Last night, I lied awake in my cozy bed... well, this morning, rather. In the wee hours of the morning, my stomach began to flutter. Though I was awoken by a strong passing thunderstorm initially, my mind raced, prohibiting me from falling back asleep. I stayed up until nearly 10 pm, cleaning up the kitchen, making sure school supplies were in my son's bookbag, checking to see that his brand new Nike gym shoes were tucked into his drawstring pack, placing the ice pack into the freezer so it would be cool for his lunch box.

The clothes were sorted, the laundry was clean, the dishwasher had been unloaded. We attended orientation at my son's school earlier that evening, and I felt really good when we left the school to head back home. 

We played a little later than usual this summer, ending our summer break fun over the weekend, after a couple of days spent at our friend's beautiful home on Lake Norman. I am usually crazy hyper about making sure that we're organized and ready to go for the new school year weeks before school starts. This year, however, thanks to my anxiety meds, I have been a bit lax. 'We'll get it all done,' my husband said. He knows how much I dislike leaving anything undone until the last possible minute, though he thrives in those types of situations.

B has been so excited to head back to school, and it seems as though this year, I am nervous enough for both of us. He loves his school, the staff, his classmates, and teachers. Easy breezy all around. He doesn't feel like he's under pressure, but I feel like I am. Did I miss anything? Does he have everything he needs? Did I put everything on the calendar? Do we have all of the snacks and groceries needed for the week? Who's picking him up and dropping him off, and on which days? Am I volunteering enough? Am I being open and communicative with his teachers? Should we start piano lessons this year? Will karate fit into our schedule for September?

If you're in my shoes, and I in yours, let's just stop for a moment and breathe together. I see so many jokes and memes on social media about moms wanting their kids to go back to school- having that desire for structure and routine in their daily lives once again. I get it, I'm there with you, but am not forgetting that it becomes much more hectic for families once school starts.

Parents, God bless you. You are doing a great job, and everything will come together for you and your kids as you begin a new school year. Give it a couple of weeks and allow yourself a little bit of this amazing thing called grace. You are not alone.

Teachers, God bless you. You are saints. Not only do we rely on you to work with us in educating our children, but we entrust them to your care when they are not in ours. We know your job isn't easy, and that you are people, too, with lives outside of the classroom. We promise to be communicative, supportive, and respectful, and to pray for you daily.

Staff and Admins, God bless you. It would all fall apart without you, and we would be utterly lost without your gentle guidance and strong leadership. We know that you will be faced with less than desirable situations and will have to make tough decisions. We thank you for keeping God at the center of our school and your own lives and hearts, and for instilling that same boldness of faith in action in our children.

When my alarm went off this morning, and my feet hit the floor, the flutters went away. In the light of day, everything looked different. Everyone got out the door on time, and I only shed a tiny little tear (because my baby boy is growing up far too quickly for my liking).  I'm confident that this will be our best school year yet, and I hope and pray that it is for you and your kiddos, too!

Do you become anxious as your kids head back to school? Let's chat about it!

Drop me a comment below or find me on MBP social media at @mommysblockparty on Facebook or @mommysblckparty on Twitter and IG.