Back-to-School Means...

Hey there friends, it's been a while since I've taken a turn at this wonderful venue.  It's been quite the summer for us - each day a new surprise adventure, some good, some bad, some scary, some a total blessing.  I'll come out and say it: I consider summer over as of today. My youngest started high school.

For many of us, end of summer and beginning of fall doesn't much matter.  Our lives run on a regular schedule, January-December.  Once we were done with school, we became adjusted to a different calendar.

That's never been the case for me.  I went from being a student into immediately being a teacher into having kids and then they had a school schedule.  My life runs mid-August, then all around the year, with summer in between.

There are many rituals I enjoy about getting ready for a new school year to begin: buying school supplies, getting new clothes, getting a fresh haircut, and other preparations.  Egads there's more when you have a senior.  I had been warned repeatedly by my friends with older kids, but being me, Schedule Woman, I thought, "How much different can it be?"  I was wrong.  I'm adjusting.

What does "back-to-school" signify for you?  What's the school year like in your country?  What calendar does you life run by?  Do tell.

~Tina, feeling a bit blue, yet also excited because my son was so thrilled about going :-)