I can't wait until school starts!

Come September, Alex will be in 5th grade, and Catherine in 2nd. He'll be 11 in November and she's 7. Jason and I have always looked forward to the day that the two of them would be old enough to stay by themselves before and/or after school, and we've decided that day will coincide with the start of the coming school year. Of course, you know what that means, don't you? NO MORE DAYCARE EXPENSES FOR THEM!!! Yay!!! Right now, during the summer, we're paying $150 per week for the two of them to go to an in-home daycare. Even with my crappy math skills, I can figure out that we will be saving $600 per month!!! Did you hear me? Six Hundred Dollars! Each month! We might actually be able to afford things--like groceries and the utility bills! However, since I have come to this realization, I do need to keep reminding myself that the $600 a month savings has not yet begun. Like when I'm at Target and things keep trying to jump into my cart without my permission. Sometimes it's just easier to leave them in the cart and then bring them home, rather than cause a scene and try to put them back on the shelf.

Also, my '98 minivan has over 146,000 miles on it. I plan to drive it till it dies, so it's not like I'm going to run out and get a new one. But this extra money each month means that if my van dies suddenly, we wouldn't need to sell the house and live in the new van that I would be forced to go out and buy. If nothing else, it's just the peace of mind that the extra money will bring.

Speaking of peace of mind, I am totally confident in the kids' ability to handle being by themselves for a little while. Let me rephrase that. I am totally confident in the kids' ability to handle being by themselves after school. I'm pretty sure that we can't expect them to get out the door in the morning by themselves. These two are the pokiest kids on earth. You know how Winnie the Pooh's friend, Eeyore, sounds when he talks? Picture my kids moving to the tempo of his voice. Then slow it down even more.

At first, I was thinking that if I could get them totally ready before I had to leave for work--get them dressed, breakfast, make sure backpacks were packed, etc.--that maybe I could set a timer or something, and when it goes off, have them head out the door. But I know them better than that, and I know they'd end up being tardy a good 2 days a week. Then I realized that things were really coming together, and that this whole thing was really meant to be. My office, which is located in downtown Minneapolis, is moving to a suburb that is closer to my house. So beginning in August, my commute is going to go from a good 45 minutes to about 15 minutes. WooHoo! So it shouldn't be any problem for me to hang out at the house with them until they need to leave for school, and I could even give them a ride on rainy or really cold winter days.

Of course, we will still have the expense of Lauren's daycare, but who cares? She's only 3, it's not like leaving her at home is an option. We'll wait until she's at least 4.