Mom, I don't want to get up!

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School officially started back last Friday. I know: It's crazy to start your first day back on a Friday. But that's how they did it, so we went, too.

After the first full day, we had a whole weekend to recover. Nice. We were able to pick up school-related items we may have forgotten on our first pass. And we got to go to our football jamboree and celebrate my wonderful mom's birthday.

Monday we started our second full day of school having been rested and refreshed. Should be chugging right along into Wednesday, right? But we aren't chugging well.  We are exhausted.

My youngest has cried from the pick up line at school to the goodnight kiss in her room at home. My eldest (a teenager, no less) fell asleep at 8:45 last night. Unprompted by me. Just up and went to the bed and was snoring by the time I found out where he'd gone.

I know anything new is taxing. Any training I've ever had has left me feeling gummy-headed and fuzzy-headed by the end of the day. So I know learning a new routine, learning new teachers, having new course work and reuniting with friends has taken its toll on my kids.

Add to that the lovely, balmy Tennessee weather (who moved the equator???) and I can totally understand why they are so whipped by the end of the day. I'm just surprised it happened so fast.

I fully expect that, if things continue the way they have, my kids will all be asleep in the car on the way home from school Friday... Not such a terrible prospect...

But I need them to be somewhat coherent this weekend. We need to clean our poor, neglected house. In lieu of housework, we have chosen sleep this week to get them up and running for the new school year. But at some point we either have to clean up or board up the house.

I imagine that, like in years past, we will soon be back in the routine of things and we won't feel quite so haggard at the end of every day...

...And then, once we've established our routine, we'll start adding back in sleep-overs, play dates, parties and all the other miscellaneous social events...

...Then it will be time for teachers to start assigning big projects and tests...

Great. Now I'm tired all over again.

Oh well. Happy New School Year!

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