Back to School in Brum

By Laura Yates on Sep 3, 09 08:41 PM

Uniform: Bought (after an hour wait in Clive Marks, will go at start of hols next year)
Labels: Sewn, Ironed and Biroed on
Lunchbox: Packed
PE Kit: Folded ready to go
Shoes: Polished
Hair: Cut
Pointless Stationery: All present and correct. Ready to be lost, swapped, nicked or never used.

This week an army of frazzled moms launch their little darlings through the school gates and squeal with delight. The return of a normal school routine brings sanity back to the stay at home mom or signals the end of the big childcare dilemma for the working woman.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who won't agree with this next thought, but as things get back to 'normal' I'm left wondering where all those weeks of lie-ins, long walks and lounging around went. It only seems like days since the excitement and bustle of the end of term, and now it's all starting again.

And what's so good about this routine of which every Brummie Mum I know craves? As I remember it most mornings are little more than me flying by the seat of my pants, wishing pointlessly that I'd made lunches and located the school shoes the night before, or at the very least left the car keys in a place where I might consider looking.

The breakfast is burnt to a crisp (God knows how - it was only cereal), the school bag's mysteriously disappeared and it's hit and miss as to whether anyone gets out of the house on time.

It's about this time of year that I make all sorts of promises to myself about how I'm going to be prepared, organised and efficient. The morning routine in Casa Del Yates shall be a well oiled machine that not even the most earth shattering eventuality can shake.

This plan of mine usually lasts for about a day before I start counting the hours till half-term.

Not this time.This time I'm adamant that all shall go right and every morning we'll all leave the house correctly dressed, prepared and on time.

If that's the case I'd best go and do the lunches now then. Or maybe I'll just get up a little bit earlier tomorrow and do them in the morning...