How is September upon us!?

I’m not really a fan of summer break. Why can’t we have a week or two off every 8-10 weeks? The endless summer days just drag on. The kids are always board. And don’t get me started on the insane cost of summer camp!

Regardless I’m always struck by how fast it goes, but I’m ready for the change. The schedules. The rhythm. My children are too. The excitement is high and the countdown charts are everywhere.

We have a big mix this year. Some are starting public school, some are still homeschooling. I have so many feelings about all of it that I doubt I could coherently share. The basics are that we are all excited and we are all a little sad.

Its weird to say that this will be the first year that not all my children are with me most of my week. Like 80% or more, is how much they have all been with me every week since 2018. Its been hard, and absolutely beautiful, this time I had with them.

I never planned to homeschool. I have my reasons and stories, but at the root of it I think I was just not ready to let go. I mean, we spend all this time, worry, energy, etc getting these humans into the world and the time once they arrive… it just moves too fast.

I struggled with the two days a week of preschool! Though I was also grateful for it too. And goodness when that pandemic hit I was drowning. Homeschool or not, that was too much time together!

All this to say, as I plan the school year for some of my kids, I’m putting books away for others. I’m wrapping up their artwork and putting it in their school bins to look back on. I’m letting go of a piece of something. Its not bad or good, it just is.

I’m not sure how public school will go. Who knows, they might decide to come back home. And I’ll let them. I will always let them. But in this moment I’m processing and holding a lot of memories. If you are too, at this transition in the year, just know you’re not alone.