Fall time. We as parents and adults kind of begin to feel this when we start the month of August. We begin to realize that it is the last hurrah of summer vacation. Even though we know that Summer really goes all the way through September, it's official in August that summer time fun is coming to a close.
And believe me, by the time August arrives many of us are beginning to look forward to Fall. As parents, we begin to wish for school to start. We begin to tear our hair out and beg for it to come. This was usually me years ago with the kids. It hasn't really been that bad this summer. My kids and I usually find things to do and none of us have been bored.
But it's a known fact that we can hardly wait for them to go back. And we all know that they need to be in school to learn and grow into the adults that they are someday going to become. As much as we all enjoy our summer with them home, we also need them to return to school.
We start to think of having fun school shopping, planning for their big day in a new grade. Okay, not all of us enjoy school shopping. Many of us have those picky kids or the ones that every thing we seem to buy for them doesn't quite fit and you have to return it and hopefully get something that they are going to fit into and also like.
Their appearance is very important. It's a big competitive thing with all their peers. I know I went through it once, always wanting to look good and getting jealous if another more popular girl looked really good. It's a natural thing.
And we also enjoy watching the school supply commercials. My all time favorite was the Staples one with the Mom happily cruising around throwing stuff into the cart and the two kids looking at her with big disappointment in their faces.
We know that none of them want to go back for another whole year. But at the same time, we also know that deep down they will be excited to see all their friends again and love getting to meet new friends and get to know their new teachers.
And more reasons why we enjoy Fall time. How about the peace and quiet! Getting to have the whole house to ourselves until they come home from school. Getting to watch our favorite shows all day. This would be true for me as I have the Ebay job where I can stay at home and do it in the comfort of the living room and do my crafting and watch my favorite shows at the same time.
The opportunity to jaunt out to a store at any time during the day to do a little bit of shopping. This is very hard to do when you have young kids all day. For me it is easier now to take one or two of them to the store and the older ones stay home. Usually it's my younger ones that want me to take them shopping. But it's also to shop with them as they want things and you sometimes end up coming out with extra items that you didn't plan on buying. Like yesterday, I wasn't planning on buying fish food, but we ended up getting some.
How about the nice crisp air that comes with Fall. As much as I love summer, I'm never one to enjoy the awful heat and humidity that comes with it and I pleasantly await Fall to come. It's just so much nicer to walk in the fall time. To be able to put on a warmer shirt because it's cooler. To be able to put down my hair for a change. I can't do that all summer as mine is thick.
The nice thought of baking, apple picking, pumpkin pie, fall time leaves on the ground and not to mention the glorious color in all the trees. Days when it begins to get cooler and we enjoy beginning to pull out our favorite sweaters and scarves. Well, not the winter scarves but the lightweight pretty ones. Fall time days when we can begin to wear our pretty knitted headbands again. Who wants to wear something knitted in the summer unless it's made of cotton or something cool and breathable?
The most important thing we look forward to in the Fall and when school arrives and we have our quiet time to ourselves again is the lovely thought of getting fully into our routines again and to grow and create new artwork, etc.. Learn new things about ourselves and try out new things we haven't tried before.
Let's face it. It's hard to stick to our old routines when the kids are home all summer. Although for me, it was still very easy to get things done regardless of being home. But the TV hasn't been on the Today show practically all summer, missed Days of Our Lives every day, it's either been on Cartoon Network, Animal planet or some other kid channel.
Although, I will admit I enjoyed watching episodes of H2O, (the mermaid show), Gator Boys, ICarly, and a few episodes of Spongebob Squarepants. But the more annoying one is The Annoying Orange. They don't call him that for nothing.
So, school for my kids starts on the 29th, and that is when my freedom will come. What I am most enjoying is to get my laptop back from Julia all day. Of course she will want it in the morning before she goes to school and later when she comes home, but I should have all day while they're in school to get things done.
I never take my laptop home as I did away with my internet there. I just use it at the kids house. And hopefully when Christmas comes a calling, Santa will deliver a pristine laptop to her. Thank my lucky stars.
And the other thing about Fall time and school starting, means school pictures, book orders, fund raisers, and all the other things that come up once they start school. And the majority of that seems to happen in September. They always seem to get their pictures taken after the first few days of school.
And then the paper work begins to pile up again and the rat race begins again.
Not that summer isn't a rat race. It can be too if you let all the activities take over your summer. That's why I always was one for just letting them enjoy their days home too to do whatever they want, because you know that when school starts again they are going straight back to structure.
But, you shouldn't rule out all structure during the summer. You need some sort of routine, or else you will end up having no hair left to pull out of your blessed head. Just saying.
Well, just about done. I happen to be on Mollyanne's laptop writing this. Julia is playing Feroheart on mine and Mollyanne is quietly in another room playing.
Jennifer Jo Fay
Copyrighted August 16, 2012
