Just Chill, Mom

Wow.....you want to see two little faces drop? Bounce into their bedroom and announce (perhaps a bit too loudly) that next week at this time, they will be at school. Bummer, mom! We have had a GREAT summer. Seriously. Lots of travel early on, and lots of Key West time after....pool, legos, art camp, crafts, blanket forts, tutoring, etc. The girls have played together well and gotten along famously. Of course, there is always some nonsense, but much, much less of it. I feel like my husband and I are coming out of 'the weeds' of parenting. The girls are almost 8 and almost 10, entering second and third grades this school year. They will have both repeated a grade after this year....a choice that is difficult to make but one that can make a huge difference. As John reminds me, no one every asked him if he repeated first or second grade when he was sitting in a meeting in Manhattan, talking financial record keeping. A good point. Wednesday they both get back-to-school haircuts and a very special treat - my stylist found someone who can French braid hair. Like Elsa from 'Frozen.' (Wondering if she knows every word to 'Let it Go' as well? She just might after this session.) On Friday morning, they will meet their new teachers, and on Saturday afternoon, we will celebrate Josie's 8th at Two Scoops with cupcake decorating and My Little Pony decor. As I sit at the laptop in my new home office (my favorite summer project), my mind is racing with the bazillion things we should do between those few activities. But as I listen to the girls getting breakfast (Yep, breakfast at 10 am. Won't be any transition there, right?) and chatting quietly I am going to take a cue from them....and just chill out. We can enjoy this last week without focusing on the 'last week' part because other than being at school from 8 to 3, and at CCD and Brownies two early evenings, life really won't change that much. Sure, we will have homework and will need to go to bed a bit earlier. But we can still jump in the pool any day we get the urge, or hit Ft. Zach on the way home from school, just to say 'hey' to the ocean and run around. The weather isn't going to change until it starts to get cooler in November, and by cooler I mean we will lose some humidity and maybe 10 degrees or so. Mari and Josie are right. I'm going to get another cup of coffee and enjoy this time at home with them. Let's just see what the day brings us. Hakuna matata.