Hitting the Halfway Mark

We've all said it to ourselves.  When we were little, summer stretched out like a glorious, endless parade of fun and opportunity.  Now that I'm grown, it sometimes seems spent before Canada Day.

We're halfway through the summer and thus far, things have gone well.  My hip cost us a few excursions but we've still managed weekly swimming and playdates.  It's been a good blend of enough activity to satisfy but not so much as to exhaust.  And there's been the leisure to take advantage of opportunities as they arose (like going to the circus or a spontaneous visit to friends).

Now I have to stop thinking like a child and start thinking like an adult again.  There are things I want to accomplish before September and there are tasks which have to be completed as well. 

I want to paint our main upper hall and the entryway.  We've been living in this house for over ten years and it still has the nasty primer paint the builder sprayed onto the walls.  It's time for some colour.  Specifically, two shades of blue which remind me of summer skies and Mediterranean waters.  (I love bold, strong colours and the rest of my house shows it.)

I need to get things ready for school next year.  The usual mundane chores of buying school supplies and clothes which will fit my children after their summer growth spurts.  We have to get new shoes for everyone, both indoor and outdoor. 

I also need to make sure that I have everything in place for Nathan's new teacher before I request a meeting.  I want to have no more than four basic recommendations for her on how to accommodate him and help him adjust to the new routine of grade 1.  The teachers and principals will be back the last week of August and I need to make sure I know what I'm going to ask for.

Thus far, this is my list:
- have the teacher write down any assignments or homework in his agenda so that I can make sure he does them
- give him specific time during the day to be creative with stories or jokes.  That way he can focus and know he'll still have time.
- give him a visual or written schedule of the day's activities
- let her know that shame can be an over-the-top feeling for him, so criticism has to be carefully done so that he can learn

I'm sure I'll think of more.  Now is the time to debate and consider with myself so that I don't end up regretting my list.

I've enjoyed living summer like a child again.  But no matter how much I want to believe I'm still a kid, it's time to pull myself up by my big girl panties and step into my grown up shoes again.