Things I learned on the first day of school

The first day back to work/school did such a number on me that I'm just getting around to posting this on the THIRD day of school.

Sheesh.

1. After looking forward to going back to school all summer, and after waking up super duper early, getting dressed, and throwing down his breakfast, my brandspankin' new 2nd grader will develop intense stomach cramps on the way to school and be in tears by the time we reach his classroom. Nervous gas? Anxious about a new classroom and new group of classmates? Who knows. By lunchtime and an extended trip to the loo, all will be well after an almost disastrous non-existent-because-we-had-to-go-home first day.

2. Kindergartners are crazy excited and wild on the first day of school. This was true of my child, and certainly true of the new crop of K students I've met this week. Their enthusiasm is infectious though, and I can't help but to be excited when I have a new class in my music room. Doesn't want to make me run around and jump off of the risers as some of them have done, but it helps to see their sweet smiles as I say, "sit on your bottoms, please" for the fifteenth time.

3. The mere mention of 'instruments' to a primary student causes excitement akin to that of the mention of 'Bieber' to a middle school student.

4. After typing a set of song lyrics in 45 seconds flat, it will take 2.5 hours to print them because my computer has forgotten how to recognize the printer it's connected to over the summer. I will have to un-install it, search in my desk drawer for the installation cd, re-install it, and after 2.5 hours, the blessed lyrics will finally print.

5. After staying at school an extra 2.5 hours, I will get stuck in 5 o'clock traffic going home. The trip will take a total of 30 minutes, giving me exactly 25 minutes at home with my family before I have to hop in my car and drive to rehearsal. It's days like this that make me glad I actually love the jobs that I do. I miss my family like crazy, but I love my jobs.

6. Really cute wedges will look great with your first-day-of-school dress, but will in fact make your feet want to kill you after standing in them for 9 hours. Never again shall I wear the cute wooden wedges to school. Never again.

7. After collapsing on the couch next to hubs at the end of an exhausting day, I will NOT be too tired to watch the next to last episode of the 3rd season of Breaking Bad. It also turns out that I will, in fact, not be too tired to watch the last episode of the 3rd season of Breaking Bad because Netflix is just too darn convenient. And SHEESH, what a season finale. Good gravy. I can't even...

8. After an 11.5 hour workday and two episodes of Breaking Bad, I will feel like I've been hit with a 2 x 4 on my second day of school. I know I couldn't have learned this on the 'first' day as the title says, but it's now the 'third' day. Now I know.

9. Saturdays during the school year will be known at the Mathews' house as the 'Day of Sleep'.