Woman in Real Life

As much as I hate to think about summer coming to an end, it's about time to start making those back-to-school purchases. While school starts for us on September 8th, in many other areas kids are already back to school. Like many people, we start each school year with fresh lunch bags and backpacks (unless the old ones are still clean and in good shape).

This year I did a lot of research to find eco-friendly and stylish options for lunch bags and backpacks that would suit our family. My daughter is 10 so she still likes the cute and fun options, but she also requires a certain level of "maturity" in her choices. My son is 13 so this in-denial mom has to be careful she doesn't go with styles that are too "little boy" for him.

Back-to-school brings with it so many emotions, both for kids and for Mom and Dad. Nervousness, excitement, happiness - it's all there. This special time also calls for a significant change in routine. Gone are the more leisurely days of summer - the late mornings, the increased TV watching, the trips to the beach.

As I sent the kids off to school for their first day on Tuesday, I was hopeful that they would have good friends in their classes, be assigned to helpful and kind teachers and just generally enjoy their educational experiences. Of course, I was also hopeful they would get up and get ready in time! Here they are freshly scrubbed, with teeth brushed, ready for school on time. The little gal in her new dress and sneakers with her hair neatly in a bun. Morning of day one was a success. We shall see from now on...

With all of the credit card rewards programs available today, making the right choice can be overwhelming. If you're like me, you want your purchases to earn you points towards something useful for your family. We all have limited budgets and lots of bills to pay, so we want our points to really make a difference.

Happy Friday!

For those with little ones who returned to school this week, I hope everything went well. And to my teacher friends, I hope you are not too traumatized.

With all four of us home for the summer, this house got a lot of use. And, a lot of use means a lot of...mess. It's a full-time job keeping up with the kids, particularly my daughter, who trails stuff behind her like a shopping bag with a hole in it.

My husband and I tried to focus mainly on summertime fun, while ensuring that we also took care of some necessary household projects once in a while.

But, the to-do list is never-ending. So, this labour day long weekend, with a whole summer behind us and the first day of school looming, we diligently worked together to make sure the house was nicely organized and presentable, thus ensuring a smoother transition back to work and school.

When I was a child, my favourite season was fall. I loved the cooler air, the changing colours of the leaves and the late summer excitement of buying new clothes and school supplies for back-to-school. With a few more years under my belt, I find the allure of fall has decreased some, and I can't help but associate autumn with the long months of winter that follow.

In order to keep my spirits up, I try to focus on all of the joys that September and the fall season can bring. The first, for me, is always the Vegetarian Food Festival (this year from September 9 to 11) in Toronto. My family likes to hit Govinda's at the World Cafe for some delicious food from the people of the The Hare Krishna Centre. After that, it is apple picking on a fall weekend. We usually head to Avalon Orchards in Innisfil, Ontario for some of their delicious apple cider and fresh organic apples off the trees. Seeing the kids in their rubber boots running around eager to find the perfect apple is always a joy.

Add to that a Pearl Jam show, a Wilco show, the promise of a meeting with my beloved book club gals and a friend's fall wedding, and September is actually looking good. Of course, October brings Halloween and the chance to eat a little candy (okay, lots of candy), pick out some fun costumes for the kids and carve a few cool pumpkins. Even if you don't have little kids, carving pumpkins is a good outlet for your creativity (everyone has some!) and can help cultivate a little Halloween spirit too.

"Instead of brooding over the fact that nothing lasts," says Harold Kushner, "accept that as one of the truths of life, and learn to find meaning and purpose in the transitory, in the joys that fade. Learn to savor the moment, even if it does not last forever. In fact, learn to savor it because it is only a moment, and will not last. Moments of our lives can be eternal without being everlasting. Can you stop and close your eyes and remember something that happened for only a moment or two many years ago? It may have been a view of a spectacular landscape, or a conversation that made you feel loved and appreciated. In a sense it did not last very long at all, but in another sense it has lasted all those years and is still going on."