Each year, I dread the start of school more than the kids. In the summer, the days are so long that all my working mom guilt gets washed away. I get up early to go to work and no matter how late I have to stay, I know that when I get home the kids will be up, we will have nothing to do but go skiing or fishing or swimming or kayaking, I won't be raising my voice that they need to finish homework or finish chores or get ready for bed - instead we race to eat lunchmeat sandwiches so we have more time on the water. See the summertime is the only time I feel like I am the person I always wanted to be: I work well during the day, I am a great mom at night and on the weekend; sure I get exhausted from staying up until 11:00 and getting up at 4:30 but it is worth it to hear the kids laugh like they do in the summer, to watch them accomplish all of their goals with water sports, to see them run to the fish cage to show me all of the fish they caught throughout the day to come home to three kids in swimsuits with popsicile stains all over their tan body and food caked in Brenna's hair - the smell of their summertime routine that is the smell of dead fish and pure sweetness. Each year when school starts, I get sad - sad that summer is over and sad that the kids are another year older and will face another year of pressure but with the pressure - growth. These are the days and these are the years. Cheers to Conner and Drew as they begin third and first grade!
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