First Day of School

I wasn't able to post last night because we were so busy with our second back-to-school night.  It started with me leaving work a little late because after my computer dying and having to be replaced last Friday, my printer died yesterday.  I can't print to a shared printer because I print such confidential information like employee salaries so frequently.  So after fighting that battle and IT finally giving up and just grabbing another printer, I finally got that back up and running.  My technology issues at work have been very frustrating of late!

Then after I got home and logged in to work for a little while longer, we left to go to my daughter's back-to-school night at her middle school.  I think I'm mildly agoraphobic, nothing debilitating, but I find those crowded halls to be rather uncomfortable.  It didn't help that after about 5 minutes my son informed us we'd been there for "5,000 minutes" already and he was ready to leave.  So he was very impatient with his sister visiting all the different classrooms so she would know where to go today.  But next year he'll understand when he starts middle school.  I was also really good with my calories yesterday, so by the time we were wrapping up at the school, I was very hungry and starting to get grumpy.  That doesn't really help stressed or bored kids.  But I managed, and I'm very glad that I'm making good food decisions again.

When we got home we still had to eat dinner, which my wonderful husband had prepared in advance.  He made green chili this past weekend and put beans in the crock pot yesterday morning, so we had yummy and fairly low calorie burritos last night.  Then I had to clean up from dinner, and I promised the kids they could have homemade scones for breakfast for their first day of school, so I had to make those before I could get ready for bed.  By that point, I just didn't have the energy left to write a post.

Scones and tea for breakfast

I took the day off today, like I do most years for the start of school, to be with my kiddos for the new beginning.  This morning I took my son to his last first day at elementary school.  I can't believe that was the last time we'll be starting a school year at elementary school.  I didn't get emotional in front of my son, but I did fight tears on the walk back home.  Luckily it was a lovely morning and our creek is just beautiful.

My daughter told me I could walk her part of the way to the bus stop this morning, just as long as I stopped before the bus stop was in sight.  She's at that age where acknowledging that you actually have parents is embarrassing!

I had taken a picture of a pretty plant the other day on a walk when it was dark out, and I really wanted to get a picture of it in the daylight.  So after I walked my daughter to the bus stop I walked up to get a picture.  I didn't realize that the corner where the plant is located is also a bus stop.  So I had to wait in a nearby park until the bus had come to pick up the kids, because I figured my daughter would be mortified if she saw me there snapping pictures.

Nighttime snapshot with my cell phone

Picture from today

Close up from today

I had a couple of hours to myself after I dropped my daughter off before my son came home.  I spent some time relaxing and took a short nap.  I also read a little bit.  I am reading a book right now that I'm too embarrassed to name; it's not a well written book, but it is pure escapism and helps me to de-stress.  I think I'll take the kids out for a special treat this afternoon to celebrate the first day, then tomorrow we'll all be back in the fall rhythm, even if the calendar isn't there yet.

Here are a few other photos I took while walking today, please enjoy!