As I mentioned before, I’m not a big fan of summer ending and school starting. I love fall, so that helps a little bit. I did a major decluttering and organizing of everyone’s dressers and closets a few weeks ago. We did all the school supply shopping last-minute. I will not do that ever again. It was terribly stressful. If I had waited even one more day, my kids would have gone to school with empty backpacks and no new shoes. The stores were wiped right out of most everything only one day after I did our shopping.

Our lives go into high gear once school starts and it’s usually a blur until the end of May. The worst of it is between now and January. I stress out every year over this time period and somehow it all works out.

Above are some pics from the first day of school. We were running late. Thankfully, I am very organized and always have everything ready the night before, so while we were late by my standards, the kids all made it on time. I know you’re thinking, if you were so late how did you take so many pictures? Fast shutter speed, my friend. I take a gazillion in a row. Click, click, click, click, click.

So Miranda started kindergarten. She didn’t want a man for a teacher. She was less than enthused the first week of school and that saddened me, but she seems just fine with it all now. She goes full day kindergarten. We have to pay for half of the day. She has a woman teacher for half the day.

Ally was very excited to get the teacher she wanted. She’s been very happy to be back to school and not a single complaint out of her. Imagine that? Ha-Ha. Zachary had this same teacher a couple of years ago and I really like her a lot.

Zachary started middle school. I don’t know why I was so nervous over this. I kept thinking he wouldn’t be able to open his locker or he would get lost and not be able to find his classes. Yes, we went to orientation, but still. I was so glad that band and orchestra didn’t make the students bring their instruments the first week because I was stressing out over that. I mean where does a kid put a cello and how does he carry it all around? Ha-Ha. I bought him a locker organizer that didn’t fit. I’m still hunting for one that does.

Matthew went to preschool. We switched preschool programs and then switched him back after a week. More on that later.

Four kids, three different schools. Three different buses. One no lunch, two sack lunch from home, one school lunch.

The first week of school, our day went like this:

Drive Zachary to school. Drive Ally to school on days she has safety patrol. Miranda takes the bus. Drive Matthew to school. Pick Matthew up around noon. Zachary gets home around 3:15, then go get Ally and Miranda early from school on dance and karate days.

Now that we switched Matthew back to his other preschool, he will have a bus available, so we won’t have to self-transport him.

But even this schedule will be changing soon.

Zachary is in Viking Leadership and drama club. So he will need to be picked up after school. Thankfully, this won’t interfere with anything else because he gets out of school earlier. And one added bonus that I am so thankful for is that the orchestra director has a cello for him to use in school. So he doesn’t have to haul his cello back and forth and down a flight of stairs to the music room. And speaking of music, guess who is Vice President of The Music Parents of North East? Yes, that would be me. I’m looking forward to contributing and participating and want nothing more than to help the music program. More on this later, too.

Then as Ally gets closer to dance recital time, they often add a day or two to her dance schedule, so she’ll have to be picked up early from school on at least one additional day.

And the fun really doesn’t even start until AFTER school. HAH! Let’s just say that my day doesn’t ever seem to end and I often have to ask what the date and day is. To me every day is Wednesday. My work deadline day. Well, it feels like that. How I quit coffee is beyond me. I do have to admit that after 3.5 weeks of being vegan, I am feeling GOOD. It’s amazing and the change couldn’t have happened at a better time.

It’s wonderful when the kids get home from school. I love the chatter about their day. I like them asleep earlier, too. 😉 So, it’s not all sad and bad.

The weather has been whacked out lately. It’s in the 30’s-40’s in the morning and the 60’s in the afternoon. The kids fight me daily to continue to wear shorts.
I’d like to have a little more warmth. I’m so not ready for the whole heat on thing to start. Gabe has been keeping a fire in the fireplace and it’s been really wonderful.

I really hope there’s a couple of nice weekends before it gets too cold. I love to go on the nature trails and bike trails in the fall.

September is almost over already. How can this be true?