The contradictions of parenting are never more apparent to me than when it’s time to go back to school. Simultaneously wanting the kids out of your hair and under your wing is such a confusing thing. The last week or two of summer, most camps and programs are finished, leaving a gap in care between summer, activities and a school routine.

When you are working, this is tricky because getting one to two weeks of care for the kids isn’t as easy at it sounds. Parents I know have made up for it in ways ranging from having a grandparent stay with them to just taking vacation that last week and even one who ended up taking her kids to work with her. I went into work pre-dawn and then got the kids right after, making for a long day of entertaining two kids who seem to have entered the WWE/MMA segment of their brotherhood.

So while I was counting down the days for them to go to school, which they both love, once it came time, I felt a bit frozen. I don’t want to have to break up what I call the “tumbleweed of chaos” but I still want to know if they ate enough lunch. I want to write this column without having to explain why I am writing this column, but I can’t be there to show my youngest where the bathroom is at his new school. I’d heard everything from, “I wish summer was longer” to “I’m not going to make it” on social media as the end of summer neared. While I was more in the second category, I can’t promise I won’t conveniently need to drive by a certain school playground today.

So many classes are about to start up through the City of Edmonds and there are a couple of events outdoors which is great considering the forecast for the weekend is quintessential Edmonds summer.

Puget Sound Bird Fest in Edmonds runs from Friday, Sept. 5 to Sunday the 7^th. The Bird Fest schedule, which you can find HERE, has a list of all the events and specifically marks those that are kid friendly. You can get out and follow guided walks, including one at Brackett’s Landing north, or you can head to the Frances Anderson Center, 700 Main Street, for a Live Raptor Presentation and FREE kids activities in Room 115 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. For more information you can call Parks and Recreation at 425-771-0230 or visit www.PugetSoundBirdfest.org.

Next Wednesday, Sept. 10, those 16 and over can take a class in Stand Up Paddling Basics. The class meets from 5 to 7 p.m. at Marina Beach in Edmonds, 470 Admiral Way next to the dog park, and all the equipment is provided. You will learn how to carry the paddleboard, “stand up on water with confidence,” and how to paddle injury free. I have always wanted to do this — it looks so fun and you can’t really pick a better location. The views from Marina Beach are some of the best. You can register by calling 425-771-0230 or visiting www.reczone.org.

It is definitely time to get out your Craze recreation program guide, if you don’t have one you can check it out at www.crazedigital.org. Lots of new classes are starting and I called Debbie at Edmonds Parks and Recreation to confirm there was space left! I did Kindermusik with both of my boys and new classes start at the France Anderson next Wednesday, Sept.10. With classes for newborns to 5 year olds, there is something for everyone in the pre-school set. Each of the classes still has space.

Zumbatomic Lil’ Starz is a dance class for kids ages 3 to 6 that starts on Sept. 18 and continues each Thursday at 4:30 p.m. When we did this class with my oldest son it filled up quickly, so I was happy to hear from Debbie that there was space left. The class is “designed for boys and girls” and when we took it, it was at least half and half. It is a fun and fast-paced with a lot of movement and not a lot of waiting, which is a great mix for kids 3 to 6. Shelly Simmons, who teaches Zumbatomic, also teaches the Supersquad Cheer program for kids ages 5 to 9. It starts on Sept. 18 and runs on Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.. I know Shelly through elementary school, and as a Zumbatomic instructor, she often posts the activities the kids do in the cheer class. It is all the stuff I would have wanted to do at that age. Girls and boys will learn kicks, jumps, chants, a short dance routine and “how to build spirit and teamwork” and there is a performance on the last day of the session. You can register by calling Debbie at 425-771-0230 or visiting reczone.org

– By Jennifer Marx

Jen Marx, an Edmonds Mom of two young boys, is a traffic reporter by dawn and writer and PBJ maker by day. She is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time. You can find her trying to make sense of begging kids to ” just eat the mac n cheese” at SnackMomSyndrome.com. If you have a kid-friendly event you’d like to share, email her at play@myedmondsnews.com.