are you ready for school?

There are certain times in life or seasons of the year when you are asked the same question in every conversation.  Your senior year of high school the question is,  "what are you going to do after graduation?".  When you are pregnant every stranger you meet asks you, "Are you having a boy or a girl?".  Which is usually followed by their personal opinion on the gender of your baby.  Once the baby comes and you finally drag yourself out of the house, every person you meet asks you, "Are they sleeping through the night?".  Which is followed by the look of pity when your answer continues to be "No".  During the month of May everyone asks "Are you going anywhere this summer?".   These questions are the social norm.  It is what you are trained to ask in these and many more typical situations.  And once the calender turns to August and you have school aged children, this is what you will here every time you leave the house... "Are you ready for school?"

If I had to describe last year in one word it would be crazy.  When the month of May hit, I was fried.  Somehow we managed to complete the school year, but I felt like I was just surviving.  I needed a break.  We all needed a break.  So we kept this summer simple.  We had lots of days of nothing.  I made it a goal to get to know my kids this summer.  I wanted to start the next school better understanding each one of them.  Not just taking care of them, but really seeing their hearts.  When you add two children to your family in two years and both of them need lots of attention, there are many other needed things that start to fall through the cracks.

At the beginning of every summer there are so many fun "Summer Bucket Lists"  being promoted on every social media outlet.  I don't have anything against these lists, but I knew our family needed a different kind of list.  We didn't need more activites.  We needed to bond with each other.

In June I wrote in my journal my vision for the summer:
*  disconnect with outside life and reconnect with my husband, children and God
*  find a day to day rhythm that prioritizes rest above the chaotic demands of social life
*  really get to know each child and study them, pursue them ... and also Kevin
*  come to the first day of school without regrets
*  live in today
*  feed their tanks.... we are all on E 

I would love to say that I have totally mastered and checked off this list, but I think this will be a work in progress that takes longer than one summer.

As we begin this school year and everyone asks "Are you ready for school?"  My heart is torn between a yes and a no.  And this gives me peace.  We are starting the year with our tanks filled up.  I am thankful that I can confidently say this summer I got to know my kids and my husband more.  The kids are excited and ready to go.  And I am happy that I have a relationship with every single one of them that causes me to miss them when they walk out the door.