Back to School

Today is  the last day of summer, and in true Seattle fashion, it's raining and 51 degrees outside. This summer has been weird in so many ways - the weather (lots of rain), the fact that we didn't do a lot, and our camping trips were a flop (except for the one to Potlatch with just me and Jeff which was pretty fun), and we did not go to a single park, beach, hike......pretty much anything outdoorsy and summery. What DID we do all summer?  Well, I can say without a doubt the kids watched WAY too much TV and had WAY too much computer time. We had two great trips to Boise and Coeur d' Alene to visit family. We spent another day with the Spokane Moore's so in all, we visited a lot of family this summer, which was nice. But it still feels like "the summer that wasn't" as Jeff put it. I had such big plans for the summer - each week I neatly penned activities into my calendar - music in the parks, outdoor movie nights in the parks,  festivals, fairs. And we did none of it. Such a bummer. And now it's back to school. Always a dreaded and anticipated time. Who wants to get up early and start a routine again? NO ONE! But who's excited for a new year, a new start, new friends, new clothes.....EVERYONE! As dreaded as that first day back is, it's also a pretty fun time for kids and moms. By the end of the summer, I crave a little routine, and the kids are just plain bored. So getting back into a schedule is a good thing, even though  it means homework, chores, and regularly scheduled meals (another casualty of summer - eating on a whim!). Tonight I'll pack up four lunches, attend sixth grade curriculum night, and try to get the kids to bed by 10 p.m. which, considering their summer "schedule" is super early. Tomorrow, they'll all wake up excited and ready to go....it's the next day, and the one after that, and the one after that, which will be difficult once the first day anticipation has worn off. And me? I'll be back to......what? Time to reinvent myself once again.......