It’s gray and chilly (52 degrees), I haven’t written a blog post in over a week, my baby’s asleep, and my mind is a racing. Be warned this might be a long one. 
Fall:
I’ve been looking forward to fall for a couple of weeks now. Mostly for silly reasons. The bulk of Scotland’s wardrobe for ages 6-9months is pants and long sleeves. I want to break out the rainboots my Mother-in-law bought me, but it’s been to warm to utilize their insulated insides. I’m ready for a change of wardrobe myself- my summer clothes feel so blase’. I’ve been in a crazy reading mode lately, and I’m looking forward to more days like today- gray, wet, dismal, that seems to call for curling up with a good book. I’ve been missing sweaters and comfy knit pants. I’ve been craving soup. 
I have some goals for this fall/winter. I want to learn to accept rain. It’s silly that a rainy forecast so often hampers my day’s plans. I want to learn to bundle up and go out regardless of the weather. 
Themes:
About a month ago I was looking for a way to break up my days, and give my life more structure. I wasn’t happy with how the mindset that “I can do it tomorrow,” was affecting my life. So I established theme days. One for each day of the week. I chose these: spiritual day, intellectual day, active day, homemaking day, music day, work day, and social day. Each week on Sunday or Monday I go through, look at the weeks events and assign each day with a theme. Each day has its coordinating tasks.
On homemaking day I do a general pick up of the house as well as try to do one deep cleaning item- scrub the bathrooms, mop the floors and such. I also make bread if we’re out, and I’ve tried to make one breakfast item each week- a bag full of pancakes, muffins, or granola, just so we have an alternative to cereal. Homemaking day is also my day to do home projects. Often I use this day to do grocery shopping.
Intellectual day is when I practice my Italian, spend time reading a book, follow a tutorial for Photoshop of inDesign, read the news, etc. It’s also the day that Scotland and I read lots of books together.
Active day means we go and do some fun activity outside together. Last week we played tennis. Typically I reserve this for Saturday.
On music day I practice the piano, sing, learn new music, sing, dance with Scotland, and sing some more. I’m always amazed. If I start my day out singing- I’ll sing the rest of the day. I make a point to turn on orchestral music as I make dinner, and sometimes Scotland I will will watch a cello concerto on youtube. (I’m determined to incite a love for the cello in Scotland.) 
Social day I make a point to go out and do something with a friend, I spend a little time social networking- facebook, or e-mailing. I chat on the phone with friends and family, and send texts. 
Spiritual day is the day for me to dig deep into the scriptures, read conference talks, write in my journal, and linger in prayer. 
Work day, I attend to all my work responsibilties- picking out songs for my students, responding to e-mails, learning new music, researching singing opportunities, etc. 
Obviously things overlap. But the simple act of imbuing each day with some sort of structure has diversified my week and helped me look forward to each day. Plus, it’s given me the peace of mind to do things that I too often put on the back burner. I sing more now, I read more, and I feel guiltless lingering with friends. Where once homemaking responsibilities took over my whole week, they are now much more in control. Yes, the house doesn’t get picked up as often, and the kitchen counters stay dirtier longer, I haven’t done a house project in a month or more, but my life is much more balanced, and I’m becoming more of the person I want to be. 

Yup, this is how I find him when I get him up from his naps now- Standing! (Well due to teething pains, he’s usually not smiling.)
Focusing on the Future:
Yesterday, my sister Sabina proposed that maybe we all shouldn’t worry so much about the future, and shouldn’t all ask why in the face of trial. Maybe life isn’t supposed to all make sense, maybe sometimes life is just life, and we should get through it day by day. The meaning will surface down the road. She proposed that perhaps our cerebral way of dealing with life increases the sense of challenge. It’s the whole “knowledge is power, but ignornace is bliss” debate. Her thoughts resonated with me as they came just after I listened to this talk. The talk gave me great comfort as it helped me realize that my fixation with Tom’s career prospects, and the fearful future that is Residency, was best dealt with by focusing less on what might be, and more with what is today. While looking into various Residencies programs a couple of weeks ago I noticed that each school had a section of their website that said something like this: “Due to the stress, anxiety, depression, and marital problems that may arise during Residency we offer these services. . .” Ugh! I’ve fixated on this period of trial ahead of us, too often at the sacrifice of the present. If I want to have a rich life with my family, I can do so. Rather than focusing on how little time I get with my husband, I should focus on how I can spend that time to make the most of it. Rather than worrying I’ll be a stressed out “get through life” type of Mom I can make a point of playing games, smiling, and laughing with Scotland now. 
Food:

Kira’s Island pork salad.
I need to go sing, but can I just say we’ve been eating such good food around here lately! Yesterday: grilled hamburgers with roasted steak fries, and corn on the cob. Monday- Puerto Rican rice and beans with mango and fried plantains. Last week, on Kira’s recommendation Island Pork Salad, as well as Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Pesto. I’ve been religious about my weekly calendar and it has really diversified our meals. I’ve also made a little chart to track what veggies/fruits/grains/proteins we are eating in hopes of diversifying that as well. I’ve become and avid reader of this blog, and have revived my study of nutrition. I’m going to add to my list: I am a nutritionist! Hopefully more on this later. . .