Here. We. Go.

My annual last day of August chant has begun...

"Where did the summer go?! Where did the summer go?! Where did the summer go?!"

Monday evening was our homeschool group's mandatory meeting...the real kick-off to our school year.
(deep breath)
Praise team for Carrie and William has moved back to its school year schedule of Tuesday evening practice.
(deep breath)
Our homeschool group begins meeting this Thursday.
(deep breath)
William's robotics team had its first meeting yesterday afternoon.
(deep breath)
Carrie will begin basketball in just two weeks.
(deep breath)
All curriculum has been ordered and delivered.
(brown paper bag...hyperventilating!)

Our official first day of school is Monday. We'll celebrate the beginning of our new school year with our annual "First Day of School Tea Party." Can I still call it annual if we missed last year's party? It was the first year since we started homeschooling that we didn't have a tea party. Carrie and William went to the Grand Canyon with Grandma and Grandpa, and, although I intended on having it later in the school year, it never happened.

So we are pushing the reset button this year! It will be our tenth tea party as we begin our eleventh year of homeschooling.
It's very important that we celebrate big this year since Joshua is beginning kindergarten!

KINDERGARTEN?!
And did I mention that Carrie is a sophomore and William is an 8th grader?!

Where has the time gone?! Where has the time gone?! Where has the time gone?!
(Where did I set that brown paper bag?!)

Can I show this to you while I'm thinking about it...and while I'm teary-eyed anyway?



Seriously?
That was ten years ago at our very first tea party!
TEN!
Carrie was a kindergartener and William was Matthew's age...3!

Time really does fly by.
It's a thought that I linger over far too often, I'm sure.

So...

Goodbye lazy days of summer.

Goodbye unscheduled days.

Goodbye staying up until 10:00 (that really is late for me).

Goodbye staying in my jammies until 4:00 before Paul walks in the door, and I run to the closet in search of my clothes so that it looks like I didn't spend the entire day in my jammies (O.K., so maybe I'm not really saying goodbye to that...).

And...

Hello to regular activities.

Hello to scheduled days (I thrive when my days are scheduled).

Hello to early bedtime (I won't say what time, because you will laugh).

Hello to telling everyone that I actually get dressed every single morning before school because, after all, I am the school teacher and need to set a good example of readiness...and then finding myself having to repent because of the lie I told.

May the 2011-2012 school year begin!

Enjoying the last of summer,