The Other Side of Insanity

School is in session, and the mini me minions are all off on another year's adventure in education. What are moms doing?

Homeschooling! That's right. I'm homeschooling the one child who did not get into the charter school with her sisters.

Resetting meal habits. The school year requires far more structured meal times. Planning ahead is no longer optional. Packable lunch food takes up a second fridge right outside the back door.

Standing in line at the DMV. In order to drive carloads of school kids on field trips you must complete a large packet of forms, increase your insurance coverage, and provide a DMV printout.

Getting fingerprinted at the county office of education and TB tests so we can volunteer at our kids schools.

Signing up to volunteer. Every school is different. Ours requires 20 hours per family, or a donation of $10 for every hour short you are. They can't enforce it legally, and it's not technically the school asking, it's the parent boosters, but you don't want to be a bad parent do you? I'm sure I'll put in far more than twenty. As a stay at home mom I have more time than money, so that's what I'm happy to contribute. It also gives me the opportunity to be on campus a lot so I know what's going on in my kids' lives.

Opening up lines of communication. The many teacher blogs where I can go to find homework status must all be located and bookmarked. New teacher emails and phone numbers must be added to my contacts. School email must be subscribed to. First of year forms must be returned signed. The school calendar merged with my online calendar. The homeschool calendar merged with both. Extracurricular classes signed up for. Materials lists acquired.

Shopping for specialty materials required by teachers who all have different ideas of how to keep a desk and backpack organized. Emergency kit supplies to pack into ziploc bags. Don't forget the odd sized sketch book the art teacher wants them to have that no art store has in stock.

Signing up for league sports. $10/kid/week for bowling league + $28 each for Youth Bowling Association membership. Thankfully, we already purchased shoes and balls this summer. We embrace our geekness, but I wonder how the costs compare to baseball or basketball.

Fundraising, because California schools have seen their budgets cut by 27% in the last six years. Art supplies, band, drama, field trips, bus rides, foreign languages, community building; all things that now must be funded by parent booster groups.

Cleaning the house and setting it in order for winter. Because all the toys left out in the yard are not waterproof. Because we know it won't be long before all the energy once expended out there will soon be trapped indoors...with us...for days on end!

Breathing...slowly...deeply...again...and again...and again. Just be because we finally can.

Back to School

Summer is kicking my butt! One week left until school starts and the usual chaos has ensued. All four of my daughters are starting new schools. Three in the same charter school and the fourth will be home schooled for up to a year or until there's another opening in the charter. We have back packs loaded with new school supplies. I spent an afternoon writing their names on every pencil and crayon.

Ride day at the fair is tomorrow and I'm doing laundry all day trying to get five matching green shirts clean. I've also begun what will likely be six weeks worth of canning, with an experimental batch of no added pectin blackberry jam. I will not post recipes. There are plenty online already, and I'm no home economist. My canned goods got 2nd place at best in the fair competition.

Yesterday was the Califonia Fourteenth District PTA training. I got to learn how wrong we have been running our local PTA in the absence of adequate willing trained officers. Wish I had gone last year. Now I just need to redo my financial reports and try to assemble the minutes from all our meetings. I promised to carry on at my kids old school until last years issues are resolved.

Then it's just a bunch of dental appointments, registering for fall junior bowling leagues, getting homeschool set up, and grocery shopping for the next month or so. Our kitchen stock changes when school starts. Less milk, more portable snacks. I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting, but that's what online calendar syncing is for. It's a wonderful tool for moms.

A week ago I interviewed for a part time job, and it went well, but I didn't get it. I want that job, and I'm going to apply again. But I can't help being a little glad I don't have it yet. Mothering is still full-time for me. And there are always plenty of volunteer opportunities for getting out of the house.

I thought I would be childless this school year, with my youngest starting kindergarten. I'm kind of glad I'll be keeping the second grader home. It's time to reconnect with my sweet middle child. She's easy to work with and I'll still get a lot more done than with the baby home.

Life is insane sometimes, but one day at a time and an Elastigirl like measure of flexibility helps a mom get through it. Good luck with your back to school season. Try not to look at the whole to do list at once and you'll be fine. Breathe...again...see you on the other side!