Four Little Monkeys

I just downed several hand fulls of chocolate chips. What's my problem? I'm stressed about back to school, and honestly, that surprises me.

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Last spring (2006) Ken took a lay-off package which allowed him to take the whole summer off without even job hunting till fall came. As his last day of work approached he dubbed the coming months 'the summer of Ken'. Words he has lived to regret, no doubt, since I have used that phrase much more often than he has, but I understood what he was saying: he didn't want me to come up with ideas of how he could spend his time that summer. He had his own plans.

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So this summer I've been teasing Ken that I've got 'the school year of Barb' ahead of me this year because our baby is entering first grade. As in don't ask me what I do all day while the kids are at school, you don't want to know.

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Here's a little sample of how I've been planning on spending my personal time:

• shopping
• cleaning and organizing this house room by room
• exercising
• playing with my Cricut and my new cartridges I bought in Utah
• reading
• blogging
• doing whatever I want whenever I want

You get the idea. But tonight all I can think about is packing lunches, making everyone practise piano, seminary starting this year, the extracurriculars my kids will sign up for, juggling school parent council and YW activities which are both on the same night, juggling cross country running and piano lessons which are after school on the same day. I have to stop there - typing it out is not helping.

If I told you my 6 year old is going to take one 45 minute ballet lesson per week this fall, and that I'm going to teach her piano myself would that sound like we're over scheduled?

Or if I told you that my 8 year old is going to begin horseback riding lessons once a week, and I'm going to teach her piano myself would that sound like we're over doing it? Oh yeah, she has her activity days girls group twice a month, too.

How about when I tell you that my 11 year old son will play hockey this year, which is mostly a once a week commitment, he has scouts once a week, and I'm going to teach him piano myself on our own schedule?

Now I'm outsourcing piano lessons for my 13 year old. Also, at her piano level, she takes a separate music history lesson once a week. Music twice a week and mutual are her only planned activities for the fall, but she's a joiner and there will be a plethora of before and after school meetings, practises, and rehearsals.

I need some more chocolate chips.