Here it comes...

The first day of school, that is. It's approaching faster than I want it to. I have thoroughly enjoyed my do-nothing summer, with really slow mornings watching every minute of Good Morning America and Regis and Kelly before I even think about functioning. Nice slow showers and no rush at all to get my hair looking right and slap on some makeup before I run out the door. We've bought school supplies, new clothes and shoes, and done all the junk it takes to transfer your kids from one system to another - yes, the kids are changing schools this year. It was inevitable for Drew since she's starting middle school! Unbelievable to me! Evan and Alli aren't going to my school, but another school in the system, a Fine Arts Academy, and all 3 of them will be able to ride to school with me and ride a transfer bus to and from their schools. The kids have expressed a little bit of nervousness, but not as much as I thought they might. Evan and Alli are going to be in the same class, so that's helped them with the worry. Drew has definitely mentioned being nervous, but she met the 8th-grade cheerleader daughter of another teacher at my school and we made plans to meet up at open house, so that helped her a lot knowing that she's going to know at least one person in the building. I have done well being supportive, comforting, and reassuring on the outside, but I'm pretty sure I've woken up every morning for the past 2 weeks with my kids' first day of school on my mind. I changed school systems twice when I was a kid, and both times I adjusted and eventually made great friends, but I remember those first few days so well - especially the year I changed schools in the middle of 8th grade. It was definitely more that a few days before I felt at ease. So while I'm reassuring them, I'm reassuring myself as well. I just tend to make myself sick with worry over things being ok for the kids. It's a trait that I know comes with being a mom, but I know I won't be fully at ease until I get to them at the end of the day. And heaven forbid they tell me they had a bad day and don't like their new school...oh, I can get myself so worked up over the what-ifs. It drives Andy crazy (although he gets himself all worked up over what could've happened that didn't, which drives me equally as crazy). So, this week, as I head back to the grind to get ready for the real grind that starts next week, keep us in your prayers, because as I've said so many times that this may well have been my first phrase as a toddler, I'm nervous.