Thank God School is (practically) OVER!!

Technically, Eamon and Maggie are done with school.  John-Paul and Andrew have a closing Mass/awards ceremony tomorrow morning, and then they are also done.  I love my kid's school, I've said it before and I stand by it, but by the time the hot weather rolls around, I am more than ready to be done with all things school.  Utterly thankful for summer.  

Let me count the ways:

1) No packing lunches.

From left to right: Xander, Maggie, Eamon, Andrew, J-P - all from L.L. Bean.

This is Phil's favorite part of summer.  He packs 5 lunches every night (4 school kids and one for the baby to go to the nanny's house) and it's one of the chores he dreads the most.  He's got the system down so well, but every once in a while we'll sit down after the kids are in bed and he'll remember he forgot to pack the dern lunches.  Minutes packing lunches = years out of Purgatory.

2) No more projects.

Project deadlines stress me out, and what's even more stressful is when your kids sort of forget to mention when things are due.  Ahem, John-Paul.  Thank God for the internet and digital photos that can be printed in an hour.  It's bailed me out many a time.

3) No creating custumes.

All Saint's Day

Mismatch Day

Usually they wear uniforms to school, which all the parents love, but on the special days of creative clothing, my kids act like they do not know how to dress themselves.  Suddenly, what everyone else will be wearing is more important than what Mom and Dad are telling them to wear.  Ahem, Andrew.

4) No Sick Days

Stomach issues again.

Getting that dreaded phone call from the school is enough to sink my heart into my stomach.  Who's sick now?  Usually it's my eldest with vomiting.  The doctors don't know why, it's just how he's made?  We've determined it's not Celiac's but too much dairy seems to upset him.  I always feel the worst for not being a SAHM when my kids get sick.  It's a fine line between caring for your sick children/asking for too many sick days at work.  In the summer, we don't have to think about it since Dad's home!

5) No Sports

Soccer season.

My ballers.

This isn't totally true since we still have track club in the summer, but it's more of a fun hanging-out-with friends-and-family-time, instead of scheduled games and practices all evenings and weekends.

 6) No Early Mornings

A boiled egg inside a sweet bread?  The perfect breakfast to go!

My kids still wake up early all year round (when does the whole sleeping in thing start??) but at least we don't all have to be up, dressed, fed, and out the door by 6:45.  Those mornings are rough!  

7) No Searching for Clean Uniforms

Ummm, but Colleen, you just said you loved uniforms?  I do!  Really!  But it's the laundering of said uniforms that's a problem.  How many mornings do we have a kid scrambling for a uniform shirt even though I could swear we picked one out the night before?  It's like the lost socks in the dryer dilemma.

8) No More Homework

We are so lucky that our older boys get their homework done in "homework room" at extended care after school each day.  But getting certain people to do their homework (ahem, Eamon and Maggie) is like pulling teeth.  Thank God that's over for a couple months.

And in August when these same kids are driving me crazy?  I'll be counting the days until school starts again.  Mother of the Year right here ;)