Change of Heart

Yesterday was open house at school. This year we had to wait all summer for teacher assignments, and it was a huge relief to find out that both kids got great teachers. Reed got Mrs. S, Evyn's teacher from last year, and Evyn got a young, energetic and very personable teacher who I have heard great things about.

Reed has been ready to go back to school. Although he claims to hate to read, he really enjoys learning and reading things that he wants to read. The first grade reading requirements will really tick him off, but hopefully we can find things that he will read without too much complaining - maybe Star Wars or automobile magazines.

Evyn has been unwilling to discuss anything school-related these days. This is the same child who cried on the last day of school because she was going to miss her teacher so much and did not want the year to end. Maybe seeing her teacher from last year snapped her back into school mode yesterday. She is now counting the dark sleeps until school starts. Thank goodness for her change of heart. The anti-school talk was really starting to bother me.

But what isn't bothering me these days? I am vacillating between happiness that school is starting and the reality that winter is right around the corner which makes me cringe, happy about getting back to a more regular, predictable schedule and then sad about the morning rushing and 6:59 school bus arrival. I have issues. Obviously, if an elderly man's red pepper flake mess is bothering me like it was yesterday, it is time for a change of routine, a little more exercise and a little more peace and quiet during the day so that I can work productively in a quiet house while my children exercise their little brains.

We have four more dark sleeps before the school routine sets in. I might have mixed emotions and barely any patience left, but I do know one thing - now that the kids are mentally ready to dive into another school year, we plan on diving into a long weekend of fun and productivity, milking those last few days of summer vacation.