How the tables have turned.

In my former life, as a teacher, I hated this time of year.  It meant going into school to set up my classroom, memorizing students’ names, digging out the school year wardrobe and saying goodbye to the summer.  It meant commuting and packing my lunch and setting the alarm clock.  The lazy days of summer were over.  Even though I worked in some capacity over every summer, I was still always outside and having fun.

Now I’m looking forward, in some ways, to the end of summer.  It’s been very hot and humid and that’s getting old.  I prefer the cool, crisp mornings of the fall.  And I look forward to the changing leaves, apple picking and cider donuts.  I’m also looking forward to more routine in our days.  Summer is lots of fun and it means many spontaneous outings and vacations, but it can get a bit chaotic.  By the time the end of summer rolls around there’s a sense of boredom and redundancy in our days.  We’re all ready for a change.  New clothes to wear, new meals to make, new places to go.  And most importantly, time to head back to school!

Brinley is entering her second year of preschool this year.  She’ll be going three mornings each week.  I’m not sure who is more excited about it – me or her.  She really misses school and all of the fun things that she does there.  She loves being around her friends and doing all sorts of activities.  She’s been asking for a few weeks when she will be going back.  For me, it’s a mixed blessing.  I’ll miss her company and the lax attitude of summer.  I’ll miss being able to take our time getting out the door in the morning and sitting around in our PJs just a bit too long.  But at the same time, we’ll have more routine once school is back in session.  Three mornings a week we’ll get up, get dress and head off to school.  Once Brinley is there Nora and I will have some one-on-one time together to do some of the fun things that Brinley and I used to do.  I’m really looking forward to that. I used to dread this time of year but now I’m welcoming it with open arms!