Summer wrap up

Today was Calvin's first day of Kindergarten, and in those 2 brief hours of relative quiet and peace, I realized that this summer nearly wrecked me.

I have come to realize that I am a mostly left-brained mostly introvert. Here are some things I enjoy:

• routine
• quiet
• schedules
• check off lists
• plans
• sleeping
• completing chores
• crafting quietly/alone

Here are some things that I don't totally enjoy:

• chaos
• arranging play dates every day
• repetitive whining
• continuously making snacks/doing dishes
• swimming
• nagging my kids about chores
• everyone talking to me at once

I will own up that I could do better about a lot of these things. I'm reading a book about the brain, and the author is continually pointing out that the brain can be taught to enjoy new things if it does it enough times. I could also be a more "with it" parent that can set a summer schedule and stick to it. Maybe that will be my goal for next summer.

Travel is often a summer time activity, Ben and I did some trips in the spring, and he took the older kids on some big trips this summer while I stayed home and completed chores. I did take the kids on a road trip to Wyoming and we ended the summer with a family road trip to Idaho.

June was spent at the city pool because we had a 1 month pass that we wanted to make the most of. July was spent traveling mostly, the annual pilgrimage to Boston for Ben and the girls was almost 2 weeks.

August was just really dragged out anticipation of our ID trip and back to school.

All this to say, I am not one who mourns back to school time.