The bliss of normalcy

As I sit at my desk in the room that Glen and I refer to as our "home office," I cannot help but overhear the unmistakable slurping sounds that are coming from right next to me: Lager, our beautiful 12-year-old Labrador, is licking himself with an almost OCD-like concentration.

Slurp. Slurp. Slurp.

David pads into the room to announce, with great delight, that he has finished Chapter 4 of the first Harry Potter book. "I hope to get through Chapter 6 tomorrow!" he proclaims, all giddy. Never mind the fact that it's already 10:30 on a school night.

I wander downstairs in search of a quick snack (a bologna sandwich did the trick) and pause to look at the pile of laundry just sitting on the floor next to the washing machine. I move on.

Once in the kitchen, I take mental note of the open plastic box that serves as my portable filing cabinet for all things pertaining to Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts. The counter is a mess. I go about my bologna sandwich business and go back upstairs.

Back to Lager: he is now in repose on the floor next to me, chin down between the paws, resigned to the fact that he only got a crust (or two) of the aforementioned bologna sandwich. A deep, dramatic sigh emotes from his sturdy frame.

The clock on the wall is ticking. Loudly. I can't tell if it's trying to remind me that I should be getting "real work" done, or simply be heading to bed.

I know that, one day all too soon, I will look back on moments such as these and yearn for the normalcy of it all. Kids - still small and still thinking that I am cool - tucked into bed; the sweet dog at my feet; the house in satisfying disarray.

I resist the urge to go into "the zone" and tidy everything up. Were it not for the late hour, I'd more happy to go back to the kitchen and cook up some of the cookie dough in the refrigerator.

Not tonight. Tonight I pause, and take it in. And enjoy the precious gift of being a mommy.

After a long hiatus ...

Well, this is awkward.

I know that I do not have scads and scads of devoted followers of my blog, but I must say that, were my livelihood dependent upon regular posts, I'd be broke.

But I think that one of the reasons that I haven't had any deep thoughts to share is that ... well, life has been pleasantly uneventful. With the exception of one thing: I have changed jobs.

Any mom who works outside the home - full time, part time or otherwise - is more than aware of the constant battle within her heart as to how to divide her time equitably between many obligations and responsibilities: the office, the kids, the home, etc. So, when the opportunity can to take a full time position at David and Elizabeth's school, I jumped at the chance. Not just jumped, but LUNGED.

I am now happily taking on the role of Director of Admission at Foothill Country Day School. I am so lucky that the school's leadership took a chance on me, a person who has 12 years of experience crunching numbers but very limited background in the world of admissions.

Additional details and reports from my new headquarters will be forthcoming, but suffice it to say that David and Elizabeth love hanging out in my office at the school as much (if not more so) than they did at HMC. And they like to bring their friends by. And their friends' friends.

It's awesome.

First day of school, for all three of us!