Scho-o-ol's Out for Summer!

It's the last day of school. I just got back from walking Eastin to the bus stop. I'm going to miss doing that. And I'm going to miss the drives home with Leslie after picking her up from school every morning. Precious one-on-one time with my girls, hearing about their lives.

Each girl has basically a "free" day today, it sounds like. Eastin brought everything home from school yesterday except a pencil and a pen. And she was told to bring an extra set of clothes for an activity where they might get wet. Leslie has a "field day" today. She said she could go and stay all day for that, or she could stay home because there were no regular classes.

I don't at all begrudge them doing fun stuff on the last day. But it seems a little ironic -- yesterday was the original last day of school until all of our snow days added a day. Strange that legally they are required to have this extra day of playing outside and getting wet.

Leslie had "A-Day" on Wednesday -- 8th grade graduation and a dance in the afternoon. Plus another dance/party in the evening. She had to get a nice dress and everything. I asked her in the morning if she had ever heard much about kids in her grade drinking and such. She said no. Then yesterday she told me that apparently some of the drinks at the party the evening before had been spiked and at least one kid she knew got drunk. Sigh. And it begins.

I went through all of Eastin's stuff she brought home last night. Piles of papers and worn-out folders that went into the recycle bin. A box full of all those supplies that we sweated over purchasing last August -- markers, colored pencils, erasers (unopened), post-its (most unused) . . . I think in some ways it would make more sense for us to donate a certain amount of money to the teacher to buy a supply of some of these things and hand them out as needed. Seems like a lot of waste. I'll have to find some use for post-its in our homeschool next year.

It seems like only a few weeks ago the girls were starting school and so nervous, and I was praying out the wazoo every morning that they would make friends, fit in, feel comfortable, be happy. And God was faithful to answer those prayers. They both have friends now, and even best friends. God is so good.

Now to summer. Let's see if we actually find time to relax this time around!