It's officially been one week since school started. I'm kind of in the "honeymoon phase" of back to school. I have all sorts of energy and motivation. I've been super productive and on the ball in most areas of life. I've been on time for everything, I'm nailing the breakfast/packed lunch/dinner on the table every night thing, I've been reading my girls Harry Potter and keeping up with a bedtime routine. I'm following through with household rules and discipline, I'm spending quality time with each child each day (it helps that I have two times everyday with Nicky and Daisy that I’m alone in the car with each of them), and I'm keeping up on housework…
I have about 1-2 weeks like this every year when school starts, and I begin to think, "Wow! I'm pretty good at life!” I would even venture to say I’m “thriving.” Then I crash and burn and suddenly I'm getting nothing done during the day, I'm exhausted and permanently annoyed, I yell at everyone all the time, I need a constant stream of Coke going into my body, I feed my kids Doritos and marshmallows for breakfast, and TV becomes our third parent.
I think it will hit around September 7th. That’s when all the extracurricular activities will be in full swing, and my time in the car will double. We haven’t had any YW activities for three weeks, and I’ve gotten completely comfortable with having my Wednesday nights back. Our evenings have all been open and chill. In fact, last night, I took my kids to an art exhibit (they hated it), and as they whined and complained, I told them, “Enjoy this because in about a week, we won’t be able to do stuff like this anymore.”
But until then, I’ll try to live it up and enjoy the surge of energy I’m having (if only it would let me sleep past 4:00 a.m. That’s one little issue I’m having).
I thought that with the start of a new school year, I would document what’s going on with each of my kids right now.
Nicky:
- Is a sophomore at the same high school Scotty and I went to
- Tried to be more "fashionable" in his back to school shopping this year, but neither he nor I know what's "fashionable," so we both just kind of laughed about it as we went from store to store and found nothing
- Is on the high school golf team for the second year.
- Has had his Learner’s Permit since January and is taking Driver’s Ed at school
- Is a decent driver most of the time but has had a few scary moments
- Does push-ups everyday and often challenges Scotty and me to push-up competitions, which we indulge him in to make him feel mighty
- Used to twerk all the time and then one day, a few weeks ago, he told me he wasn't going to twerk anymore, and he hasn't!
- Watches himself in the living room mirror a lot, and I find it hilarious and secretly video him doing it
- Is on schedule to get his braces off at the end of the year. At the dentist earlier this week, the hygienist told me that his braces are the cleanest and best kept she has ever seen (proud mom moment)
- Is in 7th grade and attending her first year of middle school (she could have gone in 6th grade, but we had the option to keep her in elementary for 6th grade, and that's what she chose to do, so she's new to the school while all the other 7th graders are in their 2nd year)
- Has to wear uniforms to school
- Is taking gifted and honors classes (we'll see how it goes, there are a couple of teachers I don't care for, and frankly, they need to retire)
- Is on Dance Company
- Usually practices her dance moves in the living room every day after school
- Was recently asked to serve as class president in her Young Women class
- Has all the insecurities and struggles of a thirteen year old girl but it navigating them pretty well for now
- (Will be officially 13 on September 14)
- Is really close to being as tall as me - any minute now
- Wears a little bit of make-up, and I keep thinking I should really teach her some make-up skills, but then I remember I don't have any
- Is in 4th grade
- Is having a really hard time in school so far this year and has been telling me she doesn't want to go to her school anymore (this is the first time I've had a child say they want to change schools)
- Is writing a novel
- Wants a grappling hook for her birthday (note to grandparents and aunts: no!)
- Memorized all the Articles of Faith
- Isn't very patient with little kids and gets very riled up if they (even the cutest toddlers on the planet) want to touch her stuff or play with her things
- Loves playing Zelda and Minecraft
- Has some issues with honesty
- Thinks she owns my bed and is constantly camped out there with various art projects and snacks (even though she's not allowed to have food out of the kitchen)
- Really wants her own room, and I really wish I could provide her with one
- Talked me into buying her way too many shoes for school
- Loves oatmeal and popcorn
- Continues to need speech therapy, and I'm starting to worry she's never going to be able to speak correctly
- Always surprises me with things she says and things she knows. Yesterday she asked me if she could "dead head" the flowers in the garden, and I don't even know how she knows what that is! (I took her up on the offer - who am I to refuse free garden labor?)
- Is in 2nd grade
- Won't ever pull her teeth out when they're loose and won't let us anywhere near them to "help" them along, so she often has loose teeth dangling in her mouth for months at a time (she had a loose tooth at her six month check-up, and the same tooth was still in there at her next six month check-up, much to the dismay of the dentist, but even he was too scared of Eva to give it a yank)
- Wears fake glasses to school that she found at Claire's for $1
- Is super motivated by YouTube and Roblox time, which she gets on Fridays, so she gets up nice and early and makes sure her room is clean (I'll have to try this with her loose teeth in the future)
- Is surprisingly good at folding laundry
- Asks for food constantly but never eats it. Her lunchbox comes home full everyday.
- Is continuing with speech therapy, though her speech needs aren't as high as Zoe's
- Doesn't get along with other kids very well, and this concerns me greatly
- Is my best chicken herder and always helps me get the chickens back in their coops
- Asks to go to McDonald's everyday and takes a stand against every meal that is not McDonald's (and doesn't eat the food when we actually do go to McDonald's)
- Always loses her money
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