Back to School – For Real. Maybe.

The day has finally arrived. It’s so strange going back to school two days after Labour Day this year, that I think we were all afraid to get excited. But they did go back to school – for real. Maybe. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, but I did get them there, and much to Grace’s delight (and mine) we were actually super early.

{cue Staples singing and dancing… “It’s the most wonderful day of the year…”

Two of my kids were so excited to return to school and one is split down the middle…she loved the summer and all her free time, but she enjoys school too, and is finally in the same class as one of her best friends again.

And that’s the child who was barfing last night. She had a nervous tummy all day and too much citrus, so we gave her tums. And then I remembered that tums are, for her, an acronym for Total Utter Malaise Syndrome.

When I was pregnant with her I had to sleep upright on a mountain of pillows…Nerdguy slept with a cross and a string of garlic beside me because I apparently “made our bed look like a coffin” I guess that’s not sexy or something. Well, waking up with vomit in my mouth isn’t exactly going to bring all the boys to my yard either. So sleeping sitting up and eating Tums, in much the same way I devour movie popcorn, were my go-to strategies. And perhaps my first-born has had her fill of them for a lifetime.

I wish that I had remembered that yesterday. The poor kid was so upset that she might miss her first day of school. Especially as she is in grade seven this year and has rotary, which is new to her. Thanks to the gods at Canada Dry and Bio Gaia things turned around for her and she felt good to go. I’m thrilled for her, but also heaving a sigh of relief for me, because “Mommy poisoned me” as a reason for absence didn’t seem like a great way to start the year off with the new teacher.

Here they are heading off for grade seven for Molly and grade six for the twins.

Grace has Molly’s teacher from last year and it’s just been adorable watching them conference this week about his class. Grace is pretty self-sufficient, and more than a little stubborn, and often doesn’t want to listen to Molly’s seasoned advice, but she has been asking her lots of questions about this year and genuinely listening, which has made her big sister pretty proud.

Big sisters come in handy when starting a new grade! Especially when they had the same teacher. Maybe Molly can explain the math homework to both of us!

Maggie has decided that summer is dead to her. We don’t dare say the word or she protests loudly. She saw me washing her swimming bag from camp and promptly hid it somewhere. We still don’t know where. They’ll probably bring back Unsolved Mysteries just to feature it. The word swim is now right up there with the word dentist in the list of words that will set her off. God help them all if anyone mentions that word in their summer recap at school. I hope they remember how to do lockdown drills.

In her seasonal discrimination she is adamant that long sleeves, pants, and running shoes are the only acceptable attire. Which would be great if there weren’t a heat warning today, with a temperature that is supposed to feel like 42C. And she’ll only wear her clothes from last year, which are becoming more like a long-sleeved crop top and second-skin low-rise pants. Maybe if we got her a back tattoo it would pull the whole look together.

How did the first day of school go at your house? Please let me know so that I have an excuse to ignore the mountain of paperwork that will be coming home tonight. I’d better clean out the van to make room.