The beginning of school 2011

I had never been so excited for a school year to start as I was for this year.  Summer was rough for us.  With the exception of our SUPER fun trips, it was pure misery-- which is really not normal for me.  I like having my kids home.  I LOVE not having someone else's schedule to follow. We usually have fun and play a ton.  That was not the case last summer.  I'll leave it at that, but suffice it to say, I was really excited for it to be over and finally get regular breaks from the kids.  Now that it is March I'm a little excited to have them home with me again.

remind me I said that in July when I'm crying and counting down the days for it to end

So, here it is....the beginning of pure bliss.  Well, until homework and extracurriculars took over my life.

The kids were being the biggest stinkers that day and would not let me get a group shot.  I finally gave up the battle and took one picture each and left it at that.  

Then I threw a party to celebrate them being out of the house.

Then I received flowers from Ryan saying he appreciated that the kids were alive to be sent to school this year.  I'm kidding, I'm kidding.  That was just the implied message behind them.  

And then they came home and all was right with the world again.

I have to say, overall this school year has been so much easier for me than last year was.  The schedule that I had with the kids activities about killed me....I felt like I was in the middle of complete chaos and just needed  a break.  Which probably contributed to my difficulties throughout the summer.  I never got to take a breath and "right" myself.

This was my life last year, and let me just say, I know many people who have it worse than me.  They are simply better than I am and I bow to their amazing-ness.

Monday:  Afternoon Preschool

Tuesday:  Morning Preschool, dance (which required me to sit in my car with 2 bored kids for an hour while we waited for Madison)

Wednesday:  gymnastics for Hunter, Afternoon Preschool, Soccer for Madison (once again, 1 hour + 2 bored kids = cranky mom)

Thursday:  Morning Preschool, Piano lessons for Madison followed by an hour break and then Dance for Madison

Friday:  House cleaning day, Soccer for Madison

This was all on top of the normal everyday errands, laundry, cleaning, plus I make breakfast every morning, Madison's lunch almost every day and usually make dinner.  

We were a tad overscheduled....We had to do an entire weeks worth of homework on Monday night.  Otherwise it didn't get done.  In my rank of what's important sleep comes before 1st grade homework.

The hardest part for me was the constant "hurry up and get there so I can wait for an hour" that I experienced.  I only had so many errands that I could run within a few mile radius of dance.  And there was NOTHING by soccer.  Thankfully piano was right across the street!

So this year, when Madison had dance and gymnastics scheduled for and hour each at 4:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I knew what I was in for-- I wasn't excited, but I knew what I signed up for. However, the first week of school I had an unvocalized prayer answered.  I was worried that I would be so harried again this year from the crazy schedule I created, that my kids would end up with a mom that was never happy.  That's not fair to them, but I didn't feel like I had much of a choice.   I WANT my kids in activities that interest them.  They deserve that.

Back to the greatest blessing I could have received-- On Tuesday that first week, Madison's dance/gymnastics teacher called me and offered to let her move up a class and then she would have dance and gymnastics back to back on Tuesdays.  I started crying when she told me that.  It has freed me!!!  Now all I have to do is drop her off right after school-- and I do mean RIGHT after school-- and Ryan picks her up on his way home from work.  Life is manageable again!

So now my schedule looks like this:

Mondays:  karate

Tuesdays: Morning Preschool, dance/gymnastics, and soccer (from Feb to May)

Wednesdays:  Morning Preschool, karate, piano

Thursdays:  Morning Preschool, soccer, my day to cook for dinner group

Friday:  House cleaning day

Now I have some days that I can just be home.  That I can clean and organize and prepare dinner or read a book or get addicted to Vampire Diaries on Netflix or let my kids just PLAY.  That's what kids need most!  Plus now they both get a chance to play with friends during the day.  Not to mention naptime.  Oh, how I LOVE naptime. Hunter is a different kid when he gets sleep.

I can't believe the school year is already so close to being over-- the kids love all their teachers and all their fun activities, it makes the constant sacrifice on my part worth it.  I love seeing how happy and well adjusted my kids are, it makes for a happy mom!

So, if you are wondering why I am so behind on blogging or why my house is always a disaster or why I no longer wear makeup, this is why.  I need sleep sometimes too :)