Back to the Routine. . . with a few mix-up's in the works

Well, it's Monday January 4. Cece is back at Pre-K in the mornings which means we are back to getting up and out of the house in a timely manner. With just Rex and I at home in the mornings the house isn't completely obliterated with toys by noon so my afternoons are more open to playing and snuggling with my girl.

I really enjoyed having her home for her vacation though. We were busy, but it was a happy busy and it went a lot smoother than I initially anticipated. Luckily Cece was able to get out a couple of times- - once to a sleepover at her Mimi's house and once to a Santa's Helper day at her school at the beginning of vacation. While the 4-day snow nuisance, er, I mean "storm" was more annoying than anything else, it left us with some wonderful opportunities to play outside at the end of vacation. The additional fresh air and powder made those last couple of days really great. All in all a good vacation.

It's Cece's week to share snack with her friends at Pre-K this week and she is so excited. We are taking a trip together to BJ's after dinner so she can pick out some of the items to fill the snack bags with. As the snack helper, she gets to work with one of the teachers to prepare and set out the snack for all the kids. At the end of the week the children will all thank her for sharing. It's a great alternative to bringing a snack from home each day.

Now that we are back into the normal routine, Chris and I are considering shaking things up a bit. Cece is ready for something more "full time" and while we can't afford the Pre-K 5 days a week full time, we are considering having her do three full days. She thrives on the structure of the day and is always asking to stay longer with her friends who stay all day. Having her there for three full days would open up more time for me to blog, sew and try to bring in more income for the family while Rex naps in the afternoon. It would also mean I could move his nap up a bit and that will help with the nighttime routine.

Another change in our routine that will be part of the new normal is Cece's skating lessons which start this coming Thursday. She is so excited she can hardly stand it. Chris and I are excited to share skating with her because we both skated as kids. For the next 9 Thursdays she will attend a half hour lesson at Family Ice Center in Falmouth. Her skates are ready to go and so is she. I hope this will make for lots of fun for her and many photo opportunities!

There is comfort is routine, but also excitement in the upcoming good changes. All in all, a good start to 2010.