Tomorrow, we turn the page on the calendar again. We say goodbye to July and hello to August.
I don’t think that I’m alone in saying that there is a feeling of anxiety that goes with this switch.
Things are about to get real, people.
All the newspaper and television ads shout that it’s “Back to School” time, as if we need those reminders. Facebook posts begin to say “last trip to the cabin for the summer” or “found those hard to find oil pastels at Michael’s.”
Maybe it’s the reduction of light each day that causes this panic of decreasing time and unfinished projects.
The month of July flew past, even though some individual days were painfully long; I haven’t even checked my Pinterest “Summer Lovin’ Ideas” yet.
I have to do that before Labor Day.
We can mark off “grow vegetables” and “have squirt gun fights” from the list; however, we have yet to “have a bonfire and make s’mores” or “go to the beach property.”
Although we are now a homeschooling family, things change with the arrival of August. I return to work and there is a necessary switch in mindset that occurs with his fourth grade curriculum.
If I stop and think about all the learning that did take place in July, I’m happy.
We have succeeded in math, reading and science every day with only an occasional skip and we have made progress with personal responsibility and pushing through challenging situations.
With the arrival of August, I hope to provide more learning with a focus on fun and interest. One of my Internet friends reminded me that I have time; I don’t have to push to get through that science unit in two weeks.
Old habits die young.
With the arrival of August, I hope to relax more and enjoy each day with my son. After all, I am lucky for this opportunity and he is watching how I handle stress and recover from challenging situations.
With the arrival of August, I want to seek more balance.
Balancing his needs with challenges that I know he can accomplish with some guidance.
Balancing my time with working part-time, writing, and his instruction.
Balancing fun with those daily “have to” things.
Before September arrives, I hope to have more summer fun items checked off, feel ready for both my teaching at school and my teaching at home, and a sense of balance.
That’s not too much to ask for, right?
We’ll see.
What do you wish for with the arrival of August?
My Twice Baked Potato 
Sigh…I’ve felt for the last couple of weeks that summer is really over – we’ve done all our fun stuff and all that’s left is TONS of prep at work for the new year and steeling myself to say goodbye to our youngest as he heads back to college. -Amy
I am still trying to hang on to summer thinking and attitude, but it is getting harder. I cant imagine the going away to college blues! Good luck to you with that!
My youngest child and my husband are off on vacation this week while my oldest and I are here at home. I had planned on a lot of “summer fun” this week but the weather did not cooperate where we are at. We had fun, but not what I had hoped for! Feeling like school is arriving too soon (my kids go back in less than 2 weeks!) and we haven’t checked enough fun stuff off of our summer list. Would like a re-do of this week with some summer weather 😉
It does go by fast and if weather doesn’t cooperate, there could be problems.
We have been h-o-t this summer and so we tend to hibernate in the middle of the day 🙂
we start in August…August 25th the kids go back. I go back August 12th. My summer is over in 10 days. Waaah! I will have no free time. It’s going to be busy, busy, busy. I hope that I will have SOME TIME for relaxation this year. I can hope, right?
I hope that for you too 🙂