And just like that school is almost here. This year my husband and I decided that the kids just needed a laid back, kid centered, easy going summer, and I think we made it happen.

We didn’t do any huge road trips or crazy vacations. But we did visit the local swimming pool, made it to most of the free kids shows at the local movie theater, participated in the summer reading program at the library and found the local splash pad.

My kids were lucky enough to visit their Michigan family a couple of times and my dad flew from Utah to spend time with my kids for a long weekend. It was nice to see family, and the plan is to see more of them next summer.

We wished we lived closer to family, but we moved where the job was, and who knows, maybe this career will move us closer to family next time. But in the mean time, the kids are making friends at school and we are finding like minded people at church.

We have found a good community and a nice place to raise the kids. Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky and actually stay put for a few…. Years? The kids do miss their extended family, and it would be nice to have a grandparent near by to help watch the kids once in awhile. But after awhile you start to get used to being independent. I had a women tell me the other day, that if I needed help with my kids, to let her know, and she’d be happy to help out. But to be honest, outside of the occasional date night, I wouldn’t know what to do with “help”.

We have our routines, we’ve found our balance, and I’m very accustomed to doing it all alone. I have a great partner who is very supportive, but even when he tells me to go have some “me time”… I end up sitting in my car somewhere alone eating a Wendy’s frosty wondering what to do with the next 20min before going home again.

I know, I need to find more things I like to do. But it’s hard to do that when that free time is not consistent. Maybe I’ll start walking at the gym more… Who knows? I constantly wish I had a career- child psychology, school therapist, elementary teacher, librarian? But then I remind myself that my daughter only has one year to go for kindergarten, and then hopefully I’ll have an epiphany and just know exactly what job I should do 🙃

In the meantime I’ll keep teaching my kids how to be good people, how to regulate their emotions, how to fold their laundry, and I’ll keep taking them to the library to gain a love of reading, and I’ll keep taking them out for ice cream because I’m a sucker for Oreo chocolate shakes 😋

School starts next week, so I’ll keep you posted on whether or not the principal loses my autistic son on his first day of school again like she did last year. Stay tuned for updates 😜