Well, it’s here. The final week. The week that’s not really a week because it’s actually “pre-planning” a.k.a. preschool for teachers. The kids are still living their best summer lives while I’m over here thinking about packing lunches (for myself?!), finding my badge under a pile of summer laundry, and googling “quick meal ideas”

Let’s rewind to the last few days, shall we?

First up—my daughter’s Italian-themed birthday party. Because when you’re a teacher mom one week away from going back to work, what’s a better idea than inviting a bunch of tiny humans to eat pizza, paint crafts, bounce in a giant bounce house while hopped up on gelato and cake? How did this come about? My 5 year old wanted to go to Italy for her birthday. So we brought Italy to her. 

Between decorating with all things Italian and teaching a group of 5- year-olds how to pronounce “cannoli,” I basically ran a cultural enrichment program from my living room. I’m just waiting on my teaching stipend.

Then came the end of summer tutoring, where I realized how much I enjoyed my kidddos this summer. I will miss them all. Maybe they’ll still want to see me over the school year? Tutoring is great and you either have that connection to make it work or you don’t and this summer I vibed with all of them. 

And of course—the deep clean. Because nothing says “I’m ready for back to school” like bleaching the baseboards at 9 p.m. with a podcast and an existential crisis. I vacuumed places I didn’t know existed. I organized one closet and rewarded myself with a Target run I called “essential supply shopping.” (It wasn’t. But that $5 bin spoke to me….i made it a teacher mail box). 

But no matter how much I scrubbed and prepped and envisioned my classroom my brain is still back in July. I’m not ready. My soul is still on the beach at the park with my kids. My heart is still wrapped in a towel, no make up, and zero bras in sight.

The kids? They’re thrilled I’m going back. “Can we go to the water park this week?” No, I have meetings about meetings. “Can we stay up late?” Nope, mom’s going to bed before the sun. “Can we have pancakes?” Only if you make them. And don’t ask me where the syrup is because it’s in the fridge and if I have to answer that again I will cry.

So here I am. Half in summer, half in school mode. My teacher bag is packed, but my spirit is lounging in pajamas with the kids and no responsibilities.

Pray for me. Send caffeine. And if you see me in the school supply aisle whispering to a pack of flair pens like they’re old friends, just let me have my moment.

Catchy Call to Action:

👉 Teacher moms—how are you holding up? Are you back already or still pretending summer’s not over? Spill the preschool week tea in the comments! Check out this Sundays Spilled Tea.🍎☕️💻

💛 Mama W