Back to School Takes a Look at Priorities and Setting Goals



This is my second year where I have looked forward to and dreaded being a slave to the school calendar and going back to school!  My oldest will be in first grade this year.  It seems that there are two sides to every point I am thinking of in saying goodbye to the beautiful Summer and hello to Fall.

First off, I think we have had an amazing summer.  We had a few beach days, played in a pool that was given to us most everyday, rode bikes, gone to the aquarium and the zoo, gone camping, boating, maintained a garden, checked off several house projects, and done it all while we both (Perry Mama and Perry Papa) somehow worked and kept it all on track. Boy, am I tired; and still attempting to fit in a few final activities in the last two days before school inevitable starts at 8:30 on Wednesday of this week!!  OMG!

I am looking forward to a longer school day, my daughter will go to school until 2:30 for the first time in her life!  But, I am going to miss having my one on one time with her while my youngest naps.  My youngest is going to a new preschool this year which is awesome because I will drop him off 2 days a week and I will have 4 hours to myself two days a week for the first time in probably 6 years!  Unfortunately, I will have to use that time to keep up on my work, but it will be a lot easier trying to get everything done, (but I wonder if he will continue to nap and if so when?).  As we say goodbye to summer and flexible bedtimes, and good morning to alarm clocks and routine!  Will the kids be happy? They have played so well together being together every moment of most everyday and it's been awesome, but their patience is waning as well as mine with so much "together" time.

I am hoping that in my new routine, I will come up on the priority list. I plan to schedule in regular date time with the love of my life and give our marriage more priority and focus which I think will help us be in tune as a family, even if it's just regular bedtimes instead of falling asleep all together on the couch at the end of a movie or chapter of the book we are reading.  And hopefully, healthy routines, like exercise will come to the top of the list (for the first time since we moved last February).

A book called "The Happiness Project," was recently recommended to me.  Gretchen Rubin, the author, also put together this great site or blog. Whether I read the entire book or not, I think there is a lot to be said for making small priority changes that help us all enjoy life more. Little attainable goals measured out in time and building on them.  I have meetings with my husband about business goals for the business we own and it's not as common an occurrence but probably more important in plans for the direction we would like to take our family.  In conclusion, the beauty of summer, is the flexibility or lack of routine, and the beauty of the school year is that as a family we get to have more space and individualized focus and hopefully the ability to attain some of those goals that get overshadowed without the routine or time to get it all done.

Happy reading and Happy School year to all you parents out there!

~Perry Mama

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