It has been over a month since I have sat down to write anything. I wish I could report that our little family has a been on a whirlwind vacation the past month and half but at last, that’s not the case. I took a bit of a hiatus to just deal with life.  As many of you know, I am a mother of five as well as a high school teacher.  Returning to school is rarely a smooth and easy transition but with five kids it can be extremely chaotic.  It takes quite a bit of time to figure out a routine that works for all of seven of us.  However, we have survived the first few weeks of school, settled into a routine, and life has begun to slow down.

Bye-Bye Summer

I returned to work for professional development and staff meetings the first week of August.  I hated seeing summer come to an end.  It just doesn’t feel like it lasted long enough. My to-do list didn’t get finished.  The books I had planned to read didn’t get read and I didn’t squeeze enough naps in. I’m usually ready for school to start again but this year I’ve had a hard time with it.

The kids returned to school on August 14. I think the transition for them Has been a bit smoother than it has been for me.  They all seem to be enjoying their new teachers and classes. I, however, am struggling.  New classes and new curriculum that I’ve never taught have me working constantly. I actually ran into a co-worker the other day in the lounge.  She made a comment that she thought it was only the third time she had laid eyes on me in the five weeks that we have been in school.  I jokingly told her that with all the new stuff I was doing in the classroom, I hadn’t really had a chance to get out of my room much.  I may have said it jokingly but it has been very true so far this school year!

A Change of Pace for Our Crew

Most of the time we are super busy after work running our kids to all their activities.  I think this is starting to wear everyone out and for the first time in a really long time, our kids did not sign up for most of their fall activities.  Emily is the only one involved in anything right now.  She is dancing a few nights a week but is not playing soccer. Jackson is not playing football or soccer.  Lauren did not sign up for swim team.

The change in everyone’s activities has been really nice.  I am positive that it won’t last long.  Jackson seems a little restless. I imagine that he will be signing up for spring soccer as soon as he can.  But for now, things are a bit slower paced.  We have more time at home and more time together.  No games or plans on Saturdays is pretty awesome.  I’m savoring this small bit of downtime we’ve created for ourselves because I’m sure as spring soccer and baseball season roll back around we will be right back on the go all that time.

With all this time at home in the evenings, I’ve gotten a bit of reading done as well so check back soon for some new book reviews!