When homework starts on a Monday

I forgot what a vortex the inside of a backpack can be late on a Sunday night.  You would think I’m some sort of rookie parent not remembering that all the homework in the first week of school belongs to ME; a zillion forms that I am frantically filling in so I look like I have it together while I’m scrounging up enough foods from the fridge and cabinets to make an eclectic 2nd week of school lunch because I forgot to grocery shop.

With all this pressure to be good, I’m stalling by trying out new eyelashes from a company called Esqido.  Nevermind my last fiasco with my eyeball.  These ones seem amazing and they’re supposed to be the world’s most comfortable and they’re made by some lovelies in Vancouver so I’m totally excited.  And I’m dying to have fun with false eyelashes again.  (Vanity always wins….)

I’m also trying to figure out this speaker thing my kids and husband built. Bose made a build your own speaker kit for kids and it comes with an app that helps you learn while you build.  My kids now know about sound waves and all sorts of science-y things.  I hate to tell them that their mother still thinks it’s magic that music can travel through air.  I’m thankful that this machine is designed for kids AND can be used multiple times so I can try it out and learn what they know while they’re at school.

I love the idea of reusable toys.  In Washington we have a really novel company called Rent the Toy Chest made by a lovely lady named Teacher Karen who has vetted a whole bunch of toys that you can borrow for a small fee.  She is a former engineer and preschool teacher so she knows her stuff and she even drives the toys out to you and can help you if you need help putting them together. I love the idea of borrowing a costume set and fort for a fun home party or a set of toys when my niece and nephews visit so I don’t have to keep sets of baby toys hanging around. This awesome fire truck also would be good if you are having a firetruck party and need a prop.   And if you’re traveling to the area you might even consider having her drop some at your hotel. Teacher Karen recently brought over this awesome water set for my guys to try and though they’re on the older age limit for this toy they still had a lot of fun.  It was also fabulous that they were thoroughly entertained while my husband and I played Joanna and Chip scraping layers of paint off our deck so it can get redone-can you see it? That is hours of work scraping.  There is so much history in old paint-at one point in time our house was PURPLE.  (Never again! And I don’t think I would recommend painting a deck now that I know that this is what you have to go through the to maintain it.)

This week I’ve also been driving around in a Toyota Highlander and it’s really growing on me.  I love that there is enough space for three rows and a ton of stuff in the back.  It is like a van for people who want the van space but something that does not look like a van.  The glass roof is amazing and I’m not driving a hybrid this week but I think the hybrid version would would be the perfect car for our family in the next few years because of the comfort and size for a family with two growing boys.  It is perfect for our weekend cabin/soccer family/always-on-the-go lifestyle and I really enjoyed driving it and the backup camera, mirror alerts, and lane departure features are all awesome in helping to keep us all safe.  There was also a really curious button labeled “snow” that I would LOVE to play with one day.

My biggest achievement this week was that I pre-ordered this Magic Treehouse book; my kids DIE when ever something new from Mary Pope Osborne comes out and anytime they get excited about learning on their own I totally jump on whatever it is.  Do your kids like Magic Treehouse?  And are you as behind as I am this year for getting back to school? I totally would love to hear!  Hope your Monday is fantastic!

(PS. I received a week of car and toy rental and a set of eyelashes for the purpose of review, but was not required to post and the opinions here are definitely my own.  I also received a backpack full of forms from school that I was required to review, but I’m sure that’s happening in houses everywhere….)

(PPS. The back to school picture is my kids’ first day at boat camp picture but I forgot to get a real back to school picture so this might just be as good as it gets…..)

Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)