This summer, when I had all four of my young kids at home each and every day, I dreamed sweet blissful dreams of when the school year would resume back up. Heck, I even considered making a secret paper chain or something to hang in my closet so I could keep track of how many “sleeps” I had until the 2nd grade and Kindergarten started.

To reduce my kid count by 50% each and every day excited me. I don’t mean to sound like a bad mom (exhausted or fatigues would be more accurate), but I was pretty pumped to see summer vacation come to a close.

Because wow, keeping kids properly entertained and stimulated day in and day out is no joke. To all you homeschooling mama’s out there? I’m not worthy.

But then somewhere during those first few weeks into daily grind, I realized going back is school really hard work!

Our morning starts at 6:45 for all six of us. And while we do our best to be prepared the night before, it’s still a rush to get out the door in one presentable piece.

Eat Breakfast, drink some juice, swallow a vitamin.
Nurse the baby, change the baby, dress the baby.
Feed the toddler, change the toddler, dress the toddler.
Dressed the big girls in proper school uniforms. Make sure all shirts are tucked, all socks are white, and all pant are khaki and include a belt. And now that it’s fall, don’t forget the cardigan, for when it gets cold in the classroom.
Make sure lunches are pack appropriately. Sandwich, dairy, grain, fruit and drink. All parts and pieces need to be accounted for.
Find the homework, signed the homework. Put the homework in the backpack.
Brush the hairs, scrub the teeth. Wipe the face clean.
A hug around the neck, a kiss on the cheek.

And then we all (my four kids and I) tumble into the minivan around 7:35 and make the pilgrimage down the road a few miles to the front entrance of the school. We cross our fingers that we’re not late, and no tardy marks are administered.

Know what’s hard? Getting 4 children (one of which is a 8 month old baby) out the door in time, looking mildly presentable. From the time we wake, we have 45 minutes until the car leaves the driveway.

I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong. I’ll never be a summer vacation hater again. This getting up early and stuff, putting on a bra and getting to class on time? It’s for the birds!

Today, we make a paper chain to count how many sleeps until summer vacation starts.

What do you do to make getting out of the house run smooth? Clearly, I need some pointers in this department.