I just need a little space to vent. I don’t usually do this in writing, simply because I like doing other relaxing measures rather than moving my fingers at lighting speed over the keyboard. But I just need a little room here.

*Driving 15 hours this first week of school to drop off small peoples at their respective schools and pick them up again has me going out of my mind.

*Learning the ins and outs of co-op volunteering at a new school has me going out of my mind.

*Trying to keep enough protein and not too many sugary snacks in the fridge to keep up my energy has me going out of my mind. (And it has me baking chicken breasts at all different hours of the day. I feel like a chipmunk preparing food for winter.)

*Remembering dinner time is nearing at 4:15 PM when I am in the car, in traffic, headed home with three tired kids in the car, and wondering which take out menu to grab has me going out of my mind.

*Putting together Little Miss’ first pre-school parent education talk, which is a panel talk no less, has me going out of my mind, and tied to e-mail, the phone, the answering machine, and writing messages at 11 PM at night to potential speakers who are on vacation.

*Figuring out how to manage to get a second vehicle into our lives has me going out of my mind.

*Calculating how many extra hours I need to add to my commute to accommodate the Presidential motorcade has me going out of my mind. (I thought I didn’t have to worry anymore about the President of the United States messing up my commute when I moved out of the District.)

*As the air turns cooler and the leaves are striking out in amber and rust, having itchy knitting fingers and no time to knit, has me go out of my mind (while enjoying the early foliage.)

*Packing lunches that Mini Mister might actually eat is making me go out of my mind. (People at school must think he is a fruit-avore because that is virtually all I pack for him.)

*Seeing my sewing machine on the side table patiently waiting to be used again has me going out of my mind.

*And I must be going out of my mind because I just volunteered to help out with Mini Mister’s lunch hour two Tuesdays a month. And I need to get a TB screening and a volunteer training on Monday before I start in the classroom Tuesday.

What was I thinking?

I made it through the first week. I didn’t make dinner a single night. The laundry I usually put away on Tuesday is sitting in the washer, wet, and it was Friday.

Let go. Breath deep. Vent a little. Nourish the body with healthy foods and plenty of water. Pray…a lot. (I am not doing this alone.) Thank my husband for his support. Remember that the kids are so very important and shouldn’t ever be lost in the shuffle. And savour the small accomplishments.