T.G.I.O. (Thank God It's October)

Well, I can officially breathe a sigh of relief that I survived yet another September. Yes, I made it through 3 sets of school pictures, 3 fundraisers, 2 cases of sticker shock over the cost of the older two kid's yearbooks, a soccer schedule, 3 open houses, one grueling search for a calculator that is so expensive it can almost qualify as a piece of NASA equipment, and a partridge in a pear tree. Now that it's over, I can finally enjoy October.

I always have this picturesque scene of how October should be in my mind. There will be colorful foliage and crunchy leaves on sidewalks. The air will be crisp but there will still be plenty of blue skies and good weather for weekend outings like football games and apple picking. I'll start baking again since the weather is cooler and we can once again start to enjoy the heartier meals like casseroles, pastas, and stews. Life will basically be a Norman Rockwell picture (or a Hallmark commercial).

Ah, the simple life in October.

Until reality sets in. Reality is this: Weeknights are still as hectic as they were in September because there's still homework and after school sports and activities. I still have to schlep kids somewhere and we have the middle child's birthday party (which is a sleepover with a giggling gaggle of girls). I'm over worked, underpaid, and losing a great deal of my sanity. I barely make it outside on the weekends because when I'm not catching up the large piles of laundry, I'm sprawled in a chair, thanking my lucky stars I'm not shlepping myself to work or hauling children around. Nice weather, I should be outside, blah blah blah. This soccer mom is sucked dry of her energy, and quite possibly, my will to ever move from this couch again. Until Monday morning.

The only thing I might be even close to doing from my Rockwell scene is baking. Probably because for something I got suckered into volunteering for or maybe even to say "Thank you for buying this crap from my kids' fundraisers" to my co-workers. (True story.)

I'll probably even forget that October is just as chaotic as September and even do something crazy like offer to make a robot costume for the youngest boy for Halloween because I've made one before for the middle child. Of course I'll forget that the arms for the robot were a colossal fail and the girl complained the whole time we were trick or treating or that gluing the aluminum foil to the box was a pain in the a$$.

As much as I'd love to keep venting about how October and I are at odds, I have to finish making brownies for the last day of soccer tomorrow. I'll just do some meditation breathing and comfort myself with the thought that November will be better. What? The kids have a 5 day holiday in November? I need a nap.