Back to school...back to school...

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A week from this Friday, this girl is headed back to work. I have to say I'm not completely ready to give up my summer vacation yet. It just seems like summer goes by A LOT faster than it did when I was a kid.

We've had a great summer and we've surely accomplished a lot. Our daughter "graduated from" pre-school level swim lessons. She attended Vacation Bible School for the second year. We went to WV to visit my grandparents, did a lot of swimming, and she participated in our local library's summer reading program- she read 76 books! *proud English teacher mother moment* Around the house, we painted and started working on our nursery, we finally got a dining room table, and we finally got our closets organized. No wonder I am so tired!

Now, though, comes the hard part. It's time to get back on schedule. Time to get back in routine. After examining our usual school year routine, I found that we are not only rushed and strapped for time, but we do not get enough sleep. Here is what a typical day during this school year will look like for our family: (*Note: We have church on Wednesday evenings and gymnastics on Thursday evenings, so there is a little variation on those days).




5:15- Get up
5:15-6:15: Get ready, get Emorie ready
6:30: Leave the house; take Emorie to day care
6:55: Arrive at work
6:55-4:15: Work day (Unless it's Tuesday. We have staff meetings and are usually at work til 5)
4:40: Pick up Emorie
5:00- Start dinner
5:30- 6:15: Eat, clean up kitchen
6:30 to 7:45: Play time
7:45-8:10: Chore of the day
8:30: Bath time (For Emorie)
9:00: Bed time (for Emorie)
*The hubs and I try to go to bed no later than 10.

Like her mother, Emorie is a very routine-oriented person. To help our sweet girl get back into the school year groove, we created this for her:

It's her very own "back to school command center!" It's in her playroom, as she doesn't really have a good place for it in her bedroom. Everything was deliberately placed low so she can hang her bookbag up and since she is just learning to read, there are pictures to help her see what she needs to do.

Our next "back to school project" will be to create a "homework station" for her. No, she isn't yet in kindergarten and doesn't have homework, but it will give us a spot to do some "mama school."

Linking to Stonegable, Worthing Court, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Confessions of a Plate Addict, and French Country Cottage!