Things have been busy busy busy as usual. I spend my days at home, working and watching Jax, who turns 2 on Sunday. (You can follow many of our mini adventure here.) I’ve been using my tiny bits of free time to do DIY projects for Jax (like a play kitchen, toy barn, chalkboard, wall art and art corner), designing and sewing quiet book patterns for my blog, and (at the moment) doing crafts and cleaning for Jax’s second birthday party.

This blog is annoying to write in because the software is so out-of-date. But when I try to update it, everything goes blank and has to be restored from backup. Yikes!

Recently I tried an experiment to see how many hours of work I could get in while watching Jax. My hours were dwindling because he now needs a lot more interaction and playtime. I was coming in at around 24 hours a week and I really needed to be at 30. I decided to overshoot for a week and try for 40. I didn’t make it, but I figured out the best schedule for us right now.

At night, I bring my laptop up to the bedroom. That way, I can get in an hour or two of work while Jax is still asleep or just waking up. Around 9 we start getting ready for our day including my shower, getting us both dressed and making breakfast. We’ve been enjoying having time for scrambled eggs and pancakes! From 10 – 12 we play, do learning activities, run errands and I might clean a bit (if Jax is okay with playing in the playroom on his own for 15 minutes.) At noon he has a snack, but is generally too tired for lunch. He takes a nap and I get back to work. When he wakes up around 2 or 3 (depending on when he got to sleep), I usually take a short break so be can have a larger snack/mini lunch. After that, he plays beside me as I work. He can watch a  couple preschool shows we’ve recorded, play with toys and books, or do letter and number games on the iPad. I finish work around 5. If I haven’t made it to 6 hours for the day, I work in bed after Jax is asleep to make up the rest of the time.

This past weekend we visited my dad in his new apartment. He has Parkinson’s and it was becoming difficult for him to live on his own in his townhouse. His new place is in a great community with a lake view and plenty of amenities. He no longer drives, so it’s a big help to have so much at hand, plus rides to shopping. Eventually he can move up to assisted living if needed.

I’ll post again about my nearly 2-year-old! I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone. To quote Jax, “So Saaaaad!!” Heh. I’ll also share his birthday party – a sushi theme for my little sushi lover!