First Day of School Approaches!

With the rainy weather we've been having, it's already feeling a bit like fall to me! Especially today.  Fall is by far, my most beloved season.  Oh how I love fall.  The smells, the sights, the tastes, and sounds.  I just love everything about fall.  The rainy days, the sunny days, the smell of the leaves,  the wind,  the crisp breeze, wearing hoodies on walks, the crunch of the leaves.  The sounds of geese and ducks flying south for the winter.  The excitement of raking up that first HUGE pile of leaves and then just JUMPING in with wild abandon and having a BLAST, like we do every single year. 


This year we look forward to firing up our new (to us) fire pit.  A neighbor was moving and passed the fire pit on to another neighbor, who decided it would look better in our yard and we'd get more use out of it, so here it sits.  I cannot wait to fire that bad boy up and make some s'mores this fall in the evening with the kids.  They are as much of a fan of the fall as I am. 


I love the idea of school starting, home coming in our community, farmers markets in the fall, all of the fun fall themed activities in our community, HALLOWEEN is one of my most beloved fall activities. The costumes, the excitement, the candy and fun.  I love decorating for fall, and later for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  I love it.  LOVE.  IT.  It just makes me all excited and giddy just thinking about fall.

Currently, I have fall scented wax cubes melting in all of my wax warmers, and fall scented air fresheners in every room JUST in case someone wants a spritz of fall while they sit and relax or whatever. I'm already busting out my favorite fall time recipes.  SOUPS and CHILI's and ham and beans are some of my top favorite fall recipes.  Potato soup, is one of my HUGE favorites along with my delicious home made chicken noodles soup (it's even better than my mothers, although her potato soup is still better than my home made potato soup). 


I'm already waving by to summer.  Buh bye!

I know summer isn't over YET, and it's still going to be here for a few more weeks, but this early peek at fall just has me in a cozy, snuggly, fall mood.  Not to mention this hasn't been an awful summer full of the worst heat ever.  It's actually been a fairly mid summer, and I have no complaints.  I just hope that this winter isn't too awful.


Don't get me wrong, I love winter.  However, the first snow or fresh fallen snow is quite magical to me.  About the third day of the stuff....I'm done.  No thanks.  I'll pass.  Move right on along snow. I don't really mind the cold so much, as long as I'm stocked up on hot cocoa and marshmallows! I look forward to Christmas and the decorating, buying presents, putting up the tree, taking the kids to see Santa and all of that fun festive stuff.  It is exciting and fun.  I wish the days were longer though, and it didn't get dark so early in the winter.  I am one of those people who struggle with the winter blues.  I NEED the sunlight, I NEED to be outside in the sun enjoying my day.  I need to feel dirt between my fingers as I garden.  I need to hear the birds, and hear the crickets.  There just ISN'T any of that in winter.  It can be bleak.  It can be depressing.  So not even half way through winter I'm completely done with it. You can't stay out sledding as long as you'd like, you can't have snow ball fights and build snow men as late as you'd like because it's nearly pitch black by 6pm. 


My husband has always wanted to live in Alaska.  I think it would be beautiful and wonderful.  However, I'm not so sure I'd be a good fit for Alaska! So I'll just stay put where I am, in the middle of the country.


Here I get to experience all the seasons. Spring with it's gorgeous green grass, and beautiful tree blossoms, and flowers sprouting forth from the earth.   The birth of new life and the beautiful sights and smells of the world around me.  Summer, with it's fun and excitement, the long nights, and fun activity filled days.  Swimming, and humidity so bad it's like walking into a wall of well...humidity. Seeing the wild flowers as they start to bloom, watching the hay fields blow in the breeze, and watching as the farmers start to cut the hay and bale it.  The smells of that are awesome (and awful all at the same time, aww mid west allergies, wonderful).  Fall, well we all know what I think about fall, and winter too.  I live in an area where I get to experience all of the seasons.  I see trees changing color, snow and ice, blooming flowers, cool weather, warm weather, you name it...we got it. Wouldn't trade it!


Currently I'm just looking forward to not only the first day of fall, but also to the first day of school. Other than a few clothing items that we need to get, we're pretty well done.  The kids are excited, I can't believe my sons are going off to Kindergarten.  Before long my kids will be going off to college.  Doesn't seem possible! Time will fly by I know it will :(  I try to make the most out of each moment.


I'm really excited/nervous for the boys to have their first year of kindergarten.  Son Circus #1 told me yesterday when he got home from Kindergarten Jumpstart (it gets kindergartners ready for the routine of kindergarten and let's them get to know some familiar faces so they aren't so scared on the first day of school, gets all those jitter bugs out of the way). 

Anyway, yesterday he told me "Mommy, I had to sit in the think seat 4 times today!" 

I asked him WHY he had to sit in the think seat that many times, and he said "Because people wouldn't leave me alone, they were being mean to me!" 

Which generally means....that Son Circus #1 was being a bit...'bossy' or wanting what the other child had and the other child wasn't giving in, and so he would get upset and throw a fit and not be very nice. 

How do I know you ask?  Because I have witnessed this happen on several occasions, and that is generally the exact same answer he gives.  Whatever the problem is...he says it's everyone else's fault, and HE is the one everyone is being mean to.  It's been a task trying to help him learn how to take ownership for his own actions and not be so mean when he plays with others.  Soooo yeh....Kindergarten should be interesting....I hope I don't get too many phone calls from the school.  He did good in preschool, but that dynamic was a LITTLE bit different (to some degree).  First of all, Kindergarten is ALL DAY LONG.  As the day wears on...my sons, well their personality goes down the toilet the further the day goes on.


Son Circus #2 does NOT like to be rushed, at all.  Period.  End of story.  Don't rush him.  He will have a complete melt down, before completely shutting down, and you will get NOTHING out of him for the rest of the day.  ODD will do that to a kid.  Fun times. I hope his teacher (she's new at their school) will be able to handle him.  I'm sure he won't be/isn't the only difficult kid in class. I'm a bit disappointed that I haven't had the chance to talk to any of their teachers yet this year.  Usually at this time I've talked to them on the phone.


As nervous as I am about my sons starting school, I know they will do just  fine.  They love to learn and I know they will be eager to participate!


Mom Circus