The start of September means the start of the official school year around here. We’ve got a 10th, 7th, and 6th grader here this year!

It’s also the start of all the fall sports, back-to-school events, and launch into the holidays time. My 2-year planner ends in December, so the start of school was a good time to switch over to a new one. This time I went with a 5 year planner and I’m very happy with it. I spent $4 to add spiral binding at Office Max and it turned out great! Our family planner is a month-view only, and stays out on the kitchen counter in a simple portfolio for everyone to see and use. We stash school schedules, contact lists, permission slips, birthday party invites, etc. in the portfolio so they don’t get lost.

Football and volleyball are in full-swing, with practice every day and games every week until November. Not having been a serious student-athlete, and now being the parent of a couple, I have a new appreication for how much work and energy it takes to play a competitive sport and keep up with your school work. It’s definitely something to monitor closely and keep in perspective.

All children are different. Our Ladybug seems to thrive on a high level of “busy” and has made Honor Roll several times since joining high school sports (which she never did prior to 5-day-a-week sports). Our Cowboy is use to easy-As and football pushes him outside his comfort zone and forces him to work harder for his good grades. The challenge is good for him, but not to the point that he’s overwhelmed. School comes first.

And, of course, Hurricane Dorian just rocked the coast.

Sort of.

Actually, we got a whole lot of pretty much nothing here. Some rain, some wind, but nothing signficant. High tide got pretty high, but no real damage to anything. We get quite a bit of wind around here on a regular basis, so there was nothing out of the ordinary for us on Friday–other than everything was closed and cancelled and we got to spend the day together. Not everyone was so lucky and we’re counting our blessings since hurricane season isn’t over yet.

Meanwhile, we’re back to waiting at the bus stop every morning. September’s been pretty mild and kinda humid, so we’ve seen some foggy sunrises. The chickens have made a habit of congregating the morning at the compost pile. Our rooster is definitely the most well-behaved and mild-mannered rooster we’ve ever had, and it makes me smile to see him wandering around “guarding” the ladies while they chit-chat on the hill.

How are things around your homeplace?