Mama Drama: where did the time go?

I just got back from finalizing all the details for my baby boy's 10th grade year of school and we will be at Open House tonight, ahead of the first day of school tomorrow.  From the time I woke up today I was filled with melancholy and nostalgia for those days when I had three to get ready for school and the little things we used to do to celebrate the arrival of a new school year. 

This year is so different.  My daughter is now a year+ into her marriage and living several hours away, my oldest son has started a new college several hours away and living on his own, and my youngest son is going to get in his own car tomorrow and drive to school by himself.

 Gone are the days of everyone having breakfast together, prayers on the way to school, first-day-of-school after school celebrations, and the sound of their voices sharing all the details of that first day. No more days of excitement over new school supplies, backpacks and lunchboxes. Life has been transitioning to this for years, but I think the realization that I only have my youngest for 36 more months really is hitting me hard now that my two oldest are out and on their own.  I am missing the days that felt simpler and full of  fun.  I miss field trips and class parties and even them getting excited about picture day.  Now, I am lucky if I know when picture day is!  I miss the anticipation of report cards and the arrival of yearbooks. I miss picking them up from cheerleading, football, baseball or basketball practice and all the games that went with it.  I even miss those forced back pack clean outs that often found moldy snacks long forgotten.

I am not sure why the nostalgia has hit so hard today.  Across the state my older son is having his first day of school and my younger one will have his tomorrow.  Maybe it is because my daughter was home this past weekend and it was good to see and hear lots of voices in the house and my Mother was here to visit last week?  I loved life when I had a full house and being Mommy.  It is the greatest gift I have ever received.  Seasons change and growth happens and, even though I miss my babies, I am proud of who they are and are becoming.  I have been blessed.

Happy New School Year!!!

Monogram Monday

Monogramming is easy, for girls...not so much for boys (well, little ones, but when they get bigger they get more difficult about it!).  My boys start school this week so last week I headed to the monogramming shop with some of their things...after I pried them out of my 13 year old son's hands.  See, he is 13.  AND apparently 13+ boy+monogramming aren't too fond of each other...who knew?  BUT, I will say monogramming and things returning home to their proper owners mix real well! 

My oldest DS had to have a new backpack this year. His old one was worn slap out!  He started carrying his last backpack at the beginning of 4th grade and now he is going into 8th.  It served him well. I am a believer in buying a great quality bag and having it last for years and years. This is the 1st time we have strayed away from L.L.Bean or Lands End for Backpacks. After we discovered L.L. Bean no longer offered the great stone washed canvas pack like his previous one (yes, he wanted one just like he had before), he decided he was looking for something a bit more...I don't even know. So here is his new backpack.  I am curious as to whether it will hold up to the wear and tear that a Middle School boy throws at it like the L.L. Bean ones.   I had to assure him that I wouldn't get his name monogrammed in large pink letters before he would even grudgingly let me take it. His monogram is placed on top between zippers so I don't think it will even be very visible...but it will assure him of which black backpack belongs to him out of the mountain of other black sports oriented backpacks.

One item I don't spend a lot of money on is lunch bags for my boys. My experience has been that it doesn't matter if you spend a great deal or get the cheapest one. In the life of boys it is going to be yucky and destroyed by the end of the year...or sooner.  No wiping it off or keeping it off the floor for boys...nope, just battery. So, I bought $3.99 lunch bags at Target. I chose to be subtle and used tone on tone thread so as not to offend the Middle Schooler's sense of propriety and decorum...heavens forbid.

What are y'all monogramming for the new school year?