Today is the first day of school. Which means sweet freedom for mothers out there, only half of whom will admit it. The other half is crying crocodile tears in their cappuccino this morning acting like they are sad for the quiet house or not trying to arrange that necessity called work around summertime schedules.

I will admit to missing them a little, the house feels emptier and I AM still in my pj’s……. Why it feels any different that I am up at the time I normally get up (working in the garden, cleaning house, trying to get motivated to do the reading for my class etc) knowing that they aren’t upstairs in bed but out actually doing something is beyond my understanding, but it does feel different. But the melancholy feeling has nothing to do with the kids being gone. Really…….

Anyway, like I mentioned on Facebook this morning, Emma’s last, first day of high school is today. Ethan’s first, first day of high school is today, and Caleb escaped the first day of class picture by going to college. I thought showing up at his dorm yesterday morning might have been overkill. My extra kid Trey (seen in the center in case you can’t discern him from my other always around kids) just thought I was crazy. Why did I want a picture again?

My first day of school was yesterday too, and after the meltdown of HOW MANY PAPERS DO I HAVE TO WRITE?!!! Brought on by perusing the syllabus. I have done what any mother with a brain like mine and gone to my children for help. I’m preparing them for college. They can put on their college applications that they helped their mother survive graduate school. I think that should count for something. I helped with plenty book reports back in the day, though my kids will tell you with a little resentment that I refused to do the project for them. This might be a problem for me now, just sayin.