2 days down, 178 to go

This is where I’m supposed to tell you how the kids went back to school and I was busy making it one of the BEST DAYS EVAH because, hello?, it’s a new school year.

First day of fifth grade (aka last first day of elementary school)

I want to make an announcement right now that I don’t remember one thing my mom did for us on the first day of school when I was growing up. I’m sure she did plenty of things to help us get ready – like buy us school supplies, do laundry so our new clothes were ready, pack our lunches and throw some cereal in a bowl with a splash of milk. But there were no celebrations and certainly no treats for surviving six hours in a classroom of 20 others students expounding on what they did with their summer vacations. When we left to walk up the road to our bus stop, she probably spent the next 20 minutes cleaning the kitchen while my younger sister ate the rest of our cereal that we didn’t have time to finish (yes, she frequently went around the table eating the leftover soggy cereal. I give you permission to throw up in your mouth.).

First day of third grade

She most certainly did not wake up and make us a special breakfast. Nor did she snap one “first day of XX grade” picture complete with homemade sign and coordinating outfits. Nor did she go to breakfast with friends. She most likely continued her regularly scheduled housework, happy that for the first time in 11 weeks, she could throw in a load of laundry, clean a bathroom, and vacuum the living room without having to yell at us to shut the door and put our shoes away. And it would only be 9 o’clock in the morning.

Bus stop gang

So instead of telling you that Natalie and Ainsley LOVED their first two days, I’m going to tell you what I did.

Day one: I walked back from the bus stop (where I did take a few pictures), got into my car, and drove directly to a bistro where I enjoyed a third(?) annual back-to-school breakfast with 2 friends (and my two children still at home with me).  I then proceeded to do a quick grocery shop to get spaghetti sauce and grapes before heading home to play a game with Ryan. I then talked to a friend for the rest of the day while Ryan moved on to watching videos and my daughter napped or played at my feet, because quite frankly I can’t remember a day in the last 2 months where I was able to finish a conversation or have one without shooing kids out of the room or wiping someone  else’s snot. I had some catching up to do.

She’s teething, can you tell?

Day two: I cleaned the kitchen, played Sequence Jr with Ryan, did some laundry, went shopping at HomeGoods and took the kids to the park. When I got back from playing, I made lunch for me and the two babes at home. We ate. Piper fell asleep for her afternoon nap and Ryan wanted to watch videos. I remembered how nice it was outside.

I decided to read a book in the sunshine… in a bikini. It occurred to me that sunbathing in September is a little unorthodox, but I justified it by reminding myself September is still three days away, which means it’s still August. And sunbathing in August is totally normal.

I don’t usually wear a bikini because a) I haven’t been able to get comfortable with people I know seeing me in essentially my underclothing and b) I don’t want my teenage girls wearing a bikini so I must model a one-piece all while they’re growing up and c) who really wants to see a 37-year old mom-of-four in a bikini. However, I OWN a bikini in the off chance that my husband and I might find ourselves on a vacation by ourselves in a remote area without other swimmers. Don’t laugh. It’s happened. It just hasn’t happened in a loooong time. Like since Ainsley was 18 months. So, yes, my bikini harkens back to 2008. But that’s okay with me since I’m not showing it to anyone anytime soon! But I digress.

I sat in a sunny part of my yard, in a spot that conveniently cannot be seen by any neighbors or from the road so my bikini body was safe from peering eyes. I thought I’d spent the next hour or so relaxing without a care in the world. I was half right. I did spend a quiet hour relaxing but I also spent an exorbitant amount of time brushing large black ants off my legs and back. Contrary to popular belief ants show up whether there’s a picnic or not.

So it was me, my book, and a bunch of black ants. And for a few minutes Ryan who ventured out to see what I was doing. I was concerned he might wonder why my bathing suit was missing a few sections…. but it didn’t seem to faze him much. He was too distracted by the fact I was wearing a bathing suit at all without water in the nearby vicinity. He has three sisters so I’m guessing he’ll figure it out one of these days.

At the park.

Looks like this school year is shaping up to be a good one for me. Can’t wait to see what I do with the second week of school.