Life in Asterisks *****

Recently the first quarter grades for the boys' high school came out. Following close behind was the Honor and Merit Roll List. Both Colin and his middle brother made Honor Roll but Colin had an * next to his name. This meant he was at a 4.0 or above. He is my first boy to achieve this honor and we are quite proud.

I just have to keep reminding myself of this when I want to reprimand my son for his night-owl schedule!

Sleep Schedule

Swim season started this week. This involves 9 practices a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday there is an early morning session that starts at 6:15 a.m. I don't mind being the driver as this allows me to get to work early and have my husband transport the dog to daycare. This is my busy season at work and I need to find ways to have more time in my office.

Last night I could not sleep so I went to the loft so my tossing and turning would not disturb my husband. It was just after 1:00 a.m. and I could hear Colin in his room through the heating vent. The sounds of him yelling out while gaming on his laptop came wafting up the duct work. In four more hours he needed to be up! I was not amused!

I marched down to the basement to find my son still in his school clothes, huddled in front of his computer. I scolded him for being up so late and told him the game needed to end and he should be asleep by now. Colin scoffed at my dismay and told me he had a nap earlier and is fine. I responded with a threat. "If that game is not shut down, I will not wake you to get ready for practice."

I went back upstairs as he continued to play. As I laid back down to try to go to sleep, I noticed the absence of game sounds and soon after he came upstairs to brush his teeth. I decided to cut him a break and wake my son in a few hours. It took two tries and we made it to practice on time.

As much as I wanted to lecture my son, I kept silent and decided to be grateful. Our lives have gotten back to normal*. (*new normal)

Sometimes you just have to suck it up and call the glass half-full. We need to pick and choose our battles. As long as Colin is relatively healthy and getting good grades, I will try to be cautious not to upset the delicate balance of our household.

As always, we are a work-in-progress!