First day!

Yesterday was the first day of school for my oldest two kids. The third one starts pre-K after Labor Day (Mama is not happy about the public schools going back to school two full weeks before Labor Day when the norm here for years has been to start the day after Labor Day). Everyone was in fine spirits yesterday morning, even though I forgot that my clock isn't 45 minutes or more ahead - it's only 10 minutes. So I rolled over and went back to sleep at what I thought was 6:30, but was actually 7, when I wanted to be getting up. But I made it up in time to get everything done, so all's well, right? Especially given the nightly screaming fits Miss V has been having. I'm hoping it's molars or something non-permanent. If this is a new personality quirk, I am not amused.

Miss G came home from her first day of first grade completely wiped out. Her top two front teeth are loose and probably hurting, but she can't talk about anything right now without sounding like she's about to cry. I had to wake her up this morning, so I know she's exhausted. I might suggest a little nap this afternoon (yeah, right).

Mr. T started third grade. Just typing that makes me want to cry. He looks so grown-up in his back to school pictures. Something about him aging makes me sad/nostalgic/introspective in a way that his sisters aging does not. Probably because he's my first. My first child is 8. My first child is two years away from middle school.

Miss S is mad because her sister and brother got to start school and she didn't yet. She had to wear her own first day of school outfit yesterday, since it wasn't fair that T and G got to wear their new outfits and not her. I appreciated her logic and let her wear it (it's easily washed).

So now I'm anxious to hear if the fallout from the first day makes for a less than wonderful second day. Sigh.

My next book...

I'm debating starting the books by Lauren Willig. The first one is the Secret History of the Pink Carnation. I think there are four or five others. I saw one at my long leisurely (kidless) trip to the library last week, but since I knew there were others, I thought I'd do some research and see if I needed to read them in order. I have yet to do that research, so I don't know if that will go on my list.

I finally came up on some of my paperbackswap wish lists, so once those books come in (Four Dukes and a Devil, Sleepless in Scotland and How To Tempt A Duke), I'll have a lot of reading to do. The kids go back to school next week, so maybe I'll have time. Not likely, actually. For the first couple of weeks, it will be as rough on me getting back into the routine as it is on them.

This is our last gasp of summer vacation. We're trying to make the most of it. We went to the Smithsonian last week, something we'd been planning to do all summer but never got around to. We still have to go to Hersheypark, but I think that might have to be a September weekend. This week is dentist for the kids, visiting my family and school shopping with Grandmom (my mom).

Then we have back to school events and end of summer parties. It's going to be a busy couple of weeks, so maybe my reading list will need to be put on hold.

UPDATE: I decided to order the Secret History of the Pink Carnation with my paperbackswap credits. If I like it, I'll either order more (several were available, unlike most books I want which are wishlisted so long I'll get them in the next decade) or through my library (which for some reason only carries the later ones).

It's that day...

The most wonderful day of the year. Well, not really for me. I'm not one of those people who's anxious to send her kids off to school. I'm jealous that their teachers get to spend so much time with them. I miss them already and they've been gone for an hour. Miss G started kindergarten today. I can't wait to hear how her day goes. She's a school-type, if you know what I mean. She just loves everything about it. Mr. T struggles a bit more - he's very smart, but sort of socially behind a bit. He gets better all the time, though.

So a new school for them and Tom, who's teaching general music this year (he hates that). I hope we all find a way to make it in our new life here. The change from suburban to rural small town is probably hardest on me, since I'm a suburb girl born and bred. The kids have known the farm since they were born, at least on visits. Tom grew up here, so it sort of works for him, even if in part he's grown a little too sophisticated in some ways. He still retains the small town farm boy inside, though, just with an orchestral exterior.

This day is probably hardest on one little person in particular - Miss S, who is losing her playmates. I'm planning to put her in a gymnastics class or something so she meets some friends and gets out a bit, but the fall parks and rec book isn't out yet, so that will have to wait a while still.

The joys of moving...

Yeah, not so joyful. It's kind of a long story, but we're moving to DH's family's farm, into a farmhouse that his grandparents (now deceased) used to own that was inherited by my FIL. But it's full - I mean, full - of antique furniture that my grandmother-in-law had collected over the years. Most of that has been moved into a storage unit, but we're really only just starting to feel like we live here.

The kids start at their new school next week and I'm at once nervous and excited. In some ways, I'm just happy to be getting on with things. That's how I've felt for months now. We're unable to do everything we want to do when we want to do it, so it's just been a lot of frustration. I'm sure it's silly of me, but I just want school to start so we can settle into a routine. Silly because so often we pin high hopes on an event that just doesn't ever live up to our expectations.

In less than one week, I'll have just two kids home with me, only one of whom can do anything, so it will be like having one kid for the most part. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to entertain her all day long, but we'll make it.

Counting down...

Only six more days until school starts. That means six more days where I don't have to stress about where we need to be and when in the mornings. I'm a little worried that I've taken on too much this year, at least three days a week. Miss G's preschool starts at 9 and Mr. T's school starts at 9:20. I have to take them both to both places. They're only a few miles apart, but the hurry-up part will make me a little crazed on those mornings, I think.

It's been rainy and cool here for the past couple of days. I'm starting to think fall, even though I know it's just a tease and will likely be nasty hot by the weekend again. I love fall. I love back to school. Tom thinks I"m insane, but I really love the newness and the whole fresh slate of possibilities. Even now, as an adult who hasn't even been to college in seven years, I can't help but think of all the new things I can do and create. Fall inspires the crafter in me. I always take on new projects this time of year. And get sudden bursts of creativity or organization that just overtake me. On Saturday, I emptied out our very cluttered kitchen to make room for the projects I'm going to want to do. I don't even know what they are yet. I just know that once fall settles in, I'm going to want to create. Something.

Also on Saturday, I bit the bullet and just bought the whole list of school supplies. I'd been trying to buy a little bit along the way so it wasn't all at once. But my memory is kind of crap and I kept forgetting to take the list with me. And of course, I couldn't remember anything on the list except pencils. Yeah, got those. I took the list and bought everything. But I don't mind. I'm actually (not so) secretly happy to have a reason to buy school supplies again. I love them. In years past, I've always bought myself new pens and a notebook or two. Just because. Who doesn't love a fresh notebook and pretty pens?

I'm trying to decide if we're going to shop for back to school clothes. We don't have a tax-free day or anything this year, so there's no incentive there. And Mr. T hasn't really grown so much that his clothes from last year don't fit. In fact, they still look quite nice. And the weather, today's rain excluded, will be warm for at least another month. I'm thinking of waiting until it actually does get a little cooler and trying on his winter clothes to see what he really needs. And Miss G really only needs new tights, since she wears dresses year round. Lots and lots of new tights. Most pairs only get worn once before they have a hole ripped in them.

The last thing I'm thinking about is our trip to the beach. I haven't expressly told the kids yet, but Mr. T is a smart cookie. I think he's figured it out from listening to adults conversations. Miss G and Baby S are going the whole week of Labor Day with my mother. My dad and Mr. T and I are driving down for the weekend. I have these visions of getting loads and loads of stuff done around the house. I think reality is going to go a lot less ideally. But getting some things done will be nice anyway. Now if I can just avoid the black hole that is the Internet.

Last day of school...

I think I'm the only dork parent who's teary-eyed at the thought of the end of the year - and not because I'll have all three kids (and Tom) home all summer. It's been a really long year for Mr. T in school and I'm glad to see the end of it. He's grown a lot, physically and emotionally. And I can't get over how he just picks up anything and reads it. Anything.

When I was in school, I had this bittersweet thing about the last day of school. I hated to see it end, but I wouldn't give up summer (and sleeping in) for anything. And I always looked forward to starting school again. I didn't really love school all that much, academically. I guess inherently I'm a people watcher. I loved being around all the people from school.

So starts the summer. Typically, we go spend a lot of time at my husband's parents' farm. He drives a tractor while I play farm wife and the kids have a freedom they just don't have here in the burbs. Then we'll spend some time here trying to clean out the basement from the mess we made all winter when it was too cold to spend any time down there, just shoved the Christmas decorations in a corner. Then two crazy adults are going to drive three kids for 8-9 hours. Yeah, that'd be Tom and me. Tom's brother Uncle E is receiving his Ph. D., so it's a big deal, so we're all making the trek southward. I'm so crazy that I'm excited about it.