1. $300 on school supplies. THREE. HUNDRED. We did not deviate from the list. (Okay, my husband bought a .50 crayon sharpener but that was the extent of the contraband.) This is insane. This does not include registration fees, yearbooks and all the other extras. What in the actual what?!
2. That insanity in the kitchen would be the death of me if it were not for my husband who is patiently making sure every glue stick makes it in the right bag. This is the one time of year I absolutely love that he is a control freak. Okay, also when he does the stockings at Christmas. And the Easter baskets.
3. 4 kids at 4 different schools this year. 4 different pick up and drop off times. 4 different schools to attend concerts and volunteer meetings and to chauffeur to extra curricular activities. (Okay, who are we kidding - I do not actually attend volunteer meetings.)
4. Chromebooks coming home are causing me actual anxiety attacks.
5. I am already dreading the "All About Me" posters and questionnaires that will inevitably come home the first week of school asking for baby pictures and answers to questions that are difficult, awkward, and sometimes painful for my kiddos.
6. Hair cuts, dentist appointments, physicals, first day of school outfits, gym shoes, back packs, locker supplies, lunch boxes, bus schedules...I am having stress dreams about these things and all of the other things I am forgetting.
7. So. Many. Emails.
8. All the good intentions - for reading logs and agendas and signed notebooks. For starting the morning 15 minutes early and having good routines and chore schedules. For holding it together like all of the other sane families. This is the year, people!
9. This year I have already been added to 4 different Facebook groups for 4 different children. This tool is supposed to be helpful in disseminating information regarding their schools and classrooms and my brain is going to explode if I am expected to absorb information from any more sources. When did this become a thing?
10. This is the first year that I am not dancing and shouting for joy that my children are going back to school. If you know me well, you might be picking your jaw up off the floor right now. Don't get me wrong. There is some relief and I am SO looking forward to six straight hours without hearing any of the following: "Moooooooommm!" "I'm bored." "I'm hungry." or "Can we play electronics?" 😑😔😒😠But for the first time since four amazing kids turned our world beautifully upside down through fostering and adoption, I feel like we have found a new normal.
It has been nearly five and a half years. We have prayed and fought hard and long for joy and connection...and while there have been seasons and glimpses of that over the last years, this is the first summer that has been characterized by it, and I am sad to see it end.
I am sad to see the long, slow days give way to hectic schedules and too much homework - sad to trade late nights catching lightning bugs and sunsets on the porch for earlier bed time routines. But what a joy to be sad in this way! I wasn't sure we would ever get here. I know there are still battles ahead, but I feel like we have been given a reprieve from the trenches and the tide of the war has shifted.
For you mommas who are feeling the EXACT opposite, who are longing desperately for that first moment they are out the door because you are just done - worn and frayed to the point of breaking - because these last 3 months have taken every bit of energy you have just to survive...just to get through. SOLIDARITY Sister! You are so not alone. Take a breath. Tomorrow will come and the trenches do not last forever. You are fierce and brave and you can do this. You didn't have to. You CHOSE to stand in the gap for someone who was not big enough or strong enough to fight for themselves. I see your courageous love and so much more importantly, Jesus sees you and every wound you have taken on the field. He knows how weary and war torn your heart is and He is so proud...because you look just like Him.
And He promises that when you are too weary to stand for one more battle, He will fight for you. In truth - isn't this really where the war is finally won?
In the name of full disclosure and all of this said, tomorrow you will still find me drinking coffee, playing too loud (kid inappropriate) music, and doing a happy dance in my blissfully quiet and empty house. CHEERS TO BACK TO SCHOOL!
Share your best/worst back to school moments in the comments!
