Back to School Eve

The summer is winding down.

Can't say I'm too sad about that. I like the summer activities and the lack of school (for me and the kids) and having more flexibility in our schedule, but I'm not a fan of hot summer weather and trying to figure out how to still get work done in the hot summer weather with dozens of people around all day.

But fall is my favorite time of year, so I'm always excited to welcome the first part of September.

We spent the last few days trying to get last appointments in, physicals finished, medical records updated (which meant a few shots for both Lex and Azia), paperwork finished, and band instruments located. It seems like these little appointments and tasks shouldn't take that long, but when you have five kids and put everything off for all of them because you hate phone calls and appointments and paperwork more than nearly anything. . . well, that means I filled up more than an entire week calling and organizing and driving people all over trying to get everything taken care of.



I've now decided I need two secretaries. One for work and one for my family life.



We never fit hair cuts into the schedule at all.  I remembered this at 11:00 pm and tried to let Zoran at least buzz his,  because of all the lack of hair cuts, his was exceptionally bad– an outgrown, shaggy, -used-to-be mohawk. He  didn't like that plan because he didn't want to get hairy, and explained,  "Mom, don't worry about it. I'm always a little rough the first couple weeks."

He always has a pretty good assessment of things.

We don't really do the easing back into a routine and schedule approach to the end of summer. I guess it would be wise, but fighting with the accompanying grumpiness just isn't worth it to me. Making my kids go to bed two (or five. . .) hours earlier makes them unhappy at night, because it's clearly still summer and they have things to do, even if it is midnight and other more disciplined children are sleeping. I'd rather just enjoy the last days of summer with them rather than fight with them.


So. . .  the first day we just get up earlier. Usually they're excited or anxious enough about the first day they get up easy enough. And since they get up earlier than usual that morning, by night time they're sometimes tired enough to go to sleep at a normal time. And then we're back on schedule. . . such that it is. I think we use that term a little more loosely than others.



 We spent the evening up at the Dam before the first day exploring the shores of the super-low water, boating, and swimming.

Zayda didn't do much exploring, but she was enjoying hanging out outside.

Azia found charcoal and rocks and of course she turned it into an art project.

We were still there as the sun was going down.

We returned to find clothes, take showers, stuff school supplies in backpacks with even more paperwork and forms, and then at a time that I'm fairly confident was at least a dozen or so minutes before midnight, all the kids were in bed, snugly resting for their first day.

Okay, actually they were all on the floor in the living room in blankets. Their rooms are still a disaster.

Things are always a little rough for the first couple weeks.