I seem to have misplaced it. Last time I checked it was right here…and now, well, it’s just about gone. And I find myself scratching my head, wondering where it went. And then, I remember…
- Three Saturdays of my summer went to baby showers and a wedding shower.
- One Saturday went to a family reunion.
- Three Saturdays went to trips to the farmer’s market and two Saturdays went to canning tomatoes.
- Twenty-three evenings and Saturdays went to Little League baseball games.
- Two days went to driving to Michigan and back.
- One Thursday went to the beach in Michigan.
- One Tuesday afternoon went to registering for Middle School. (Hello? Middle School? Already? How did that happen?)
- Countless mornings went to driving kids to camps.
- Eighteen evenings went to guitar lessons.
- And countless hours went to getting ready for “It’s About Time…”
And now…it’s down to the two week countdown until school begins again.
I’d love to say that it’s been a relaxing summer…but it hasn’t really been a relaxing summer. Fun? Yes. Relaxing? No.
I’m grateful for the time spent with family and friends—and for the spontaneous trip to Michigan. I’m grateful for extra time with my kids this summer…but I’m ready for back to school. I thrive on routine…and summer does everything in its power to dismantle my routines. I’m ready for routine.
And so, the preparations for back to school shall begin. In the next two weeks I plan to…
- Update the calendars with school holidays and events.
- Declutter and organize the kid’s dressers and closets.
- Create shopping lists and shop for school supplies and clothes.
- Clean out the family reference binder…and add this year’s paperwork.
- Take Collin to get his shots. (Poor kid!)
- Organize the laundry room for school-year gear.
- Order new backpacks and check to see if the kids need new lunch boxes.
- Set up this year’s school paper / artwork binders and a smaller incubator.
- Sign up for the next round of lessons and classes.
- Go to my nephew’s wedding.
- Go to the end-of-season baseball party.
- Enjoy every minute of it…because I know when summer is gone, I will miss it.
So how about you? Is your summer flying by, too? Are you looking forward to back to school, and if so, what’s on your back-to-school to-do list? I’d love to hear from you!
Back to School To-List:
1. Schedule more play dates in the last two weeks.
2. Try not to cry too often about the baby starting Kindergarten.
3. Buy school supplies.
4. Bless each one and then kill all cucumber beetles in my garden.
5. Think of something wonderful, creative and insightful for my newsletter.
6. Sit outside in the evening more often and listen to the summer sounds.
Yes, I agree summer is gone. My husband started football practice today, my oldest has band camp and cheer camp and I have started working in my room. Summer is long gone. If it makes you feel any better about middle school, I am registering my oldest for her junior year in high school. Yikes only two more years and she will be leaving us.
Sounds familiar. I think we only have 2 more baby showers left over here. Summers just aren’t what they used to be.
We don’t start school til September. Actually, I’ve had a very relaxing summer, but my son is in his last year of HS and doesn’t require as much of my attention like yours. I’ve had 3 vacations (one camping weekend and one 3-day trip to Traverse City) and one week to Maine/Canada. No sports camps. I’ve read numerous fun books too. Moving my daughter to a new apartment took one full day, but it was fun. Plus I helped with one week of VBS (with another to come). All in all, I’d say I’m having a great summer.
My daughter is getting married in 10 days!!! So most of my summer has gone to wedding preparation. After the wedding, I’ll figure out what I have to do to get ready for fall.
Summer’s winding down here and it’s been sort of a wacky one. I just realized we are overbooked in August. I’m going to cut out a few clarinet lessons, hockey practices & tutoring sessions to make sure we get some of our ‘family fun days’ in before school starts up. Next year I think I’ll leave August open, just for family day trips.
No kids, just work… we had our vacation pretty early this year and enjoyed a quiet house when all families in our neighbourhood left for their vacation. It also happened to be glorious weather those weeks so we were lucky. I’m not ready to say goodbye to summer yet.
P.S. Nancy, congrats on your daughter’s wedding!
We only have a month off for summer break because my son is in year-round school. We took 2 road trips, he went to day camp for one week, and we had one week where there was nothing scheduled. He sometimes stayed in his pajamas all day during the “free” week and rediscovered many of his toys. We had several bike rides and water sprinkler fights. Even though the travel adventures and the day camp will be remembered as the highlights of his summer, I think unscheduled playtime is absolutely necessary.
I hate that summer feels like it’s over when we have all of August left to go. When I was a kid school didn’t start until after Labor Day and we still got out in early June … the summers sure lasted longer. But I am excited about my little one starting first. All the supply shopping is done, just need to get a new bookbag. And I can’t wait for the routine either!! Who knew there were so many people like that?? 🙂
I just put a similar post on my family blog. I’m like you, though, in that I really do thrive on routine. I just commented to a friend the other day that, by the end of the school year, I’m ready for an “unscheduled” summer and by the end of summer I’m ready for more structure. We start Wednesday here…2 in school and 2 at home with me. I’m thinking of doing a scavenger hunt out of our daily activities tomorrow…