Our family vacation was so much fun that I forgot one of my work passwords.
1. Back to school. Back to school. Back to school.
I’m trying to prepare. I’m trying to brace myself.
One of the pitfalls of having a nanny during the summer is that it makes me complacent. I come home expecting meals ready and the house picked up. Instead, I’m going to have to go back to cooking, homework, cleaning, violin practice (possibly times two), bathing, bedtime.
And I haven’t even figured in extra curricular activities (soccer? pep squad? another instrument?).
Chore parenting, in other words.
I’m trying to mentally prepare.
2. We’re going BTS shopping this weekend. I think. I hope. I would prefer to go to Target, but the girls want me to take them to Office Depot (nice commercials, Office Depot! Well done!). Someone else suggested Staples.
I don’t have time to go three places. Have you gone yet? Where would you go?
3. Clothes sorting.
I loathe this chore. I tried to outsource it this summer (for the spring to summer transition), but I didn’t do a good job, and it didn’t get done well or completely.
I need to go through the closets, see what needs to be donated, see what uniform clothing I need to procure (in short order), update the fall wardrobe and sizes, and see what else I can pass along. For three children.
Who wants to help? I’ve already enlisted my MIL, and offered to pay in wine.
Also, if you have girls under 6 or boys under 2, I probably have some clothes I can give you! Kate’s rapidly outgrowing six 6 (in length, especially). Give me a holler. (Not you, Jen Z. I already have piles of clothes for your little miss.)
4. I will miss summer. It saves my sanity, having a nanny, having long evenings where baths are probably necessary, but early bedtime is optional. I *hate* chore parenting — I like summer time parenting better. I suppose I am not alone in this (am I?). Is it a work-outside-the-home-mom thing, or do some of you SAHMs feel this way too?
5. Although, in good news, both Flora and Kate are looking forward to going back to school. They like to learn; they like their friends (mostly); they like their teachers.
They are really looking forward to going BTS shopping. Which was always one of my favorite parts of BTS, too (still is, to be honest).
6. On Monday, of course, I went back to work. After spending more than a week in my company, M was a little confused. When I came home yesterday, he climbed up in my lap.
“Where did you go, Mommy?”
“I had to go back to work.”
“Did you pay the bills?”
Yes, baby boy, yes I did (well, helped pay them, anyway).
Red Pen Mama 
How about a word from a runs-the-growing-business-from-the-home single mom? I like summer parenting better, too. Less pressure to get things done, fewer time constraints, fewer activities, less time spent putting one kid ahead of the other. But on the flip side, it’s harder to find the kids’ friends, too, and they are constantly under foot.
Yes, I have a unique situation here, in that the Niece and Nephew are next door three or four days, so they have automatic playmates! But that is it: less pressure, looser schedules. I even sign them up for stuff like swim lessons and stuff, but there’s nothing *vital* about any of it. I’m kind of not looking forward to school!
I agree whole-heartedly with Susan. The laziness of summer has been glorious for me this year. It’s the first time I’ve gotten to really experience it and it does not suck. But I *am* looking forward to school starting as I know that boredom is setting in. It will be hectic the first few weeks as we readjust to school schedules, a new grade (a new preschool classroom for J), homework, TKD commitments, etc etc.
I’ll take clothes, Katie is a solid 4T-5T at the moment. I will go through mine and give you 3T stuff from Ben?
That’s a deal! Maybe we can make a porch wine date, and trade plastic bins! 🙂
I just sorted through 6 bins of newborn to 12 month clothes in preparation for baby girl #2. My sister helped me with the first sort, but like you I feel like I’m the one best qualified on deciding what we’re keeping and what’s seasonally appropriate. We’ll be doing it again with the two-year-old. I actually enjoy doing it for the kids, but doing it for myself is a drag.
I don’t mind at all doing it for myself, because I have far fewer clothes than the girls! It’s a little ridiculous, actually.
The daycare (I hate that word for an almost-10-year-old) my kid goes to provides breakfast. I will miss that dearly with the start of school. That and the extra 10 to 15 minutes of sleep that will go away when breakfast at home returns.
Summer is definitely more laid back. I have no idea how we will ever get back into the HW routine. The previous four summers, when I was not working, my kid did “school work” three to five days per week. This year, thanks to my working (and often late), she has done nothing. I would not be sad if school stayed away for three more months!
We always go to staples but part of that is living in the Boonies. The older the kids get the more expensive things get. We have a foreign exchange student this year so much of the expenses will be unexpected.
If no one else you know needs them my “almost daughter” just had a baby boy in June and they are on a tight budget. You’ve probably gotten rid of that size though.
All I can say is that most of my friends are sending their kids off to college and pining for the days of BTS shopping. Through all the chaos and crazy and rushing and hustling… take a moment to soak it in and enjoy this time, because it won’t last forever.
It had to be said.
By the way. Not trying to suggest that you’re not enjoying it. I know you are. Just saying, “drink it in.”
I am actually enjoying my kids a lot more now than when they were babies — and I’m not afraid to admit that. I like my older, independent minded children, without a doubt. I will also admit that I’m enjoying M’s toddlerhood a lot right now, probably because he’s my last baby.
And I enjoy the thrill of BTS shopping, the new notebooks, the new pencils. It’s still fun.
As for drinking it in: that’s one of the reasons I think I like summer. We actually get the breathing room I need to just *be* with my kids without constantly wrangling them!