We’re a mere ten days into this new month, and you can stick a fork in me – I am done.
Last night, around 7:20 pm, I followed the sound of sobbing all the way into Ava Scarlett’s bed, where the wee one had her face buried in her pink blanket, a complete and total hungry and exhausted wreck.
Me: What’s the matter, la-la?
She: I… *gasp* don’t… *gasp* know… *gasp*
Me: Awww, my darling… dinner will be ready in a few minutes, okay? I know. *strokes her hair*
She was, in that moment, personifying what we all feel these days. Undone.
I decided over a year ago that I wouldn’t wrestle with the bedtimes after Christmas and summer vacations. I practically needed to strap them into their beds to keep them from getting out… the yelling and the threats… and the still-light-outside-ness never helped. But they’re bigger now – after a few days, the necessary sleep patterns right themselves, so what do I need to do all that yelling for? Meh.
But, you pay. One way or another, you pay for the sins of late nights and early mornings. No longer waking at the ripe days-of-summer hour of 9 am or so, the crack of 6:45 am feels evil indeed. For all of us. We They are cranky in the mornings. Breakfast is a mix of goading the sleepy-heads into eating their breakfast, imploring them not to bicker, glaring at them with the hurry-up eyes, and downright screaming through gritted teeth for them to just. get. dressed. already.
I swear, they use up all my patience before 7:30 am. School starts at 7:55 am. *cries*
Fortunately, we’re easing into school itself without incident, but by the time The Crankies get home from school, we start the next wave of untenable crap. Tired, you see. School is haaaaard.
Oliver is still sweeping the summer cobwebs from the corners of his mind, so I have to sit on him to get the two hours of homework done each day. Yelling and tears. (And he gets rather upset, too.) Honestly, if I had more hair, I would be tearing it out.
And I’m also being a perfect failure at getting dinner on the table at a reasonable hour these days – I’m out of practice, since I had no reason to fire up the grill before 8 pm all summer. We’re kinda euro around here, like that. Let’s eat all the salami and cheese now, and eat dinner at NINE! Besides… have you seen my kitchen?
The upside is, I see their eyes drooping earlier and earlier now… we’ll be sorted out soon, I think. Though I have a feeling I’d be wise to set the clock 10 minutes earlier each morning. Egad.
So. *exhales*
October will be smooth as glass. (Right?)
How’s back-to-school going in your house? Settled yet?!
Kat Clarke Murray says
School starts at 7:55 a.m.? That has got to be a sin or a crime or something. OUCH.
Grumble Girl says
*wipes sleep from eyes*
It. Is. Awful. 🙁
Idas Levato says
Yes, October is officially my happiest month. It has my fav holiday and tree colour.
And full sweater cozy season.
Hang in there, before you know it, it’ll be time to wow us with your pumpkins.
xo
Grumble Girl says
October. Tree colour and sweater-wearing. Oui.
We’ll see about all those pumpkins. Frankly, I’m already feeling tired… *yawns*
Anny Rail says
Oy. My kids are all in bed by 8pm and up at 6:30am and STILL have the tired cranks when they get off the bus at 4!! I think it’s school. It’s just exhausting!
Grumble Girl says
School IS exhausting! Totally… but, I’m still trying to point them towards bed at 8:15… trying… trying…
Cayla Hochberg says
I am so feeling thue same as you. No one is tired at 10pm (bedtime) and everyone is tired at 6:45 (wake up time). And just when we maybe started getting used to it, early morning volleyball and cross country practices start…
Grumble Girl says
Oh man.. we haven’t even hit the “early morning extra curricular things” stage… *hold me*
Jennifer says
Are you living in my house, Tracey? Hiding under my bed? Last week was ok (school was a novelty and it was only a 4-day week). This morning things hit hard; grumpy heads, sleepy eyes and dilly dallying kids. We’ll all adjust to our new routines, but in the meantime there’s a lot of Ava Scarlett-like sobbing on all of our parts.
Grumble Girl says
Oh lady… it is DESPERATE around here. They’ve been trickling into school in drips and drabs since Aug. 28th – an hour here… a half day there… Labour Day… and now a PED day this Thursday. They haven’t done FIVE STRAIGHT DAYS YET!! Le sigh. Hang in there, woman – I believe it’s wine o’clock. 😉