Back before I was a mother (ohhh, the Saturdays of having breakfast at 1 pm) and I was all judgy about mothers (wha-? me? I know, shocking) who complained about their kids being home all summer long, I thought they were crazy for wishing the academic year to arrive already and that they should just be grateful to be privileged to spend the best part of the year at home with the young ones.  Of course, this is the kind of naivete I reflect upon with lots of laughter and big old black Sharpie to X off another day until co-op finally starts again (31 days if you're keeping score at home).

While I've personally had a great time at our recently rebuilt park with my son, taking weekend trips as a family, splashing around in the backyard pool and hanging out at the sandbox, I am getting a little jittery for regular childcare and the steadiness of our schedule. That's why, when I saw this adorable post on building your own fun back-to-school fete, I assumed it involved martinis, massages and the promise of shopping at Target alone.

But now, it's actually more kid-centered than that, aimed at getting the lunch boxers all geared up for the new year and remind them of all the good stuff (think pizza day in the caf, their turn to show it and tell it, their very first locker) that school brings. The ideas here are full of craftiness and fancy cakes, but I bet your kids would be just as happy with one last sleepover that lasts until the wee hours or one more pool playdate with a friend from another preschool. So long as the margaritas follow once the kids are tucked in, you'll probably be DIYin' the end of summer up right.