Skip to main content

Here We Go Again!

Summer is hard with all the kids home. The house is suddenly very loud, and it takes everybody awhile to get used to being together so much.  Keeping the family happy and busy doing good things is tricky no matter what, but our age spread makes it more difficult. The teenagers want to hang out with friends, walk to the local frozen yogurt place, go on long bike rides, swim at the public pool, stay up late, and watch TV. The little ones want to do all those things too, but aren't always invited or allowed to. Just when I feel like we are getting a system down, it's time to buy school supplies and pick first day outfits. 

Makayla is entering 7th grade. This is her first year at junior high. She has been excited and nervous. 
Emily is a sophomore this year. She was probably the most excited about school starting up again (her and Andrew). 
Emily's early morning seminary class doesn't start until next week, so the girls are able to walk to the bus stop together in the morning. Their buses pick up at the same place within a few minutes of each other. It has been nice for Makayla to have somebody to walk with 
Andrew is a 2nd grader. He is most excited that his teacher has a huge library of books in the classroom.  He also has a lot of good friends in his class, although is a kind to everybody. 
Ricky is a 5th grader. He was pretty nervous about school, but didn't want to admit it. He has a teacher who is new to our school. She seems pretty good, so we are hopeful for a good year. 
Ricky and Andrew will be walking to and from school together. 
If Sean and Brooklyn are up and ready to go, we walk with them. 
Sean is starting afternoon preschool next week.  That means 4 different schools for  our family. I have done it before, but it takes a lot of organization and setting priorities. Sometimes we miss things. 

Brooklyn found her friend at school. We kept an eye on her for a bit while big brother was dropped of at kindergarten.  Brooklyn loves to have her picture taken. 

So, another school year has started. I am hoping for the best. Sometimes, I think I get more nervous than the kids.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

That Sinking Feeling - Real Talk From Your Mother

Also found at Letters from the Nest:   https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/that-sinking-feeling?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Dear Nestlings, I hope you don’t mind a little stream-of-consciousness letter today. I don’t know if I have anything specific to share, so let’s see what floats to the surface. It’s a bright fall Friday morning. These last few weeks in central Pennsylvania have been lovely, sunny, and warm. I know winter is coming, so I try to be outside as much as possible to take advantage of the sun before it hibernates. I just completed the forty-minute round trip to drive one of you to the high school. You know who you are, but maybe in a few years, when you read this, you won’t know because every one of you has missed the bus sometimes and has endured lectures about planning better and showing your respect for my work by not requiring forty minutes of my life for your convenience. Anyway, everybody is at school and work except...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gavin in a Million Words or Less

 Way back when Emily was in 6th grade, her teacher, Ms. Grey, asked parents to write about thier children in a million words or less. I posted what I wrote about Emily on our blog. I wish I were more organized and tech-savvy to find the link to that post and put it here, but I'm not. It's a nice idea that maybe I'll do later. Anyway, you get to read what I wrote to Gavin's fifth grade teacher who made the same requests of parents: Gavin is the youngest of seven children. His three oldest siblings have flown the nest, so he talks to them on the phone and looks forward to holiday visits. This summer, his oldest sister had a baby, so he’s an Uncle! He has three older brothers, who sometimes make life tricky for him, but are also sources of wisdom, rides to the store to get candy, and annoying TikTok phrases. He sometimes wants to be more grown up than he actually is. This little guy is academically oriented. He loves to read BIG books. He rarely reads a standalone nove...
Post a Comment
Read more

Back To School Meanies

 Letter From the Nest August 15, 2025 https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/back-to-school?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web One August, more than twenty years ago, at an evening book club discussion, my “older” friends (now I look back and know those women were the age I am now), were discussing the woes and triumphs of back-to-school season. One woman was anticipating her youngest child’s senior year of high school. She said, “For more than two decades, our lives have revolved around the school district’s academic calendar. I don’t know how I will plan my life without knowing about school breaks or holidays.” I remember her bittersweet tone as she anticipated freedom from school schedule constraints but also mourned how those constraints guided her choices. What would she do? Other women joined the discussion, wondering if their kids would have good teachers, if they’d be able to balance volunteering in the classroom, how to streamline school supply pu...
Post a Comment
Read more