Summer: 48 Days

So I was messed up on my days. Not as much time as I thought. I'm doing pretty good on my list, but until Johnson's Camp is over we won't be doing any "field trips". (The baby naps in the afternoon which puts a damper on things.)

What we have done in the last few days:

*Fixed and adjusted everyone's bikes. We are lucky enough to live on one of the only flat streets in our neighborhood. Flat, quiet and shaded. The baby loves riding on the front of my bike in her IBERT. http://www.ibertinc.com/
*Kate had her first laundry lesson.
*I planted tomatoes and flowers. Kate and Will made cactus gardens.
*We made it through the first four Harry Potter movies in preparation for my big date with Kate this weekend to see the sixth. (Brandon is taking the scouts to the Grand Canyon so I'm getting a babysitter for me and Kate.)
*We made homemade mint oreo ice cream, taste tested it against our favorite brand (Breyers) and I vote HOMEMADE! We used our play and freeze ice cream ball we received from our super fun friends Scott and Betsy. http://icecreamrevolution.com/
*Kate has started working on the craft cupboard for me. I'm paying her. She's agreed to catalog all the home videos for money too. She wants to use the money to buy a cat. Brandon and I are allergic. She's obsessed.
*Lots of kids over to play. (We have new neighbors, and other friends who are moving.)
*Lots of swimming
*Lots of popsicles, peaches, corn on the cob and strawberries. (Should I mention chips?)
*I am LOVING the absence of TV! The kids don't even mention it and actually spend their free time reading, playing outside, making up games and doing crafts. Honestly, I think they fight less too.

Writing it out like this makes my life seem like one big party. Today's less than glamorous happenings involved lots and lots of paper work, a stray German Shepherd that my kids happily cared for while we waited for the animal shelter to come pick it up, the baby getting stung by a bee and screaming her head off, trying to administer eye drops for the baby's mild eye infection and her screaming her head off, and Brandon not getting home until 9pm tonight. He's on call every Wednesday. When he gets home that late it sometimes means my day ends a little on the crabby side. I'm like Cinderella with a curfew, but instead of midnight it's 9:00. After about 7:00 I start losing the ability to function like a responsible adult and if I don't have back up by 9:00 and the kids are still awake, the princess turns ugly. I have told the kids many times that I turn into "Allyson" after 9pm. I need just a wee little bit of space to be "me" every day. Just a bit. That's not too much to ask after providing a day of tasty food, fun and frivolity - is it?

What do I do with my free time? Write about my day with my kids.

I gotta go to bed.