It Happens Every Year Around This Time...

Yes, it's happened.  I am the mother of a third-grader.  Third grade.  Seriously?  When the heck did that even happen?  How dare my baby girl keep getting older?  I mean...  that means I keep getting older, too!  I swear, she's intent on turning me forty one of these days.

So it began at 6:45 in the morning...  our normal "school day" wake-up time.  When I went into my dear daughter's room to get her up, I found her sitting on her bench, fully dressed, reading a biography about King Tut.  Excuse me, young lady, but have you seen my daughter?  I wasn't worried, though...  within a week I'll be fighting with her to drag her tiny hiney out of bed.  

I won't lie, it was rough getting up that early.  After an entire summer of sleeping in and sometimes not getting ready for the day until the afternoon, well, it was not really that fun.  For me.  But this child was up and at 'em and ready to go.  Zipped through hair, breakfast, teeth-brushing...  kissed Daddy - who was still in bed (bum) - goodbye, and out the door we went.  Onto the porch for the obligatory First Day of School Photo...

Off to the bus stop, then onto the bus...

Then, as is tradition in the Insomniac home, it was into the car for me (with the requisite jumbo multi-pack of tissues for the class) to meet Miss Sassypants at school to see her off the bus.  Ouch!  BI#*&!!!  Slammed my knee into the steering wheel console.  My husband had used my vehicle the day before as his was in the shop, and he is apparently either a Munchkin or an 87-year-old lady who has to sit three inches from the steering wheel.  I actually took skin off my knee!  But we made it to school (me and the Puffs), and when that child got off the bus, she looked away like she didn't even know me!  WTH?  This starts already??  Fortunately (for her), she started laughing and stopped, got one last Good Luck kiss from Mommy and off she went.  To third grade.  With her giant package of snot rags.

So, you ask, how would a super-tired Mama spend this seemingly free time?  Why, here...  in the basement. Playing in the water.  Wheeeee!

(This is the second time in as many rainstorms we've gotten water in this part of the basement.  I am so not amused.)

Hubby was getting ready to go to work, but he did peek down the stairs long enough to comment on my boots.

Funny, but "super-awesome" was not the phrase he used...

By the time I finished, it was time to take the man withOUT super-awesome boots to pick up his vehicle from the shop and ship him off to work.  Ahh, peace and quiet...  for all of 40 minutes.  Someone please tell me...  why did I have all of the homework on the first day of school?

Just as expected, though, she had a great day.  She loves third grade - she loves having a locker, she loves her teacher, she loves everything about it so far - but she has one girl in her class whom I cannot stand.  Isn't it always that way?

Now all is quiet in our little Suburban neighborhood...  Baby Girl is in bed, the house is picked up, and thanks to my mom and her pot roast, I didn't even have to cook dinner tonight!  Tomorrow we step further into the school-year routine:  soccer practice.  Wish us luck!