Routines

Everyone is up, showering, dressing, making lunches and eating breakfast. We are in our back-to-school routine. I am personally hiding out in my bedroom with my computer trying not to add another layer to what is happening in my kitchen and dining room and bathroom. I have found in the past that if I insert myself into the routine I tend to want to "help" and quite honestly that never ends well.

So, here I sit with my dog at my side under the covers hiding (she has been trained to avoid the craziness as well). We are both trained to try our best to be out of the routine; however Roxanne will cave if she hears the pretzel bag open, because she knows that she will end up with a yummy early morning treat if she shows up wagging her tail. I have been trained to keep my tail securely out of firing range.

I have had to convince myself that my children are old enough and smart enough to pack a decent lunch and eat a healthy breakfast without my assistance. I even went so far as to discuss this topic with my children at dinner last night. You will recall I have my new vegetarian to contend with and I felt it important to remind her that (in a maternal way of course) she was limited in her selection and to be healthy and wise. It is hard to be a vegetarian when you already eat a limited amount of food. I have had to throw my hands up and just hope for the best. I really want to take worrying about whether my teenagers have eaten off my routine list.

Aly shared with me yesterday that she thinks she is a "Fat Ass" because at her lunch table yesterday all her friends were making fun of her because she was taking so long to eat. When I asked what they were eating she said "Two had granola bars, one had a cookie and another had a Slim Fast." I explained that just because she ate a healthy lunch and took her time eating it did not mean she was overweight. I also explained to her that perhaps there might be tables at lunch with friends that make her feel good about herself instead of mocking her. That particular suggestion was ignored apparently these are the only "friends" she has during her lunch time.

I will see how my hideout works for this week and if all goes well I might even run and hide there after I get the low down from the school day. That way I do not have to be referee for whatever sibling issues come up. They had both been so excited to be in the same choir class this year and I found out at dinner that when Avery arrived in class she sat next to Aly and Aly told her "Don't sit there!" this turned into a tug of war of words at my dinner table about hurt feelings and what each had said and did not say. I can see this once celebrated event not playing well on and off through the remainder of the year ahead. Perhaps we might have to adopt some kind of no sensitive issues clause at the dinner table. Honestly that routine would not work well for me, because dinner seems to be when I open my big mouth and bring up a topic that stirs somebody up.

Now that I think about it, maybe I would be smart to just remain in my bed whenever my family is home. I could have them knock to speak with me and slip messages under the door. Roxanne and I could sneak out of the bedroom, when no one is home, for food and other necessities. No, that's crazy, I need to stick up for my turf…I just do not want to start that first thing in the morning. I will stay the course with this plan that is in place for as long as it works. I might even roll in a ball under the covers with Roxanne. Maybe if I am lucky Roxanne will bring me a pretzel.