Off Track

The boys are out of school (off-track) for four weeks.

There is a lot of adjusting to our schedule the first week out of school and when it's time to go back on-track we readjust again. "Year Round" school definitely helps kids become well adjusted to change. 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off, 10 weeks on, 4 weeks off. Over and over again, the schedule gets turned on its head and we adjust and readjust.

This time, the whole family's schedule is "off track." The boys play, fight and do their jobs during the day when they would normally be at school. Aubrey is able to play outside more because the boys are with her and she always has her brothers to entertain her. I adjust my schedule as well, refereeing is right at the top of my "To Do" list.

Even Kedar, who is usually unaffected by the kids' school routine, has a different schedule this time around. Instead of working, managing his team, clients and issues that come up, he is spending his time strolling down the streets in El Salvador exploring the neighborhood of his mom's childhood.

This back and forth with the schedule used to be really hard on our family. Going back to school after being off, was scary for one of the boys. It was like the first day of a new school year- every nine weeks. We were dealing with tears and tantrums every morning for weeks after going on-track. It made being off-track hard knowing what was coming.

But now, the change in pace is good for all of us. When the time rolls around for the boys go off-track, we are all ready to shake things up a little. The boys are ready for a break from school and Aubrey is ready for someone else to play with. Then, when it's time to go back on-track their arguing has reached its pinnacle and the kids are ready for a break from each other and need a little bit more structure.

I am learning to embrace the change to our schedule. Change is a good thing.