The (relatively) calm days of summer vacation are coming to a sudden close this week.  Claire and Molly have been going to the same school this summer.  Claire ends summer camp this week and starts first grade next week.  Molly switches over to a new class at pre-school, right across the hall, but with brand new teachers and mostly new classmates.

This time of year is kind of crazy because of the confluence of summer-ending and school-starting events.  This week had two PINs (Parent Information Nights) and a school open house to attend in three days.  Plus the end-of-year parties and special events.  The girls came home this week with copious amounts of art and other stuff they had produced over the summer (Claire) and over the last year (Molly).  And of course, there are many handouts, checklists, and forms to deal with.

But I think Wednesday best illustrated the zaniness of this time of year.  Claire went to school late, wearing a swim suit, and come home early wearing pajamas, water shoes, and new glasses.  Kit and I made a combined six trips to the girls’ school plus two doctor’s appointments in that one day.  Kit was on vacation, and I was working a regular day.  Here is how it worked out…

• I took Molly to school at 8:00 am and came home to work as usual. (trips to school: 1)
• Claire had to pick up her glasses today.  Kit took Claire to get her glasses right when the optometrist opened at 9:30 am, and then took Claire to school/camp late but in time for swimming. (trips to school: 2)
• Kit and I both went back to school at 11:30 to attend Molly’s year-end lunch-time celebration. (trips to school: 3)
• Claire has lately been having some “tricky breathing” and coughing, perhaps an asthmatic reaction, and we set her up with an appointment at 4:10 this afternoon.  Kit got Claire early from school (after Claire’s class had finished a summer-end movie screening of Happy Feet 2 in their pajamas) and took her to the doctor. (trips to school: 4)
• In the mean time, I (sort of) finished work and went to pick Molly up at about 5:00 pm. (trips to school: 5)
• We all met at home around 5:30, with Claire in her pajamas and wearing new glasses.  I ate dinner quickly and headed back to school for Molly’s Parent Information Night (PIN) at 6:00 pm.  In the mean time, Kit put the girls to bed.  (trips to school: 6)  

Kit’s night putting the girls to bed was definitely more work, while my time at the PIN was more boring and uncomfortable, sitting on the floor in a school room for 90+ minutes.