Today marks one week that both kids have been in school and I’ve fallen into a nice pattern.
5:30 a.m. Wake up, work.
6:50 a.m. Wake up kids.
7 a.m. Wake up kids again. I really mean it this time. Get Bode breakfast
7:15 a.m. Wake up daughter AGAIN. Threats begin.
7:16-7:54 a.m. Eat breakfast, make beds, get ready, more threats.
7:55 a.m. Walk son to the bus stop
8:15 a.m. Drive Haddie and our carpool to school
8:30-10 a.m. Workout/play
10:30 a.m..-3:10 p.m. Work.
3:11 p.m. Pick-up kids, homework, chaos, dinner.
10:30 p.m. Fall into bed. If I’m lucky.
My level of productivity has astounded even me and it’s helped I haven’t had any glaring deadlines this week. After Labor Day, work meetings/lunches begin but I’m making a concerted effort to keep my first couple of hours free to hike or bike.
My friend Tiffanie asked me to help lead a 20-mile hike with the Scouts on Labor Day so I’ve been exploring some new routes in Boulder. Jamie calls it slacking off. I call it research.
Either way, I win.
As for the kids, they are thriving. Bode starts soccer next week and adores first grade, his teacher, the school and his buddies. In his assessment he tested waaaay above the standard in all his subjects and hopefully he’ll keep at it. I’m relishing our walks to the bus stop and that he still adores me enough to hug, kiss and even take me down in the occasional thumb war.
These are limited days, indeed.
Hadley is also doing really well and will begin swim team and piano lessons in September.
I, of course, was worried because she started a new school but she loves it. Well, she loves most aspects of it except the academic part (which I suspect will be a battle until she graduates). She has made a BF in class, plays in the treehouse with all the boys at recess (gulp), is thrilled to be learning the violin in orchestra (painful earplug gulp), thinks she’s bilingual with her Spanish class and is counting down the days until her first field trip and the pranks they’ll pull on the boys
In our public school, they went to the museum, to a play or the zoo. Wanna know what her charter school has planned? A 3-day, 2-night camping trip to Mesa Verde National Park.
It’s no wonder she’s liking it.
And I’m really, really happy she’s there. Though there have been some preliminary hiccups/annoyances, I love the beautiful campus (I’ll have to post pictures soon) and the kind of activities they have planned. From their back-to-school picnic to a potluck with all the families in our class to a Fall Festival for the community to a 5K…that’s all within the next month.
And just how is Fat Kitty adjusting to our suddenly-quiet house?
Rather well, I’d have to say.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 