End of Summer

This is it, the end of summer.  Usually, I am so thankful for the beginning of the school year. 

Even though I am required to pack Marie her lunch every day and take Thomas to preschool a few times a week, it feels like a break.  Probably because I'm not monitoring the delicate balance between how many episodes of Full House (Marie's show) versus how many episodes of Annoying Orange (Thomas's show) were watched at one time while frantically trying to get school work done.

But I do not feel this intense relief that summer is over.  In fact, I am sad since I wasn't savoring this season.  Between moving and accepting additional responsibilities in an already new job, I felt that I was balancing more than normal.  I have written a few posts at Detroit News MichMoms about these feelings here and here.  
   

I never felt like I struck the right balance; it felt more like a seesaw.

We went from this extreme

Pool time at the gym before swim lessons

Pool time at our neighborhood pool

To this extreme

Unlimited amounts of screen time.  Breakfast in front of the TV? Yes.
Lunch while the TV is on? Absolutely. When asked about Marie's
screen time at her well checkup, I may have just added up the hours
and divided by two to get a more desirable number.

Because of this

I got this all worked out, and now will proudly update my LinkedIn profile with
PowerPoint presentations as my new super power.

What can I say – this summer was all about transitions and none of them were seamless.  I felt it was extremely challenging to be present, and I torment myself with guilt that I could not focus more on the kids for the finite amount of time they are home for the summer.  However, here is a positive thing I can say about summer: it was so fast and furious that I think the beginning of the school year will feel easier.

How are you feeling about the end of summer?  Are you excited?  Sad?