Back-to-School Chaos & Harvest Vibes

Three more days and the girls are back to school! Am I sad summer break is over? Slightly. Am I happy they’re going back? 100% YES. This summer was chaotic, and I swear I blinked and it was gone. We made memories, shed some tears, and had plenty of belly laughs. I just hope when the girls are asked about their summer holidays, they remember the fun, not the meltdowns.

Lenoxx and Novah enjoying the beach at Grandma and Grandpa's lake lot!

Now, let’s be real—the first week of school is going to be rough. The kids never had a solid schedule this summer, so easing back into one is going to be…interesting. There will be meltdowns (probably from everyone, including the dog). There will be after-school naps. There will be messes. And there will be coffee reheated in the microwave more times than I can count. But I’m actually looking forward to some structure again.

On our way to camp with family in July.

Of course, back to school also means the start of fall extracurriculars—hockey, dance, and jiu jitsu. Which also means… shopping. At some point, we have to wrangle three kids (and my sanity) through the aisles to pick up hockey gear, dance gear, and jiu jitsu gear. Pray for my wallet and my patience. 😅 All of the activities, except hockey, require me to drive to a neighboring town. But if my kids love it, then I’ll load them up and drive across the county because I think organized activities are so important for their confidence and social skills. This year Novah is trying hockey for the first time and Lenoxx is giving jiu jitsu a whirl. Michael and I have always said: if they love it, we’ll support it.

Let the chaos begin!

And as if the chaos wasn’t enough, there’s also a looming teacher strike. While I fully believe teachers should fight for what they deserve (because let’s face it, they don’t get nearly enough credit), I’m not prepared for a year of homeschooling if the strike is longer than expected. I don’t have the patience…or enough coffee…to pull that off. Please, please don’t strike all year—this mom is hanging by a caffeine-fueled thread as it is.

My favorite time of year is upon us! Not to mention, I love operating the combine!

September also brings my favorite season: harvest. Swathers humming, combines running, augers moving, suppers in the field, sweater weather, changing leaves—it’s a whole vibe. From dawn until dusk (and usually later), Michael and my dad work side by side to get the crops off. This year, since I’m on mat leave, I’ll be cooking meals for the crew when I’m not running kids to practices. And when I can’t, my Aunty Grace steps in with her homecooked goodness to make sure no one goes hungry. It really is a well-oiled machine, and without all of us pitching in, the farm wouldn’t run the way it does.

Tailgate meals in the field!

My favorite time of year...HARVEST!

So here we go—into a new kind of chaos: school routines, gear shopping, busy evenings, long harvest days, and coffee that’s always a little too cold but always strong enough to keep me going.