Thursday

Wow. It's been a busy week so far. It actually feels like today should be Friday because I. Am. Exhausted.

Last Wednesday started my marathon week as it was the day I started refinishing furniture for Kaylen's room and the kids and I embarked on our "Operation Kids in Their Own Rooms" journey.

As one day moved into another into another into another it seemed like the energy level was frantic as we worked to get everything done and everyone settled. Instead of "just" refinishing furniture, it felt more like I built log furniture from scratch. Yeah yeah - but still - it was a huge energy outlay. In and of itself, no. But when added to all the other stuff I still had to get done daily, it was big for me.

So now, a week and a day later, the kids have been settled into their own rooms and the frantic energy level has turned to school stating in 18 days. There are still summer things I want to do with the kids. I'm not ready for school schedules to come front and center. I'm not ready for PTO to go full tilt again (didn't we just close out the year?). I'm not ready to figure out new routines for everything. But - ready or not, here it comes.

Kaylen goes back and forth between wanting school to start and being apprehensive about not knowing who she will have for a teacher. Hopefully we will have that answer next week and we can put that fear to rest. It helped to ease her fear when we started focusing on school clothes, shoes, supplies and....wait for it.....Halloween costumes. I know, I know! But the catalogs started arriving and Kaylen has started dreaming. Good thing, too, since to get what you want, you have to order very soon. But not for nothing...it's also a great distraction for her! She can focus on the good things to come and it helps ease her anxiety.

We had a tough day earlier this week when her brain bug made a reappearance and sent her into a frenzy. When all was said and done and she had collected herself, it came out in bits and pieces that she was scared about school and not knowing who her teacher will be. Once we talked about it, she settled down and things have been calm on that front.

Kelton is being a trooper. He has his sights set on one of two teachers so hopefully he won't end up with the third teacher. I would be happy with either of his choices and we talk a lot about trusting his third grade teachers to make a good match for him and his fourth grade teacher. He goes back and forth between being ready and wanting summer to last longer.

It feels like it's not time for school to start because, weather-wise, summer never really got started. I even had to take down the pool this week because after weeks of not being warm enough to swim, when I took the cover off the pool I found larvae in various stages. Um....no thanks. Eeeeeew! Sure, I could have dumped, scrubbed and refilled but given the lack of hot weather and school starting in a couple weeks, it just didn't seem worth it. That and we do have a pool out at Stephanie's house that we can swim in anytime we want. :) (Note to self: next summer add the chemicals every week even when not in use. *sigh* My bad.)

Still - it was sad to take it down because it felt like we only had a handful of days when it was used this year.

Ok - I've rambled on long enough and I have a daughter chomping at the bit to go down around the corner and down a bit to see if the blackberries are ready to pick. She has been busy picking blueberries and raspberries this week and I guess she wants to add a third berry to her collection. If only she would eat the darn things! :) So I'm off for now. Take care!