It happened again

Every June I make a plan.

The kids are ending their school year and we’re getting ready for summer. In my head, I have everything worked out – we’ll do kid stuff during the day, have a schedule (albeit a flexible one), bedtimes will be later but still enforced because sleep is awesome, and I’ll get work done between 5 and 7 a.m./9 and 11 p.m.

But then summer hits and I’m a train wreck of exhaustion because *my* routines, which I’ve worked to develop since September, dissipate as soon as the girls get off the bus on that last day in June.

This summer is no exception.

Bedtime is a battle because we’re all tired. We’re on the go almost every night of the week, and if it isn’t an evening activity then there’s something during the day. I started turning into the mom who yells to be heard all day long. Again. The television and Kindles took over. I got limited work done – no newsletters, hardly any book promo, signed up for July CampNaNo and then wrote not even half the amount I set for my goal.

Today, for my children anyway, is Tech-free Thursday. I can’t handle who they become when the TV is on all day. I can’t handle who I become when it’s on all day.

School begins for us again in a couple weeks, and while I shouldn’t be excited about it because my kids will be away from me for most of their awake hours, I am happy. We need the routine. Last night, as I was trying to talk to my hysterical 6-year-old (overstimulated, overtired, had a super fun late night with our awesome babysitter so I could go buy sneakers and gorge myself of Cheesecake Factory nachos) during/after a total meltdown, I told her she needs school. She needs structure. She didn’t disagree. She’s in a flexible seating classroom this year which could be extremely beneficial for her and I’m interested to see how it works for her.

I’m not so much excited that they’ll be gone all day as I am excited for the routine because, like my kids, I need structure. In the days leading up to the first day of school, I’ll be busy – finishing school shopping, stocking the snack cupboard, working on newsletters and promo posts, prepping to release Letters from Emily, following up with a friend I’ve recently beta read for, working on the next book in the series … the list is endless, but it’s manageable.

Enjoy the rest of your summer. I’ll be back regularly in a few weeks. I hope. Maybe. You know what? We’ll just play it by ear.