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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

it's the most wonderful time of the year

or, at least for most parents, it is. but i'm not "most parents," am i now?

today is the teen's first day of 8th grade. summer vacation is officially over, and i'm actually pretty damn bummed about it - almost as much as the teen is.

when i was stuck working full-time and had to figure out how to keep her occupied and/or supervised while on vacation, it bit ass. but then when i was able to switch to part-time status and somehow managed to finagle getting every other week off during summer (because of course, she was with her dad every other week as she continues to be now), i started really looking forward to summers. we always made plans to do all sorts of fun stuff, like amusement parks, the beach, movies, whatever caught our eye that week. and we had a blast together, along with BFF. and this year, it was even more fun as we included the bean in our summer madness.

and now it's over. i can't believe how quickly the summer flew by. all of a sudden, it was our last weekend of freedom, and we were shopping for new clothes and school supplies, savoring every minute of our dwindling quality time together. we got our toes did and then treated ourselves to some ice cream.



BFF and i splurged on oreo sundaes:



and then the teen, who'd ordered first, ate her sad little single scoop of bubble gum ice cream while eyeing the gooey goodness we dug into.



after a failed attempt at a GTG with my mom, we spent all day yesterday cleaning and organizing the teen's room - weeding through old clothes, laughing at pictures, going through her dresser drawers, and packing bags full of stuff to take to goodwill. she was all grouchy about spending her last full day of vacation cleaning, but when i asked her what else she'd rather be doing, she couldn't come up with a single idea. heh. i threw out suggestions - mall, afternoon tea (which she loves as much as i do), movie - but grumpy gus took hold and she refused to cheer up.

we ended up running out of hangers (holy shit, she's got more clothes than both me and the hub put together!) and decided to make a target run and drop off the bags at goodwill along the way. we'd also managed to go through a couple of boxes of old stuff in the garage that she hadn't touched since we moved into this house, and ended up either tossing or donating most of it. and i was astonished to find that goodwill no longer accepts toys of any kind. grrrrrrr. now i'll have to find someone else to take this bag full of perfectly good stuffed animals and crap. i'm sure it won't be difficult at all, but i was hoping to get rid of it all yesterday, dang it.

the hub was quite proud of our accomplishment (remember, i'm the slob, he's the anal clean freak) and even happier to hear that we'd even planned dinner. we go out an awful lot, and he gets tired of it. and so, okay, it wasn't the healthiest of dinners - meatballs in bbq sauce with veggies and tater tots - but it was tasty, and it's always nice to sit down as a family and enjoy a meal at home.

and this morning, we all got up early, got ready, and i made breakfast for the teen to get her started off right. after she'd devoured her eggs, bacon, and juice, i had her smile purty for her annual "first day of school" picture. hey, at least i don't make her do it at school.



then i decided to take pictures of the rest of us.



eighth grade. holy crap. this time next year, she'll be a freaking freshman. and it'll be here before we know it.

17 comments:

  1. May I suggest dropping them off at a local chldren's group home or foster center? They're always looking for stuff like that, although stuffed animals are normally vetoed at most please because they can't be sanitized the way plastic can. Sad state we're in when donations are scrutinized, right? LOL. Good for you for donating!!

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  2. you gave the teen many wonderful memories this summer - i think you are a great mom!

    by the way, the salvation army still takes toy donations. they will even come to you to pick them up! just go to their website and schedule a time.

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  3. Aaah! She's almost in high school. Time moves too fast. Sounds like a lovely summer.

    Oreo Sundae *droooool*

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  4. I always marvel that you have a teenager.

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  5. she is growing up so fast!

    sounds like you guys had a great summer though and before you know it, the holidays will be here :)

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  6. I envy your relationship with the teen. And how is it possible that you look so young and the teen is almost in high school???

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  7. Back to school sucks balls! I totally understand the teen's grump.

    My little sis (half sis) is starting 8th grade on Monday too. It's crazy, I remember her being a 6 year old like it was yesterday.

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  8. yay for purging!

    i think the place i drop my stuff off might take stuffed animals, but they're too far for you. :(

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  9. I was also going to suggest a children's center/foster center or a battered women's shelter. Often those women leave with their children (of all ages) in the middle of the night with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.

    You are raising awfully beautiful children. I wish I'd looked a tenth as pretty as the Teen in my eighth grade year.

    Also, hi Molly! Haven't seen you in a while!

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  10. Love the teen's 1st of day of school outfit!

    I want that orea sundae right now.

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  11. Wow! Almost a high schooler! The teen is going to rule the 8th grade, I just know it!

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  12. The teen looks too cute in her first day of school outfit!

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  13. I lost my virginity my freshman year of H.S.

    I'm just sayin.

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  14. I just died at FGD's comment.

    aw, the teen's all growed up!

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  15. Oh my gosh...8th grade! That was my favorite year of school, hands down.

    You should totally use Freecycle for your left over junk. How much easier can it get than to put your junk in a bag and have some random junk collector pick it up at your house?

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  16. OMG. FGD just gave me the chills and made my stomach hurt on your behalf. Ugh. Boys usually start younger. Sob.

    Time flies when you're having fun. I'm so happy that you got to spend that time with the teen and I'm sure you both are too.

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