Back In The Saddle

I can’t believe that we do this for nine months of the year! This is the thought I had last week as we were catapulted back into the school year. I’ve said it before, but, no matter how many times I do it, that first week is brutal. In my non-scientific research, I’ve discovered I’m not alone. Getting back to that routine no matter how long you’ve done it or known about it is an abrupt shock to the system. However, after a few days to adjust and a weekend to accept our fate, I’m starting to remember that some of this routine ain’t so bad.

Schedule Me In

Back to school means back to the rigid schedule. Gone are the restful days of summer.  You  have to get up earlier and wake the dead (your sleeping children), ensure they’re dressed, fed and somewhat ready to conquer their day. But, the bonus here whether you’re at home or working is at least you’ve got a baseline. You know this drill. You know what time they’ve got to be up, how long it takes to get them to where they’re going and when you need to retrieve them. You’re no longer in camp counselor mode where you have to try to figure out what exciting and non-electronic activities you’ll be doing that day, or find the basket weaving camp that’s 30 minutes across town. There is comfort in what we know.

This routine is like our old pal in some ways. It also allows us to get back some normalcy in our schedule. You can start to work on the giant list that you’ve created over the summer aptly titled, “all of the things that I had no time to do over the summer.” Mine is about 734 items long and most of it centers around places I needed to go, but didn’t want to drag 3 children along to. So live it up mamas! Make your dentist/doctor/hair appointment that you’ve put off for at least the last eight weeks. Go to Target with a list and a dream and wander around that bad boy. You can take your time, no one is rushing you. You may actually remember to buy everything on the list because you’re not interrupted 647 times to “look at this cool toy” or break up a small altercation between your children. You will not have to say the word “no” so many times, even you’re tired of hearing it, yet still walk away with at least $20 of items that those little swindlers coaxed you into buying. You’re free!

Sweet Freedom

That freedom is a wonderful thing. About this time each year, lots of my friends start thinking about their goals and ideas. What do they want to do for themselves? Maybe the school year brings a start to your new and improved diet and exercise plan? This is timely since there has never been a human life form that consumes more food than a child on summer break. Perhaps you’re getting re-focused on work goals that you had to table because of all of your summer travel or general mayhem? Or, you could just be taking a breath and trying to figure out what it is you’d like to do because you’ve been so knee-deep in parenting over the last three months you’ve hardly been able to string two cohesive thoughts together.

It’s time. It’s time to think about yourself again. It’s time to think about what sorts of things you’d like to accomplish this school year. It doesn’t have to be big or daunting, but we should recognize this shift in life and take advantage. You have the comfort of this routine, you’ve seen this movie. Now that you know what’s coming, you can better manage what’s next for you. You don’t have to write the next great American novel or get promoted three times at work–you just have to ask yourself, “what’s next?”

Star Student

Perhaps what’s next for you is a lot of daytime television uninterrupted by children, or getting through the week without eating anything from a drive-thru–you do you. But, maybe this is the year you go back to work or finally start your online business or get your house organized? It’s OK to make big goals. It’s also perfectly OK to not reach them immediately. Life is long and so is the school year.

Give yourself the opportunity to surprise yourself. Ask yourself what you would do if there were no restrictions. You may not be able to move to France and paint your next masterpiece right this very second, but, maybe you could take an art class or just get set up a canvas and try? Maybe you won’t run a marathon this year, but what about a 5K? If you never ask yourself, you’ll never know.

The point of the school year, for our children, is to learn new things, learn about themselves and be prepared for the next level. Why don’t we do the same? Let’s learn something new, challenge ourselves; be ready for whatever we decide is next. School’s in session. Let’s rock this thing all the way until June!