75 Days

Tomorrow is the first official day of our full summer vacation. Lulu's been home for a couple of weeks, and today is Pete's last day of school.

sigh... sort of...

Don't get me wrong. I love my girls, and I love the fact that they don't have to spend the summer in some random, full-day "summer camp" program (actually just glorified day care) while I work in a job I detest, and I have a few plans for how to make the summer interesting and short-seeming (more about that in a minute), and I did sign them up for one week of half-day camp at Lulu's school mid-July so I could have a break. But they don't get along a lot of the time and it's stressful and I'm not looking forward to it and whinewhinewhinewhinewhine.

On the other hand, like I said, I do have plans (and a week off). We're going to spend some time with grandparents (if I can talk myself into driving 4 hours mostly on the interstate with the girls and the dog and no HG). We have season passes to our local amusement park (again, more interstate driving, but if I could do it for 16 hours alone when I was 19, I can handle 30 minutes to Carowinds, right?). Library, parks, play dates with friends, etc. Maybe the girls will help me keep the house clean... ... ... HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!! Sorry. Hang on while I wipe tears from my eyes...

And then there are so many things to look forward to and prepare for next fall.

For one, Husbandguy surprised me with his answer to my question about whether he would consider me really focusing on my writing the same as me getting a job. He said, "If you really do it." See? He said yes. That's the part that surprised me - not the way he kind of almost committed to it and nearly encouraged me with his choice of words. That didn't surprise me. Sorry, I'm off track. So I have offered to pay Pete to help me remember and compile the Frog and Fox stories I've told her on car rides and other times when they couldn't be written down. Then I can get them cleaned up when I have time (probably in the fall) and find out if they're publishable.

Lulu will be starting school in the fall. Real school. Big school. And Pete will be in the 3rd grade. I'd like to spend some time doing educational-y things this summer. Learning to count to 30 without skipping 21 and to read and write numbers to 20. Finishing the first set of Bob books. Re-learning this past year's spelling words, which apparently were learned for the tests and then promptly forgotten. PETE. Growing butterflies in Lulu's butterfly garden thing she got for her birthday. Piano. Read-aloud (any suggestions for books to read to the girls 1 chapter at a time?). Crafts. Field trips.

I guess overall I'm looking forward to it. Check with me in a month, though...

Maybe if I try to schedule time for myself to write to you every day I won't get so... so... you know. Plus I owe you 3 more poems.