The End of an Era

Doesn't that title make you think something awful is happening? HA!  Well, in this household we have reached an end of an era.

For the past 7 years, I've gotten up (almost) every morning to greet the Munchkin and the Princess but as of today, that changed.  The Princess started pre-school (and the Munchkin, 2nd grade) which means we don't have any extra kids here until about 10:45 when the Princess gets home.  It feels . . .odd to not technically have to set an alarm; watch for the kids; or plan our day with extras.  Sure, they will both still be here after school for each of them, all breaks, snow days and holidays but the day-to-day routine officially changes.  Crazy.

Part of me is looking forward to the peacefulness of the morning.  The boys and I are normally pretty quiet in the mornings.  We all like our space, our ipads, and peace and quiet.  As I'm sure I've mentioned, mornings are not my strong point so the fact that I don't technically have to function quite so early is actually refreshing.

The other part of me is viewing this change slightly differently.

Yes. an opportunity.  The first few hours of my morning have "always" been dictated by something else instead of me just being able to plan my morning.  So, I do have plans to set an alarm (just not quite so early); plans to actually be awake enough to do the Bible Studies I sign up for but never finish because my eyes can't focus in the morning and I just never get back to it later; plans to get out a ride my bike in the morning (this plan is questionable HA); plans to start school just a tad earlier (9;30 instead of 10:00).  Change brings opportunity.

There are other changes too. I have two buses to remember to watch for this year; we have a little less freedom since a bus arrives mid-morning which means even things like haircut appointments and dentist appointments have to be well planned to make sure we are home in time.  I don't mind though because change allows us to see things differently and often make needed alterations to our daily life.

I will also begin looking for some new and creative ways to add to our family income since this change does impact the bottom line.  I've got a whole Pinterest folder dedicated to ways to make money at home (everything from coupons to save on groceries to work at home ideas).  I'm going to start digging through there to see what I can find.  There are some pretty creative ideas out there.  Even things like using Ibotta when I shop to save money to pay for all of our Co-op fees :-) 

So, yes, I admit, I'm looking forward to this change and am excited about what these changes mean to how our day works!