September 2023: Learning New Rhythms
One month down, many more to go.
So, it’s officially October! Or, almost-October…I’m starting work on this post on a drizzly Sunday afternoon in late September, but you get it. If eyes other than mine are reading these words, it’s October, which means we’ve been settled into our lives here at St. Vlad’s for about a month now.
And what a month it’s been! Ambrose and Theodora are in school now, Liesl goes off to hang out with Rose the nanny every day from 9-4, and I am back in the swing of things at work.
Special thanks goes out to Rose, BTW, because she’s really a godsend. We share her services with another family that lives right down the hall from us — so convenient, and very affordable. They have a baby and a toddler who just turned two. Rose is incredible with the kids, and has a ton of experience from her years of running an in-home daycare.
We don’t see too much of Jarrod; he’s busy learning Biblical Greek and Old Testament, along with Liturgics, maybe Church History, and probably some other classes I’ve forgotten about. When he’s not in class or studying, he’s at services or, on the case of Thursday evenings, cleaning up the Refectory kitchen as part of his duties as a student.
But, of course, we are managing, and Jarrod carves out time when he can. Monday nights are reserved as family nights for the married seminarians, so as soon as Vespers is done, the kids are Jarrod’s charge; usually there’s a little get-together or program for the spouses, depending on the week. He also makes dinner with us a priority, and always reads Lord of the Rings to Ambrose before bed.
And I find my moments of sanity. I try to wake up at 5 AM every morning for my usual ritual of morning prayers followed by the daily scripture and coffee, 20 minutes of journaling, 10 or so minutes of light reading (I recently finished The New Plant Parent) and then head to the on-campus gym for a workout. It’s a really great facility, and never too crowded.
One of my favorite rhythms of the day is our evening bike time. When the kids come home from school I give them a little snack followed by a bit of screen time until Liesl comes home. At 5, we all head outside; I like to take either the Kindle to get some reading done or my Freewrite for all the noveling I’m doing (ha). Ambrose and Theodora have both learned to ride their pedal bikes now, and love going back and forth down the bike path all the way to the speed bump I’ve set as their limit. Liesl likes to ride along after them on her four-wheeler, or sometimes she’ll get off and run. Other kids and their mothers are usually out there around that time too. It’s just a nice communal evening with fresh air and exercise.
One thing we did start that I don’t have any pictures of is the Catechesis of the Good Shepard, held at a nearby Orthodox church. It’s a Montessori-style catechism program; the class Ambrose and Theda are in is for ages 3-6 (Liesl gets to stay home and chill with Jarrod this year, but next year she’ll be old enough to start). The kids attended their first class last week; I was reading in the main church below the Atrium/loft area where it was held and didn’t hear a single peep from upstairs the entire 90 minutes of class. Everyone must have really been concentrating on their work! Color me impressed. What a neat program.
Other than that little update, there isn’t too much to say. We are making it! Since pictures speak more to how our month has gone, here is a photo dump of September.
That’s about it! If you’re the praying type, pray for Jarrod’s health — he’s had a bad run of stomach/GI issues lately — and for my sanity. It sure is hard being the sole provider and mostly-sole parent, but each day is a new day to learn and grow.
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