Ah, back to school time is here again.\u00a0 \u00a0Kids back IN the classroom.\u00a0 Excited. Nervous.\u00a0 Scared. Worried about all kinds of things.\u00a0 Feeling all the feelings.\u00a0 For me, all those anxieties are MINE.\u00a0 Because no matter how old my kids get or how old I AM, back to school time has this ability to transport me back in time to when it was MY turn to go back to school.<\/p>\n
What will I wear?\u00a0 Do I have the right “stuff”? \u00a0What if I can’t open my locker?\u00a0 \u00a0What if nobody talks to me?\u00a0 \u00a0What if none of my friends are in my class?\u00a0 Where will I sit? Why did I get my hair cut to look like such a dork?<\/p>\n
Do you remember those first days of school?\u00a0 Do you remember sitting in your desk, new to you for the year ahead, and waiting as the teacher handed out supplies?\u00a0 Because I remember being so excited for the new school supplies. The pencils, the glue, the new notebook.<\/p>\n
I loved that feeling of a fresh start. The “newness” of the new year.\u00a0 Feeling determined.\u00a0 Feeling excited.<\/p>\n
And I don’t know about you, but the weekend before kids go back to school turns me into this “I’m going to get everything cleaned up and organized” machine.\u00a0 I don’t know why or even if I have the power to stop it.\u00a0 It just happens and kinda takes over.<\/p>\n
I cleaned everything<\/strong><\/em> in my house this weekend.\u00a0 \u00a0I cleaned the OVEN<\/strong>.\u00a0 \u00a0By the way, if you read something online about how easy<\/em> it is to clean the inside of your oven with a baking soda paste, don’t believe it.\u00a0 It cleans it a little, but for the heavy duty burnt on foods, nope.\u00a0 Still there.\u00a0 \u00a0Memories of all the baking disasters of the past.<\/p>\n Yesterday I cleaned the silverware draw.\u00a0 Organized the “junk” drawer.\u00a0 \u00a0I cleaned cupboards and closets.\u00a0 I purged.\u00a0 \u00a0I organized.\u00a0 I pulled out fall clothes and put them at the front of my closet.\u00a0 I cleaned the TOP of the fridge.\u00a0 \u00a0I removed the big stuff that was just adding to the clutter and managed to hide it in other places around the house.<\/p>\n I admit, my kids looked a little worried.\u00a0 \u00a0They exchanged the “what’s wrong with mom” look with each other.<\/p>\n Back to school means back to routine, and that gives me this feeling of wanting to be organized.\u00a0 And before the busyness of the back to school routine kicks into high gear, I want to at least have ONE DAY with a clean house.\u00a0 \u00a0That feeling of satisfaction is worth it.\u00a0 Even if it doesn’t last past Wednesday.<\/p>\n Do you use this time of year as a way of getting back into old habits and routines?\u00a0 Do you do the same super intense clean and organize the house kinda thing?\u00a0 Fresh start for a new school year?<\/p>\n I am so happy to see both my girls back in school.\u00a0 \u00a0Grade 10 for my youngest.\u00a0 Excited to be back in the classroom with friends.\u00a0 And my oldest daughter just started college today.\u00a0 Gulp.<\/p>\n Maybe my cleaning frenzy is just my way of trying to not think about how quickly my kids are growing up and how soon they might be out of the house.\u00a0 Folding their laundry and tidying up some stuff helps me hang onto them, and feel like I’m still needed, just a little bit longer.<\/p>\n And helps my brain forget about just how much of a super awkward dork I was all through school.\u00a0 Shy.\u00a0 Awkward.\u00a0 Quiet.\u00a0 \u00a0Some things you just can’t grow out of I guess.<\/p>\n (smile)<\/p>\n