We're getting ready for my youngest's birthday sleepover with her friends tonight. It's our usual swim at the pool, homemade pizza and cake, and sleepover party.

My second girl finishes up her drivers ed class today. She really wanted to go to take her permit exam right after class, but there isn't enough time today. She's in class unitl noon, and my oldest has a dr appt later in the afternoon, and the party guests arrive even later in the afternoon. Definitely no time today! We'll go straight away after I'm done with work on Monday.

Over the last couple of days, in spare minutes here and there, I've filed papers, cleared out the girls' school folders, and generally organized the paper portion of my life. The checkbook is balanced, all bills are paid or ready to send, and various calls have been made. For this one moment, I feel all caught up (I'm relishing the moment, because I know it won't last!)

I've been slowly, but surely, working at clearing out the excess at our house. Two attic spaces are cleaned out, albeit they are the two smallest ones. We have one the whole width of our house and one in the peak of the garage. The garage one is also the girls' 'clubhouse', as well as where, unknowingly to me, my husband was stashing not-sure-what-to-do-with things. Bit by bit, I'm getting it under control. We have limited space as it is, and we don't need to be storing stuff we really don't want anymore.

My husband has been putting in a lot of overtime this week, and we all have been very busy this week. So after tomorrow morning when the guests leave, we're relaxing, with no plans whatsoever!

Enjoy your weekend...Take care!!

When I start blogging every three plus weeks, you know that it's been busy around here.

So a quick summary of these past weeks: school's out (yay!), guinea pig died (wah), third girl goes to camp (sad, because it was her pet), I clear out and donate the contents of one of our attic spaces (only three more to go!), oldest takes week-long swim intructor class and passes, second girl starts the classroom portion of her drivers ed, third girl comes back home from camp, youngest turns 10, I help host the (insanely) huge party for inlaws' 50th anniversary (notice I didn't say plan, because I sure would have suggested a less elaborate to-do - but I was a good silent helper, and it was fun to see so many at a happy event rather than a sad one), oldest and I start our summer work this week, second starts her dance team practices, and third starts her cheerleading practices. Whew!

On the money front...well, we have been regularly writing checks for various things associated with the dance and cheerleading teams, but we're nearing the end, and so far I haven't had to take funds from the savings. Our church allows the kids to earn money for their youth account by working different functions and fundraisers. So my third owed nothing for her camp (just a little canteen spending money.) My second goes on a mission trip in July, and owes around $50 after applying her account funds, and she will use babysitting money for her spending money.

Otherwise, we're a cheap and easy to please crowd here. We're close to several beaches (and one we can bike to) and have a county library hardly a block away, and have several more near most of the places we visit and shop. We have at our house enough art and craft supplies and other materials (junk, or junque if you want to be fancy) for us to to be thoroughly creative. We live in town, so there's lots of friends around. There's tennis courts, four-square and a huge playground at the school on the next street over. If the kids are bored, it's not because there isn't something to do. I did suggest some dusting at the youngest's "I'm bored" the other day - that always sets their imagination in motion - ha!

One thing I need to get back to is hanging the laundry. That has fell to the wayside in this week of adjustment back to work. Also, I think I've got the girls eating meals, rather than grazing through the kitchen constantly throughout the day it seems. My dinners are still in adjustment though. Between the activities of the older three girls, our usual sit-down dinners aren't together. I guess we've been spoiled to able to do it as long as we have. Crock-pot dinners work well, but it's been very hot lately, so we've been eating cooler meals. It seems that there are endless leftovers, and repeated meals several days running. I will have to adjust to making smaller meals, or rather meals that can be flexibly small or large. In the meantime, we're eating leftovers daily (lunch and dinner) and using lots of tortillas for wraps, and eggs and more eggs. So far, no one has perished from starvation (though heat is another matter)...


It seems it's either feast or famine when I blog... I hope you're not too gorged with my 'little' account here. Take care!

...because I am tired!

I've been working sub hours like mad this week. This is a great boost to the paycheck, but makes for a tired me. Today I worked with a 4th grade girl with Down's Syndrome. I'll sum up the day by saying, gosh, that girl can run! It's one thing when it's in the school building, but today was 'play day', a sort of field activity day that was out in the high school football field. At least I scored a Mackenzie, after running the length of the field. My youngest was out there too - she thought it was funny that I was running all over that field. Fine sense of humor, kidlet!

Our first camping trip of the season was last weekend. I woke early on Saturday morning and took a nice long walk by myself. On Sunday and Monday, we all slept in. During the days, we canoed, biked and hiked. Each evening, we sat enjoying the campfire. It was a nice break.

Tomorrow I'll head out to the bread outlet and the grocery store. I also need to see if there's anything I need to get for my third daughter, who leaves for church camp next weekend.

I woke up on Tuesday with some sort of cold or allergy thing. I tell you, I work all school year with preschoolers sneezing on me and not getting anything. It doesn't seem to be a true cold, but I'm attempting to generic "Airborne" it any way. Not too successful so far. Luckily the weekend is here. Well, not that sleeping in is going to happen (girls going in all directions,) but I won't have to chase any of them across football fields.

Enjoy the weekend...Take care!