No, it’s not Christmas. It’s better than Christmas. School is starting very soon! In our house, this means we have one daughter going into second grade, one daughter starting 4K and one daughter still at home climbing on the dining table and fishing toilet paper out of the toilet (yep, someone forgot to flush). I have to be honest with you about two things:
- I am excited that school is starting.
- I am a little disappointed that 17 month olds can’t skip to seventh grade.
Now at this point you might be thinking “what kind of mother is excited for her kids to go to school?” (me!), “Doesn’t she love them and want to spend every waking moment with them?” (yes, no), “She probably knows how many days, hours and minutes until school starts!” (I might), “She probably just wants to get all her kids in school so she can sit at the Target Starbucks and drink iced coffee all day.” (guilty)
Let’s discuss the real reasons why I am so excited that school is starting and how I survived the summer, shall we? I think my summer would best be described in bullet points. I love them, don’t you?
- husband out of town, mother-in-law to the rescue
- youngest daughter with fever
- middle daughter with fever
- popsicles
- youngest daughter slams finger in door
- someone throws a fit
- head lice. yes, I repeat: HEAD LICE (thank you mother-in-law for your awesome lice-combing-out skills)
- trip to the zoo (while wearing matching Old Navy flag shirts. Yes, me too, thanks to the insistence of my eldest daughter)
- oldest daughter with fever
- arguments
- trip to the library
- another fever
- swim lessons
- pottery class
- arguments
- trip to the library
- ballet class
- temper tantrums
- another library trip
- swim at the lake
- play at the park
- argument
- tantrum
- mall play area (icky)
- monsoon rain
- basement flooded
- flower girl for a wedding
- trip to water park
- trip to Old World Wisconsin
- visit from grandparents
- sandbox sand
- playdates
- McDonalds (gasp!)
- diaper explosions (unrelated to McDonalds)
- someone ate her own poop. yes, POOP.
- bike rides
- scraped knees
- PBS Kids
- nursed about 15,826 times
- 1,734 messes in the living room, basement, bedroom, bathroom and any other room ending in “room”
- bandaids
- arguments
- and plenty of hugs, kisses, and love. of course.
Now, in between each and every one of those little bullet points you can insert –> Starbucks Drive Thru in red minivan and me whispering to myself “It’s all going to be okay.”
What a summer. And to think there are a few days left before school starts. Think of the possibilities!
So when the “most wonderful time of year” arrives will I shed some tears when we walk our oldest daughter to her first day of second grade? Yes. Will I shed even more tears when we walk our middle daughter to her first day of 4K wearing a backpack nearly as large as she is? Yes. Will I cry when I am home all alone with my 17 month old who will still be climbing on my kitchen table and fishing toilet paper out of the toilet? Yes (for different reasons). But it will all be okay. We will fall into a new routine and I will find one last time to go to Starbucks and celebrate and it will be a bit quieter in the red minivan with just me and my energetic toddler. Who am I kidding, I will still be at Starbucks all the time. But it sounded much more nostalgic to say “one last time.”
So, how was your summer? Eventful like mine? Did it drive you to drink at Starbucks in your minivan? Are you ready for pre-school or school to start?
No drive through at our Starbucks :/ and there is no way I am dragging three children in there with no play area so…
And man, they were in a perfect location to have one and a new building so they should have insisted. They would make so much more money from desperate mothers like me