It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

I'm almost ready to turn the calendar page to September - my favorite time of year. I love back-to-school season. I loved school when I was a kid - perhaps it's because I grew up in the country and lived pretty far from most of the kids my age.

I loved going to school.

I loved learning.

I loved reading.

I still love learning and reading.

I love freshly sharpened pencils.

I love to open a brand new box of Crayola crayons.

I love the smell of paste (do they even make paste today? I never understood the kids who ate it, but I definitely loved the smell - just not in an appetite-stimulating sort of way).

I really love new tennis shoes...no scuffs, no dirt...I take a picture of my kids' new school shoes every year.

I love that Halloween is right around the corner.

I love the incredible colors as the leaves change.

I love the crispness in the air.

I think the thing I love most about back-to-school is that it's an opportunity to start fresh again. I like it better than New Year's Day. New Year's Day is all post-holiday let down, post-overindulgence of food and beverage, post-too-much-family, -too-much-travel, -too-many-parties, -too-much-money-spent, etc., etc. When I flip the calendar from December to January, I'm still living too clearly in the past...all those "posts" are still fresh in my mind, my clothes are still too snug, the holiday spending bills are just being received, my lost luggage is just being returned by the airlines. January is a clean month, but there's all those leftovers to deal with.

But September...that's a different story. September follows a glorious summer of fun. Even when I was working full time and didn't have children, summer was fun. Week-ends away, a vacation to visit family. FUN! When I flip my calendar to September, it's really a chance to start fresh. There aren't as many leftovers in my life. I buy a new calendar. I set new goals. I start fresh. It's a new year in my mind.

So here's to Fall! Here's to the kids going back to school! Here's to me taking a writing class! Here's to a new plan for getting in shape, organizing some closets, finishing some scrapbooks and enjoying life! Happy Back-to-School!

Pop Quiz

It's back to school time for some (not us, of course...we go back September 7th), so in the back-to-school spirit, I thought I would spring a pop quiz on my small readership. Good luck, and may the force be with you:)

1. There is supposed to be a photo here, but it didn't really turn out, so picture this in your mind: kitchen table with three cereal bowls and an opened box of Fruit Loops, floor littered with Fruit Loops - some whole, some crushed - at 8:30 Monday morning. What was the last date that I vacuumed this floor?

A. Sunday evening, after everyone had gone to bed.

B. The last day of school, June 28th.

C. 11:00 Friday morning...I vacuum the same day and time every week.

2. Who was eating breakfast at this table?

A. Pigs

B. People

C. Little People

3. At one time was the floor vacuumed again?

A. It hasn't been. It looks the same.

B. 8:35 a.m Monday

C. It hasn't been yet because I'll vacuum again at 11:00 on Friday morning, just like always.

D. It hasn't been vacuumed, but it looks like it since the dogs cleaned up the Fruit Loops for me.

4. The photo below (ok, again, picture is not that great, so visualize it, please) is a paper chain we made to count down the days until school starts. This is clearly an example of:

A. A mother who has way too much time on her hands.

B. Children who are ready to go back to school and ask on a daily basis how many days until school starts again.

C. A desperate cry for help.

5. The paper chain was made:

A. by the children, all by themselves.

B. me cutting the paper with my paper cutter so that all rings were the same width and length, then the kiddos stapling and labeling the rings.

C. solely by me because I'm such a control freak.

D. same as B, but the fact that the numbering is all wrong is making me completely crazy.

Rainy Days & Mondays Always Get Me Down

Rainy Days & Mondays Always Get Me Down....not exactly true, but this rainy Monday has.

I'm feeling a bit homesick. I miss walking out my front door and seeing someone I know and having a pleasant conversation about kids, the real estate market, renovations, and what new stores are in Linden Square. Here, I walk out my front door to an empty front yard and a quiet neighborhood. I miss having the neighbor kids walk right in without even ringing the bell because they feel at home here. I miss having an impromptu cookout in the driveway on a Friday afternoon. I miss my friends.

To add insult to the homesick injury, I learned today that the people who bought our house have trimmed the front yard tree and removed the tree swing. I know. I know. It's not my house anymore, it's theirs. And since it's their house, they can do what they want. I know. I know. It's perfectly reasonable. But still. The tree swing. The tree swing...we required the boys to wear a bicycle helmet when swinging so they wouldn't hurt their head while swinging when they were really little. The tree swing...where the neighborhood kids would line up and wait patiently for their turn to go "really high" and have a "super duper spin" when Don gave them a push. The tree swing...where all the great summer memories started and where fall would wrap up with one last swing. The tree swing...where even the mommies would take a little break and go for a swing. It's a loss for the neighborhood, but an even bigger loss for the new people....they will miss out on so much fun.

I am certain that the sun will come out tomorrow, we will meet more people, and turn this house into our home full of memories...but for now, I'm feeling a bit lost.