Back to School

Back to School! Some mom's are crying because they HAVE to send their "babies" off to school and other mom's are cheering because they GET to send their "babies" back to school. Either way, the first day of school is a big deal. I think my kids are ready to go back to school - not ready for homework or sitting inside all day, but ready to be with friends and make those school memories we all fondly remember.

Some children are starting school for the first time, entering an elementary school that coddles and takes care of its own, some are moving to the next level, Middle School or High School, some are moving into new buildings (that's happening for our Middle Schoolers and our High Schoolers), and others are switching school districts...

My "tween" is a 7th grader - she knows all the teachers and has lots of friends but she is moving into a new building so that change made her a little nervous. The good thing is that all of the teachers and all of her friends are moving to the new building with her. The weird thing for me is that she is now in the HIGH SCHOOL building where I graduated! It seems so BIG for those little ones, but just like everyone else, I will adapt to the change. I am excited that I am one of the Parent Representatives on the Site-Based Decision Making council at her school. We have our first meeting today right after school so I am anxious to see how things are going with the transition to the new building.

The hard part for me is that I didn't get to do "Back To School" with my tween. She was at her dad's house and so he took her to school this morning. I'm sorry and I apologize to any dad's out there who might read this - but some things have "mom" written all over them and the first day back to school is one of them! I have always enjoyed buying school supplies, writing their names on them, strategically placing the exorbitant number of items into their backpacks so that (1) everything would fit and (2) it wouldn't pull the child backwards as they tried to walk into school! I like helping my children decide what they will wear to school, taking the tags off and making sure it is wrinkle-free and ready. Laying out new underwear and socks and having all of the school forms neatly filled out and school fees nicely labeled in separate envelopes. I thrive at things like this and this year I didn't get to do ANY of it.

Again, you ask why? Because Wasband made a deal that he would be fully responsible for all school related expenses and I am holding him to it. I gave up something I enjoy to save money because I have to count every single penny I spend. For the record, making smart financial decisions is sometimes hard on the heart! Trust me, I've made more than my fair share lately, and each time, it hurt my heart more than anything else. Yes, it hurts my pride sometimes too, but I can deal with that. Heartache is seeing the look on your children's faces when you have promised them a trip to the beach for months and you have to tell them two weeks before leaving that you don't have the extra money and you can't go. Pride is having your 3 year old son remind you every day when you pick him up from the sitter that you are "sweaty" and your hair is a mess and asking if you peed in your pants because you have driven 60 minutes in 90+ degree heat with the windows down because the air conditioner is broken and you don't have the extra money to fix that! One day soon I will write a post about how much my life has changed since becoming single. There is a lesson in that - I just know it!!!

I also have a teen who will be a junior this year. She is transferring to a private Christian school and will be living with her dad through the week. She has one more week of freedom before buckling down to a new school and I'm sure she enjoyed rubbing it in as her sister got up extra early this morning to make the commute from their dad's house to school. I am really excited for the opportunities that await her - new friends and a good education in a Christian environment. If I did not think this would be a wonderful opportunity for her, I would never have agreed to it. As excited as I am for her, this is still hard. I love the county where we live - I love my community - I love the schools - I mostly love that all of our family is here and it hurts to lose her to a place that I am unfamiliar with. I guess it's like sending her off to college 2 years earlier - I'll get every other weekend and maybe a few other days thrown in there. She's excited though. She fully intends to "rock" the school girl uniform - LOL and she's even talking about playing softball again. I wish her the very best and she knows that I love her!!!

Little man may possibly go to preschool this year. I will find out in a few weeks. If that happens, there will definately be a post telling you all about it! I'll be buying school supplies (of course they will be picked over by then - LOL), new shoes, new clothes, new underwear, fresh haircut, filling out forms in my best teacher print, writing checks for school fees and placing them all in separate envelopes, carefully packing his backpack so that he doesn't tip over while walking and then following him in with all the extras, and then...

I'll be one of those mom's who are crying because she's sending her "baby" off to school.