We are now at the point where summer is fading into our memories and that amazing end of August/beg of September Disney Cruise is something from another time. The sun, the surf, the shorts and the freedom of summer are all fully gone and have turned into the cooler air, shorter days and rigid schedules that school and after school activities bring. There’s, of course, school. Then comes 3rd and 5th grade homework, which has become more and more intense with the passing years. Natalie has dance, gymnastics, religion, soccer. Liam has a couple of days of soccer, religion, and flag football. Swimming didn’t make the cut, much to my dismay (I swam in high school and was a lifeguard). There’s doctor’s appointments and playdates, blogging events, and friend gatherings, family time and parties. There always seems to be something going on and there seems to be little to no downtime. There just are not enough calendar notifications and post-it’s most days. By the time I do my nightly ritual of getting the kids in bed (Caleb is tough), cleaning up the house, the dogs, the dishes, putting away any straggling clothes and getting washed up for bed…it’s almost 10PM and I’m done with the day. The days can be long, but I thank God they are. They are filled with activity and kids and life. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can rest when I’m dead or at least when the kids have moved out.