One Week of Summer Vacation Left

Hard as it is to believe, my kids start school a week from tomorrow. Our school district is year-round, so the kids get extended Fall and Spring breaks to make up for the short summer. Mary has been in St. Louis staying with her best friend the last two weeks and we are ready to have her back home (she gets home tomorrow). I definitely miss her wonderful presence, although, I can't say I miss the shoes, clothes, books and empty water bottles strewn all over the house!

For the first time ever, I'll have all my kids on the same school schedule. After years of leaving my house at 7:10am and getting to work at 9:00am because I had to make at least four stops (three different schools and our carpooler's house), I made the decision last year that it's time to "simplify". Initially, Mary was not happy about not being able to attend the same Catholic high school that many of her friends and her cousins are attending and I struggled with not sending Eric to a Catholic grade school. However, now that the beginning of school is upon us, I am so relieved to have my kids all attending schools within walking distance. Mary and Hilary will attend the same high school and Eric will be in Kindergarten. Eric is not a morning person no matter how early I get him to bed, so the next 13 years should be quite the challenge. Eric has already asked me whether he has to go to school every day! Jack is easy, the teacher and therapists come to our house. I can't even imagine what it would be like to have to get him out the door every morning.

We have a busy week coming up -- Mary has Irish Dance workshop every day for several hours, we have high school orientation for both girls and "meet the teacher" night for Eric. I'm still trying to figure out how I ended up with kids in high school and a kindergartener. It's very strange. Since life will now be simpler, it's only right that we complicate it some by getting Eric involved in soccer and, hopefully, piano lessons. It would be so much easier on us to not get Eric involved in extra-curricular activities, but it's not fair to him and he has so much energy he needs to channel into something constructive. Like most parents out there, I just feel like I'm that hamster on its wheel -- running as fast as I can and getting nowhere!

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My mom update:
My mom will be in the neuro rehab center until the 25th of July. We asked her if she is ready to come home and she said "no". She is doing well and is improving every day with her speech and ability to articulate her thoughts. (the location of the tumor was in the part of her brain that affects speech, among other things). She starts radiation and chemo some time this coming week and we should hear this week whether her tumor has the marker for the trial at Columbia University. We are definitely in the "lull" before the storm, but it's a bit of respite we all need.

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Sorry about all the template changes. I'm usually not this indecisive!