It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love my children. I love summer. But for most of the past 3 months, my children + summer = stress. Frustration. Loneliness, to some degree. That nagging feeling of being overwhelmed. Renewed efforts to save money resulted in no summer camp this year, which translated loosely into Camp Mom. And so with a barely-two-year-old, a five year old and a six year old in tow, most days were filled with craziness and wracking my brain for ideas of our daily amusements. Lots of beach. Lots of playground. And not enough evening cocktails. Because by the time I'd finally found some quiet time to actually look for the cocktail shaker, I'd either lost interest or forgotten about it completely.

And so it is with a bright smile and a cheerful voice that I welcome Fall once again. Oh, Fall, how I've waited for you, with your crisp school uniforms and bookbags, school lunches which I'll cheerfully prepare (it will be at least November before I'll start to grumble about this nightly--okay, last-minute-in-the-morning--task).

Yes, we happily traipse down to the bus stop just a few houses away every morning, sometimes before the sun is fully up, and wave goodbye to each other as the little yellow bus pulls away. My littlest guy and I still have our share of busy activities every day, but the mental workload is incredibly lighter. Three kids is a handful, and by the time the bus rolls up in the afternoon, I'm re-energized and (usually) ready for what the afternoon dishes out. Homework, soccer practice, whatever. Bring it on.

By the way...the leaves are beginning to turn, and tomorrow is somehow already October 1st! Can someone tell me what's going on? Wasn't it just Labor Day?