School Daze

It's the week after Labor Day and here in Stafford County, VA that means first week of back to school!!! Of course, neither Luke nor Jake are in school, so this doesn't really mean much to me except that I now need to time my errands around school bus drop offs. For Luke and Jake it means the excitement of watching the bus come to our street every morning and late afternoon. However, for many of my mommy friends and family members, it means FREEDOM. My Facebook homepage has been flooded with status updates from my mommy friends who are sending their little ones (and not so little ones) off to school this week; some for the first time. For the past few weeks, I've noticed the updates about how they can't wait until their kids are back in school and how the fighting between siblings has just been too much all summer and how they long for school days to begin. But now, now that it is actually here, the tears are pouring from these very same mommies! They bravely put their little ones on the bus and then walk, seemingly heavy hearted back into their empty, quiet house. Perhaps I should pause for a moment of revered respect for these two qualities.

Okay. Now for me, well, I watch with a heavy heart of my own, as I break up another fight between Luke and Jake and wonder if that day will ever come. I feel almost jealous of these mommies who get 8 whole hours to themselves. Oh, the things I could accomplish in that time, a whole five days a week; my house would be sparkling,dinner would be simmering, my errands done in record time, and oh so many home projects that have gone by the wayside in my daily attempts to just keep us all healthy and surviving! Yet, here I am, changing my third poopy diaper of the day because Jake has decided he wants to finish his first one in a fresh diaper; I've poured about 5 cups of milk already; and I've broken up three times as many fights! And it's only 10 am time!

During these early weeks of back to school, I dream about the day when I get to send my two boys off to school for the day and back into MY empty, quiet house. It's the only thing that really gets me through these early school days. This is not to say that I do not LOVE being able to stay at home with my boys. Quite the contrary; but I must be honest when I say that is harder than any other job I've EVER had and twice as tiring and three times as stressful. And I don't get sick days or vacation time to get away and clear my head. I don't get lunch breaks or bathroom breaks or coffee breaks. Most days I'm lucky if I get to finish my coffee before it has turned stone cold...and this is AFTER reheating it three separate times. Of course, there is no other way I'd have it. After all, these are my children and we are fortunate enough to have me stay home at with them full time and I love this great blessing. And I DO love watching them grow and hearing all the funny things Luke says and watching the sweet, albeit, short-lived moments that my boys play nicely together and hearing them giggle over some silly secret. This is what makes all the hard times so worth it. But I can still have my own silly secrets and dreams of some peace and quiet.

So four years from now, when BOTH my boys are in school full time, remind me that I said there would be no tears...and then, please be kind enough to hand me a tissue!!!