Wednesday, July 9 - Thursday, July 10

How can we be so busy when it's summer? Suddenly it feels like November. Wednesday I worked on campus all day, and the girls occupied themselves by walking to Ebisu for snacks, reading, and who knows what else. Lucia began cleaning out her closet, a summer goal, and her room is now unnavigable. She actually spent most of the day IN her closet, because as she emptied it she'd found all of her tiny Rilakkuma and Sumikko Gurashi sets, and spent hours creating an elaborate setup on one of her closet shelves. By bedtime, nothing had returned to her closet, and I fear this is one of those projects that--like alphabetizing-by-author a large collection of books--seems doable and then instantly becomes impossible. 

Today I started the day with physical therapy at 7am. Then I worked from home but managed to have a very very busy day. Greta read and played solitaire. Lucia continued her epic closet clean out by going through stacks of old papers and schoolwork. She put all her clothes back in her closet. So there is some progress, though her room is still a disaster. Greta's room is equally chaotic, and I am trying everything to get her to also engage in a summer clean out, to no avail (yet).

At 3:45, I drove the girls to math tutoring (they were not happy) and spent an hour reading a book and drinking a latte. Then I drove them home, where I once again did not really cook dinner (leftovers), and then Lucia and I drove BACK to exactly where we'd been for her XC practice. I took long walk, 2.7 miles, and nearly collapsed on the trail. I am so very, very, very out of shape. But I persevere. Her practice didn't end until nearly 9pm.

Then I came home and had to do five million dishes (how, when I've given up cooking?), and then we watched an episode of This Is Us. Greta, starving, made herself and Lucia a frozen pizza, while I polished off two bags of popcorn. I am ready for Andrew to not be in Peru so someone can do the driving around while another parent--a second parent!--prepares some food for dinner. The way the schedule has been this week there's not even time to order in, unless the timing would work out exactly right within the fifteen-minute window we have to eat.

Next week is going to be even crazier, with Greta starting summer rowing at 6am every day, which also requires an 11am pickup (how??). And Lucia will be starting her camp counseling job, as well as continuing her thrice-weekly XC runs. I have a work week with meetings I can't cancel filling every day since graduate orientation is getting closer, and Andrew told me last night on the phone that he might have to go to California for a couple of days. Tossed in are also piano lessons and tutoring. There is literally no physical possibility of making all this work by myself. (Two very lucky people reading this blog might be getting an invitation to help. Please don't block my call.)  

It's going to be so much easier once Lucia has her license.