The last week has been extremely busy with the back to school details of life. Last week, the focus was on getting Michael settled into his new school. This week, I’m focused on working out a schedule for Sean so that he is both entertained and educated during the day. I really had forgotten how much energy it takes to occupy a 2 year old!
Here’s the link to the (free) online curriculum that I’m loosely doing with Sean: http://www.letteroftheweek.com/Preparatory.html. I’m also doing a daily Bible study related activity with him based on the curriculum used in my church. We also go to the park 1 – 2 times/day (weather permitting) and the library once a week. My final analysis: having two kids at home is MUCH easier than having one home alone. I have literally been exhausted by the end of each day. I’m sure that it’s just my body adjusting to this new stage though. One especially good thing though is that Sean has gone back to taking his naps (something that he fought with all that he had during the summer months).
I’ve noticed that as life gets “fuller”, I need more mental breaks. I don’t normally watch a lot of television, but I have this week. I call it “brain candy”. And what a week…
-I watched the VMAs. I was so impressed by Madonna’s tribute to Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson’s dancing in the opening number. Then, the entire tone of the event changed with the whole Kanye “incident”. For the rest of the show, I was upset not only that he had stolen Taylor Swift’s moment, but also that he had taken away the focus from EVERYONE else for the rest of the night. I really liked Pink’s performance. I still don’t “get” Lady Ga Ga. I was also impressed with the way Beyonce allowed Swift to make her speech after all. Overall, by the end of the show I realized why I rarely watch MTV anymore… (On a side note, I was really upset with Jay Leno the next night when he asked Kanye what he thought his mom – who recently passed away – would have said about the incident. In my opinion, using the “dead mom” card was exploitative. Two wrongs don’t make a right Jay!)
-I watched Oprah’s 2 part special with Whitney Houston. My first impression was that Whitney Houston is still so beautiful. I didn’t really like the first part of the interview though. I felt like Whitney(encouraged by Oprah) was putting too much of the blame for her behavior on Bobby Brown. She said what he did to her but little of what she did to him. Not to say that he didn’t contribute to her downfall, but ultimately she had a choice. Part II was much better. It was more about what she learned about herself and she sang for Oprah’s audience. My favorite line in her song…”I was not built to break”. Her voice is different, but still great. (She still sings circles around most singers!) I’m just happy to see that she seems to be happy, focused and loving herself.
And lastly…
-The Big Brother finale was last night. My husband and I have been watching this season. Jeff, Michelle and Kevin were the top three competitors throughout the season in my opinion, but none of them made the final two. I’m glad that Jordan won though. She’s so sweet AND she did win the last two competitions. Also, she seemed to need the money the most. On another note, I hope that she and Jeff end up together. I like how he carried her as far as he could, but that she was strong enough to carry herself the rest of the way. My husband has been calling them “Nick and Jessica” all season. Jordan is a bit of a ditz (by her own admission). To me, that’s not an insult… I have a ditzy side too!
I think that I’ve had my fill of television for a bit. Too much candy and I get a stomach ache!
So, what do you do to cope/take your mind off things when things are moving a mile a minute in your life???