Back-to-School Blues?

Does anyone else have them? The first day of schol came way too fast for me, or maybe I should say the end of summer did. The house became way too quiet, the routine of sleeping late and playing Scrabble in our PJ's was gon, only to be replace with homeowrk, bedtimes and test schedules. Did I say the house became way too quiet? Am I crazy? Back-to-School time is a tansition time that I've always looked forward to, maybe not for the reasons you may be thinking. :)



Back-to-School has always been an opportunity to adopt new routines, impliment new disciplines, discover new recipes...this year...I was having too much fun with my kids! At ages eleven and tweleve (I can't believe it!) they are pople that I want to spend time with. We had a great summer with family. Bike rides and "mule" rides, it was always an adventure! Taylor learned to fly fish with my Dad, and wond the trophy for the summer's biggest fish, a 22lb catfish. (I owe a big thank you to my Daddy for waking out of a dead sleep to come take that monster off the hook...I'm such a girl!) McKay developed her own sense of style (thank God, it's a good one!) and became an accooplished fisher in her own right. I love a girl who can bait her own hook and perfectly accessorize her outfit in the same afternoon! I t was a summer that reminded me of the ones I had when I was growing up. My children begged to drive the "mule" just like I used to beg "Pop" to let me drive his pick-up truck out on the open acres of The Farm...learning to drive on The Farm, just like I did. Games of Liverpool, Scrabble and Apples to Apples...what better way to spend the summer?



School began and summer ended. The house became quiet, schedules became regimented and I got a big case of the Back-to-School Blues! Finally, after being back two weeks, I'm remembering how much I love being in the grocery store by myself, and catching up on my soaps isn't so bad either, I even have time for laundry, dinner, cleaning errands, and ...oh yeah, my other job, providing great gifts at http://www.shopconfetti.com/ .



It wasn't easy, I had plenty of reminders and subtle ones either! The first week I was sent a daily devotional from Purpose Driven Connection and it told me:



"Stay flexible! Before glass bottles were invented, wine was kept in canteens made of animal skins. As they aged, they'd become brittle and crack from new wine that was fermenting. Jesus once said, 'You can't put new wine in old wineskins' (Luke 5:37-39). Here was his point: When face with chage, we must adjust or we'll explode!"



Pray This: "Dear God, help me be more flexible this week."



This week, God got my attention by putting friends in my life who won't let me throw myself a Pity Party no matter how bad I want to Party!



I still mss my kids and am not thrilled with the afternoons being peppered with carpools, spelling lists, exponents (?), iParent, practice schedules, dinner on the fly, and having to ask sixteen times per child, "Is your homework done?" but I am finding peace in the quiet and the time to get things done before the afternoon begins. I am enjoying firends, who were just "Mom's" , like me, before the summer ended and I'm enjoying rediscovering the things I enjoy doing.



"When faced with change, we must adjust or we'll explode!" I think I'll role with the change, God knows I don't want to spend my free time cleaning up the mess if I explode! I have to run, my oldest is actually asking for me to come say "Good Night"...maybe he misses our summer, too!



Happy Back-to-School! Call me if want to do lunch! :0