Back to School Time

Here we go for another round of Everything’s Famtastic, with your happy host, Jenny!! How were things in your part of the world this past week?

We’re doing OK here. School holidays finished. Early school mornings have started again. It’s going to take some getting used to. We need some time to find our “groove” again. It was only a 3-day school week to start the school year off with. You know, the type that everyone likes, where you don’t have to face a full 5-day uphill battle of re-resetting your circadian rhythms after a 6-week hiatus 😉.

But seriously, these past few days of school and kindergarten [preschool] actually flowed surprisingly well. Not once did the kids complain about being woken up. No grumbling during breakfast time. No grouchy faces when it came time to walk out the door. Even no protesting when it was homework time in the afternoon.

**High fives all round dear family!**

What happened to my kids?!?

Did they all mature suddenly over the holidays?!? Yeah but not entirely.

School Term vs School Holidays

I have definitely noticed some changes in each of our children in the last weeks. Positive ones in fact! But I think this easy start in the school year is straight-up due to the great novelty of going back at school. If I had asked any of the kids whether they were happy about holidays being over, the answer would have been a deafening NO WAY.

However, all 3 of them did have something new to look forward to at their respective schools / kindergarten. Which lucky for everyone involved, is a major plus. Master 5 is now in his last year of kindergarten and is therefore in the elite group of “experts”, preparing themselves for school next year. Miss 8 is still in primary school, but after 2 years in the same classroom has moved into a new one in a different building (“Upstairs, Mama! It’s in the big building on the first floor!”). And Miss 10 not only has a new classroom, but dozens. She has just started high school with its multitude of new subjects and teachers and places to discover. All of the kids were definitely curious beforehand. And so far (keep your fingers crossed, people!) are satisfied with their new learning (ha Kiddies! Yes, you’re gonna learn new stuff!!) environments.

What about the school holidays though? Before the holidays started I posted a really long list full of super cool summer activities. I did say though, that we personally were not attempting to make our way through each of those ideas. That would have required superhuman and super-bank-account capabilities! 😉 Did you have your own bucket list of fun stuff you and your kids wanted to enjoy during the break? Did you get to do everything you wanted?

I can share with you some of the highlights that have left the most-lasting impressions on our own children: several, wild water balloon fights, going to the movies, a night at the circus, sleeping-in, a DVD and popcorn night at home, helping cook dinner, craft projects, visits to the local pools, lazing about reading and of course our holiday in Croatia. Obviously that trip was a big out-of-pocket expense. But as I said in that summer activities post, not everything has to cost the earth to make it fun 😊.

All of the above put a smile on my face too. We had very busy and extremely fun-filled summer holidays. Nevertheless, for this Mama here, it was at times also seriously strenuous. I love my children very very much, no question about it. But sometimes I also love having some personal space for more than, say, 47 seconds. My kids can get very cuddly and trying to work on my computer while someone insists on sitting on my lap and wriggling and providing a running commentary can be, well, trying!

Still, I tend to enjoy holidays time more than school term time. This being awake early thing (school starts at 7:45am for my 2 girls!!) and making sure everyone gets out the door with the right morning tea snack-box and the correct bag and weather-appropriate clothing can get a little stressful. I do like a more relaxed start to the day with the kids 😊.

All in all I have nothing to complain about. The start to this new school year has gone swimmingly. The kids are right where any parent would hope for them to be: smart, healthy, caring, funny, good friends, good school… May the year continue as smoothly as it started!

I’m going to leave you with this though. Recently I came across a quote from @brendonburchard which goes something along the lines of “Instead of thinking ‘I hate having to do…’ start thinking ‘I am lucky that I get to…”. If ever I am having a rough morning getting the kids off to school (and trust me people, all us parents know that this WILL happen) I will be remembering this idea of turning to positivity. Like “I am lucky that I get to raise these amazing human beings and help them receive an education”.

Next time you are having a trashy morning (and I write next time, because as I just said, us parents know that it WILL happen), perhaps this flip around on thinking might just be the thing that saves your soul that day!!

So, on that note… Are your kids back at school after holidays? How did your holidays go? What was the most fun thing you did? How has everyone in your house coped with starting back at school? Has it gone as you hoped? Drop us a message below!