A Note From Our Author

It’s Back to School Time!

I was always one of those kids that looked forward to the first day of school – seeing my friends again, getting new clothes, and buying all of those shiny new notebooks. It’s also my favorite time of year. When the air starts getting cooler, it invigorates me and I feel like I can take on the world. For me, it’s fall cleaning, not spring cleaning. Any projects around the house that need to get done are accomplished now. Forget about January, this is the time I make my New Year’s resolutions. I feel it’s a fresh start and I’m especially excited this year because my son Spencer starts a new school for third grade (a very big deal) and Kelsey is in her new nursery school.

The schedules are already making my head spin, but it’s all very exciting. Spencer is playing flag football (my favorite sport) and Kelsey is trying out gymnastics. My enthusiasm seems to have bubbled over to them because there’s been a lot less bickering and a lot more laughing and we’re all trying to make some resolutions for the “new year.” Spencer’s includes keeping his room neater (we’ll see how long that lasts) and Kelsey’s is to reduce the whining and pouting when she doesn’t get her way (again, I’m not too optimistic on this one). Mine, in no particular order, include:

• Getting more organized so we’re not doing a mad dash in the morning
• Reducing the amount of fast food dinners per week
• Lowering my voice when “coaxing” Spencer to finish his homework
• Starting an exercise routine for myself and sticking with it
• Arranging a weekly family game night
• Learning to stop and smell the roses – or enjoy the fall leaves – every now and then

I don’t know if I’ll be any better than the kids at sticking with my resolutions, but I think it’s definitely worth a try!