Back to School

                            
It's 9:00am on a Sunday and everyone in my house is still sleeping except for me. What happened to these kids this summer? They are in for a rude awakening tomorrow when school starts. It's here again.

They have picked out their clothes for a week. The bookbags are packed, the papers are filled out, the school supplies have been gathered. My second and fourth grader (YIKES) are ready to go. I am excited. I don't care for the summer very much at all. It's hot, I have no parental standards which makes me feel guilty, summer camp costs a bajillion dollars a week. Most of all I HATE making lunches. HATE IT.

We have to make lunch for summer camp and at the start it isn't so bad. I try to make sure everything is balanced. That they have protein, fruit, vegetable, dairy,ect. That crap gets old really quick. By mid-July I am hating my life and cursing making lunch. I am spreading peanut butter in bread and wondering why I can't just win the lottery so I can have a live-in cook who can make delicious lunches for my kids. It's a chore I despise. It got so bad this summer that I actually did the unthinkable. Wait for it.....I purchased Lunchables. I went back and fourth on the Lunchables. Nutritionally they are crap. Processed, gross, horrible. I'm a little snobby about the Lunchables. But one day I was at the grocery store and it occurred to me that once a week, I wouldn't have to make lunch. I could just grab the Lunchable and go (and add a fruit or carrot sticks). I purchased them. I hid them in the bottom of my cart so no one could see them. I mourned the loss of the nutritional standards that I once had for my children. It was sad.

No more packing water bags or ensuring they have field trips. Getting a raise from discontinuing summer camp. Yes, I am ready for school to start. I wrote out checks for the children and stuck them in their folders, "Girls, this is your lunch money - don't forget to turn it in." I was almost giddy just thinking about not having to make lunch anymore.

The first day of school used to make me sad and nostalgic. I am becoming a professional at this by now. This is my 5th back to school. I am getting it under my belt. I imagine I will be sad next year when my daughter moves to the middle school. Ugggh.

We were driving around yesterday after getting some last minute school stuff and my daughter was pointing to all of the big house she wants us to move in to (as if). I remarked to her, "Why are we going to need a big house like that? In 9 years you'll be going away to college." She said, "So?" So I smiled at her and said, "When the kids are out of the house we can just throw big parties." She rolled her eyes at me, "You'll be old then." I laughed, "When you go to college, I'll only be 38 - everyone will think I'm your sister." She was not happy when I said that. "NO, you will be old then." I will feel kind of old tomorrow when I drop her off at the school. She won't let me walk in with her and she definitely won't hug or kiss me good bye. My second grader MIGHT hug me but she will walk in on her own too. My girls are getting big.