Hooray for school!

One happy camper waiting
for the bus to Camp Crossroads
(AKA Harry Potter camp).

Thank goodness school started again today. It's been a really long summer! It was especially long, 2 weeks longer than usual due to changes in the school start date. For me the summer was totally discombobulating because we did so many different camps and the kids were going in different directions as often as not. This isn't a way of life that works well for me personally, and really not for any of us. We do better with regular routines.

The kids did a few weeks at their usual CASA summer camp (much hated by Reed). A couple weeks at Quantum Leaps, the in-home day care. Reed did a week at video game camp (seriously). Both kids did a week of tae kwon do camp. Reed did a week of flag football camp. Amy did two weeks of Girl Scout camps. I was also fortunate enough to telework two days each week so the kids could stay home those days if they chose to. And we ended the summer with a week's vacation in Daytona Beach and Savannah, followed by a week at home. All in all...I think we made great choices, but I will be glad to get back to a regular, steady routine.

Monday night we had our traditional Breakfast for Dinner Back to School Pancakes...I'm so glad we started this when Reed went off to kindergarten. I don't remember if it was a conscious thing that we'd make it a yearly tradition, but I'm so glad it has become one. I think we all look forward to it. And last night Amy said "It's the last time you'll make a '3' pancake, Mom"....awww! But she also said she will continue this tradition with her own kids one day. I hope so!

We had a bit of a rough start this morning because Shelby chewed up Amy's new friendship bracelet she got from our neighbor Layla. Shelby did this literally a minute before Amy was looking for the bracelet to put it on for the day. But thankfully she recovered quickly (though she still hasn't forgiven the dog) and we were all smiles and ready to go to school!

Here's to a great 2013-2014 school year!