First Day

A good first day.  After we went through all our new books and supplies, we broke for lunch and rest time.  That will be a critical part of our day this year!  Then, I finished some more organization while the kids did either more school or the little ones played.  Around 2:30, I went outside and found out how hot it was!!!  Our home felt air-conditioned for some reason and I had no idea how it was getting hotter and hotter without us even knowing it.

I told the kids, "Get your suits and a towel and we'll go to the beach!"  Field trip #1!  They were buckled in a matter of minutes.  Within 10 minutes we found ourselves at the lake swimming in the water, riding driftwood, and cooling off.  Pretty fun first day of school, I'd say.

The day had its down moments, too.  Everyone realized mom was serious about getting up early and I don't think they liked that.  So there were a few grumpy kids walking around for awhile, but once they woke up their demeanor was better.  Then, the challenging child, gave me some challenges, big surprise.  I expected it, but still, keeps me always praying and trying to keep my patience in check. But, eventually, he, too, came around and sat at the table working away at his school.  I need to realize it isn't all going to come together perfectly on day 1.

The benefits of waking up ridiculously early is that the kids went to bed so well!  After a full summer of staying up very late and sleeping in, it was great to see my kids falling asleep on the couch while we did a readaloud at night.  The four year old crashed at 6:30 pm and never woke up!  He was tired!

Going to the beach yesterday afternoon was as much for me as it was for them.  A nice change of scenery and a good reminder that I want a relationship with my kids.  It isn't all about the academics though that is important.  I also want to create memories, have fun, and enjoy them.  Now that my oldest one is done and the next son is about to finish, I'm like one of the older ladies in the store who used to come up to me and say, "Enjoy them while they're young!  It goes soooo fast!"  I never believed them, but now I'm the one saying that to young moms in the store!  It really does go so fast, so I'm trying to not take any moment for granted.

Today will be another day of trying out the new schedule, dentist appointments and regular life....regular is good.  Actually, it won't be entirely regular....the local fall fair is this weekend!  This year we are entering every vegetable we grew and everything we've made on the farm from peach salsa to skirts.  The kids are going to make that a part of their school day.  I don't expect to win anything, but it will be fun to enter anyway.  The kids like to try to make a buck, too.  So, it'll be a fun thing to try.