Where Does the Time Go?

Every year this happens. In June, it seems like summer will last forever. The days stretch ahead full of promise . . . and then, you turn around and it is August and every one's mind is in gearing up for "back to school" and getting ready for Fall. I kind of want to scream, "Wait! I'm not ready yet!" I want more laid-back days. While it is nice that the weather will be turning a little cooler, I don't want to go back to jackets and hats and mitten weather. Oh, well, it is a losing battle, I suppose, and I do manage to adjust to whatever season we happen to be in. That's the joy of living in a place with four distinct seasons - each one has its plusses and minuses and you can't really get too sick of any one season because before you know it, it is gone.

I took inventory of the boys' fall clothes today and gathered up two big bags for Goodwill along with a list of things I need to get for them. For years, Isaac was one size behind David, so David's clothes would just go into Isaac's drawers, but now, courtesy of Isaac's 5 year old growth spurt, they are both the same size. So, now they share the clothes, but the whole hand-me-down thing just doesn't work anymore.

We have started to "officially" start school on August 25th. We were going to start on September 2nd, but this way we can be done earlier in June when I am sure they (and I) will be more than ready to be done. We have been doing math and reading all summer. I am so thankful that I don't have to send them to school this year, but I must admit that I am somewhat intimidated by the prospect of getting them into a schedule and doing all the subjects. I can hear the whining now. They both hate writing, which from what I have read, is really pretty common in young boys so I think that will be the biggest battleground. I just really want this to work and go well. I know that there will be miserable days, as there is in parenting in general, but I want the good days to outnumber the bad! I want them to enjoy learning, and mostly, I want them to actually learn so that in June when I look back, I can see that they have made progress. We will have a co-op we will be going to on Mondays and a social outing on Thursdays. Plus soccer will be starting up which with two boys on two different teams makes life a little bit crazy.

I really want it to stay the beginning of August - permanently. I know I can't do that, of course, so I will just need to enjoy the time that we do have and hope the next couple of weeks go by slowly.