Whatever Happened to "I Don't Want to Grow Up?"

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it. ~ Ferris Bueller

I sent three kids off to school today. I can't believe I am now the parent of a fifth grader (middle school next year!), a third grader, and a kindergartner. Even though no one slept well last night (with the exception of Lucy), everyone was up and at 'em this morning. I even - gasp! - made breakfast, one that actually involved the oven. We got to school with time to spare. Mathilda didn't know what to think as, one by one, Bethany, Connor, and Lucy disappeared into their respective lines to go into school. But three kids were smiling and happy to start the new year. This will be our only year having three kids in the same school.

This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I must admit it was nice to go home with Mattie to a quiet house. I miss summer already, but I will enjoy my time with my little stinker. Everyone had a half day, and after a quick lunch at home we went to hang out at a friend's house for a couple hours. The kids and I met Chris's mom and step-dad for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant for Taco Tuesday, and then had to run to the store for a few things. It was a long day, and I was dragging all day long. I need to either adopt a caffeine habit or start going to bed earlier.

Nothing is as far away as one minute ago. ~ Jim Bishop

I do seem to have a bit of a problem on my hands. Lucy is still ticked that I'll be picking her up before lunch every day. She says she is ready to stay at school all day long. This makes me so sad. I told her I wanted her to get used to getting up early every morning and going to school every day, and then we'll discuss switching her to full day. She didn't like my answer. Originally Chris and I thought we'd probably switch her to full day after Christmas. I have a feeling it is going to be much sooner than that. Why did she have to grow up so fast? I remember so well when Bethany was in kindergarten and Lucy was a newborn. Now Bethany is finishing elementary school while Lucy is just beginning.

Darn the wheel of the world!  Why must it continually turn over?  Where is the reverse gear?  ~ Jack London

Summer Run Down

This summer has been sublime. Back in May I wrote about some of the things I wanted to do this summer, so I thought I'd go back and review. And I'm surprised to see that we did quite a few things on the list (plus lots more not on the list!).

• Spend a week in Port Austin - DONE
• Go to Rogers City - DONE
• Go to Tahquamenon Falls - DONE
• Make the kids go TV-free for a month - DONE
• Go to Belle Isle - DONE
• Go to the Toledo Zoo - DONE
• Go to the Detroit RiverFront - DONE

And then of course there's a lot we didn't get to.

• Go to Grand Rapids - maybe this fall
• Go to my father-in-law's cabin (Chris went for a weekend with his dad, the rest of us will have to wait)
• Go camping - hopefully next summer!
• Go to Mexican Village 
• Go to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History - maybe on a weekend this fall
• Go to the DIA - ditto
• Go to Greenfield Village - ditto again
• Read Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl with Bethany, and then visit the Holocaust Memorial Center - ditto yet again

We've missed a lot from my list, but the ones we did were pretty good! And then there's all the other stuff we did that wasn't on my list, like:

• Whitefish Point and the Shipwreck Museum 
• Oswald's Bear Ranch
• African Safari Wildlife Park
• Bowling
• Going to the local beach/park/splash pad/nature center
• Having a garage sale
• Spending a day at the beach in Lexington
• Seeing a children's play downtown 
• Going to a concert at our local park
• Sleepovers with friends
• Many days at various parks
• Days spent swimming
• Jungle Java, a local indoor play place
• Sleeping Bear Dunes
• And lots more!

It really, really was such a fabulous summer. As always, I'm sorry we didn't get more in before the start of the new school year. But we concentrated a lot on doing nothing this summer too - which definitely has its own charms!

Happy back to school to you. Happy end of summer, happy fall. 

Bethany & Mattie at the pool

Hanging out with cousins ~ Lexington ~

Connor, Lucy, Bethany, and Mathilda ~ Lexington ~

Sno Cones with friends at the park

Splash pad

Lucy ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~ 

Mattie & Bethany ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

Starting the climb ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

Lucy ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes~

Connor & Lucy ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

Kiddies with their Auntie Mary ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

The kids at Sleeping Bear Dunes with my 'lil sis

Lovely family picture ~ Frankfort ~ Lake Michigan ~

Bethany ~ crystal clear Lake Michigan ~

Lucy ~ beautiful Lake Michigan beach ~ Frankfort

Lucy

Cottage in Frankfort

Connor & the Playmobil pirate ~ Frankfort ~

Lucy enjoying a caramel covered rice crispy treat ~ Frankfort ~

Downtown with friends

Playing in the fountains outside of the Renaissance Center

Oh Canada ~ view from Detroit RiverFront

Carousel ride downtown

Boo.

Today is the official last day of summer break. Tomorrow morning is going to be a rude awakening, since none of us have been practicing getting up early. We've been busy getting clothes and school supplies ready, and I've been filling out the mountain of paperwork that (already) has to go to school tomorrow. 


The kids are getting excited to see their friends and get back into the swing of things. Lucy can't wait to start kindergarten. I'm happy they're happy, but I'm really not ready for them to go back. I always hate to see the end of summer, but this year for some reason I feel even more sad about the beginning of school. I feel like I'm being dragged, kicking and clawing, to the school doors. I don't want to go!


We signed Lucy up for half days, thinking she is not quite ready to be gone all day. When we feel she is ready, we have the option to switch her to full days. She'll stay with the same class and teacher. After going to a meet and greet with her teacher last week, she was disappointed when she realized she will not be staying at school all day. She said she will go half day for two days, and that's it. Maybe she'll be ready sooner than we thought, but I'd still like to give her a couple months to acclimate to going to school every day before she stays all day. She's almost five, but she's most definitely still my baby.


Chris will miss the first week of school chaos because he's in Florida hunting gators. Seriously. (He doesn't actually hunt, but he's going along for the ride with his dad and brother). Here's hoping he comes back fully intact.


I am so doom and gloom lately, I have to try to think of some positive aspects of back to school.

• Running errands with only one kid. I admit, this is a big one.
• One-on-one time with Mattie.
• Only one kid home to mess up the house during the mornings. 
• A relatively quiet house.
• Going on field trips with the kids. I love to chaperon field trips.
• Getting back into a schedule. I'm fighting this, but it's a good thing.
• Meeting my friends for coffee or breakfast and only having one kid with me (or none if I can convince someone to babysit...).
• Sweaters. I'm not a fan of the cold, but I do like my sweaters.

Alright, that's the best I can do right now. What about you? If you have kids heading back to school this week, are you sad or thrilled about the beginning of a new school year? 

Maybe Playing Summer is the Answer

The end is here. Of summer, that is. Technically there are a couple more weeks until the first day of fall, and it's still super duper hot outside, but I know the beginning of sweater weather will be here way too soon. I will miss swimming and beaches and flip flops and temperatures in the 80's. And I will miss spontaneous picnics at the park, sleeping in, and freedom from schedules. Every year it gets harder for me to say good-bye to summertime.

As the weather turns colder, finding activities for kids becomes more and more challenging. Especially because I hate the cold and being outside in it. Because my kids love the water, and we're all going to miss swimming, it would be really fun if we could manage a trip to an indoor water park this fall or winter. One where we could stay overnight and make a mini-vacation out of it would be ideal. There are several indoor water parks within a couple hours of here. I'd like to go to one in a location where there are other things to do as well. Maybe having something fun like this to look forward to - something reminiscent of summer - would help me get through the cold weather a little easier.

The idea has been in the back of my mind to ask grandparents to help fund just such a trip in lieu of Christmas gifts this year. My kids have so much. They'd be fine with just a small gift from each set of grandparents and money toward a weekend getaway. The experience and the fun memories would mean much more than a gift that will be forgotten in no time. I think I'll start pricing out indoor water park hotels so I can have a plan formulated when our parents start asking what they should get the kids for Christmas.

Have you ever taken your kids on a trip in place of Christmas or birthday gifts? Do you think it's a good idea and something they would appreciate?

Time To Ditch The Funk

I've been a little absent from the blogging world...I've been busy with end of summer stuff, and I've also been in something of a funk. This past week I've been dealing with some personal stuff that has pretty much left me feeling crappier than I've felt in a really long time. Plus I'm seriously depressed about the end of summer, and sad about Lucy starting kindergarten. She is happily anticipating the start of her elementary school career, and I'm excited for her, but I am going to miss her.

Sometimes things just are what they are, and I simply have to deal with it and learn to not let it get me down. I can't control other people, but I can control how I react to them. It hit me like a ton of bricks last night that I've been letting myself believe things were a certain way, and really it's not like I wanted it to be. I guess everyone needs a reality check now and again.

Sorry to be so vague.

I'm trying now to get back on track, enjoy the last two days of summer break, and embrace the start of fall and the new school year. I'm making the decision to be happy, and to live joyfully despite everything that is fighting to make me miserable right now. Deep breath. I know I can do this.