Not our first day

We sat in our driveway at 7:30a.m. to wave goodbye to our neighbors boarding the bus this morning for the first day back to school.  It was slightly bittersweet with a hint of a secret liberation.  While I always liked getting caught up in that back-to-school hoopla of buying supplies, new clothes, and sharing the jittery experience with others, this new feeling of a peaceful transition from summer to school is strangely inviting.

I no longer have to worry about what Bella will wear to school every day, or that she gets to sleep promptly at 8:00p.m. every weekday, or that she doesn't dawdle in the mornings getting dressed and scarfing breakfast in time to be at the bus stop. 

Our mornings are going to less harried, less stressed, less frenzied than they used to be.
Our evenings will be more relaxed, more fulfilling, more peaceful with less pressure to be somewhere every day.

Sure, we will have appointments and playdates and field trips and schedules to rush out the door for.
(I say, "rush out" because I am horrible at grasping how long it takes to do anything.)
However, we're suddenly in charge of what we do and when we do it.  If it doesn't fit a pace we're comfortable with, we'll politely cut that activity out. 

Just like that.

We start homeschooling next week, and I'm not a bit nervous.  Excited, really.  Full of anticipation.  Happy to not be in a hurry. 
Until then we're making the most of a quieter week.  The pool was almost empty today.  I didn't mind :-)

(to be continued)

Photos by Squeezebox Photography.