Figuring Out New Schedules

     We were a busy household of four for the first 10 years we lived in our house. Then, DD2 came along, right as the older two were tweens, on the edge of being teenagers and our lives literally exploded with business. There were weekend soccer and football games, and traveling basketball and softball. Trips out to the ski hills, boy scouts and girl scouts, and all of this while hauling a baby, then toddler, then preschooler along. Then, one after the other, the big kids as we fondly referred to them, got their drivers licenses and a bit of my running lessened. One graduated and moved off to college while child two did most of her high school in a community college, plus worked a lot of hours, along with volunteer work and other commitments. Then, she graduated, and moved on to college. While she came home summers, she worked a lo as she had her sights on grad school in London. Now, after 10 years with mostly just a busy household of three, and readers will know ho busy our youngest schedule was, and by proxy mine, the calendar is deafeningly quiet. While this is only week one of empty nesting, I already fear I'm getting into a rut.

     Considering that DH works until well past 8:00 on Monday, Tuesday's and Wednesday's, and 5:00 Saturdays, I have a lot of tie that is only my own now. Pup fills in the void  little bit-he needs his early evening walk. I am thinking of reaching out to my neighbor across the street to see if she and her dog would want to get on the same schedule as pup ad I. She works from home though, so I think they walk a couple times during the day to break up her sitting and screen time. After work I had to get a receipt mailed to DD2-reminder, college kids need all the receipts for their textbooks. Our post office is downtown so I took pup along and  we walked on the river walk and then downtown. I almost stopped at the brewery, dig friendly, for a pint, when I saw how hopping it was and recognized a few faces. DH had texted that he was on his way home, so I scrapped that plan, though did chat a moment while pup got some love from an acquaintance sitting on the outside tables. 

     DD1 is trying to connect with both people she used to now and new younger people. It is hard when you've been away for so long to just pick up friendships. Her last job in Wisconsin she was surrounded with young people, paid really poor. Here, she is paid moderately well, but has no colleagues around her age or lifestyle. She has joined an evening volleyball league and really liked that, plus her gym.  Though, people don't really interact a the gym, unless it is a class. I don't want her to feel like she needs to come over and babysit her mom as she is filling her schedule with new opportunities. Still, sweet girls that she is, she came over Monday to walk pup with me and we are going to the big farmers market in St Paul this morning and for a coffee. 

     What I need to spend these first few weeks on is getting my house back in order. It really hasn't had a full top to bottom deep clean since before her grad party in June. We've been living with quick tidy's and an occasional dust and vacuum. That would help me feel like I am transitioning the house into a home for our now household of two. I've got trivia on Wednesday nights and we are going to try and get the faltering book club another try next month. There's the start of Sunday football games so if I get my house really cleaned, I'd be comfortable having friends or family  over to watch and not resort to expensive afternoons in the nearby  pub. I have time to read more, though DD2 took my library card by mistake, so I'll need to get that back from her. I can write more, maybe getting out of the house for a few hours on Saturdays to the library for a change of scenery. I have empty nester friends to connect with, no excuses to say I'm so busy. Yes, this really could, should be a good time to reboot my out of work life.