The final countdown to the last day of school is on, which means my calendar is slam packed with so many school and sports activities that I can barely keep it all straight. While summer prevents its own challenges, it’s the last quarter of the school year that makes me think wine should be on the school supply list under a special “For Moms” section (right along with dry shampoo, a ridiculous amount of laundry detergent, and warehouse-size coffee).
I can’t drink wine during any of this, but here are 7 things I’ve had to do for my kids lately that means I deserve a glass of wine at the end of the day:
- Create a Living Wax Museum costume. Sure, dressing up is “optional” but it’s also part of the graded assignment. It’s not easy to figure out what to have your child wear to recreate a look from the early 1900s. Thrifting sounds good in theory, but only if you have time to go to every thrift store in a 50 miles radius, dig through every rack, and hope that someone is into vintage clothes but not so into them that they hang onto them instead of donating them.
- Clone myself. AKA be in multiple places at the same time. Of course running for Child 1 ends right smack in the middle of hip hop class for Child 2 and 3. The Living Wax Museum showcase for Child 2 is at the exact same time as baseball practice for Child 3. Oh- and all of those activities are on the same night.
- Explain how to use a cup. A protective cup for, as my child calls them, “jellybeans,” so he won’t be maimed in a baseball game. And hear “but which way does this go?” and “can you help me?” along with various observations on how the cup changes the appearance of size… and oh, I don’t know whether to laugh or leave the room or desperately wish my husband were at home during those times so he could deal with that boy talk.
- Figure out how to stress the importance of the state testing without stressing out my child. While kids in NC take state standardized testing every year from 3rd-12th, so I have two kids taking them this year, it’s my 3rd grader who has the “pass this test or don’t move on to the next grade” test. So of course I want to make sure he takes this test seriously, but I don’t want to stress him out. That’s a tricky balance, especially when I’m stressed out about it.
- Pay for ALL THE THINGS. The last month of school is constant nickel and diming: this field trip or that school fee with all the activities that happen right now. Plus, trying to get the kids registered for summer activities. It’s non-stop at this time of year.
- Prepare for middle school. Honestly, I try to stay in a bubble of denial that my oldest will be heading to middle school in the fall, but he has a million questions. About picking classes and his uniform and how he’ll get to and from school since pick up and drop off times overlap with elementary school but the two schools are 20 minutes apart.
- Fight the endless homework battle. One of my kids just wants to go outside and play, while another is so over it all by this point in the year. The third does go right to the table and do his with no prompting, but the other two put up enough fight to make up for it.
Y’all? I could go on and on with the end of year madness. Two emails have come in during the last 5 minutes with even more end-of-the-year activities, while my husband is on the phone dealing with some soccer drama- I’m pretty sure that this is officially what that compartment on my sidelines chair is for:
Thankfully, the school year is almost over and we have Mother’s Day coming up, too. Some chances for moms to catch a break. I’ll have wine on hand and probably give a bottle or two to some mom friends as well. I showed up at a friend’s house yesterday with a bottle of Butter Chardonnay. We sat out in the beautiful sunshine, had a glass, and bemoaned the insanity of the next few weeks.
Butter was the perfect afternoon mom timeout, with its rich, creamy texture and notes of lemons with a vanilla finish. JaM Cellars uses great winemaking traditions to make easy-to-love, everyday California and Napa Valley wines. It would make a great Mother’s Day gift for a friend, your Mom, or for you. Find Butter Chardonnay in a store near you with the JaMCellars WineFinder.
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Is the end of the school year especially busy for you, too?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.