Tomorrow is the first day of school for our three kids. Schedules have been picked up, supplies have been purchased and Erin’s locker has been decked out for Day 1. It seems so early—we’re not even halfway through August! Yet as much as I’m a little sad to see us leave the carefree routine of summer, part of me has been craving the routine that the school year brings. Since they’ve been out of school, my poor house has been neglected and the accumulation of “stuff not put away” has really gotten out of control!
Routines and habits, the basis for my sanity, are so easily disrupted in the summer. The only routine that I’ve been sticking with is getting up early to go run at 5:30. This, of course, is before the kids are up, so I don’t get distracted with fun things to do with them instead. Still, I will miss coming home from work and having the kids around, whether it’s to have lunch together or just watch old “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” episodes. I think it’s really cool that those sweet little babies grew into people that I enjoy spending time with.
Along with the new school year and those routines comes a fresh start. BK (Before Kids), I always bought calendars/planners that ran January through December. Now I always get them with the kids’ back to school stuff, because our life truly does revolve around that August – May schedule now. I love opening up my new calendar and seeing all those blank spaces. They get filled up so fast with all the activities that start up in the fall, but for a brief moment I see those months ahead, filled with the promise of what the future will hold. As much as I love Spring, with the Fall comes a type of renewal all its own.
Here’s to a new school year and the return to routines!
The Lighthearted Dragonfly 
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