The kids went back to school today. I thought we’d have no issues at all, but yesterday we had a minor speed wobble, just a little resistance which we smoothed over with a chat and a promise of a trip to the cafe after school. I know they’ll be fine when we’re back into our routine and this morning they were both beaming and looking forward to becoming senior infants and meeting all the new juniors. I think they thought the summer would go on and on. I had worried the days would drag, but they kept me on my toes. They weren’t content to stay home 2 days in a row – most mornings they’d ask ‘where can we go for an adventure?’ or ‘could we go somewhere exciting today?’

They had lots of entertainment – Cul camp, star camp, visiting relatives, day trips, play-dates, and a camping trip to Wexford which I’ll tell you about in my next post. We had the odd rainy day when they definitely became bored, then they worked on building dens with blankets, hosted teddy bears’ picnics and played school on their blackboards. Big hero 6 was always their first choice of movie on a rainy day. I highly recommend it whenever you need a little peace! On sunny days they became free-range and spent all day in the garden – often I went outside to offer them sandwiches at lunch-time, only to find them in among the pea plants, emptying pod after pod, devouring the sweet baby peas. Only one batch of peas made it to our dinner plates in the end.

They need to go back to school and hopefully it will help satiate their growing appetite for information. All summer long I’ve had a barrage of questions, often hilarious, abstract and bizarre, and sometimes sad. They can leave me speechless, puzzled or reeling with laughter. Their timing is always fantastic too, like when I’m about to type my pin into a cash machine, or join the lane of a motorway. They often come out of nowhere after a long silence. I’m just amazed at how their minds are working now and how they’re thinking so deeply about everything. I’m  glad they’re inquisitive and I do my best to answer them accurately without giving them too much information and cause for worry. Here are a few of my favourites. What do you reckon? I think these kids need to go back to school!

Do men grow moustaches to stop flies going up their noses?
Where did the first seed ever come from?
Why are my cousins daddy’s nieces?
Why do people get smaller when they get older?
What’s is like to be a grown-up?
How big is a baby dingo’s tummy?
Can we go to Disneyland Paris now?
How do our eyes see/noses smell/ ears hear?

I began my blog when the kids started Montessori and my first ever blog post was bye-bye babies, 2 years ago! How far we’ve come since then. Only this time last year the twins started school. That year went by so quickly. I wish time would slow down, but I’ve been wishing that all along and I doubt that’ll ever change. Judging by all the blog posts I’ve read, everyone feels this way. A small part of me harps back to the time when we were always together, before they began pre-school, and in a strange way I hoped and wondered if this summer would feel like that, but it didn’t. They don’t need OR WANT me in many of the ways they once did and that is fine.

Here’s to another great year!

Categories: School, Twins!, Uncategorized

Tags: back to school, senior infants, summer holidays, Twins go back to school