The grass is always greener

Okay, so I'm trying to be realistic when imagining what life's going to be like in a month.  I've told Rich not to expect a spotless house and home-cooked meals the first week I'm home, or any week soon after that.  There's going to be a transition period, especially with the girls finishing up school a few short weeks after my retirement begins.  And then the girls and I will be heading out to Michigan with Grammy to visit with family.

Here's an idea of the changes I'm anticipating and looking forward to:

Day-to-day schoolwork
The girls are self-motivated and don't need much monitoring when it comes to schoolwork, which is good because right now, I'm not always aware of the day-to-day.  I'd like to have a better understanding of what they are working on and when they have tests.  Here's a current example of the here and now:  at 7:45 PM, someone tells me she has a math test the next day and when asked if she understands everything, she responds there may be a few things she'd like help with.  I'd also like to get the girls in the habit of completing their schoolwork at their desks in their rooms.  That's a goal for next year.

Volunteering
I felt a little bit like a failure this year with my volunteer role as class photographer.  I plan to volunteer again next year and offer to do more than just class photographer.

Family time
It's not very easy to spend time as a family or go places on the weekends because that's the only time to take care of laundry, errands and cleaning.

Sleep
I absolutely cannot stand having to wake up at six in the morning and I've been doing so for what seems like most of my life.  Now, if I'm not feeling well or have a bad night, I have the luxury of napping when the girls are at school.  (I need to not abuse that because it could very easily become a very bad habit.)  Until they're in middle school, I won't have to haul myself out of bed until 7:00 so I'm gaining an hour right off the bat.

My natural inclination is to stay up late (as in 2:00 AM) and sleep in.  I'm more productive and feel better rested with that schedule but life isn't set up that way.  

Meals
We're kind of a mess when it comes to meal planning right now.  This is something that I realize will take awhile to achieve but anything will be an improvement over what we are doing now.

Exercise
This is an obvious one.  I haven't tried to run since the two times I ran before I caught the flu.  I've wanted to but my energy levels have been low and I'm trying to not push myself too much right now as I don't want to get sick again.  No future plans to run a marathon on anything but I would like to get back to running and other exercise things.

Cleaning
I was going to note that I don't mean regular cleaning but I guess I do because right now, cleaning is an afterthought or oh crap, someone is coming over, we need to clean.  A super long term project is to clean out all the closets, cabinets, and the basement.  Oh, the basement.  I still have clothes that I can't part with and at this point, should fit the girls in 8 or 9 years.  (I'm a hoarder.)

Focus
It's going to be nice not to have to worry about checking my Blackberry or responding to emails.  "Give me two minutes.  I need to finish this email."


A few of you have asked about Grammy and what she'll be doing in all her free time.  Grammy has six other grandchildren who live close by and it looks like she may be helping out more with three of them next fall.  She already helps out here and there.  She's been known to drop my kids off at school and then head over to my brother's house, or pick the girls up from school with my nephew in tow.  I'll also need her to help every so often too, like with my dentist appointment in July.  This will also give her the chance to just be Grammy.