Good Day

Whew. First day down and both are okay with the idea of heading back to school tomorrow. That's always a bonus. I asked them both, "How was your day?" and from one I got an answer that lasted for the next two hours, and from the other I got a return question, "What's Dad doing with those windows in the back of his truck?" Bet you can't guess which was which, huh?

The sweet and sassy three year old sprouted a new attitude today. Apparently kid 1 and kid 2 were getting a bit too much attention with this whole back-to-school-business. She soaked up the attention of her dad and I while the older two were away... but when they both returned, she found lots of little ways to hold her ground.

It's always a good feeling to get this first day over and done with. It's an even better feeling to get the whole first week under wraps so I can quit feeling like I spend half the day waiting for one bus or another. Since I didn't know what time to expect either kid to return, when I assumed they should be arriving, I walked to the bus stop and I waited... and waited... and waited. Good thing it was a beautiful day to be outside.

True confession. I make the kids take hot lunch at least a couple of times during the first days of school, even if I like packing their lunches (partly because I can monitor what they're eating and partly because it just feels like the right thing- my own mother packed mine daily for 13 years. I know. Spoiled. Different story.) Anyways, I don't want them to be afraid of it later on so they always have that option. We won't even go back to my childhood on this one, folks. We'll just leave it at that. Anyways. I convinced them both to take hot lunch tomorrow, so day 2 and I'm already slacking.

So, I'm ready to get some flack on this one... but I absolutely love fall. Don't worry, I've lived here long enough and I know what comes next- long, cold, dark winters- but I love just enjoying fall for what it is. The cooler weather the past couple of days has been so refreshing! I'm on a kick to get all sorts of things done around here in the upcoming weeks. Helps that I'm easing back down to my whopping one day a week work week, too. I look around this house and see all the cleaning and projects just waiting to be tackled. Today J looked behind the chair in the living room and said enthusiastically, "Hey, Mom! Did you know we have a big spider web back here?" Um, oops. Cool.

What's not cool is the fact that it's already after 11 and my earlier mornings are going to take some getting used to. And getting to bed earlier than I'm used to. So I'm off. Here's to hoping day 2 goes as well as day 1.