here so if I am completely and entirely stuck, I can always ask if L, R or both can go to their house. I have two neighbors (one on each side of us) with similar age kids who I know will come through if I am in a pickle.
Leaving you with a flower bed of wild flowers that brought me joy this summer. The flower bed was built by my dad when he came to the US back in 2017.
Mom of Children 