Countdown to the first day of school!

At our house, we're gearing up for the first day of school, only a little over 3 weeks until the big day! We start here on August 19. It's going to be a busy three weeks. This week, we have to get things ready for camp next week...so I'll be counting out shorts, shirts, socks and underwear for three boys for a week at camp. Plus gathering up towels, toiletries, snacks and sunscreen!
Then...a blissful week with all three of them gone. Just Lynn and I, all week long. What will we do?? Then, a week getting final school prep done, then bam-school starts the middle of the next week. Just 3 1/2 weeks.

The first day of school also means back to work full time for me. I will be getting my stuff together, too. I need new school clothes and some comfortable shoes. I need new pens (the mandatory black), a new three ring binder and maybe a new tote bag to store my files in that I take back and forth to work. I need to take the laptop to the office and have new forms installed by our computer guy. And of course...a new lunch box!!

But, it's also the end to some things. It's the end of letting the boys sleep in...although I've only slept in a couple of days...and only on Fridays when I don't have to make Lynn's lunch. But the boys have...and it's been nice. I always say that the time between 6:30 and 7:30 am is my hardest hour of the day. This year, I'm planning to implement some new policies. For one, everyone is getting their own alarm clock, with incentives to get up and dressed in time to leave the house. I'm still mulling over the incentives, but I'm thinking money...it usually works best.

Additionally, since both Benjie and Jonah are planning on playing football this fall, they will be responsible for getting homework done in a timely manner, along with their chores. And, since they are just far enough apart in age, they will, of course, be playing on different leagues. Sigh. So, as part of my fall routine, I'll be doing paperwork at one or the other football field, watching one or the other boy practice. That's part of my homework.

There will be other changes, of course. After the first week of school we should have a good idea of what the fall will be like. I just adore fall, as most of you reading this knows, so I'm ready for the changes. Our weird but welcome cool July has just made me that much more excited about fall.

Some things will be the same. Lynn and I will still continue to be youth group leaders and will be active in school events...and we'll still host our family breakfasts, hopefully on a more regular, monthly schedule. We'll watch Razorback football on tv, wishing we were actually at the game, and attend Panther games, cheering for the home team. And we'll celebrate 11 years of wedded bliss on October 2. I'll turn 50 on October 16 and we'll host Boo!Bash3! on October 24. We'll trick or treat on the 31st with our besties, Eddie and Melissa and Cameran. We'll have three Thanksgivings-one at our house with Lynn's side, one at church with our church family, and one with my side of the family. I'll put up too many Christmas trees, and complain when I have to take them down, vowing to cut back next year. I won't. We'll attend the local Christmas parade and drive around town looking at pretty lights. We'll say to each other "let's do something this New Year's Eve", but we won't. We'll wish for snow all winter and celebrate the few flakes we actually get. We'll host Easter lunch, endure spring break and then pine for the last day of school. And before you know it, we'll be saying "only 3 1/2 weeks until school starts" and be referring to the 2010-11 school year.

At least that's the plan!

Later!

Cathy