Back to School

Summer has come to an end. It has been a wonderful summer. Since we moved to Medina, Miles has always gone to the summer program at school which is run by the same people that run the afterschool program that he goes to every day during the school year. Last summer, we wasted a lot of money b/c he went to several sports camps, spent time with grandparents, played golf on Wednesdays, and did things with Darrin randomly. Since we still have to pay for the summer program when he's not there, we decided this year to find someone to watch him at our house a couple days a week. We've thought about it before, but I've always been concerned that he would be bored or sit around doing nothing all summer. I knew we would have to find the right person, and we absolutely did! One of Darrin's players that graduated last summer was going to be in town, so we asked her if she wanted to make a little money. We knew it wouldn't be a whole lot b/c we wanted the freedom to cancel as needed. She was totally up for it. We could not have asked for anyone better to watch him. We know how mature she is, but together they were such a great fit. She played with him, helped him with his chores, and showed an interest in the things he likes. She watched him Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and he went to work with Darrin on Thursday & Friday. 

She is the head coach for a local high school so they had practice and weights several times a week, which keep them on the move. It was a good thing b/c he never got bored. She took him to his favorite restaurant, Panda Express, on occasion.

She has a dog that he loved hanging out with. 

That fueled his desire for a dog, but I was glad that he got to enjoy him since that is not in our plans.

One of the unforeseen perks of having him home during the summer was all chores he was able to accomplish during the day. The list was never hard, but it took a few things off mine and Darrin's lists each night. Darrin and I wrote random chores on the chalkboard starting the night before, such as water the garden, water the plants, wash sheets, take the trash out, break green beans, and load/unload the dishwasher almost every day. It was so helpful. I'm going to find a way to incorporate this during the school year too.

I haven't talked about it much, but he played golf again this summer. He enjoyed it and made some new friends. As of now, it is definitely a hobby rather than a sport for him and that's just fine.

All summer long he got three 30 minutes increments of electronics per day. For the most part he was allowed to take them when he wanted and he usually manages that himself. He can combine them into one, but he prefers to space them out during the day. This sounds like a perfect little system, but it was a thorn in my side all summer long. If it was feasible in today's world, I would throw all the electronics out the window. I know I can technically do that as a parent, but it really is hard. So, we will continue to manage and deal with the constant battle of screen time. During the school year he isn't allowed to play Monday-Thursday and I am ready for that again. 

Mason's mom and I made good on our promise to have a sleepover this summer even if it was just last week. Darrin took them to see the Lion King and then they played video games until it was time for bed.

We had open house last week. He's so excited about 4th grade. Last year was such a great year and I sure hope there's more to come this year. I know everyone thinks their child is a genius, but I really do think that he was bored in previous years and that is one reason that he enjoyed 3rd grade so much. He said he liked having two teachers b/c you got to learn so much more. 

This year, he has Ms. Chelsea Caraway for math and science...

...and Ms. Sarah Conder for English and Social Studies. 

They both seem very nice. As I learned last year, teacher gifts never hurt so we are ready to show some love starting tomorrow. 

Carson's new school year starts tomorrow too, so we got his teachers a little something also. He moved up to their room in May, but they absolutely deserve "Happy New School Year" gifts too.

Darrin took both boys to school and daycare most days last year. If he was out of town or had to be at work early, I would take them sometimes. We decided this year that I'm going to take Miles and he is going to take Carson. I think it will be helpful for me to take Miles so I can get to work on time or even early most days. It's been a fun summer, but I am tired. I know school is busy too, but I'm looking forward to some structure and possibly some slower weeks. That's probably wishful thinking, we'll see starting tomorrow!