Back to School

Summer lovin’ had me a blast. No really. It was glorious.

But now school is back in session. And it’s time to get back at it. Woo-hoo. Emphasis on the hoo. We’ve been back for 4 weeks now but today was the first day it didn’t really feel like summer.

As we embark on a new school year, here are a few observations I’ve made in my suburban utopia.

The start of the school year is rife with conflicting emotions.

The sadness of no more beach. And hanging out on the deck. And having lazy mornings. Paired with the sheer elation of having some “me” time back when sliding door of the minivan closes as you wave goodbye and say I love you.  In my case, I’ve gained 2.5 glorious hours, 3X a week. I know, it’s hard to figure out what to do with all of my free time. Should I go grocery shopping? Check email? Clean up from breakfast? Figure out what to cook for dinner? Do the calendar? Go to the gym? Do PTO stuff? Lay on the couch and watch Kathie Lee and Hoda? The possibilities are endless.

All of the moms, dads and teachers at drop-off and pick-up are having the same mundane conversations.

How was your summer?

Good. Good. But I’m definitely enjoying getting back into the routine.

Yeah, us too. So good to see you.

Have you EVER heard ANYONE say, “Yeah, our summer really sucked.” Or, “I’m so glad to finally be getting rid of my kids!” No one says it. C’mon people. I know everyone is thinking it. And how many of you have heard, “WOW! He got so big!” It’s like, “No shit Sherlock.” It’s been like 10 weeks. Kids grow. Duuuuh. Why the fake amazement?

The morning routine must be reinstated.

Seriously, it’s like the summer actually made my kids dumber. They’ve completely forgotten that in order to go school you need to get dressed, eat your breakfast and brush your teeth. Is that too much to ask? And those are just the big three – this doesn’t include going to the bathroom, brushing your hair, grabbing your backpack and getting into the car. Oh no. I’ve decided this year to use reverse psychology. When my kids decide to play or do whatever it is besides getting ready for school, I’ve been sitting down on the couch and threatening, “OK. Well I’m just going to have a cup of coffee and you guys let me know when YOU want to go to school.” They look at each other in sheer terror and scream, “Nooooooo! We’re getting ready. We want to be on time!” Ha. Suckers.

I am eternally behind!

I just can’t believe I STILL haven’t gone through all of the papers and art work that they brought back by the grocery bag full at the end of last year. It’s still sitting in my living room waiting to be sorted into 3 piles:

-Things I want to hang up somewhere in the house

-Things I want to throw away

-Things I want to keep as a memory so I store it only to ultimately throw away in a few years because I’ll look at it and think, “Why the hell did I save this?”.

That’s all I got. Here’s to a great year – whatever grade you may be going into. And in the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, “May the force be with you. Always.”

Mason and Jacob on their first day of 2nd grade. I have 2nd graders already! WTF. How did this happen?

Skye on her first day of preschool. (2nd year of pre-school, Kofefim class) Who is this fancy fancy girl?