Back to School

Speaking of our non-summer, it’s the last day of August and while I’m still dreaming about lounging in the backyard in a skimpy bikini with a Mojito in hand, I’m wearing long pants and a sweater thinking about school starting and autumn leaves.

Can’t help but smell fall in the air. When it’s been a consistent 22 degrees all summer and then suddenly drops ten degrees like yesterday… it’s a little depressing. Where did the summer of 2009 go? It’s been smelling like fall since spring. And spring is quickly merging into fall once again.

So much for enjoying endless heat waves, cracking open ice cold bottles of beer under a scorching sun. So long lazy afternoons on the patio, charred burgers and citronella candles. Didn’t see you at all this summer power-failures-due-to-air-condition-overload. I missed you stuffing-ice-down-people’s-back-cuz-it’s-too-hot-summer.

Time to look ahead and be grateful for the start of school! While some parents are feeling weepy about a new school year starting, others (like me) cannot wait. Another week to go people!  

Woooo hoooo! Should we do an official count down? 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… freedom!

I’m humming a familiar song which most people hear during Christmas time…singing along with Staple’s hilarious commercial “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. Catchy tune, not only as a prelude to the most-hyped holiday of the year, but certainly dead-on accurate for back to school!

I am very much looking forward to the day after Labour Day. It will be a little more quiet in the house when the Boss goes to school two full days a week. Who am I kidding? A LOT more quiet!By the way, my sister’s girls in Connecticut are starting school TOMORROW. Let’s not be too jealous here in Ontario. Hold it together… just another week to go.

The Boss is going into SK. SENIOR kindergarten. Which is like Grade 8 for preschoolers. It’s a pretty big deal. I mean, at the end of this year, he’ll have a “graduation”. Hee hee.

He is going to be someone else’s buddy this year. What a huge responsibility!Will he make the junior kindergarteners feel comfortable? Ease their fears? Show them where to find their cubby hole? Help them zip up their jacket? Make sure they will wash their hands and wipe their bum properly?

Being a buddy is making me a little nervous. I mean, I still worry if my kid can wipe his OWN bum properly. When I’m home, he’ll still want me to wipe his bum. Whether I’m in the basement and he’s all the way upstairs, he will just stay on the toilet and wait for me to come up and wipe his bum. But if I’m not there, will he wipe it properly? Or will he leave a skid mark on his Batman’s face?

What about lunch and snacks? Will he eat what I pack in his new Cars lunch-box? He’s such a picky eater already… he won’t eat a deli sandwich. Or leftovers. Or anything that resembles a vegetable. He is very particular about what he wants. His lunch and snacks consist of the usual suspects: marble cheese, whole wheat bun, banana, apple, or some other fruit, granola bar and goldfish crackers. Stray from the usual and I will be in big trouble.

Will he improve his writing and reading? I’ve been getting him to practice his fine motor skills so that he can hold a pencil better. Playing with Playdoh and Lego all summer long. Did it help? Will he be able to write his name on one line within a 1×1 space?

In reality, I’m the one who is feeling all the pressure about school but I’ll keep it to myself. I’m really not a neurotic mom by any means. Really.

The Boss is very excited about going back to school and that’s all that matters. Of course I am very, very VERY excited too.