One Week Until Summer Break

One week, well one week and two days, that is.  School days.  We are honing in on the END here.  The end of the first year of having all 4 at the same school, on the same schedule.  I didn't write once, I noticed.  Officially have fallen out of the habit.  I don't know where the year went.  I did spend a healthy chunk of the time the kids were in school taking care of ME.  For the first time in 10 years where I have really OWNED my time on a regular basis with all in school with one pick-up & drop-off.  I don't feel guilty about it at all.  I had my hair done professionally a couple times over the year---something I used to only do with a box at home in my bathroom (which is fine, too, but just ended up really damaging my hair overtime).  I exercised.  I tried to make it a habit of cardio and/or running 3-5x per week, I volunteered in the classrooms.  I attempted to evenly split my time between all 4 kids' classes to keep it fair, but I think I spent the most time in Ella's kinder class, as they are only kinders once...and I just LOVE Maestra Castillo (all 4 of my kids had her for kindergarten and she is amazing & loving & patient & all of those things you want your child's first experience with an elementary school teacher to be about).  I was Room Parent to none of the classes and that was a great decision.  I helped on my own terms.  Some weeks I wasn't in the classrooms at all, others I was in one class or another every single day.  I didn't finish a bunch of books in my free time or watch any tv shows.  Both of those are just things I don't do in the day time, for whatever reason.  I just can't.  Maybe I should have gone to a movie...or gone to lunch with friends more often than I did...but overall no regrets.  My main job is organizing the constantly changing and on-the-go schedule of a family of 6.  The Fall consisted of 4 days of soccer practices (and that was just for Owen & Chloë) and 2 games every Saturday.  That on top of two afternoons of Spanish tutoring per week. So that semester just zipped by.  The Spring was a bit calmer, which was nice.  I am trying to make sure we have more afternoons with NO plans, where the kids can just PLAY and be KIDS and have a chance to get BORED.  That's also my goal for the summer break.  However, I'm my own biggest obstacle for that goal...as I either can't stop planning or can't say no to things...and I already am finding myself filling up so much of the calendar all the way through July...that there are almost no free weekends available for down time.  Myke won't be happy about this ;P