Back to school means back to routine!
And I couldn’t be more thrilled!
I completely LOVE summer, so don’t get me wrong, but man, I loveSeptember, too! Speaking as a mom first, I have to say that summers have their downside and August can be one of the more difficult months of the year. I mean, it’s just not fun anymore! August is all about gearing up for the big shift back to school. It’s preparing to get back to structure while simultaneously trying to squeeze in the rest of our summer plans. There’s more summer fun to be had but there is also: Paperwork. Registrations. Shopping. More shopping. The dentist(?) Physicals. There are fall sports and all the necessary equipment that go with them. Then there’s the changing of the kids’ bedtimes and wake up times so that they don’t sleep through the entire first week of classes. Even the kids seem to stop having fun in August, miss seeing their friends every day, and just want school to start.
And I haven’t even begun my rant on how “soft” summer makes them! It seems like all the ground you gained last school year is gone. POOF! By August, they are so used to very little routine and no real hard core responsibility that they are about as stable as a bowl of JELLO! I mean it is literally a 3 month vacation! A 3 month vacation would make anyone soft-myself included. By August, most moms are tired of listening to their kids fight all the time and having to pick after them up or nag them to do it themselves. And then there is the perpetual lounging around while they watch Netflix or play Fortnite! I mean my kids NEVER forget an invitation to go somewhere fun, but have consistently forgotten every invitation to do their chores for the last 8 weeks! (Okay that is a slight exaggeration. They’ve remembered twice. Haha!)
Even with assigned chores and jobs, kids just have way too much free time in the summer. It is a challenge to keep their days structured; and human nature needs structure! (I include myself in that assessment.) Scott and I do our best to set limits and somewhat structure their days, but alas, I am a working mom and cannot track their every move. So, by August, I inevitably realize they are now moving at a turtle’s pace, the simplest of tasks appear to them as climbing Mt. Everest and it is virtually impossible to get them to get out of bed at a reasonable hour! You know it is summer when they protest with outrage at getting up at 8AM! “8 AM? Why so eeeeeeearly?????”
Darn you, Summer! You’ve done it again!
Moms, can I get an ‘Amen’?
As a business owner, I have a separate beef with summer’s free spirit. Especially in Wisconsin! Our summers are so precious to us that we hang an “Out to Lunch” sign in June and don’t remove it until September! It is difficult to make time to connect, to keep people on task and focused, and even harder to get anyone to commit to anything! If you’ve reached out to someone in the summer, you may not even hear back from them until early September! Hence, why I am thrilled to welcome September. September just changes things. It’s as if the world is set right again…simply by the flip of the calendar.
Okay, maybe I’ve exaggerated a tad, but I have truly seen problems solved and things fall in to place that have been teetering on the edge all summer, just because school is back in! Schedules are instantly structured, moms with kids at home have less to juggle (for a few hours a day anyway), and as we put our beach chairs away, we somehow mentally get back “to business”. We even get back on track with our eating and exercise! You know it’s true! And since it is a real thing, I have learned to embrace this September shift and take FULL advantage of it! Back to school time is a GREAT time for a fresh start! I will be refocusing my goals, re-ordering my time, and taking total advantage of a QUIET HOUSE.
Ahhhhhh a quiet house. I just love the ring that has to it! (Quiet house, you and I have some much needed alone time on the way!)
Today is truly a new day, a new beginning, and an opportunity for new intentions and a new focus…that can lead to new RESULTS. And there are some real results I want this fall! And this winter. And next spring. And everything I do during THIS season will determine whether or not I get them.
What kind of results do you want in your life? Are they in your business? Your health? Your finances? Your relationships? Whatever it is that you desire to change or achieve, you can do it by taking advantage of the new season set before you TODAY. You can refocus and set new goals. Whatever you do, don’t try to step into this new season with one foot, while the other foot is in the chaos of the last one. Jump in with both feet! Take that class. Make those calls. Set those appointments. Commit to your health. Go for that promotion. Host that event. Sell that house. Launch that new program! Jump in today.
Happy Back to School Day! (Isn’t it though?!),
Kimberly
extra ✺ ordinary 