Classroom supplies,

back-to-school clothes,

teacher assignments,

enrollment issues,

school forms galore,

well-visit appointments,

start of fall sports,

dental cleanings,

vaccinations,

lunch boxes and backpacks,

labelling, labelling, labelling.

Back-to-School night,

new teachers,

new classmates,

old classmate drama,

groceries stocked for lunches,

early alarms,

new bedtime routines,

first day of school jitters…

come mid-August I disappear

into two solid weeks

of school prep time.

There is no me, only Mom,

until they’re in class

and I hibernate with the dogs,

recovering from the storm.