Routines, Days, Seasons

Because I am a teacher, my year follows a school year pattern.  Fortunately, the school year now includes a week break in October.  Even though the summer is shorter, that week right at the beginning of October pretty much ensures a balanced schedule of time off from my classroom in which to work on my garden and green house. 

I was thinking about routines.  During the school year, I wake up at about 4:30 am.  I don't get out of bed, but I try to do my prayers and think about my day ahead.  I am usually so tired they kind of get muddled together.  I get out of bed at about 5 am, get ready (in the dark to minimize the waking up of my husband) and try to get the kids out of bed.  The oldest gets up fairly easily, but the 14 year old needs his alarm to beep for about 15 minutes and for me to yell up the stairs, "It's 6:15; get up! We're leaving in FIVE MINUTES!"  He seems to need the whole thing - me turning on the light in his room at 5:45, turning on his alarm, having it go off, the yelling up the stairs, etc. 

We drive to school - fortunately, we're all at the same place now. 

I put on the hot water for the tea and turn on the copier, unless my co-worker gets there first, sort through my email, figure out which day it is (we have a rotating block schedule) and make a list of the things I want to accomplish that day in my classes, in my teacher support work, in my tutorial creation.  I work for about 11 hours if it is a day my kids have a practice or activity.  I go home.  I cook, fold laundry, bake something, check on the sheep, check on the greenhouse plants, go to bed. 

On a school break - I take over the animal feeding that my husband took over when he came home.  This means feeding everyone in the morning; when the horses are done with their hay cubes, I tie up the dogs and let the sheep out into the pasture.  Then I work at whatever task it is that I set myself: school breaks are divided between cleaning house, dealing with the greenhouse plant turnover (pulling, transplanting, starting seeds), and working on the garden.  The October break is the most devoted to gardening, at Christmas, I have to do Christmas stuff, at Spring Break, I have to do taxes and financial aid stuff, in the Summer, I do all the clothes sorting - exchanging uniforms, buying new shoes, clothes, letting down hems, replacing buttons, etc.  I also do a lot of paperwork sorting - emptying files of old records, etc. 

It seems like being a mom/teacher/gardener/animal caretaker all have their seasons and routines.  The trick is to plan out each day and each season correctly...something that I don't always do well because I tend to fret and worry over things before it is time to do them.  I need to listen to the rhythm of the days and the plants and the animals.