Turning it Around

            At the end of August I felt like I was the only mom blogger around who hadn’t written an ode to the end of summer. Owen fell and cracked his front tooth the same week James had hand surgery. He ended up needing a root canal. I felt like I spent the end of summer trying to make my kids comfortable during the day and heading off to work at night. I wanted to be taking my kids to the beach, gathering the last of the summer tomatoes, inviting friends over for barbeques, and taking walks to Dairy Queen. But between the unexpected medical and dental bills and needing to buy a new car, I had to work as many hours as my boss could give me. It didn’t leave much time or money for fun. August kicked my ass.

            Then September arrived I felt like I was the only blogger who hadn’t written a back to school post. I didn’t feel that feeling of lightness that comes with the freedom of having my house to myself. I knew the tango of getting the kids to two different schools on different sides of town and getting myself to work on time was a task that would take military precision. I knew cramming in homework and dinner before soccer and scouting would be painful. I put together a calendar and color-coded our activities, I made lunches in advance, washed, folded and put away every scrap of laundry in the house. I was too busy getting ready for back to school to write about it. I’m not going to lie. September also kicked my ass.

            Now September is drawing to a close. We’re settling into a manageable, yet far from perfect, routine. After getting sent home from school three times for uncontrollable coughing fits, we finally seem to have James’ allergies under control. We’re managing to juggle all of our activities. And I’ve learned it’s okay to say, “We can’t make it tonight” when it’s just too much.

            Our school system is closed for Rosh Hashanah so we have a four-day weekend. The boys and I slept a little later this morning. We’re going to go to the library and then drive to New Hampshire to go out to lunch with my parents. If the rain breaks, we’ll pick some apples and maybe a pumpkin. We’ll get to enjoy a little of what makes it wonderful to live in New England in the fall. By the time the boys go back to school on Monday it will be October. It won’t be any less busy than September. I don't celebrate Rosh Hashanah myself, but this seems like a really good time to welcome a new year and make a resolution. It's almost October, time for me to do the ass kicking.