Long time no talk

Hi there. Sorry I've been ignoring you. I've been busy going back to work, starting a new job and dealing with the first week of school. In fact, the past couple of weeks have been about one simple thing: survival.

After making lunches, making breakfasts, trying to find something clean to wear, packing bags, dropping off kids, figuring out how to get to work, meeting tons of new people (exhausting for an introvert like me), trying to impress a new boss, picking up kids, making dinner, watching Ella play soccer in the rain, realizing gymnastics starts tonight, wiping runny noses, doing laundry, reading Harry Potter, retraining Ryan on how to sleep through the night, dealing with nightmares and making lunches again, the only thing that's been on my mind lately is sleep. I don't think I've been so tired in my entire life, baring some ugly weeks during Ella and Ryan's newborn phases which I've blocked from my memory. Seriously, I've been asleep before 10 pm many nights. Thank goodness I'm not really into American politics and the fall TV season hasn't kicked into gear yet.

The good news is that things have gone pretty smoothly, both with work and back-to-school, and things will only get easier, right? We've all had a few meltdowns, but we're slowly adjusting to our new routines. And I'm balancing my sadness at not being able to drop off and pick up Ella at school every day, with the luxury of lunch hour to myself (every day!) and the sense of camaraderie and purpose I'm getting from work.

I'm also easing some of my mom guilt by taking a cue from this book, which encourages parents to forget worrying about how much (or little) time you have with your kids and instead to focus on making the most of the moments you do have.

But if I'm honest, this is really the book I want to be reading, I'm just too embarrassed to carry it on the subway!

So, I'm tired but I'm back. And I promise to somehow carve out some time to write on a quasi-regular basis (interpret that however you'd like). Talk to you soon!