Last week of freedom!

Next Tuesday school starts. I need a personal assistant. I'm going to have 5 kids spread out over 3 different schools. One starting high school, one starting middle school, one in 3rd grade, and 2 in kindergarten. School is a week away and I'm already having trouble keeping things straight. We have kindergarten orientation, ice cream socials (which of course overlap each other at each different school ...oh to have 3 of me!), final school supplies to be purchased and last but not least, something that remotely resembles a routine to try and crawl back into.

Tonight we start with regular bedtimes again and I know already that its going to be a challenge. We all love the lack of routine that comes with summer vacation. I am not the mother that looks forward to her kids going back to school. I live for summer and the lack of routine. If I could spend every day hanging out with the kids by the pool, playing with the dogs, going to the park and generally being an unorganized bum, then thats how it would be! Unfortunately though, society mandates that we teach our kids organization and ensure they get a good education, so my 3 month vacation sadly comes to an end. I get to go from being super-bum to super-Mum.

Ben is very excited to be starting school. We already did the most of the back to school clothes shopping, but Ben is adamant that he needs a dinosaur t-shirt in order to start school. Why a dinosaur t-shirt? I have no idea. In his mind though, a dinosaur t-shirt is a mandatory requirement of starting kindergarten, so I guess we'll be heading to Fred Meyer this afternoon.

The little ones are going to be in PM kindergarten, and have been place in a programme called the "Older/Younger" programme. This means that instead of going to regular school, they'll attend a specially built classroom at the high school and each have their own "Older" (a high-school student with an interest in early childhood development). They'll each receive a bunch of one-on-one attention which will be awesome! I'll be driving them to school each day, and then they'll bus home with Molly. I'm thrilled that they're going to be in PM ... AM would have meant them bussing to school with Molly (or me negotiating the school parking lot with 100000 other mothers). I had visions of standing at the bus-stop in the pouring rain trying to negotiate with Ben over getting on the bus, so this way life will be much easier. I can drive them, stay as long as I need to in order for them to feel settled, and they still get the thrill of the bus ride home.

Everyone keeps telling me how much I'm going to love having half days to myself. I'm having trouble seeing it. To go from having 5 kids at home all day, to half a day alone is going to be weird. This house is never quiet and I honestly don't think I'm going to like it here very much by myself. I plan to volunteer in the kids classes a lot this year ...something thats been difficult to do in the past as I've always had little ones at home.

Its been 14 years since I had a part of a day to myself ... I'm out of practice! What do people do all day with no kids to referee? My next door neighbour just had her first baby last week. Maybe I can go steal her kid for a few hours each day just so I don't feel lonely. I don't know how she'd feel about that, but I think its a great idea. Maybe I should join a gym. For the last 5 years I've maintained its something I'd like to do, but haven't had the time. Now I'm wondering if really had that much to do with not having the time, as opposed to not feeling particularly motivated to go sweat for an hour a day on machines designed to make you miserable. Still, its an option. I know people who do it and actually enjoy it. I love walking, but the climate here doesn't lend itself to long daily walks, so maybe the treadmill at the local gym is the way to go. Maybe I'll meet another Mum who's also feeling lost and lonely with her kids all in school.

I am SO not ready for this. Espescially the little two. These are my babies, and in another week they're going to be independant little school kids picking up other little kids bad attitudes and slang sayings along with their education. I'm about to enter the phase (yet again) where the teacher knows EVERYTHING and Mum knows NOTHING. For the next two months I know I'm going to hear "But Mrs ................... said ....".

I don't like it. I don't like it one bit.