The End of Summer

August 11, 2011

Well friends, it would seem that my summer vacation has ended. Our last hoorah was a trip to a water park on Monday. We all had such a wonderful time. My mom, aunts, sister, godchild, nephews, and several cousins joined us on our Last Escape.

Now, I find myself back in the real world. Preschool is in full swing. Aubree is amazing me every single day with her eagerness to learn and her bank of knowledge. I am slowly acclimating the bigger kids into the new school year. By the middle of September it will be full on! Karli is learning some mad typing skills- well, she's trying at least! Drake is... well, I don't know what exactly it is he's doing with his multiplication facts. But, I can tell you he's not memorizing them. {Please, pray for us. He has got to memorize them! Aye.} Little Brant is doing whatever it is that Brant does. They've all been reading and writing to supplement their regular curriculum.

I am trying to acclimate myself, too. Every day I work on organizing some area in my house that has been neglected. I have been super busy with lesson plans and I am trying to keep myself calm about second grade. When I feel  like I am starting to get anxious, I just tell myself that I need to only get through one day of school at a time. It will be fine.

Our home school group is also gearing up for the school year. We've already got a field trip planned for the middle of September! Yay!

It seems that as the summer winds down, my kids' disobedience has kicked up. I have had days of pure frustration and I can see myself snapping one day soon and following through on my threat to go on strike! Can you imagine? I almost get a twinkle in my eye when I think of it. Who would cook for them, clean their dishes and clothes? What about school? Would they let themselves fall behind or would they realize the ramifications of that and trudge through? What if we ran out of groceries? Oh, that would be the best! Then THEY would be begging ME to go shopping and not the other way around! {I think I just felt an evil laugh building up in the depths of my belly!} I wonder how long it would take for them to realize that I actually DO deserve some respect from them.

All in all, as I reflect upon the past year, I am pleased. We faced some scary times, both as a family and me as an individual. We made do when there was no other option. We fought for what was ours when we needed to. We learned that sometimes the only way to climb up is on your knees. I can see growth in each one of my kids, my husband, and most dramatically, in myself. I have been blessed in one of my most damaged relationships with healing. That's something I never thought I would have seen. I have been honored to be able to spend time, share moments, and enjoy life with my family. I've made the effort to make memories, and it's served me well.

What does the new (school) year hold? Who knows? But, I am committed to remaining plugged in to my family. Part of that means taking time for myself. But, it also means giving of myself in order to get more of them! I am eager and hopeful to see where God will take us.

"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." Romans 8:24-25


"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." Psalm 28:7